Kura Sushi brings its revolving sushi bar to San Jose

Kura Sushi, the popular Japanese chain that sends handmade sushi around its restaurants via conveyor belt, has brought its high-tech service model to North San Jose.

This week’s opening at the Pacific Rim Plaza makes for four locations in the Bay Area (after Cupertino, Pleasanton, San Francisco) and 19 for California. Worldwide, there are more than 500 Kura restaurants.

Customers order via iPad and select plates of sushi and appetizers as they stream nearby under covered domes. There’s also a special ordering system for kids.

More than 100 menu items are offered, including 30 types of nigiri, 30 hand rolls (wrapped in seaweed or soy paper) and 22 sushi rolls. Rounding out the menu are hot sides (tempura, gyoza, takoyaki, Kura Crispy Fries); cold sides (sashimi, edamame); soups (miso, ramen, udon); and dessert (mochi, taiyaki, sesame balls).

Kura boasts that it imports from Japan many of its key ingredients, including its secret-recipe vinegar, the special Kura broth starter and the additive- and coloring-free wasabi.

The company launched in Japan in 1977 and its subsidiary opened its first U.S. restaurant in Irvine in 2009. Before a 2019 opening in Southern California, Hajime Uba, the president of Kura Sushi USA, said Kura is “based on the principles of timely service, no MSG, and the unique Japanese culture of ‘taking great care in each step of the process, including the unseen.’ ”

Details: Open daily, from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 pm. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, at 1628 Hostetter Road, San Jose. https://kurasushi.com/

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