Paks Sushi is the latest addition at Tech Express. Its sushi, poke, burritos and Asian snacks have been on a roll since the beginning of the school year.
Paks Sushi is a part of Wisepak Foods, a company that has been serving sushi to Chicago area retailers and food service companies since 1998. Tech Express operates from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
The dining service accepts dining dollars but not meal exchanges.
First-year graduate students Victoria Kindratenko, Ethan Cisneros and Natalia Mendonca said they chose to indulge in Tech Express’s new sushi offerings because of its location and proximity to their 12:30 p.m. class.
“It’s a decent amount of sushi and it’s not terribly expensive either,” Mendonca said.
Kindratenko said she ate the shrimp tempura roll and was satisfied with the quality. She said she likes Paks’ fun drinks, especially the Hawaiian Sun lychee passion fruit drink. Cisneros said the food is “mid,” but he still chooses to eat at Paks Sushi for convenience.
Daniel Sanchez, a cashier at the Market at Tech Express, said he is excited to see Paks Sushi flourish. Though he said business has been slower since the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanchez anticipates Paks’ success is still in its early stages because of its hardworking and friendly staff.
Sanchez’s favorite item on the menu is the sushi burrito, which he describes as a “very large sushi roll.” He attributes the delicious taste to the “absolutely phenomenal” quality of the ingredients.
Weinberg freshman Claire Markstein, another frequenter of Paks Sushi, said she was attracted to the variety of options on the menu –– despite the long line.
“The first time, I got a spicy tuna poke bowl, and then I got a salmon poke bowl,” Markstein said. “I have no complaints. I thought it was really good.”
When comparing Paks Sushi’s poke bowls to a poke bowl at Pono Ono, a local Hawaiian restaurant, Markstein said she appreciated how Paks mixes its ingredients together in the bowl, which makes it easier to eat. Markstein said the vegetarian options on the menu were appealing to her friend.
The poke bowls cost about $12, and Markstein said she was disappointed that Paks does not accept meal exchanges. Many customers, like Mendoca, said they plan on returning.
“It’s pretty good, and I think it’s nice that you can customize it and they make it in front of you,” Mendonca said.
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Twitter: @toby_goldfarb
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