Kura Sushi opens first Colorado location with tech-heavy twist
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The crunchy hand roll from Kura Sushi in Boulder. Photo: Mitchell Byars/Axios Boulder
Kura Sushi Bar has opened its first Colorado restaurant at Boulder's Twenty Ninth Street mall, bringing its novel, automation-rich dining experience to the state.
State of play: After a brief delay due to licensing issues, Kura had its soft opening last week at 1855 29th St., between Five Guys and Panera Bread.
How it works: While the conveyor belt delivery system originated in Japan in the 1950s and has been around for years in the U.S., Kura makes a few key improvements.
- Its robotic system, dubbed "Mr. Fresh," cycles out plates so you don't just watch the same roll go around and around.
- The plates also come in clear plastic domes to prevent "sushi terrorism."
The intrigue: Among the best innovations: You can order rolls on an easy-to-navigate touchscreen at your table in case you don't see a dish you like.
- Your item comes out on a separate conveyor belt as a bell and a voice announce its arrival, like a yummy train station.
- Yes, but: There are still waiters to serve you drinks and hot soups, since putting those on a fast-moving conveyor belt could get messy.
What to expect: Each plate is $3.90. You put your empty plates into a slot at your table, and the system tabulates your total at the end of the meal.
- The plate slot is a cool feature, but it also means you need to bring your discipline: It's easy to lose track of your bill without an elephant graveyard of plates staring at you.
- Plus, you get prizes for eating a certain number of plates.
- Caveat: Some specialty items like ramen and tempura cost more.
Dig in: All of these bells and whistles don't mean much if the sushi isn't good, but Kura delivers.
- In addition to your traditional rolls like tuna and eel, there are meat and veggie options.
- There are also appetizers and desserts.
- My thought bubble: Be sure to try the gooey butter cake.
If you go: The Boulder location has limited hours for now, noon-4 pm.
- The restaurant anticipates hosting a grand opening and moving to its traditional hours on Friday.