T’San Japanese Restaurant

Place looks like a dump BUT it’s not! It’s not the kind of place you go to and sit and eat it’s the kind of place you take home to your family. The dynamite chicken bowl is my favorite. And for it extra spice if you think you can handle the heat. Love this place prices are not bad and the guy running the place is super nice. Also be aware if he is super dead he closes up shop a little early.

My husband and I are addicted! We always get the Dynamite Chicken bowl with fried rice. So much food and it is a very affordable price. We stop in once per week.

I’ve been going to this place for years. The teriyaki bowl is the best in the area, I always ask for extra meat and sauce! The owner Ba is incredibly friendly and is always good for a handshake, his wife is very sweet as well. Don’t let the location and décor fool you, this place is the best reason to visit Norfolk!

Been going there since ’07-’08. May not be the best building to view but the FOOD… on poinnnntt… sometimes they over cook the chicken a bit but other than that. no complaints!!!

The teriyaki chicken bowl is one of the best items on the menu, if you’re looking for spice that try the dynamite chicken bowl. The place is small but the food is great. Definitely one of Norfolk’s hidden gems.

This place isn’t much for ambience but it more than makes up for it with the quality of food and prices. I ordered the Dynamite Chicken and my friend had the Chicken Teriyaki. It was the first time for both of us visiting but we definitely agreed we’re going back.

First timer at T’San on Tuesday… unbelievable! Everything on the menu sounded so amazing that I was torn as to what to try first. I decided on the Chicken Teriyaki Bowl w/​Veggies and Fried Rice — OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD! Not only was it delicious, but the amount of food you receive for the price is outstanding. I believe the gentleman that assisted me is the owner — he is super friendly, fast and could not thank me enough for coming in. DO NOT be fooled by the look of the location! People are constantly in and out, so you know it is awesome! Where have they been all my life? I hope your first time there is as enjoyable as mine.

What I really like about Unilocal is that you can find places in areas that you wouldn’t even think to go. T’San Japanese Restaurant is one of those places. I just so happen find and bookmark this place a few months ago, but never got around to trying them out. Reviews looked good and pictures as well. It wasn’t until a friend of mind asked to if I wanted to check out this one place for lunch one day.
T’San looks really rundown inside and out. You can eat inside, but I normally get it to go. Menu looks good and plan on trying other items next visit, but I had the 20 piece shrimp Teriyaki with fried rice and veggies. Last visit I had the combo Chicken/​Shrimp and I was please both times. I was also very please that they also included sliced read potatoes along with some sort of cajun spice seasonings. Very nice touch.
Everything taste fresh and was flavored well. The staff is also very friendly. After reading other reviews I know what to do with the supplied butter & teriyaki sauce on my next visit… that is if I get the same thing again. LOL

Stopped by here for lunch… hadn’t been here in roughly a year… I’m always little hesitant when a restaurant is empty but I remember the food being good so I walked in & placed a Togo order, the lady in the order window was very helpful and sweet, I went further dynamite chicken again… so spicy but sooo good!

Food was amazing. Fresh shrimp, broccoli, rice and potatoes… Was referrer by a friend and I am soooo glad that I finally made it there. The Dynamite sauce was on the side and thank God it was cause man. That stuff was hot as fire, the teriyaki sauce was ok. The butter was very tasty when poured over the potatoes, shrimp and broccoli. I truly enjoyed my entire meal and can’t wait to go back to try something else. The staff was very friendly, the location and or building is old. But hey the food was awesome and I was totally impressed…

Shrimp-​Good.
Potatoes-​Good.
Broccoli– Good.
Fried rice-​Good.
Price –Good.
T’san Japanese. Damn good!

T’San Japanese Restaurant is one of those places that I must have passed thousands of times and never paid any attention to its existence. It wasn’t until a couple of days ago I happened to be in the area and launched Unilocal to recommend a place to grab something to eat. I noticed when T’San was suggested some of my Unilocal peers gave the establishment some favorable reviews. That was enough for me to take a chance.
So I pull up to the location which is right next to the intersection of Princess Anne and Juniper Road. I read some of the reviews where they wrote how «ghetto» and «suspect» the location was and couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. I was expecting a landscape similar to the Pink Houses in East New York, Brooklyn but it wasn’t that bad. The area around T’San is old and urban which gives it a much less comfortable feel than the shiny new suburban strip malls of say a Lynnhaven or Greenbrier. Just keep your head on a swivel and utilize common sense and you should be fine.
I’m not exactly sure what existed originally in the building before T’San took over. All I know is that the building shows some age. I am in total agreement that it feels like a dive spot.
You’ll walk in, and instantly notice the extremely old décor, the tables with swiveling captain chairs, old tiled floor, then proceed to order at the window towards the left side of the building. I didn’t look at the menu long because I came for one thing and one thing only: The Dynamite Chicken.
Oh, but I also ordered some chicken wings, just thought I’d throw that in there…
There was only one person, an older fellow, that I saw working at the time I dropped in. He took my order and within 10 minutes my food was done.
I ordered my Dynamite with some extra heat and upgraded to fried rice. I have to admit, for the price, the amount was perfect and I’m not a petite guy. I could taste what I think was some sweet-​like sauce. It wasn’t so sweet that it overpowered the dish which also included broccoli, onions, sprouts, and cabbage. I appreciated the fact that it wasn’t salty, either.
While the Dynamite Chicken tasted pretty good I can’t say the same for the wings. They were battered but the batter was kind of bland in flavor. I managed to salvage the operation by dredging the wings through the sweet sauce. Yeah, much better.
The friendly service, the portion size (bang for the buck), and flavor of the entrée were all pretty good. There’s a drive thru as well. The décor doesn’t bother me one bit but I know that aesthetics plays a big factor so I’m going to dock a star for that, and for not being located in a shiny, suburban strip mall built two years ago.
Mission accomplished. I came, I saw, and I sampled. I’ll definitely visit again to try something else off of the menu and update the review to share my experience.