I wish I could regale you with an Anthony Bourdain-esque recounting of eating the freshest nigiri amid brooding world travels. I wish I could explain how my palate was forever changed after a visit to Tsukiji Fish Market. I wish I could honestly say that I haven’t indulged in $5 sushi Wednesdays (R.I.P.) at Kroger.
But, I can’t. I’m a simple gal; I appreciate the finer things in life, but sometimes, I like mayonnaise on my sushi and, when the opportunity presents itself, just a little bit of kitsch. The two combined? Irresistible.
Kawa Revolving Sushi opened its second Cincinnati location last summer in Oakley. Finally succumbing to curiosity (and the stuff I see on YouTube), I decided to give the conveyor belt restaurant a spin.
Arriving at Kawa, I was led to a booth. Within its confines, the conveyor belt slowly spun away. Learning that it was my first time there, my server gave me the rundown. Near the conveyor belt was a little tablet, where I could place orders for drinks, appetizers, non-sushi entrees (including ramen) and dessert. To pay, I could use the tablet to tally up my order totals, and my server would separately count however many platters I snatched off the belt, each priced at $3.25.
I started by using the tablet to order a Shirley Temple (sure, I could have ordered a beer, but see above re: kitsch). I was truthfully expecting the most thrilling mocktail of my young adult life because I read that at Kawa, drinks are served by robots. I was, however, exclusively served by my human server, instead of the tray-laden robot that nonetheless zoomed by me numerous times. I tried not to take it personally.
I did, fortunately, get served by a robot in a different capacity. While they weren’t exactly whizzing by, I was a little nervous about the mechanics of grabbing the little platters of sushi. I decided to buy myself some time by ordering appetizers: seaweed salad ($3.25), takoyaki ($5.45) and shrimp tempura ($6.99). All three were brought to me via a little rail right above the conveyor belt; a mix of plastic trains and trucks carted along my starters, announcing their arrival in a deadpan robotic voice.
The presentation of the seaweed salad left a little to be desired, with it looking a bit mushy, but it tasted fresh. I cautiously bit into my takoyaki, having been burned by volcanic dough liquid too many times to count, but was a little disappointed to find that they were lukewarm (I would have preferred to have been scalded). The tempura was a highlight — the log-like, piping-hot crustaceans and crunchy batter were delicious.
Confidence built up, I turned to the conveyor belt, where two-piece plates of nigiri, three-piece plates of special rolls and four-piece plates of basic sushi meandered away. I gingerly grabbed a little tub of ginger from a passing bowl. Empowered, I reached for my first platter — the Dragon roll, with eel, cucumber, avocado and eel sauce. Amid my adrenaline rush, I saw eel nigiri, my personal favorite, scooting by in my peripheral vision, and snatched up a platter. Both were fresh and tasty, and I was ready for more.
Having eaten enough California rolls to last me multiple lifetimes, I focused on Kawa’s special rolls. I alternated between grabbing platters and tapping through the tablet to find out exactly what I was eating.
I sampled the Bengals roll, featuring shrimp tempura, crab meat, “crunchy flakes,” spicy mayo and eel sauce. This roll was pretty much swimming in toppings, and while it was good, and I knew what I was getting myself into when I pulled it off the belt, it was a bit heavy flavor-wise. I also tried the green soy paper-wrapped “Forest,” with shrimp tempura, avocado and asparagus, topped off with “lobster salad,” “crispy crab flake” and “creamy dressing.” Save for the crab flakes, I found this roll a little bland, but no one could argue that it hadn’t been just made in the kitchen from which the conveyor belt issued forth. Freshness at Kawa was definitely a no-brainer.
My absolute favorite was the Tiger roll, and not just because it was pink (but that didn’t hurt). The combination of tuna, salmon, yellowtail and avocado wrapped in (pink!) soybean paper was refreshingly subtle in comparison to the more mayo/tempura-ensconced options.
If you can’t seem to find the sushi you want, or maybe get a little impatient, I’ll add that you have the option to order the same rolls slowly rolling by your shoulder via the tablet. And the sushi wasn’t the only food on the catwalk. I was passed by little cakes, bowls of fresh fruit, “Chef’s Special” dishes, salads and more.
The robot continued to pass me, too, playing funky little tunes to gracious customers and totally ignoring me.
It’s fine. I really don’t care.
I had wanted to try more — I had my eye on the Pink Lady (cucumber, salmon and avocado, topped with spicy tuna, spicy mayo and tobiko) and the Reds (shrimp tempura and asparagus, topped with spicy tuna, masago and spicy mayo) — but, in the name of research, I was already worried I’d overdone it. It was a bummer; looking back, I also would have loved to try some more of the nigiri.
I didn’t come to Kawa to eat the best sushi of my life. I just came to eat sushi. And the sushi turned out to be really good. The concept? Even better.
Kawa is a wonderful place for families, who can sit together at the booths, pick out sushi and be served by apparently selective robots (again, I really don’t care). It’s great for dates, where it’s just you, your significant other and food on all sides, with no need to worry about stalling conversation to look at menus.
And it’s perfect for parties of one, like me. I find that eating alone in public can sometimes feel awkward (even though I know it shouldn’t). At Kawa, not only are you in your own little sushi world, where everything you need as a solitary diner is pretty much within arm’s reach and situated in a comfy seating area, and where servers are always on standby to help. You’re probably enjoying the process a little too much to even notice any feelings of self-consciousness.
It’s fun. It’s fresh. It’s niche. And the service – both human and otherwise – is all around excellent. I’d say give into the hype and try it at least once.
If you go, my regards to the robot.
Kawa Revolving Sushi, 3880 Paxton Ave., Oakley and 11381 Montgomery Road, Symmes Township. More info: instagram.com/kawa_revolving_sushi.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s March 5 print edition.
This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.