Toshi's Cafe

Located in the Adam’s Farm shopping center at 5710 Gate City Boulevard in Greensboro, Toshi’s Café serves coffee drinks, smoothies, breakfast foods, sandwiches, and Japanese fare. It is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Sunday. Food and drink specials change daily.

Part deli, part coffee shop, and part Japanese eatery, Toshi’s is a quirky little spot with much to offer. Like a coffee shop, it’s small inside with only a few tables. Shelved lined with manga, mugs, and decorative knickknacks enliven what would otherwise be a sparse interior.

The breadth of the menu is impressive if also a bit confounding. In the mornings, Toshi’s has a full array of breakfast sandwiches, a decent stock of baked goods, and a respectable selection of smoothies and coffee drinks. Come back later in the day, and you can enjoy a salad or sandwich or a sushi roll or a rice bowl or even a slice of cheesecake. This makes for a somewhat nebulous identity but also a convenient one-stop-shop for the hungry and undecided.

As it is on the way to work, Toshi’s has become a weekly breakfast stop for me. More often than not, I opt for the breakfast burrito, which comes stuffed with eggs, cheese, tots, salsa, and sausage (choice of meat is available and there is a vegetarian variant as well). The zest of the salsa and the texture of the tots put it several notches above a frozen or fast-food equivalent, but at $5.75, it’s also rather pricey. The smoothies are a slightly better deal at $3.85 for a small, $4.35 for a medium, and $4.75 for a large. I’ve tried several and have enjoyed some (the Green Machine and the Tooty Fruity) more than others, but none has been a disappointment. Another intriguing – if also overpriced – breakfast choice is Russell’s Rajun Cajun: egg whites, Cajun cream cheese, bacon, and scallion on an everything bagel: definitely tasty, but probably not worth $5.65.

Toshi’s gets its name from owner Toshi Yoshida, who can often be found behind the counter. Both he and his staff are friendly and accommodating, and I’ve yet to see them get an order wrong.

It’s been years since I’ve tried Toshi’s for anything besides breakfast. I remember their sandwiches being OK, and I will have to investigate their sushi and rice bowls some day. As a purveyor of morning munchies, Toshi’s consistently delivers enjoyable food with a smile. There are cheaper options, but what you get here is usually worth the price.

7.75/10