Zensen Sushi Express

Wait, what? This place has closed ?
Highly recommended for college student !! I love this place !! The set up is interesting and I really like the hot water faucet right in front of us where we can get hot water for our tea. They have good sushi for only $ 1.50 /​plate.

Bummers! Just when I discovered this place, on my next visit I discover they are closing for good on 23 February. And I was surprised to discover a former classmate of mine is an attendant here. I was not happy to hear this classmate is going to have to seek other employment because of the closing.
I did find out they will be relocating somewhere in Newark. No specifics yet. There is a email list, so if you want, Sunday 23 February is the last day to get on the list. I know I will be in the area sometime in March, so I hope they will be in their new location by then so I can get some sushi. I was informed much of their customer base would come all the way to Berkeley. Newark’s gain is Berkeley’s loss.
I did get myself some sushi to go in one of their cute takeout boxes. I packed and piled my selections in there – the heck with aesthetics. Tuna, salmon, avocado, shrimp, and cucumber.
À bientôt Zensen Sushi Express! Domo Arigato – how I wish you were still going to be in Berkeley. See you somewhere in Newark or elsewhere in the Fremont area.

Ok. 4 stars is too much. Really 3.5 stars.
The fish isn’t super good/​fresh. But everything is only $ 1! and it’s been 2 hours and I’m not sick so that’s pretty solid! They know the fish isn’t the freshest so they mix it up with some grilling and sauces to round it out. In other words they work pretty well with what they have.
If you really want sushi but only have 10 bucks it’s totally a solid deal. If you really want good, fresh sushi, well it’s gonna cost you more than 10 bucks.

Unilocal 100 Challenge 14′ * ¹⁄₁₀₀
After five years in the states, the hope of finding a kaiten, also known as conveyor belt sushi, turned bleak when most of what we had in vegas were all-​you-​can-​eats. Berkeley ignited that hope when we stumbled upon this basement level Japanese fast food place after exploring the area.
The restaurant’s concept is simple: sushi are served in 2s to 6s. They encircle the restaurant through a conveyor belt system and all you have to do is pick what looks good. Every plate is a dollar with a 9% tax — no more no less. Thank God they didn’t color code their plates with their own prices like in Hong Kong.
Variety wise, they had a lot to offer, from simple crab stick salad to specialty 49ers rolls, allowing the ginger and wasabi to pass by every now and then. There’s an endless supply of hot water and green tea bags which are located right along the side of the conveyor belt. Chopsticks, soy sauce and spoons are also within reach.
And don’t forget dessert. In contrast to $ 7 cheesecakes at the fisherman’s wharf (didn’t get any of course), I compensated for it by treating myself to a delish $ 1 cheesecake. Papa and mommy are fans of the mango jelly… and we made sure to come back one more time before heading back to Vegas.

I heard about the salmon sashimi at this place, so I came to try it out despite all the warnings in the back of my mind about sushi buffets.
My friends and I must have picked a good time to come, because there was an Oct/​Nov deal for $ 1/​plate instead of the usual $ 1.50. This might seem like a small difference at first but it is the difference between 10 plates for $ 10 and 6 – 7 plates for around $ 10!
The nigiri here is definitely worth it because you get 2 for $ 1 (or I guess normally, $ 1.50). However, sometimes it would taste super fishy and have a not-​so-​fresh aftertaste. I think it is a hit and miss sometimes.
Even though I usually love eating rolls, I steered away from most of the rolls at this place because they were all made with thick sticks of imitation crab, which just screams bad rolls.
The good part about Zensen is that you can get full off of spending $ 10, which is not common with sushi. However, just don’t expect quality.
PS: What is it with this location not being able to keep a restaurant for more than 1 – 2 years? Best of luck for Zensen…

$ 1 for a plate of sushi — WHY NOT? (It’s usually $ 1.50)
The bf and I ordered ten plates in total — not super full but good enough for lunch.
The offer selection was rather limited, the fish wasn’t the freshest (but it’s cheap so totally understandable). I highly recommend the bbq shrimp sushi — it is rather rare or maybe too popular as I only saw it twice on the conveyer belt.
Good for small groups though since it is rather hard to talk if everyone is sitting in a straight line.
I would come here again to satisfy my sushi cravings for CHEAP !

I felt like I should have been dressed up as Hello Kitty; that would have totally made the experience sooooo, oh you know Kawaii… and make the oldman barf.
Anyway, yes they greet you with «I’m so shy in San Jose», or something like that. I kinda like it.
This is a great place to take that certain friend who is afraid of, or new to sushi. They can stare at the conveyor belt of sushi, sashimi, cali rolls, mayo-​rolls, and dessert. Damn, for a buck per plate, they can try it all.
Get them all hooked on «training-​day» sashimi here, then take them to some other joint for some hardcore shiz. I like this place for a quick fix. But, if you’re looking for more daring fare, this won’t get you there. Solid 3.

«I’m only paying $ 1 per plate of sushi.» That’s the refrain you (or your Greek chorus) need to repeat to yourself while dining here.
I came here with Mom after she heard about it through the Asian Mothers’ Network. I was afraid there’d be a line, but we must have come right at the start of lunch service since we were seated immediately.
Chopsticks are tucked into a little cabinet, right next to the hot water dispenser for the tea bags at your disposal. Gari and wasabi circulate on the conveyor belt itself.
As other Unilocalers have said, their fish is limited at this price range, so don’t have higher aspirations for your sushification beyond salmon, tuna, and mackerel. Most of the fish is at least lightly grilled or wearing a thick poncho of spicy or creamy sauce. One or two pieces of sushi tasted like they were teetering on the edge of freshness, but neither of us got sick afterward (winning?).
Diminishing returns kicks in quickly and by the time we each have four or five plates, I’m ready to head out. The cheesecake is mighty popular here, and it’s passable since it’s clearly bought wholesale and diced up here. Three Taiwanese girls who sat down next to us snatched up two slices each, so there are already saavy clientele floating about.
No tipping is allowed.

Me and my roommate finally decided to try this place after walking past it a hundred times. I thought this place was pretty decent for the price.
Service:
It’s pretty much a self-​serve restaurant. The servers are only there to seat you and to give you the check. But it’s quite strategically structured. They have hot water sprouts all along the table so you can refill your tea quickly and with ease. Chopsticks, soy sauce, etc are all neatly placed in front of you so you don’t really have to move. Yay!
Food:
I thought that the sushi was decent. I don’t think that all of the sushi was fresh though. They have some nigri, sashimi, and rolls on the belt. Nothing too fancy, but definitely enough variety to be considered an buffet. Some of their rolls was actually pretty good, but most of their dishes were just okay.
Overall:
I would definitely recommend this place for a quick bite.

For what this place is, it’s 4 stars. You sit down around the sushi boat and it just carousals around different plates of nigiri, rolls and specials. Each plate is $ 1 and you don’t have to tip a server because everything is done by you. You sit down and serve your own tea and water and everything is laid out in front of you ready to go. Granted some of the dishes are not the best quality but what do you expect for $ 1. For what it is, cheap, quick, filling food and some of it does not taste half bad. It’s a clean, new looking place and it looks like the restaurant came right out of Japan, very authentic. I like the set up and the food is a hit or miss which is why it’s good all dishes are $ 1 so you can try different things.

I’ve been to Japan before. This little spot seems like it’s craved out of the heart of famous Japanese fan boys and Mirukami lovers. This place is downstairs on Durant next to a Karaōke bar, inwhich totally in my opinion classified-​ly (Look at my made up word there!) makes for a good tribute night for my Tokyo-​Teen pop friends who love animé! (You know who you are!)
The lights here are so bright that even Stevie Wonder can see them!
and it’s so clean and even though I don’t know for certain I’m sure this place must be Eco-​friendly. Not to stereo-​type the place but when I think of «Japan» I think of the words
«Streamline» and «Conveyor-​belt» so mix that with dining you will have a unique experience. As mentioned before all dishes are $ 1.50 but they also have taxes.
and they charge you by the plates you stack up at the end.
At times they have dinning promos like «free desserts» on certain plates and days.
I love it very much, yet I do wonder about the «freshness», That is I wonder…
If your on a budget, You might be able to eat tonight~
I do wonder if and when the prices will go up from $ 1.50
especially in this economy… Meh

Every plate is only $ 1.50! The portions of fish on the «nigiri» is very generous for the price.
Complimentary self-​serve green tea and a fun «kaitenzushi» experience.
Great place for a quick sushi fix.

Just about what you would expect for a college conveyor-​belt sushi restaurant plus some surprises…
I got full after 11 plates, all of which are interestingly priced the same. My total was ~$ 17, no tips necessary (you pay at the counter and they don’t accept tips anyways).
Maybe not the most affordable for the daily college student lunch budget, but reaslitically not too bad for sushi.
Regarding the actual quality of the food, of course none of it was great, but none of it was terrible either. Regarding sushi though, fresher is always better, so you are always sacrificing something in these conveyor belt places.
You won’t get a lot of variety, but there were definitely some surprises. The edamame was very very garlicky, there was tabasco sauce on one nigiri, and there was a cooked salmon nigiri with caramelized sugar. Some of these worked better than others, as you can imagine.
The restaurant is huge, but it can get crowded since they don’t have all the belts running sometimes.
I don’t think I will be voluntarily returning, but it was an interesting experience.

All dishes $ 1.50 a la carte. The tea is free and unlimited. There is a little hot water spout at every table and tons of green tea bags. No tip needed either. Place is huge, so seating guaranteed.
This is probably the cheapest nigiri sushi you can get your hands on. That said, you get what you paid for. It’s not top notch, but hey, if you want to gorge on lots of fish, then it’s perfectly fine. The selection is not that great either, so stick with what you like. I’d recommend sticking with just the salmon, hamachi, tuna, and masago nigiri. I explored some of the more «creative» ones and was not impressed. There was some with cream cheese and some with a sliver of american cheese on top. Avoid! Also avoid the yellow roe nigiri! It’s like crunchy styrofoam. There are also a bunch of baked fish nigiri, which I personally am not attracted to, but I can see that it’d be good for those who aren’t too keen on raw fish.

I was in the area for lunch one day and saw this place and had to return the next day. It was just too cute not to come back. It is located downstairs of a building and you have to walk down to get inside. It turned out that it was a largest sushi bar I have ever seen with the longest conveyer belt ever I have ever seen. It was full of small plates that snaked around the restaurant.
The place has a very modern feel: The tables were all white and gray floors. The place is supper clean and small plates that went around were a light pink color. Large windows let cooks put the food onto the belt. It is a variety of items that is placed onto the belt. Mostly two pieces of tuna, salmon, yellow tail and ect. If raw fish does not float your boat you can always try some of the other items. They have cheesecake and other sweet items.
As soon as you sit down there is a holder that has soy sauce, small plates, tooth picks and tea bags and a drawl that holds chopsticks. There is also a dispenser that has hot water to fill up your cup. If you want ginger and wasabi you will have to wait until it gets to you on the belt.
The stuff taste okay, but I would rather pay more for better quality fish.
The service is slow and they will need more people when they pick up.

Wow.
First off. When you come to a conveyor belt sushi, you need to taper your expectations.
When that sushi restaurant serves all dishes at $ 1.50, your expectations should be even lower.
When you find out later that they do not accept tips as a part of their «Japanese style», which means you are getting another 15% to 20% discount on every meal, you should basically give this place 5 stars as long as they serve food.
When I think about this restaurant, I compare it with the LA chains of Kula, and Gatten sushi that have expanded into LA from Japan. Then I consider 1.50 for a plate is dirt cheap. The variety isn’t diverse, but it is acceptable. I would pay more for gas station sushi that gets me sick if I was the type of person to buy that junk.
All in all, if you come with low expectations and and empty wallet, but still crave sushi, this place will satisfy and exceed your expectation.
You aren’t allowed to be a sushi snob on Unilocal reviewing conveyor belt sushi that costs 1.50 everyone… geez. Its not Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Zensen Sushi Express has sushi/​sashimi/​cakes served on a plate under a plastic dome on a rolling conveyor belt. all items 1.50. opening days special was $ 1.
seems everyone gets a «menu» showing what was offered. i didn’t get one, sat for ½ hour, didn’t see much choices beyond the endless varieties of raw amebi. (tasteless). and some ½ rolls, cakes.
grabbed a «menu» when i was leaving. seems i wasn’t missing much.
sampled ame ebi &, saba nigiri, and salmon sashimi. only salmon was decent. rest was tasteless.
it’s nice one can get endless tea (via pump next to conveyor belt) and endless ginger. the employees are nice and helpful.
the food here is nothing to sit around for. wouldn’t return.

As far as I know, this is the first kaiten (conveyer belt) sushi place close to campus. It sits across from the Asian Ghetto and down a set of stairs. At the top of the stairs, there is a life-​sized restaurant mascot, appropriately hatted with a big shrimp.
I was fairly impressed with Zensen. Ordinarily, I am wary of these types of dining establishments, because I wonder about consuming dishes that have been rotating on a conveyor belt without refrigeration. Fortunately, each dish has a plastic cover. Sushi turnover is pretty fast, at least right now, so the growth of bacteria on the sushi is not much of an issue.
Each seating area is very neat and clean. The chopsticks are located in a box at each seat, along with green tea bags, soy sauce, and a bowl for discarded edamame shells or any other inedible garnishes. Wasabi and pickled ginger rotate on the conveyer belt in big bowls, along with the sushi dishes. Hopefully these big bowls are switched out periodically for cleanliness.
The quality of the sushi is good for such a «fast food» type of sushi place. For $ 1.00/plate, you really are getting your money’s worth! There is a wide selection of items, ranging from nigiri (mackerel, salmon-​the best one!, scallop, hamachi, etc.), to sashimi (salmon, tuna, tilapia), to various popular rolls (dragon roll, creamy salmon roll, California roll, spicy tuna roll, etc.). There are gunkan rolls, including a delicious cuttlefish with seasoned capelin roe, one of my favorites. Aside from sushi, Zensen has side dishes like edamame flavored with garlic or salt, seaweed salad, or inari. For dessert, they have jelly desserts in mango, coffee, and tea, as well as a light cheese cake.
Zensen may not have the very best sushi out there, but it is a great new addition to the variety of Asian food options available in Berkeley.

Zensen Sushi — will it replace the void that Pepe’s left? Definitely, and I do see potential. It helps having no expectations when you go in — since you leave only satisfied. For the grand opening weekend, they had a special for $ 1/​plate (regular price is $ 1.50/plate), so the price isn’t terrible at all. You can get your fill for under $ 10, which would get me only like 2 – 3 plates at even another Kaiten Zushi place.
Many things that I wanted to try on the menu didn’t show up until after I was nearly finished with my meal. Granted, I came rather early, and they did manage to have a steady flow after a while. The service did leave a bit to be desired, but it was an earnest effort.
I would have given a lower score if I was considering service and food quality, but for a place that just opened, I’ll give it a bit longer before I reevaluate my opinion.
The food is by no means amazing. The unagi wasn’t very good, the tuna, which I normally enjoy, was cold and didn’t have much flavor. The salmon, however, was pretty decent, especially at the price. The desserts, besides the fact that they’re essentially opened grocery store puddings, were actually pretty filling for the $ 1 price, but I’d be hesitant to try them at the regular price. I would also caution that the «fancier» rolls aren’t as impressive as they may seem, since they tend to only have the fish on the top, with the maki having some combination of imitation crab, cucumber, avocado, and egg.
I’m glad I gave this a chance before the price increase, since I don’t necessarily see myself coming back for a while. While I did get sushi under $ 10, something that you probably can’t get anywhere else really in the UC Campus Area, I’d be more satisfied picking something up for a comparable price, if not less, at Whole Foods. Still, I wouldn’t mind coming back just to have a few plates of salmon and call it a day.
TIP: Get the salmon.

3.5 STARS
Given the shaky presence of all the restaurants at this location, I wasn’t expecting much when we came here for their grand opening Thursday night, but I was pleasantly surprised!
First of all, they really did a good job of filling up the restaurant! It’s one of those sushi boat places, with the track winding throughout the entire place! I uploaded a picture, so definitely check those out! Plus, the entire staff greeted us in Japanese, which I thought was a really cute touch (albeit, a little frightening at first)
Since it was their first day, all plates were $ 1 each. We ran into our friends, who were just finishing up. They spent around $ 30, so YES, it’s definitely easy to spend more than you’d expect!
That being said, I was being SUPER cost-​efficient, and snagged only sashimi plates, with the exception of 2 plates of mango sushi. I was really surprised at the quality of their fish! Even though the sashimi slices were small, the salmon itself was really good quality! Super fatty and delicious! And strangely enough, their sushi rice was really good too! None of that gross vinegar taste that you get from cheap plastic sushi trays at the supermarket. Oh, and those mango puddings I mentioned? DELICIOUS.
Overall, a really solid place that exceeded my expectations! I knocked half a star off because the staff seemed a bit distracted, but I guess that’s because it was their first day, after all!
Nonetheless, I definitely see myself coming here more often! High quality sushi at a good price!