Express Bowl, a Baton Rouge hibachi bowl restaurant, has gone viral all over TikTok.
LSU student and local social media influencer, Fabian Beaucoudray, posted a video to her TikTok account showing off an $8 hibachi bowl. The food and lifestyle creator has over 78 thousand followers on TikTok, with some of her most popular videos being local food recommendations.
The restaurant is located near The Legacy apartments at 11 Ben Hur Rd Suite B and has been packed to the brim with a 30-minute wait time this past week due to its viral success. Express Bowl has been in business since 2018 and has gained traction on social media.
Its rising popularity enticed me into deciding to give the restaurant a try. When I arrived at the to-go hibachi shop, it was surprisingly empty. The rain had been coming down all day, so that might have detoured customers from coming in, but the rain didn’t stop me from trying out the famous bowl.
My first impression of the place was that it was fairly nice. As soon as I walked in I was greeted by a staff member and upbeat music. The restaurant was very clean, and the staff succeeded at providing a welcoming atmosphere for customers.
At Express Bowl, customers have the option to build their own bowl starting with size. From there, you can choose between various protein options, vegetables and one starch. Express Bowl currently has a special for a $6 small chicken hibachi bowl until Feb. 20.
The ordering process was fairly simple. Just follow the steps on the menu and enjoy.
I ordered a small hibachi bowl with fried rice, shrimp, mushroom, carrots and onion. My bowl came with two additional sauces; yum yum sauce and teriyaki sauce. The bowl was just okay, without the sauces, but adding the sauce made the entire bowl significantly better.
I paid about $15 for my bowl, and it was very filling. Even though I ordered the small bowl, it was portioned adequately and filled to the top. I had only eaten half of it before I had gotten full. The food was hot and fresh once I received it and didn’t take too long to prepare. The bowl was pleasantly flavored and seasoned well.
A while after sitting down to eat my food, a few people started to trail in behind me. Once their food was prepared, no one else sat in the store to eat, making the indoor seating atmosphere lack a sense of liveliness. Similar to my experience, none of the other guests waited too long for their food to be prepared.
The bowl wasn’t entirely what I was expecting, but I still liked it overall. It was pretty good but I think if I go back, I’d like to try something new. Express Bowl allows customers to create their own bowl, but the menu also offers a variety of pre-made bowls such as the Tiger Bowl and Seafood Bowl. I would rate Express Bowl a solid 7/10. If you like hibachi and you happen to catch them when they aren’t as busy, I would recommend giving it a try.
Express Bowl is open Monday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the weekends.
