With drink-serving robots, a “fast lane” sushi conveyor belt and miniature prizes, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar has brought a new vibrancy to Rockville’s Federal Plaza. This new location’s menu lacks the variety and specialty items found at other sushi spots, but it makes up for this deficit with speedy service and an unrivaled experience.
Ranked the second largest sushi chain in Japan, Kura Sushi’s first Maryland location opened just over a week ago in Rockville. The sushi bar operates on a unique system foreign to most Americans.
After being seated, patrons can start by ordering drinks on a tablet or on their phone by scanning a QR code. The real fun begins when an automated robot playing upbeat elevator music, coined “KuraB the Kurabot,” serves ordered drinks directly to the table. During a visit to the restaurant, the Kurabot serving my table malfunctioned and almost collided with another bot, a hectic but interesting addition to the experience.
As for food, the restaurant offers two different options for customers to receive their food: grabbing sushi bites off the continuously revolving conveyor belt or ordering plates directly to the table from the tablet or customers’ phones.
I started by grabbing a few different types of sushi and nigiri off the conveyor belt, which weren’t the best I’ve ever had, but still tasty. The rotation of dishes included staple sushi rolls such as the tiger, caterpillar and rainbow rolls, but also had some unique options like the spicy popcorn shrimp roll and the tempura Philadelphia roll which were two of my favorites.
Once customers finish a dish, they must slide the empty plate into the slot on the table prompting the restaurant to add the cost of the dish to their bill. With almost every dish on the belt priced at $3.70 and two to four pieces of sushi or nigiri per dish, Kura Sushi is one of the cheapest sushi restaurants I’ve been to.
Ordering dishes on a mobile device is also an option. These dishes are transported on a second conveyor belt above the revolving belt straight to the table. Within minutes of ordering, the plate was propelled across the second belt directly to me, an impressive feat of technology and service. By ordering off the tablet or a phone, customers have a greater variety of dishes to choose from, such as hand rolls, udon, ramen and mochi.
As important as the food is to a restaurant, I would argue that the dining experience at Kura Sushi has a far greater pull than its dishes.
Another perk of the restaurant is the randomized free prizes that customers receive after the table finishes fifteen dishes. This component, in addition to the upbeat music, bright visuals and occasional animated videos playing on the tablet made the restaurant feel more like an attraction. Although some may view this as a negative, it can very well be a benefit and motivate patrons to return to the restaurant.
Kura Sushi is the perfect place to take friends and family for a great time, especially for those who haven’t experienced a revolving sushi restaurant before. Even for those who have, Kura sushi takes it a step further with its special features and entertaining environment.
