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Tokyo-Express
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
814 Mission St(between 4th St & 5th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighbourhood: SOMA
(415) 222-9933
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 10 am - 9 pm
Fri 10 am - 10 pm
Sat 11:30 am - 10 pm
Sun 11:30 am - 8 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
146 reviews for Tokyo-Express
Review Highlights
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"Anyways, I tried their Lemon Basil Chicken and it was..." In 4 reviews -
"As far as fast food goes, this place is top notch." In 18 reviews -
"I almost always order tempura at a Japanese restaurant." In 20 reviews
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142 reviews in English
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Review from Stephanie M.
San Francisco, CA
4/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
If you work downtown or happen to be there and craving sushi, This is definitely your place to go for a fast and casual lunch. It's right across from The Metreon and next to the mall. There is always a day where you really crave sushi, mine was today. I'm never really that impressed with the sushi options downtown, but when you want sushi, sometimes Tokyo-Express it is.
They have daily specials that are pretty rad. I usually take my food to go, but there's plenty of seating. I'd go for the shirmp/vegetable tempura, lemon basil chicken with rice, soup, and a salad for $6.99 or their 8-piece Caterpiller or 49er roll that's usually $7-$8. They have everything, it's fresh, it's fast, it's great. -
Review from Gen M.
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2012
Came here with my boyfriend with hungery stomaches; craving japanese. So we shaered a bento box - chicken teriyaki, tempura and california roll.
The food was okay, tasted like other japanese we been to. It was cheap, but we both liked it. -
Review from Jen B.
San Francisco, CA
4/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
Our 7:10 pm movie at the Metreon ended around 9:40 pm on a Friday night. We didn't feel like driving or walking too far and since we were both pretty hungry, we decided to give this place a shot.
Tokyo-Express came up on Yelp as a nearby restaurant which reviewers described as fast food sushi. I agree with that description: it was fast, cheap and average food (below average sushi from all of the sushi experiences I had).
It definitely fit the bill of what we wanted, though, since it was late and kind of cold and windy. I really didn't feel like hunting down the perfect place, especially at this hour.
I had the Sushi Combo plate B, which included sushi, California rolls, and came with miso soup and salad. My boyfriend got a chicken katsu bowl, which he liked.
The fish quality and rice was mediocre, but we got our food within 5 minutes, which was nice. Free hot tea and iced tea (plus small containers of kimchi if you happen to notice it when you're ordering at the counter).
A solid 3 star rating for this fast, convenient sushi place. -
Review from Suz L.
San Francisco, CA
5/21/2012
Much better than a lot of other fast Japanese places in the area.
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Review from Joanna J.
San Francisco, CA
5/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
If you want an array of reasonably priced sushi in Downtown San Francisco, this is place to go. With that being said the quality of the fish is, understandably, not the greatest. Otherwise, the unagi and tempura were pretty decent.
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Review from milos d.
San Francisco, CA
5/23/2012
Don't expect an amazing meal, just expect maximum value for the dollar. Sushi combo B, worth every penny.
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Review from Stephanie Y.
Jersey City, NJ
3/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
This is a review for sushi only!! So, not a fan. As I was eating my spicy something or other roll, I began to smell something just not fresh and as that sliver of roll was being swallowed I got a taste of not the best sushi I had ever eaten. The sushi was falling apart, and again just didn't taste as fresh as other places where you go and sit down. Again, this may be thought of as "cheap" and it is but, you get what you pay for? I had a special roll involving eel and such and it was around $8 and in other places it would be probably $10-13 but, there it would have been sitting in a nice booth with water glasses and in my personal sushi opinion better sushi.
As I mentioned, this place is cheaper than its counter parts as well as in a fast food style manner. Go up to counter, order and take a number with you to your seat where runners deliver you your goods. Similar to a McDonalds eating area, the place is dingy and definitely not my favorite place or a memorable place to dine. The other items like the donburi and and the teriyakis were again "cheap" (but not as cheap as one would like in this setting) but, did look all together delicious.
Overall, my coworkers enjoyed their meals I however would take a pass and keep walking to the million other options in this hood for a quick, cheap and easy meal to satisfy that lunchtime hunger.Listed in: Lunchin' in the Bay area, Why did I eat here?
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Review from Daniel S.
San Francisco, CA
4/5/2012
Im surprised this place got 4 stars. Isn't this the same place in the Stonestown Galleria Food Court?
Anyways came here cause I was super hungry. Wanted some japanese food. I shared a bento box with my girlfriend. Got the teriyaki chicken, tempura and california roll.
Food was ok, tasted like cheap japanese food. The sushi wasn't that bad. I liked it and it was cheap for where the location is. Anything with the word "Express" usually means fast food. I was surprised this place got 4 stars. But the food was just OK. Taste like the other Tokyo Express. It was good but not to "wow" enough to be 4 stars -
Review from Angela Y.
San Francisco, CA
3/30/2012 6 Check-ins Here
For a place that has the word "Express" in the name -- the food here is surprisingly great! One of my favorite places to go for lunch near the office.
The "Express" part of Tokyo Express is actually quite fitting though, given everything comes out so quickly. Love that they have plentiful seating, though I will say I did get kicked out of our table once before (group of 4) b/c they were overflowing with customers who needed places to sit. Good thing that happened on maybe my 20th time there (and it only ever happened the one time), or else I probably would not have been back. Okay, I lied -- would totally have gone back, regardless.
They also have great daily specials. Love their Nabe-Yaki Udon, I probably order this every time I come here...I don't even know why I bother pretending like I'm going to switch it up.
Yum! -
Review from Alex S.
3/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Tokyo-Express is not fancy. It is not the best sushi you will ever eat. In fact, it is not the best anything you will ever eat. That being said, if you're looking for quick, cheap and still tasty Tokyo-based items, then there is nowhere else to be.
Located on Mission, it's fast-food sushi. Rows of plastic tables and booths line the floor as you make your way to the back to order. They've got walls of different sushi options plus items like tempora and miso soup.
You order, pay and they give you a number. Then you sit and wait for them to bring you your food, usually in less than 10 minutes.
I got the shrimp tempora and the California rolls (so I could be very unoriginal) and both were good but not great. The sushi a little too fishy and the tempora a little too meh. Still, it was cheap. Together with a soda I think they were $13. Awesome. And the tempora came with soup and salad. It was truly a lot of food for a little price, and good (not great but good.)
I'd come back here in a heartbeat, no question. Cheap, tasty, fun. I'm down. -
Review from Gerard Y.
I felt torn about writing this review as this is one of my go-to places for lunch, but not anymore. I woke up on Friday morning feeling a bit nauseous. I've only had food poisoning once, in my entire life, and I definitely felt stomach cramps and frequently going to the restroom. While everyone around me is sneezing and coughing, I'm usually good about not getting sick. But a 73 out of 100 score according to San Francisco's Department of Health rating of the restaurant is despicable especially if you handle raw food like sushi, which happened to be one of their lunch specials on that Thursday. That score in academia is approaching barely passing. This restaurant should've at least displayed their latest rating in a conspicuous place. I'll avoiding eating here from now on.
http://goo.gl/MA1PM (I had to use a URL "shortener" to get the restaurant score link to display properly)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/20/2010
Apparently you can sit down and have someone take your order if you're planning to dine-in. Just… Read more »
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Review from Hei Ming C.
San Francisco, CA
This place is good for its price. The portions that they give is worth the money. We order the Deluxe Bento, it has beef, tempura and sushi for 10.99. Plus the taste of it isn't bad at all. It came with salad and miso soup. The place deserves 5 stars for just being a "what I thought it's a fast food place" exceeded my expectation.
The sashimi's cut were fairly thick and the quality of the fish is not bad at all. Considering it was 15.99.
This is not the place to get top notch Japanese food because it'll never be that cheap but it's a good satisfying place. -
Review from Wendy Z.
San Francisco, CA
Ever since they opened here day one! I've been coming here!
I love eating here mainly because its borderline fast food but the waiter or waitress serves your food. Their meals comes with salad and miso soup and adding a couple of dollars in and you get the full combo with California roll and tempura. (it only comes with 4 for California roll and 2 tempura shrimp or something else)
Lots of seats available. This store used to be the jack in the box and during those times, it was ghetto inside. Cigarette butts and people hanging out inside without buying anything, now it has changed and they did a great job fixing the mess. Bathroom is clean.
I love their teriyaki beef, lemon basil Chicken and donkatsu. Those are what I usually get.
Complimentary tea, ice water or unsweetened ice tea for the beverages and complimentary kimchi too. Awesome -
Review from Richa A.
2/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here with a friend after hours of shopping and I was both craving sushi and ravenous. Tokyo-Express was perfect for that -- cheap, quick, and hit the spot. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you. All the employees were really friendly.
They have a lot of options for sushi rolls, but in the end the sushi is pretty mediocre. A good option if you are in the area but not a place to specifically seek out. -
Review from Ryan L.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2012
Great, fast, inexpensive sushi (and other Japanese food) in SoMA. I've never been to a fast food format sushi place, but they make it work. Walk up, place your order, wait a minute or two, then take your tasty food as take-out, or eat in one of the many nice tables in the front of the restaurant.
Probably my favorite inexpensive sushi place in the neighborhood, and possibly my favorite in the area overall. -
Review from Shirleyanne Z.
San Francisco, CA
The sushi was ok. For about $15 I bought a Dynamite Roll (spicy tuna, eel, asparagus, lightly fried), a veggie tempura appetizer and canned soda. The veggie tempura was soggy and the tempura breading didn't hold it's crispiness too well. There was only 5 small pieces of veggies with the tempura order. The sushi had a crispy outside which was kind of nice but the fish they used was not quite fresh. Despite that shortcoming, the roll still tasted decent. They also give you small dishes of kimchee for free. I didn't try it because I don't eat kimchee.
My friend liked her soft shell crab hand roll and she said her maguro sashimi tasted fresh. She said her parents regularly come here because the sushi is decent and reasonably priced. The service is simple and has a fast food feel to it. You order at the counter and then someone brings out your order. You have to go back to the counter if you need anything extra (wasabe, ginger).
I think it's a cool spot to grab a quick bite especially on a hectic day of shopping. It's also great if you want to eat something light before a movie since it's really close to two movie theaters. -
Review from Martha A.
Austin, TX
3/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Good food, reasonably priced, fast.
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Review from Eileen Z.
1/11/2012 1 photo
More like 3.5 stars
The sushi was OK. The place is pretty spacious with korean pop songs playing ( I actually listen to kpop so I like.) Just go up and order, pay, find a table, and they'll bring your food to you.
I ordered the caterpillar roll special which comes with 4 tempura rolls, miso soup, and salad it was a pretty satisfying roll.
I would come back next time before watching a movie at the metreon or century nearby. It's fast and convient! -
Review from Caroline L.
San Francisco, CA
1/9/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I really like this place! I feel like there are not a lot of affordable places to get sushi in that downtown shopping area, and not a lot of convenient ones. This one you can just get your order, and eat.
Long story short, I love eating the tekka maki roll (I usually get two cause it's pretty cheap), and the tempura roll. As long as the fish is fresh, I'll be coming here for a long time. I'm not looking for super high end or anything, just something that hits the spot. -
Review from Julio A.
12/15/2011 7 Check-ins Here
Tokyo Express is solid (that's "ganjou" for our Japanese readers). The udon bowls are well-priced, fast, and flavorful, with the nabe-yaki being my favorite. The sushi is also quite good. The staff is friendly and the service is usually quick, making Tokyo Express a great, no-frills lunch choice near the MOMA/Metreon.
Couple of insider secrets: they've got free kimchi to the left of the cashier and you can ask that the udon be substituted with healthier (and tastier) soba noodles. -
Review from Ashley M.
San Jose, CA
12/20/2011
I work around this area, and there really isn't that many good Japanese/Sushi places to choose from! -__- Unfortunately. If you are in dire need of Japanese food, and don't want to head over to the Ferry Building, I guess you can stop here.
Food: The food is sub-par. All of the "teriyaki" foods are too sweet and artificial. YUCK! I had the salmon terikayi here one time, HUGE mistake. It was dry, over sweet, and tasted like plastic. The seaweed salad is also very artificial tasting, which left a bad taste in my mouth. I've eaten here twice (when I first started working in SF), but have not been back since (finding my fave spot Delica, in the Ferry Building).
Ambiance/Service: The place is rather small, serve your own tea, and grab your own table. You order and pay at the cash register, and then they bring you your food. The service is relatively quick (I guess..), but if you need something while you're eating, no one is around to help you.. you have to walk back up to the register to ask. Kind of frustrating.
Overall, I would skip it and head over to Delica. Better selection and definitely better quality! Plus! Its close by :) -
Review from Ellie L.
Daly City, CA
2/27/2012
I really wanted to like this place because it is so close to work and I just absolutely love sushi. The service from the girl that works here was absolutely terrible!!
The guy behind the register was super nice but like I said, the chic working behind the counter was just plain RUDE. I came here on my lunch break with a coworker and we decided to dine in. When my order came, the chic sloppily set my plate in front of me. I don't know what was up with her nasty attitude but she needs to leave it at home. Maybe she was having a bad day but I brushed it off not thinking much about it. As I picked up a sushi off from my plate there was a piece of HAIR under that piece of sushi. Yes, a piece of hair. It was sitting under two pieces of sushi. Mind you, these things don't bother me too much but it was due to their SERVICE that really made me sick to my stomach. I hate making a big fuss over these things so my coworker decided to bring it to them and show them the hair. Literally less than a MINUTE passed by and they hand me back my plate, the hair was GONE, and they added two extra drops of wasabi in the area the hair was on. REALLY? that is disgusting..I was so shocked that I just stared at my plate for 5 minutes before we flagged down the worker and asked if all they did was remove the hair and out more wasabi. So the second time I was watching from my table as the chic REARRANGES the position of the sushi pieces and gives it back to the waiter guy to give back to me.
This is absolutely unacceptable. Yea you've probably figured out which customers we are, but you know what? If you could have been at least apologetic about the situation and just provided better service then I wouldnt be writing this review. Do you really think your customers want to eat food with hair in their dishes? Im just so shocked by the service..ESP from that angry asian chic working there on Saturday, FEB 25. between 5-6pm. yea now u can narrow it down to which worker it was cus she was disgusting -
Review from Harold M.
San Francisco, CA
4/3/2012
Fast, good food. Price is great. Place is clean. Not a place to go before the prom, but if you're hungry it's great.
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Review from Sara C.
San Francisco, CA
3/1/2012 2 Check-ins Here
For just under $10, you canget yourself a nice hearty meal and it will be less expensive than eating inside Westfield and you'll probably have more food too. I like the customer service here, and I'm not being biased because one of my old coworker friends now works here and sometimes hooks it up. They have a nice menu selection which consists of everything you would see at any other Japanese resturaunt and they often have K-Pop blasting from the speakers. It used to be a old sketchy Jack In The Box but this place has seemed to brighten up the area just a lil tiny bit so don't be scuuuuurrred if you still see some shady sh!t goin down.
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Review from Sarah T.
San Francisco, CA
1/16/2012
I love the cleanliness and fish here. it's not AAA kind of sushi of course but it's not bad for something quick, "healthy," and affordable. $15 for a bowl of chirashi! when i told a friend that he was almost scared to eat it but i've had it 3 times now and i've had no problems (not that this place even looks suspicious - it doesn't).
it's clean, lots of seating space. i think people even hang out here and work. service is nice - they once forgot to add the avocado to my "blossom chirashi" and didn't hesitate to slice me some - and even gave me a portion beyond what the dish calls for. this is my go to place for a quick, healthier-than-greasy-take-out dinner. kiddy corner from metreon.
i think they deliver but there is a minimum.
and for added convenience - they are open late!
they accept corporate accounts too, for whatever that's worth to ya. -
Review from Ryan D.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2011
I love Japanese cuisine. If you are currently reading this review, you and I both know how pricey Japanese food can get.
Coming from a High School student on a tight budget, I would say that this place is totally sweet!
Reasons why Tokyo Express rocks!
1.) The overall taste of the food they serve is on par with those expensive Japanese restaurants.
2.) Although there are no waiters to really serve you, the workers at the cashier are always nice with a huge smile on their faces.
3.) It's affordable!
Once you're finish ordering, your food comes almost immediately. It's very consistent, which I like. Every time I go here, I always walk out with a smile on my face when I leave. This place is seriously awesome! -
Review from Jennifer M.
San Francisco, CA
2/24/2012
What a find, I am really excited:) A colleague suggested to have lunch here, she told me it's reasonable, clean, close to work and fast. Boy she was right, I love how they displayed their menu front and back of their establishment, I wanted to order everything. First, I needed to get a hold of myself because yes I was hungry (delusional) once again and so much to choose from. I ordered their shrimp and veggie tempura (the meal) and sat down. They served me soup which was good not too salty, and hot (which I like) not into luke warm. Salad was small but pretty tasty. Next thing I knew, my tempura was right in front of me with rice; Yum Yum, I left nothing on my plate. I mean for $8 dollars, that is a good deal under thirty minutes, Wahoo!
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Review from Cork C.
San Francisco, CA
3/8/2012
I didn't get a chance to try their food, but they delivered to my work on-time and were very helpful with setting everything up. Also the bags of food were huge!
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Review from Jason B.
10/7/2011
Lemon on salmon on salmon.
Expectations were low for this unassuming sushi spot along Mission. Knew I was wrong after my first piece of the Double Salmon roll. Salmon inside. Salmon outside. Slices of lemon embedded on top.
Very innovative. Very good. Very well priced. Very impressed. -
Review from Rebecca S.
Redondo Beach, CA
So I'm walking down the street in SF, super bummed that the Metreon is closed for construction; so whats a girl to do? Get sushi, of course! Fortunately I stumbled upon Tokyo Express! I was super shocked to find an inexpensive sushi joint in this area and was stoked beyond belief when I yelped it and saw the stellar reviews.
Free hot and iced tea as well? Damn, i'm sold.
Ordered avocado rolls as usual and a giant steaming bowl of veggie udon, which came out to about $10. Nice. Everything was tasty and legit and the restaurant was clean and orderly. Although its fast food style dining the food is good and the price is right. My parents even wanted to come back later (after we spent a bit too much shopping in union square) and they enjoyed it as well.
Seriously where else can 3 people have dinner for under $30 in this part of SF?? Probably not many places where you're not just stuffing yourself with nasty burgers and fries. Healthy, cheap Japanese food all the way, yo. Check it out sometime! -
Review from Cathy Y.
9/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Tokyo-Express is like a Japanese casual cafe - you order at the counter, grab a number, and a few minutes later a waiter delivers your food. Serve yourself some tea/water while you wait. I wouldn't exactly call it express or fast food (they make your food to order instead of having a pre-packed set), as it takes about 10 minutes for your dish to come out, but it's definitely faster than your average sushi joint.
Prices and taste were average (I got the nigiri combo with tempura), but if you're in the area you could definitely do worse. -
Review from Aaron F.
9/26/2011
Surprisingly good sushi for a fast-food place, with very reasonable prices. I have the sushi combo A, 10 pieces of sushi (4 Nigiri, 6 California Roll) with soup and salad for only $8.
It's a great lunch option - you order, take a number to your table, and are quickly served. The staff was very nice. My only wish is that there weren't fruit flies roaming the dining room. -
Review from Jessica L.
Chevy Chase, MD
10/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Casual sushi eatery, with lots of available seating (even during lunch on weekdays). I loved it! Great hot tea, and plenty of sushi to choose from. Decent prices for the Mission area too.
Complaints/Suggestions? No complaints. Suggestion would be to make it clearer as to where to order when you walk in, as it seems like the counter is fairly large and we're not sure where to order or pay. -
Review from Bridget B.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2012 2 Check-ins Here
This is my absolute favorite lunch-time spot nearby my work. Super fast, great service, and a great price for the amount of food you get! Lots of sushi and bento options, and everything I've had is super fresh and delicious. Tokyo-Express makes a long day's work more bearable!
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Review from Mark P.
Temecula, CA
9/20/2011
I had a short amount of time and I wanted something without a bun or tortilla. Walked around a minute and found this place. It was pretty clean, a lot of seating and had a good full menu.
The food was good, the service was good and the prices were reasonable for what you get (salad & soup).
They only have bottled or canned drinks, no fountain drinks. Food came out how and fresh.
A nice alternative! -
Review from Audrey L.
10/16/2011
Quality Japanese food, decent ambiance, at an affordable price!
Let's just say I'll be back. -
Review from Ling F.
Woodbridge, VA
1/14/2012
Place is a fastfood joint. Soup is waterdown, salad is fresh with chopped carrots n thousand island dressing(bleh), tempura was good, salmon sashimi was good, thick, fresh and quick prepared. The place looks pretty dirty. For quick food its ok not worth it for the meal. California roll was pretty bad. I think if u want sashimi or tempura ur good here. Priced seem about average.
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Review from Jen S.
2/2/2012
japanese fast food. if you're craving japanese and don't want to spend a lot of money or just want to order to go, i would suggest this place. their food is not magnificent but it does its job. you pay first and they bring the food to you. look out for their daily specials! it's definitely worth it
i've tried the sushi combo B - comes with 6 california rolls and 6 pieces of nigiri as well as miso soup and salad. on thursdays, its less than $10! the sashimi is not the freshest but you pay for what you get. i've also tried their udon noodle soups here. pretty decent as well -
Review from Tammy T.
San Francisco, CA
11/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
+ consistently fresh and tasty
+ decently priced chirashi bowls
+ portions are good sized, full meals: salad, soup, main course
+ super fast, they know how to operate the lunch crowd
- crowded during lunch -
Review from Dale T.
Daly City, CA
11/20/2011
This is so much better and so much cleaner to once was a very ghetto Jack In A Box. :) I always try to get a bento box with added Tempura to eat while waiting in line for a movie either at Metreon or Century SF Centre. I also like the fact you could ask to substitute brown rice for the steamed white rice free of charge.
Love the free iced green-tea. Tastes great with a packet of Equal. :)
I just wish for the prices and the service that there were more Tokyo Expresses in the Mall Suburbs like Serramonte in Daly City or the Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno.
