This is a photo of shrimp and vegetable tempura bowls, set on a conveyor belt.

Tempura Parade and Sushi Shuffle

This is a photo of shrimp and vegetable tempura bowls, set on a conveyor belt.

It’s unfair to blame my kitchen counter space for being “dull” and “useless,” but after dining in a conveyor-belt restaurant, where bowls of freshly fried tempura and California rolls milled past me in an appetizing and provocative manner, I just want to shout, “Do better!” to the walls.

I’ve always wanted to go to one of those sushi conveyor-belt restaurants, but I feared they’d be stressful. Would the food whiz past me so fast that I couldn’t grab it in time? Would I accidently spend $3,000 on dumplings? (The prices are displayed on the wall and color-coded to match each kind of dish, but I’m not usually doing math while eating.)

Luckily, the food just kind of meanders in a leisurely yet tempting manner around the restaurant and right next to each booth. My go-to is the tempura, which is on the heated conveyor belt below—and the belt is hot! I was the closest to it, when Nate, Alex, and I sat down at a booth. So my job was to grab food for myself and for Nate–and try not to drop it, though there were plenty of close calls. (Alex was across from me and fended for himself.)

This is a photo of sushi on a conveyor belt at a restaurant. The signs above read Godzilla Roll--and in the back, there's a sign for Octopus.

Also, I ate with chopsticks for the first time. Usually, I ask for a fork, but servers were just taking beer orders, which was great because I soon forgot about the fork after the first beer and broke open the chopsticks packet like a raccoon at midnight near a dumpster. The sticks were joined together. Did I separate them? Noooo! I needed to eat some yakisoba noodles, and I found that if I kept the chopsticks unseparated, they made a much sturdier shoveling device to get the noodles to my face faster.

Here’s the best part: other patrons in the restaurant—as well as Nate and Alex—were too busy watching the food parade to notice me disrespecting noodles with chopsticks that will definitely have nightmares.

The food was great—lots of fresh options, but I chose mostly the fried ones because that’s how I sushi roll. As a result, it will be a while before I’ll go back because my stomach is still recovering. Totally worth it, though—and the price wasn’t bad at all. We had a mini mountain of plates stacked up at our table by the time we picked the conveyor belt clean, and it all added up to be reasonable.

I'm assuming this is a Godzilla roll. It is beautifully presented with maybe fresh mango slices on the top and what looks like tuna and rice inside the roll. It's decorated with fresh sprigs of herbs, and it's placed on a white plate with violet trim. A clear plastic dome covers the dish.

Sometimes, when I close my eyes at night, I see a conveyor belt of Godzilla rolls and gyoza dumplings, slowly drifting by, and I reach out to grab them all before they’re gone, which is probably why the night table next to my side of the bed is overturned the next morning, a wayward lampshade rolling about with a bite mark at the top.

Your Turn: Is there a favorite diner or conveyor-belt-style restaurant that you frequent? What’s your go-to order?

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Published by ckennedy

Author of the DIY blog: Fixin' Leaks and Leeks. Paper/Rock Writing Consultation, Sole Proprietor.

25 thoughts on “Tempura Parade and Sushi Shuffle”

  1. I remember my first sushi train experience. It was great, but the bill at the end was amazing. I should have paid much more attention to how many plates I was grabbing and then eating. I suggest practising with chopsticks at home. There are so many meals that aren’t Asian that you can still use chopsticks for.

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  2. I am terrible with chopsticks but I loved your description of opening “the chopsticks packet like a raccoon at midnight near a dumpster.” 😊 I don’t have a favourite conveyor belt restaurant but we have a small restaurant nearby that has the best cinnamon rolls ever! Not exactly dinner but I definitely dream about them. 😉

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  6. I’m not usually doing math while eating.–Same.

    That’s how I sushi roll. Ha! Using the chopsticks together to get noodles to your face faster. The chopsticks will have nightmares. 😛 Delightful writing, CK.

    Why has no one ever stopped to ask why or ponder the name chopsticks. The sticks part I get, clearly, but who’s chopping anything with those overgrown toothpicks?

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      1. When we go to one of these places, it sort of is like Christmas morning when I was little, and saw all the packages, knowing some where for me — but which ones to open first?

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  8. Years ago, there was a Japanese restaurant, in Milan, with a conveyor belt, and a I liked it a lot, but now it’s closed. Anyway, there is a real Japanese restaurant very close to my home where I happen to go sometimes, and where I try to eat with chopsticks … until I give up and ask for a fork

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  10. The food looks amazing.
    There used to be a conveyor restaurant in the shopping centre near our old house and my girls used to love it. It was very colorful( bowls and food) and inviting but to me it was so disorienting 🫣I’m.not particularly good with fast food either. The rush in deciding and grab the food overstimulate me and I always end up with food I don’t particularly enjoy.

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