This all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant has opened in Tucson 🍣

Tucson diners looking for an all-you-can-eat meal have a new option on East Speedway, where Tokyo Sushi has opened in the former Izumi Sushi Bar Seafood space. The 5,500-square-foot restaurant at 3655 E. Speedway Blvd. serves sushi, sashimi, ramen, seafood, salads and desserts under one roof, with a menu designed to make a large-format meal feel closer to a fine dining experience. A second new Asian restaurant, Kirin Asian Bistro & Sushi, has also opened in Marana, giving diners on the northwest side another destination for sushi and pan-Asian food.

Tokyo Sushi opened Aug. 8 after owners Harold Wong and William Cheung transformed a space that had been completely stripped down to its walls. The location was home to Izumi for eight years, and that restaurant had developed a following for all-you-can-eat sushi, ramen and Japanese appetizers after opening in 2018. Wong and Cheung found the vacant property last spring and saw it as an opportunity to build a restaurant around their own idea.

The concept came together quickly. Wong focused on developing the menu while Cheung worked on the broader restaurant plan, and the partners said they put the idea into motion within about 90 days. Construction and preparation involved a major rebuild of the former restaurant, with the new operation expected to seat between 142 and 160 people. Kevin Trieu, the regional general manager, helped with planning, team development and staff training during the buildout.

The restaurant’s all-you-can-eat offering includes sushi rolls, sashimi and nigiri, with sashimi choices such as tuna, salmon, white tuna and yellowtail. Tokyo Sushi also has a seafood bar with crawfish, mussels, clams and boiled shrimp, served with housemade cocktail sauce. Other parts of the spread include six kinds of ramen, a build-your-own ramen station, a salad bar, a dessert bar and an ice cream station. The restaurant says many of its sauces, dressings and specialty recipes are made from scratch.

Wong and Cheung are positioning the restaurant as more than a conventional buffet-style sushi operation. Wong has described the goal as bringing all-you-can-eat dining substantially closer to a fine dining experience, emphasizing presentation, hospitality and chef-created specialties. The menu includes vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices, and the restaurant has added signature dishes and specialty rolls alongside the more familiar sushi offerings. All food is for dine-in service, and the restaurant has a policy that charges for excessive leftovers.

Pricing depends on the meal and age of the diner. Lunch is $27 and is offered Sunday through Thursday, while dinner is $37 and is available every night, with dinner service offered all day Friday and Saturday. Another description of the restaurant lists the adult price at $37, $17 for children ages 7 to 10 and $12 for children ages 4 to 6. The dining period lasts two hours from the time the first order is placed. Nonalcoholic drinks are included, while alcoholic beverages are not.

Wong brings 15 years of restaurant experience to the project. Born in Malaysia and raised in Stockton, California, he began working at Hana Tokyo, Cheung’s south-side Tucson restaurant, as a hibachi chef at age 17. That experience put him directly in front of diners and shaped his approach to service, consistency and food presentation. He later worked at RA Sushi and Benihana and gained experience in menu development, kitchen operations and restaurant management while helping open other Tucson restaurants.

Wong has also competed in cooking contests in Singapore and the Philippines. RA Sushi and Benihana selected and sponsored him to compete in Iron Chef Tucson 2026, but he withdrew from the event to concentrate on opening Tokyo Sushi. He and Cheung hope the restaurant becomes a place where Tucson families celebrate milestones and friends gather over a shared meal. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Saturdays and Sundays offer dinner service all day.

For diners in Marana, Kirin Asian Bistro & Sushi opened in July at 5884 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive, near Interstate 10 and Cortaro Road. The 5,300-square-foot restaurant occupies the former Barro’s Pizza location, which operated there for nine years before moving across the street in February. Barro’s relocated to the former Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar space at 5825 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive. Boston’s had closed in 2023, and Kirin’s new location underwent an extensive buildout that began last spring. Kirin’s menu combines sushi, sashimi and specialty rolls with Chinese, Thai and other pan-Asian dishes. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., adding another full-service Asian dining option to the growing restaurant scene across the Tucson metro area.