April 23, 2025
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New sushi restaurant opens in Geneva: ‘No sushi bar like us’

Zen’s Sushi Express offers fresh, contemporary style of familiar dish

By Brenda Schory
Khine Zaw and his wife Cho Wai at their newly opened restaurant, Zen’s Sushi Express, 1459 E. State St., Geneva.

Khine Zaw and his wife Cho Wai at their newly opened restaurant, Zen’s Sushi Express, 1459 E. State St., Geneva. (brenda schory)

GENEVA – You think you might know sushi, but Khine Zaw said what he and his wife, Cho Wai, offer at Zen’s Sushi Express is different.

“There is no sushi bar like us around here,” Zaw said. “It is not like the old-fashion way. It’s hybrid, contemporary. We create whatever people like. If they want something different like a combo, it’s freshly made. People can see how fresh.”

Zaw said he and his wife moved to Geneva from Wisconsin after doing sushi franchise work for supermarkets for almost 10 years.

According to the restaurant’s website, the couple started their first sushi franchise at Woodman’s Market in Onalaska, Wisconsin, in 2014. They opened a second one the next year at a Woodman’s in Altoona, Wisconsin. Both cities are near Eau Claire and La Crosse.

The Zaws moved to Geneva in 2021 for their children’s education, Khine Zaw said.

Zaw and his wife have two daughters, ages 6 and 3.

“There is no sushi bar like us around here,” Zaw said. “It is not like the old-fashion way. It’s hybrid – contemporary. We create whatever people like. If they want something different like a combo, it’s freshly made. People can see how fresh.”

—  Khine Zaw, co-owner of Zen's Sushi Express

The couple created sushi at the Geneva Fresh Market. They opened their own place in late February, tucked into a small strip mall behind the Shell Station at Illinois Route 38 and Kirk Road.

“This is our first restaurant,” Zaw said. “It’s very convenient for a small business like us. Geneva is friendly and we have local support. We can survive easily.”

Khine Zaw rolls sushi for a large dinner order at the new restaurant, Zen’s Sushi Express, 1459 E. State St., Geneva, which he owns with his wife, Cho Wai.

Khine Zaw rolls sushi for a large dinner order at the new restaurant, Zen’s Sushi Express, 1459 E. State St., Geneva, which he owns with his wife, Cho Wai. (Brenda Schory)

On a recent weekday, the couple were rolling sushi and slicing pieces for a large order.

Zaw said sometimes they work more than 12 hours a day, coming in early to prep all the items that go into sushi and then getting ready for the lunch and dinner crowd.

“You have to when you have your own business,” Zaw said as he sliced avocado and cucumber, then diced fresh garlic into tiny pieces into a poke bowl.

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