This N.J. sushi spot is one of America’s best food trucks. So why did it almost close?

Imagine being named one of the best food trucks in the nation, just as you’re considering calling it quits.
That was the case for Jersey City-based sushi truck Wisp Express this past summer.
Three chefs with more than 15 years of combined experience working in Japanese cuisine, led by chef Bowen Gao, opened the ambitious food truck in January 2020. With fresh fish brought in every morning from New York and more than 80 different types of sushi on their menu, Wisp Express was a hit in the foodie town.
“No one was doing it and we just wanted to do something that people were scared or not confident enough to do,” Gao said. “There’s not really (many) sushi food trucks around.”
Jersey City sushi-lovers aren’t the only ones that took notice. When Yelp released a list of the 30 best food trucks in the United States in August, Wisp Express made the cut.
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But months before the national recognition, things had taken a downturn for Gao and and Wisp Express. Business had slowed down and bills were piling up.
In June, they almost parked the truck in the garage for good.
“Older customers were leaving and new customers weren’t coming in. There’s a stereotype with food trucks already, and we’re a sushi food truck. People think the food isn’t fresh or that we leave the fish outside,” Gao said. “So everyone’s going to be scared to try us out. We fell into a financial hole.”
One day in June, the tension reached a boiling point, and Wisp Express’s future was thrown into question.
“We were working one day and the stress just got to us,” Gao said. “We got into this huge fight. We just shut things down.”
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Gao wasn’t in contact with his partners for almost a month.
Then things got even worse. While the group wasn’t talking, one of Gao’s partners was robbed. He was driving for Uber in New York City when people pretending to be passengers came in the car and stole his phone — hacking the business banking account and clearing everything out.
“So now, you have a bunch of guys who are mad at each other. We haven’t squashed the beef. We haven’t talked about the situation and now we have no money,” Gao said. “We already didn’t have much money from losing on the investment, and now the bank account is negative. I was just over it.”
Gao took a vacation to China, hoping to to get away from everything and to clear his mind before making a decision on Wisp Express’s future. He was there when Yelp included his business on its list of the best food trucks in the country — but he didn’t even know about the list until NJ Advance Media brought it to his attention.
At first, Gao didn’t want to come back, worried reconciling would be awkward. But when he scrolled through all the messages on their Instagram page from customers sending their love while they were closed, he had a change of heart.
“I would have regretted losing out on the relationships … ” Gao said. “I’ve seen our customers go from single to dating to getting married. Now, they have kids.”
With his head clear, Gao returned in September and rekindled the business with his partners — deciding to give Wisp Express another try.
“We didn’t squash the beef, but the beef kind of squashed itself. I realized (the fighting) not worth it anymore,” Gao said. “The bank is in the process of taking care of the money taken from the robbery. We have a decent relationship with all of our wholesalers and were able to (write) a bunch of IOUs for the first month of work.”
With Wisp Express surviving its tumultuous summer, I decided it was time to pay them a visit. I visited the truck in Port Liberté, one of the southernmost neighborhoods of Jersey City. Even though Yelp loves it, I was a little hesitant. Burgers and sandwiches from a truck are one thing — but raw fish? I’ve had sushi from a hospital before (not bad!), but from a truck?
Having now tried Wisp, consider me a sushi truck convert.
The fish was just as fresh as you would get from a fish market. One of my favorites was the sweet and savory strawberry express roll ($15) with spicy tuna tartare, tempura flakes and cucumbers topped with strawberries and tobiko. Another was the “YTK” roll wrapping spicy kani (imitation crab meat), tempura flakes and cucumbers then garnished with yellowtail, jalapeño rings, tobiko and house made green sauce.
Wisp Express isn’t on the same level as sushi institutions like Kim’s Sushi in West Orange, and there’s no shortage of sushi restaurants in the Garden State.
But this truck is definitely not far behind. The concept is unique and the freshness, flavor and creativity make it clear why Yelp put them on their best food trucks list. I’m already eager for my return and can’t wait to see where they will be next. To check out Wisp Express, check out their Instagram page daily to find out where they’re setting up shop.
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Lauren Musni may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @Laurengmusni and on Instagram. Find NJ.com on Facebook.