Overview: Sushi is Enjoyable, and Reasonably priced, Once more at Funshi

I vowed to not make the identical errors once more. The final – and first – time I visited a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, my companion and I have been so giddy with anticipation that we instantly began grabbing plates off the passing belt. In reality, I described the expertise as one in every of “instant gratification,” the place diners actually can start snacking on sushi inside seconds of parking the automobile. 

While all of that’s true, there’s a extra tactical approach to proceed. After tossing again just a few rounds of contemporary however filling rolls, throughout that preliminary outing, we started observing extra selection snaking its method from the kitchen. And because the eating room round us started filling up, so too did the passing belt. The key to a profitable conveyor-belt sushi expertise, it seems, isn’t all that totally different from a standard one: plan your meal out upfront.

For consistency’s sake, I invited the identical eating companion to Funshi, the most recent kaiten-zushi restaurant in Northeast Ohio. As the title suggests, this regionally owned restaurant places the “fun” in sushi. The shortly increasing model made a splash in early 2025 once they opened Funshi Sushi, Ramen and Boba in Rocky River. The joint was an immediate smash because of a method that mixes stellar fare, heat hospitality, and a colourful, space-age vibe.

This newest location rachets up the enjoyable think about a number of methods. Chief amongst them is the addition of the conveyor belt, which travels from the kitchen, via the well-designed restaurant, and again house once more. The eating room is organized in an E-shape, with the backbone being the kitchen and the little arms extending into the seating space. As extra diners settle in, extra routes of the belt are activated. 

Foods arrive on white or black plates, a system that lets diners distinguish between uncooked and cooked gadgets. The dishes depart the kitchen coated and stay that method till faraway from the belt by a diner. Everything is $3.50, a construction achieved by modulating portion dimension. Some plates maintain two gadgets, others 4, and so forth. Foods arrive in teams, preceded by an indication stating not solely the title of the dish but in addition the parts inside, which is particularly useful for complicated rolls.

Some of the gadgets we loved straight from the belt embrace cooked shrimp nigiri, futo maki rolls, spicy tuna rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, fake crab sticks, unagi, vegetable spring rolls and gyoza. Everything was shiny, contemporary and well-prepared, from the sushi rice to the deftly twisted rolls. 

We shortly observed a dearth of raw-fish nigiri on the conveyor belt, an strategy that I assume is intentional. All tables have a pill that lets diners place orders with ease. Many of these gadgets – similar to tuna, purple snapper, salmon, yellowtail, purple clam – price the identical $3.50 per plate. It’s a system that stops uncooked fish from languishing on the belt like a forgotten suitcase on the bags carousel. The second-best a part of that system is the supply methodology: a tram on a separate monitor that stops proper at one’s desk. 

That pill can also be one’s gateway to remainder of the menu, an in depth choice of starters, elaborate rolls, ramen, rice bowls and boba drinks. We supplemented our conveyor-belt treasure searching with a bowl of ramen ($10.99). Orders are personalized on the pill, giving diners the selection between ramen noodles, rice noodles or udon noodles. In addition to the included marinated, soft-cooked egg, sliced fish cake and veggies, proteins similar to chashu pork, rooster and shrimp tempura may be added. Within minutes of putting our order, a robotic server silently approached our desk bearing a steaming bowl of ramen. The tonkatsu broth was wealthy, savory and creamy, the noodles nonetheless bouncy, and the portion sturdy sufficient to thrust back the fiercest winter blues.

As you’ll be able to think about, youngsters get a kick out of the cutting-edge tech – a family-friendly strategy that extends to the no-booze coverage. A full-wall projection immerses diners in a shimmering underwater seascape. Up entrance, a “10-seconds” recreation offers friends a possibility to snag a free reward card. 

When you’ve had all of the meals you’ll be able to comfortably devour, faucet the decision button to summon a server, who tallies your tower of empty plates – in our case 13 – and prepares the examine. From begin to end, the complete eating expertise was environment friendly, scrumptious and fairly priced. Funshi is the antithesis to extravagant omakases and sushi counters, an strategy that’s resonating with audiences and resulting in progress. Next up for the staff is a brand new location in Beachwood that’s set to open in December. 

Funshi Revolving Sushi, Ramen and Boba

35918 Detroit Rd., Avon

440-695-0330

21605 Center Ridge Rd., Rocky River

216-712-4240

funshisushi.com

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