Design Your Own Roll Today at U-Sushi

Phone: 310-777-7655
Status: Opens today
It seems that made-to-order, customizable eats have reached the final frontier of cuisines. And now this trend is trickling over to the realm of Japanese fare with today's launch of U-Sushi, a fast food sushi concept from the team behind Ozumo.

The design-your-own sushi process works much like a sandwich shop. Patrons belly up to a series of glass cases and choose from 40 "fresh" ingredients: rice, fish (yellowtail, tuna, shrimp, crab, and eel are on the menu), up to three veggies, and a sauce from spicy mayo to the gluten-free housemade spicy soy wasabi. Then a trio of machines — which make and spread the sushi rice, then cut the roll — bypass the skill in sushi preparation and take a half-hour or so process down to a matter of minutes. No (sushi) chef required. Finally, the rolls are wrapped in paper, like a sub sandwich, and since the sauce is inside, customers can eat a roll on the go.

Classic sushi choices are also available, including spicy tuna and California rolls, and chef Yo Matsuzaki has come up with a number of authentic hot and cold Japanese sides including cabbage moiji, green bean salad goma, and korokke, all for $1to $3.

The menu is displayed behind the counter on flat-screen TVs and, coming soon, customers will have the choice of “top rolls,” based on the most-requested sushi.

The minimally designed space, formerly Famous Cupckaes, is a mix of green and white walls and pine tables with mottos adorning the walls, like “you design, we roll.”

U-Sushi is open daily from 11:30AM to 10PM.
Additional Coverage: EaterWire, 12/6; Coming Attractions, 12/20; EaterWire, 12/27
Additional Photos: Eater LA Flickr Page
— Jamie Wetherbe