Food Corner: Revolving sushi

Guests have the option to choose plates off the rotating sushi belt or place an order. Photo courtesy of Evan Terry.

Located in Watertown within Arsenal Yards, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar is a fun, inexpensive restaurant for those with a taste for sushi. The main draw is, of course, the revolving sushi belt, rotating fresh sushi throughout the restaurant. Plates hold various kinds of sushi and all you have to do is pick up the plate you want and start eating. Once you’re done, you drop your plate through a slot so the computer can count the plate. Each plate offers one to four pieces of sushi, and at $4 each, you can eat a lot of sushi for a pretty cheap price.

Sometimes, though, customers just want to walk in and eat immediately instead of waiting for a good plate to go by. Thankfully, Kura offers a screen to order food from and have it delivered straight to your table on a different, faster conveyor belt. With only about a three minute wait per plate, it’s a good way to get some food while you wait for some good sushi to revolve around your table.

From the moment you walk in, the restaurant invites you in with warm colors and a clean aesthetic. The booth seating provides a private and relaxed atmosphere, perfect for solo diners or a group of people. The small portions make it perfect for a group, where each person can take their desired foods without having to worry about what everyone else wants.

Kura-B the Kurabot delivers drinks to patrons while they enjoy their sushi. Photo courtesy of Evan Terry.

The best part? When you order drinks, a robot waiter delivers your drinks directly to your table, playing music through the restaurant when it is on its way. This robot is adorable, and it lightens the mood of the whole restaurant. Many customers (including myself) light up in interest and joy when the robot drives on by.

This experience is perfect for anyone who wants to try a bunch of different sushi, without spending the money ordering a roll of each kind. Here, you can try as many as 10 different kinds of sushi while staying below $50. Various types of sushi are available including regular salmon, spicy tuna and cucumber, or even seared eel. Every 15 plates you eat rewards you with a little toy, often a keychain or a tiny LEGO toy to build.

The staff here is incredibly kind, offering free refills as well as cleaning up trash as you go. They also teach customers who are there for the first time and may not understand how it works. My only complaint is that it is not uncommon to go through a period of time where not a lot of sushi is going by your table, leading to a bit of a lull in the meal experience. The menu to order sushi is slow to deliver multiple plates, meaning that if you are eating with a group during one of these slow times, it can lead to some people being hungry for a bit.

I would rate this restaurant experience a solid 8.5/10. The food is high quality and tasty, and it is quite cheap. However, the slow periods can drag the experience down a bit, especially with a group.