The long-awaited opening of a grocery store at Bay Street Emeryville is finally here – on Saturday, Jan. 31, Tokyo Central opens its doors to the public. Now, people can grab fresh-cut sushi, hand rolls, bentos, baked Japanese yams, grocery items, eye masks, Zojirushi rice cookers, Japanese beer, and a whole lot more all in one, expansive location.
5603 Bay Street, Emeryville; tokyocentral.com/emeryville/
Grand opening: Jan. 31 & Feb. 1, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Regular hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily
Since at least 2021, Emeryville’s planning commission has been eyeing a grocery store for the location. Several shops were once in that area: a Kara’s Cupcakes, an EQ3 furniture store, a Pizza My Heart, a Red Mango. After those closed, there were rumors that Amazon Fresh was moving in. Tokyo Central was finally announced in 2024. Long before Bay Street existed, the location was home to Ohlone shellmounds.
During the store’s soft opening on Thursday, staff members greeted each customer, handed out coupons and a flyer promoting the grand opening this weekend. A few customers seemed like they had never been inside the Japanese grocery chain, peering at the different imported ingredients. Others seemed familiar; for example, the store was already out of egg salad sandwiches, the convenience store-style ones that have gone viral. (Tokyo Central carries ones made by Andersen Bakery.)
The 44,000-square-foot Tokyo Central in Emeryville is among the largest of the chain’s stores and features the largest produce section. Credit: Richard H. Grant for East Bay Nosh
The Emeryville location is Tokyo Central’s first in the East Bay and second store in Northern California — the other one is in Cupertino. Cupertino store manager Daisuke Sato says there are plans to open more Tokyo Centrals in the Bay Area, but he couldn’t offer more details about future expansions. There are 11 stores in Southern California, some of which once operated under the name “Marukai.” The chain is owned by the Japanese uber-grocery company Don Quijote, or Donki, that runs the Don Don Donki and Don Quijote markets in Japan, Hawaii, and elsewhere.
My parents lived very close to one in Southern California. When my kids and I visited, we always looked forward to shopping there. In particular, we grabbed anything with sweet red bean paste, seaweed snacks, and ready-to-eat bentos and onigiris. My parents liked to get the premium sliced beef for making hotpot.
The new Tokyo Central in Emeryville includes the Handroll Factory, a restaurant specializing in hand rolls with fresh sashimi and other fillings accompanied by a dollop of fresh-grated wasabi. Credit: Richard H. Grant for East Bay Nosh
Nosh contributor Momo Chang highlights some of her favorite Tokyo Central items.
- Pre-sliced meat: There’s a wide variety of sliced beef and pork at a range of prices, and it is an easy addition to hotpot, soups, and stir-fries. Who wants to slice their own beef at home?
- Onigiri: If you’re on the go, you can’t go wrong with onigiri. Tokyo Central’s is made with freshly-milled rice, and uses ingredients like sockeye salmon instead of farmed salmon. If you have kids, this snack is quite handy (though they may need help assembling the triangle-shaped rice ball wrapped in seaweed, and the only unfortunate part is the use of plastic wrapping).
- Japanese yams: If you’re hungry, they have baked ones that are kept warm and sold by the pound. Or, buy some uncooked ones and make them at home.
- Sushi: There are plenty of ready-to-eat sets, and the sashimi is fresh-cut daily.
- Specialty Japanese produce: Grab harder-to-find ingredients like Japanese green onions and a variety of mushrooms.
- Rice: I couldn’t count how many different types of bagged rice Tokyo Central sells, but there are many; I will be back to pick up rice the next time I need some.
At the Emeryville location, things are even bigger and brighter, a new alternative for a city that has only two other large grocery stores – Pak ‘N Save and Trader Joe’s. The 44,000-square-foot market, with a second floor featuring dedicated, free parking, boasts the largest produce section of all Tokyo Centrals, according to Assistant Store Manager Francisco Villa, and may be the largest among Tokyo Centrals. Villa says the sashimi is fresh-cut daily, with much of the fish imported from Japan, Norway, Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. The store has a staff of nearly 100 to run all of its operations.
I was familiar with the ready-made onigiri–rice balls filled with salmon and other fillings, usually wrapped in a layer of plastic to separate the seaweed so it remains crisp until you’re ready to eat it. At other locations, such as the one in SoCal where I shopped, the onigiris were made by a third-party vendor.
The Emeryville store makes its onigiri on site, using short-grain hitomebore rice from Japan that’s freshly milled behind a glass window at the rice balls kiosk. (They also sell the rice bran from the rice that is milled). Villa and Sato touted the higher-end ingredients, like the rice, which has a nice, soft texture when cooked. Fillings include sockeye salmon for $5.49; they also have a wagyu-filled rice ball for $12.99, as well as a lobster and shrimp one for $5.99.
The hot bar, $11.99 per pound, features dishes like tofu, karaage, green beans — more like “homecooked Japanese foods” beyond just sushi, Villa says. Like other Marukais and Tokyo Centrals, there is a “Hawaii” section, including the famous Zippy’s chili in frozen packs.
(Top) The popular Japanese edge salad sandwich sold out during the Tokyo Central soft opening on Jan. 29, but a combo sandwich (bottom) with pork katsu, egg salad and shrimp katsu was still available. Credit: Richard H. Grant for East Bay Nosh
The large sliced meat section includes Kurobuta black pork and wagyu. About 90% of the beef is from the U.S., while the rest is imported from Japan, Villa says, noting that tariffs have led the company to reduce the amount of imported meat it sells; for example, the Kurobuta pork is from Iowa and Nebraska, and much of the beef is from Harris Ranch. The equipment to slice the premium beef and pork is from Japan. Similarly, while you can find Japanese-grown produce, the majority of it is grown in California. Some noteworthy items in the produce section are the Japanese yams, large stalks of Japanese green onions (Tokyo negi), and Amaou strawberries ($19.99 for three).
A selection of freshly made snacks on display at Tokyo Central market at Bay Street in Emeryville. Credit: Richard H. Grant for East Bay Nosh
Next to the grocery store is the Handroll Factory, specializing in hand rolls with fresh sashimi and other fillings accompanied by a dollop of fresh-grated wasabi. A piece of dried seaweed is waved over a griddle to heat it up, then filled with the red vinegar seasoned rice and sashimi. Rolls range from $5 to $15 each, or $25 for a set of four.
Lisa Wong surveys the premade sushi and sashimi platters from Tokyo Central market at Bay Street in Emeryville on Jan. 29, 2026 during the new stores soft opening. Credit: Richard H. Grant for East Bay Nosh
This store definitely feels like a higher-end version of the Tokyo Central I’m accustomed to, from the fresh wasabi at the Handroll Factory to the milled rice and in-house onigiri. Everything seems thoughtful and carefully planned, but the sheer number of options can be dizzying.
I’ve already made plans to come back with my family so we can leisurely browse the produce section, variety of noodles, rows of bagged rice, hotpot and soup ingredients, and the plethora of ready-made foods.
The Emeryville Tokyo Central has its own separate parking lot, free for customers for 90 minutes. Grand Opening events this weekend, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2026, include coupons, specials, performances by a Bay Area Taiko drumming group, and giveaways.
In addition to its range of Japanese products, Tokyo Central also features sections dedicated to Hawaiian and Korean goods. Credit: Richard H. Grant for East Bay Nosh
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