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Plates of nigiri and sushi rolls meander by on a conveyor belt, ready and waiting to be picked up by hungry customers, while delivery robot Kur-B travels from kitchen to table to deliver beverages and condiments at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar.
Interactive sushi experiences abound in Redwood City in the form of upscale omakase restaurants, while revolving sushi spots remain a rarity along the Peninsula. Beginning this spring, Kura – a casual, family-friendly sushi restaurant chain – is opening a new outpost at Sequoia Station Shopping Mall. Founded in Japan in 1977 by Kunihiko Tanaka, Kura now has 96 locations nationwide, with 11 more coming soon.
At Kura, guests can select nigiri and sushi roll plates from the conveyor belt, or order specific requests from a touchpad, which will arrive via a second express belt. The bill is calculated by the number of plates eaten, which guests insert into disposal slots to redeem prizes.
Robert Kluger, chief development officer, said Redwood City was selected as Kura’s next Bay Area outpost due to its central location between the existing Kura locations in Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco and Cupertino.
“As of today, the Redwood City guest has to make a pretty long trek to get to our brand, and so we’re going to just try to make that shortstop and make it a little more convenient for them,” he said.
The new Redwood City restaurant will be about 50% larger than its Stonestown and Cupertino counterparts, with more than 4,000 square feet and 123 seats. It will also feature a new, upgraded interior design that launched last year. Expect lighter features, more comfortable seats and a modern vibe, Kluger said.
The name Kura comes from the Japanese word for “storehouse” or “warehouse,” evoking the feeling of fascination and mystery, Kluger explained, while also nodding to Kura’s patented Mr. Fresh ventilated sushi lids, which cover each plate on the revolving sushi bar and have a plate-tracking technology to monitor how long the plate has been circulating.
Price per plate varies by location, and Kluger said the price for Redwood City hasn’t been set yet. On average, diners take about six to seven plates per person for a full meal, although he notes that some diners opt to grab just a couple of plates for a snack.
Kura’s Bikkura Pon prize system rewards diners for each plate inserted into the plate disposal slot. After five plates, a short animation plays on the touch panel; after 15, 25 and then every 15 plates thereafter, a prize is dispensed from the prize machine.
Kura’s menu has over 100 options, with a wide selection of nigiri, hand rolls, norimaki, gunkan, crispy rice and sushi rolls. Kluger noted that Kura doesn’t use imitation crab meat, and instead uses snow crab for its California roll. His personal favorites include the salmon nigiri and the crispy rice, topped with spicy tuna, spicy salmon or snow crab mayo, or even wrapped around a hot dog.
The Peninsula notably has a dearth of revolving sushi spots (Sumo Sushi Boat in Los Altos removed its sushi boats during the pandemic), with the only options being Izumi Revolving Sushi at Serramonte Center Daly City and Kura Revolving Sushi in Cupertino. Izumi Revolving Sushi has plans to expand to Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara in December.
Kura Revolving Sushi, 1101 El Camino Real, Space F1D, Redwood City; Instagram: @kurasushi_usa. Opening spring 2027.
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