New Japanese restaurant brings revolving sushi to San Diego

Kula Revolving Sushi Bar is bringing merry-go-round-like sushi back to San Diego with some innovative twists courtesy of a successful Japanese parent company.

Kula serves authentic sushi using various products and recipes brought straight from Japan, and it does so by letting patrons choose the freshest dishes possible via a state-of-the-art serving system.

Opened to the public on April 10, this 2,600-square-foot eatery on Convoy not only fills the gap in conveyor belt sushi establishments in San Diego, but it also is the first to feature the multitiered, high-tech food delivery system of its parent company’s Japanese stores. Kula has more than 350 sister stores in Japan and a limited number in Los Angeles. This new San Diego location is the eighth store in the United States.

Diners at Kula Revolving Sushi Bar can enjoy authentic and healthy sushi, noodles, teppanyaki items and more. Offerings are described by the company as fresh, natural and organic.

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At Kula’s San Diego eatery, all seats are just an arm’s length from a constantly moving belt stocked with a steady stream of Japanese dishes ranging from nigiri sushi to rolls and sides. Diners select prepared dishes from a conveyor belt that moves past those nearby booths. The kaiten - or conveyor belt - sushi is under a unique covering system dubbed Mr. Fresh that flips up when a plate is touched, allowing diners to remove their selected dish but keeping the food fresh and germ-free until that time. When guests pluck a dish causing its Mr. Fresh to flip up, a special chip alerts the kitchen as to what has been removed so dishes can be replaced when the conveyor moves back through. The chip also helps staff keep track of how long dishes have been circulating to ensure freshness and quality.

Plates are $2.25 each and are tracked via an innovative tabletop chute where diners deposit finished plates. The system even makes dining fun with entertaining cartoons and encouragement along the way and even a prize after 15 plates have been consumed and deposited.

Beyond the items they see rotating past, diners can order anything on the menu, from sushi to ramen and hot appetizers, by using a touch-screen pad at each table. Their selected dish is then ready in minutes and zooms from the kitchen to their table via a second conveyor belt above the main line. The special dish’s arrival is announced over a speaker similar to a train’s coming into a station.

Kula serves lunch and dinner and offers Japanese beer as well as cold and hot sake. One of the establishment’s friendly servers checks in with guests at each table regularly and tops off beverages.

To learn more about Kula Revolving Sushi Bar at 4609 Convoy St. in San Diego, visit kulausa.com or call the restaurant at 858-715-4605.

Source: DiscoverSD