By Francesca Ascari

Kura Revolving Sushi, located off of Broad Street in Glen Allen, serves authentic Japanese-style sushi, sashimi, and desserts on a conveyor belt. This interactive dining experience allows guests to select between a variety of dishes at their own ease by pressing a single button.

Irvine, California became home to the first Kura Sushi USA establishment in 2008, stemming from the longstanding Kura Sushi, Inc., which originated in Japan in 1977 and “has grown substantially with more than 550 locations across Japan, Taiwan and the United States,” according to their website. 

Multiple locations have opened across the United States since 2008, and Richmond’s is the newest. This location celebrated its grand opening on September 18 but still welcomed guests the week prior during their soft opening. 

Photo credit: Jill Ascari.

I recently visited the new Richmond location with my parents, Clavio and Jill Ascari, and Paolo Fulco (‘27).  As soon as we stepped inside, we were warmly greeted by all the staff. “いらっしゃいませ (Welcome)”, they simultaneously called out in Japanese, immediately exposing visitors to the culture-focused experience their restaurant prioritizes.

According to “Our Promise” on their website, Kura pledges to “adhere to the Japanese virtue of serving natural and healthy meals prepared with fresh, premium ingredients,” allowing guests to enjoy their food without any guilt.

Apart from the contents of their food, Kura provides customer satisfaction in both food quality and appearance, crafting every dish using fresh ingredients and meticulous plating techniques. 

The precision and care devoted to each plate creates a mesmerizing cycle that holds your attention across multiple rotations of the conveyor belt. After having ten dishes, Fulco said, “The conveyor belt encourages you to keep eating, hence why I’m in a food coma right now.” The small portion sizes deliver satisfaction while leaving sufficient room for more. 

The entire restaurant functions on a single conveyor belt that stretches across the whole seating area, and until the kitchen refreshes each dish every few minutes, the accessibility operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Along with the menu found on the tablet above the table, labels on the belt allow customers to anticipate their options before they arrive. 

The pricing is similar for most dishes available, with every plate on the conveyor belt costing around four dollars, and specialty items, such as noodles and hot entrees, costing closer to ten dollars. 

While ensuring affordable dining, Kura never leaves the customer guessing the price of their meal. Your bill is counted through the process of returning your plates; once you send your plate down the chute, your bill increases by approximately four dollars. Similarly, when you order something on the tablet, it automatically adds to your bill.

Server robot Kur-B. Photo credit: Jill Ascari.

Kura Sushi incorporates a myriad of ways to order, none of which involve the traditional ordering process at restaurants: asking your server. Instead, they have Kur-B.

Standing at about four feet tall, the restaurant’s server robot resembles a bookshelf on wheels. When prompted by the staff, Kur-B transports drinks and condiments to your table at your request. Instead, if you want a dish not found on the conveyor belt, you begin by ordering on the tablet, and your dish slides directly from the kitchen to your table, transported by the express belt. 

Whether you enjoy salty, sweet, or savory, the conveyor belt offers various options to please each one of your taste buds. From elaborate sushi rolls to a simple butter cake, the choices seem never-ending. 

We kicked off our dinner ambitiously as we grabbed multiple plates before the belt even made a full rotation. Although both my parents chose sushi as their first dish, I started off with something sweet—a slice of cheesecake. What I expected to be a mediocre dessert with a stiff graham cracker crust turned out to be a pleasantly surprising rendition of a New York delicacy. 

My expectations were immediately raised after trying my first dish, and I had extremely high hopes for their sushi.

Avocado Hand Roll. Photo credit: Francesca Ascari.

Being a vegetarian, there were few options on the conveyor belt for me to choose from, so I rerouted my attention to the tablet, which presented a bounty of options. I decided on the Avocado Hand Roll, which was unlike anything I had seen before. Despite having the same ingredients any other avocado roll would contain, the presentation placed this roll into a whole new category. Rather than two or three pieces of avocado sushi on the plate, I found one giant roll, with a mountain of avocado slices spread across a sheet of white rice. This sculpture was wrapped in a large piece of dried seaweed and closely resembled a cornucopia.

My dad first tried the Negitoro: white rice topped with minced tuna belly and green onions, all wrapped in dried seaweed. Before even trying any other dish, he deemed this one his favorite: “the tuna melts in my mouth,” he explained. 

Golden Crunchy Roll. Photo credit: Francesca Ascari.

Like my dad, Fulco also discovered his favorite dish upon trying his first. One of the more complex rolls drew his attention: the Golden Crunchy Roll. This roll consisted of shrimp, mayo, and avocado wrapped with dried seaweed and rice, all drizzled with a mix of spicy mayo and soy sauce, topped with panko and sesame seeds. He wound up eating two more plates of this roll, along with many other elaborate ones.

My mom started off her dinner with a familiar taste: the Tempura Philadelphia Roll. She typically enjoys simple rolls with only a few ingredients, and she prefers sushi with a hint of sweetness; therefore, this roll quickly caught her eye as a result of the avocado and cream cheese inside. She has had many Philadelphia rolls before, but none resembled Kura’s. The salmon, avocado, and cream cheese were not only wrapped with dried seaweed and rice, but also a layer of tempura crumble. This salty exterior provided a contrast to the sweet cream cheese inside the sushi, giving the roll a subtle but memorable flavor.

Taiyaki Ice Cream. Photo credit: Francesca Ascari.

To close out the meal, Fulco and I sampled their most intricate dessert. Before even knowing what flavors were hidden inside the small golden box, we ordered it simply based on its elegant appearance, and the dessert arrived at the table within minutes. We were presented with a fish-shaped pastry, along with some vanilla ice cream underneath and a burgundy paste that we later discovered to be red bean paste, a staple ingredient in Japanese cuisine. After trying it for the first time, Fulco remarked that “the red bean paste perfectly compliments the sweetness of the vanilla ice cream.” Similarly, the pastry was entirely filled with red bean paste, offering a bolder flavor. The Taiyaki Ice Cream mixed sweet, salty, and savory undertones to create a delicate but flavorful dessert.

The Kura Revolving Sushi experience extended beyond just quality food. The self-service conveyor belt, along with the robot servers, enhanced the already enjoyable atmosphere of a sushi restaurant and left me with a fulfilled stomach. I do not doubt I will visit again soon.

Featured image credit: Francesca Ascari.