sushi

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar is a Japanese sushi restaurant with locations throughout the country. There are currently no restaurants in New York but one is opening soon in Carle Place (Long Island). Kura restaurants are already in 14 states and the District of Columbia . Both my teens are sushi lovers and I knew they would enjoy the experience. When East Japanese Restaurant in the Palisades Center Mall closed a couple of years back, it’s been a while since we have been able to enjoy conveyor belt sushi. We made a fun day out by combining a visit to Kura for lunch in Fort Lee, NJ and then a trip to the Palisades Center Mall, which is approximately a twenty-five minute drive.

We planned our lunch at Kura on a Monday afternoon during a school break. Since the restaurant opens at 11 AM, we arrived at 11:30 AM thinking this would be an unpopular and early time before noon. But when we pulled in the parking lot and saw the line of people waiting, we realized that we should have arrived closer to (or prior to?) opening. When you arrive, make sure you enter the restaurant and check in. A computerized check in system is used and you’ll receive a text when your table is ready. We had a 30-minute wait before we were seated and luckily it wasn’t too cold out. Since there isn’t a lot of space inside the restaurant, we were able to wait outside without being uncomfortable.

Once we were seated, we were asked if we had previously been to Kura. Since we had not, a staff member gave us a quick introduction. He showed us how to open the patented Mr. Fresh™ ventilated lids that cover the sushi plates and had us each practice on his sample. He also showed us how to use the order screen and pointed out the slot to put our empty plates in.

A robot delivered our drink orders. Although we opted for water, other beverages are available including soda, sake, Sapporo beer, and more.

All of the sushi plates are a set price of $3.55 each. They have an extensive menu that includes a variety of sushi and rolls. They have over 30 traditional nigiri options including shrimp, tuna and squid. Plates with seared scallop with with Japanese mayo, Yuzu jalapeno sweet shrimp and umami oil seared beef were brand new to us.

There are over 20 different rolls on the menu, many with interesting combinations of ingredients. While descriptions are not printed on the conveyor belt markers, we were able to find a detailed description of each roll on the computer menu. I enjoyed the traditional shrimp and avocado roll but the Spicy Garlic Tempura Philadelphia Roll was one of my favorites!

They also have hand rolls made with seaweed and soy paper. My daughter is a vegetarian and she found plenty to eat including vegetable hand rolls, inari (tofu pockets filled with sushi rice) and Kappa Maki (cucumber rolls).

Since the conveyor belt travels throughout the entire restaurant, there were many slots on the belt that were empty, or perhaps emptied by other patrons before it passed by us. Fortunately, if you don’t see a roll or dish on the belt that you want, you can order it using screen at your table. When you place an order for a dish, it is sent directly to your table via the second tiered conveyor belt. Dishes like ramen, dumplings, fried rice, edamame, sashimi and more are available to round out your meal at any time.

As you finish your sushi, you place the empty plates in the slot. The computer keeps track of how many plates are deposited and, once you finish 15 plates, you receive a prize.

Kura Sushi has collaborated with brands including Pac-Man, Tetris and Demon Slayer to create the prizes. Prizes, which include lanyards, temporary tattoos, key chains and can badges are dispensed from a tower that sits above the conveyor belts.

Dessert was a treat! The cost is higher than the regular $3.55 plates yet are still reasonably priced. We ordered the Taiyaki Ice Cream, a warm and crispy Japanese fish-shaped pastry with red bean paste filling and a side of creamy vanilla ice cream and red bean paste. We also tried the Japanese-Style Soy Milk Donuts (soft and warm soy milk donuts with creamy vanilla ice cream drizzled in brown sugar syrup) and both Matcha Green Tea ice cream and Strawberry Mochi ice cream. Between the four of us, we devoured them, with the Taiyaki being a family favorite.

Unfortunately, Kura Revolving Sushi is not located terribly close to us, so we will not be able to frequent the restaurant as much as we’d like. However, we plan on making many future visits when we can! If you are looking for a fun and delicious dining experience, I highly recommend Kura Revolving Sushi Bar!

The Details:
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar
2151 Lemoine Ave.
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
(973) 939-6756
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