Kula Revolving Sushi Bar

I took my cousin here after a movie for lunch. We needed to have lunch at a place we could eat quickly because I had to drop her off at work in an hour. I’ve been here a few times before with friends so I knew it was a good place for a quick bite to eat. The sushi here is good, even though this is a revolving sushi bar the fish quality is surprisingly fresh. The rolls on the other hand are just okay, some of the ingredients inside didn’t look all that fresh or appealing. We both got full pretty fast from the rice. The sushi kinda creeps up on you once you’ve had about five plates you feel pretty full. The service was good, we got our drinks right away and I had no trouble getting the check quickly. The price isn’t too bad either at about $ 2 a plate. It was a perfect quick lunch.

Been to other locations and this one is probably the worst one…
It’s always a weird humid temperature in there. And the service is super spotty…
Last time we went I found a big black bug in my ramen and never went back since! That is all

At $ 2.25 a plate, I can’t really complain. There’s quite a decent selection and most things I’ve tried are pretty good. The fish isn’t of the highest quality, but it’s definitely tasty (for the most part) and a great place to come for a quick, cheap and easy meal. I would only recommend coming in small groups (under 4 people), as there are only a limited number of seats attached to the sushi conveyor belt. The wait can get long on the weekends and during busy dinner hours, so be prepared to potentially wait. Not to mention, parking in Diamond Jamboree can be a disaster during peak hours, so leave extra time to find parking!

Okay so 3 stars for decent sushi considering its $ 2.25 a plate. Don’t come here if you’re expecting a fancy sushi joint cause it isn’t. What it is, is a bang for your buck, get your cravings filled under a budget type of joint.
I gave an extra star cause Yoko our server was the most attentive and nicest server that I’ve ever had there. Considering its a revolving sushi restaurant the servers usually just take our drink orders and chill until we’re ready for our check which I’m okay with so to get service beyond that was definitely a surprise.
My top 3 items would be: salmon belly, seared salmon w Japanese mayo, a fried soft shell crab
Come here if you’re NOT a bougie sushi connoisseur, it’ll definitely do its job!

I’ve been to the other Kula branches and this one wasn’t really great, at least in terms of service. We walked in, put our name down and when it was our turn, the server told us to walk to the back and find the second to last table. That was a horrible directions on where to sit and like other Kula and restaurants, the server should’ve guided us to the table.
Most of the items are $ 3 per plate, which is really cheap, but they’re also really small. I usually eat at Tokyo Table across the plaza, but I wanted to try this Kula. So in terms of food, it’s acceptable. In terms of service, it’s below average. The servers were lazy and essentially emotionless. It took them a long time to come around to allow us to take additional order and to even get the check.
Based on this experience, I going to stick to Tokyo Table; I recommend that place over Kula at DJ, because Tokyo Table has better food in terms of taste and size, and their service is really great.

I don’t really know where to start with with. I love going to the Kula next to my house but since I’m working in Irvine I decided to give this branch a try. First off the server did not walk us to the table, only gave a brief description as to where I was going. The table we sat at was stick and the soy sauce was empty and the tongs to grab the ginger were so stiff you couldn’t pick anything up. After sitting down a woman came up and asked what we wanted to drink. I was ready but my friend was not so I had asked for a few moments to decide, the woman then stood there watching us as if she didn’t understand what I had just told her. After asking again for minute to review the menu she walked away. A large amount of time past by and still no one came by to get our drink order. They seemed to have forgot about us since we were in the back. I had trouble grabbing someone’s attention so we could get our drinks. It wasn’t until I had made a loud comment to my friend about a drink she wanted that someone came to help and the attitude given with it was very unpleasant.
Now the food. My normal favorite –Eel– was mediocre along with all of the other food. I didn’t grab another plate. A lot of the fish on the belt looked discolored and a lot of dishes looked stale and unpleasant (broken up, missing pieces, looking like it’s been sitting for a long time). So I tried the beef, I immediately spit it into a napkin. It tasted like it was soaked in garlic. Yuck. So I ordered some miso soup. Although the bowl was streaming, the soup was luke warm. The tofu was loose and runny, not firm at all. And the soup itself was very bland. It’s like they just threw left overs into a microwave.
As for the atmosphere, my bench was knocked and moved by another individual with no regards to anything. Hard enough to make me slip my hot tea on myself. Very rude. The servers seemed emotionless and looked like they wanted to leave. Out of the 3 servers that helped us only one smiled and seemed genuine. As we asked for the check they messed up and charged a tip onto the card, then apologized and fixed it.
Long story short, I will never visit this location again. It was the most aggravating, unpleasant lunch I’ve had in a long time.

I haven’t been to Kula in a really long time. I typically prefer Kaisen over Kula because at Kaisen their dishes vary in prices from 0.99 to 3.75 and that’s just reflective on the quality/​type of fish. Something about the plates all being 2.25 makes me feel like you sacrifice a bit of quality for a flat rate. I also hate how I always leave Kula smelling like a fryer…
BUT I decided to go for the Japanese fair because I really wanted to try their tenkuu maguro toro (bluefin toro) and tenkuu maguro (bluefin tuna).
The Japan fair was for Kyushu from February 19 to February 28. I went on a Thursday night around 7:30pm and there was no wait for a table. Each piece of bluefin was 2.25 (compared to the regular tuna/​toro pieces that are usually 2 per plate). We ordered them from a server because we didn’t want to get them off the belt. They were good, but it wasn’t the best piece of tuna I’ve ever had (and I didn’t go in expecting it to be). I also tried the kumamoto beef, this came with 2 pieces per plate. The fried garlic that was garnish on top kind of overpowered the flavor of the beef. It was alright, nothing memorable.
We grabbed a few other plates off the belt and ordered handrolls. All of them were mediocre. The only one that was disappointing and worth mentioning was their takoyaki. The condensation from the lid of the plate made the takoyaki loose it’s crispy outside. And the ball itself seemed too starchy.
The condensation on the lids of the plates on the belt and leaving the place smelling like fried oil is enough to make me not want to come back…

I was hesitant and now I have no idea why! The food was fantastic. We tried just about everything and I loved that it was small portions so I could try and be more adventurous with different things. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like.
The atmosphere is cool, the food is fresh, and the service is on point! Will be back.

Just a normal revolving sushi bar. I’ve been about 2 – 3 times and it’s better than some in that sometimes they have specials. It was like a Japan week and they had bluefin and a different yellowtail and stuff. I mean they didn’t taste amazing but it’s nice to see more variety. Every plate is $ 2.25 and some only come with one instead of two like uni.
I definitely only get sushi here and not rolls. I don’t get rolls anywhere.
Pretty packed all the time but I didn’t have to wait long when I went.
One thing I really don’t like is that the covers on the sushi aren’t dried and so there’s water all over it and you can’t even see sometimes what’s inside. Bacteria breeding grounds!
Staff is good there though. Attentive and helpful. They make sure that if they’re not doing anything they stand in a spot where they can see most of the people and wait until help is needed.

Pretty great experience, especially after a half-​day hike (bordering hangry). The price is reasonable at $ 2.25 a plate, and the variety was pretty good. I wish there were more hand rolls available, but the servers were definitely attentive to customer requests. There were some standard roll flavors (Spider, California, Eel, Rainbow, etc) and a few selections I haven’t had access to in years.
They charge for hot tea, which was unfortunate but acceptable considering the pricing was pretty good. The quality was good-​above average, but I came in expecting such considering the casual atmosphere. Overall, it was a good place to get a sushi fix.

Decent and self serving sushi! Keep in mind, if you don’t want to wait for sushi on the conveyor belt order it thru the servers. All plates are $ 2.25
My go-​to: Salmon belly, Seared mayo salmon, shrimp tempura udon, and the hand rolls are delicious too. If you ask, they’ll customize your hand rolls. That’s a plus in my book!

Sushi on a conveyor belt. Exactly… how long has it been sitting there? Depends on the item’s popularity for the night, I guess. This place serves it’s purpose if you want sushi quickly and without ANY fanfare.
I came here to eat by myself. I requested a table but I told that they preferred that I eat at the sushi bar. At the end of a long day… elbow to elbow with the stranger next to me??? Uh, no. Since it was early, about 5pm on a Friday, they granted my wish to eat at an ample table. One PRO!!!
The CONS… the the salmon and tuna items were fresh but all the rice was super dry on the outside. :0(
Red dragon… ok.
Umami oil salmon… good, salmon was fresh. This is MUCH better when you order it from the server.
Garlic ponzu marinated salmon… salmon was fresh but WAY too much wasabi.
Bluefin tuna… fresh but only one lonely piece.
Albacore with ponzu… BLECH!!! I should’ve known when I saw the little processed packet of «ponzu». The albacore was super rubbery. I only ate one piece.
Spicy shrimp taco… shrimp and seaweed were super limp. The actual flavor wasn’t bad but the jalepeno slice could’ve been a little spicier.
Spicy yellowtail… UGH!!! Slimy, hard, chewy!!! Please God!!! Don’t let me get sick. I had to spit it out. I told the server that it wasn’t fresh and she deducted the plate from my stack.
Crispy rice with salmon… the salmon was good today. The jalepeno slice had a good heat. The crispy rice wasn’t so crispy. Chewy.
My bill with a small Sapporo Light (I don’t normally drink this but this is the only small size they had.) and tip came out to $ 28. I could’ve had SUCH a better meal elsewhere for this money. The sushi was MEH for the price. Service was whatever. Yes, you have to flag someone down to get service.

The food is really good, and it fun place. You can pick so many different sushi rolls .
I love the umami oil salmon. Its must try ! Highly recommend that and tempura Philadelphia roll and crispy rice with crab on top. Here is the picture from the umami oil salmon

This Kula revolving sushi is located in the Diamond Jamboree Plaza next to Capital Grille and Tofu house.
Sushi on conveyor belts is convenient and the concept is so fun and entertaining.
Quality of the sushi is so-​so. Not the best but then not the worst either. I also have a thing about going to sushi places and its not quite authentic to its roots, it lost a star for that.
Service is decent but you constantly have to flag the servers down. They are friendly and fast but it can take time to get there attention.
My favorites among them all were the seared salmon seared scallops, unagi and spicy tuna.
We also ordered from the menu: Shrimp tempura and Shrimp tempura Udon.
Definitely a place for fast and affordable sushi but not the best in quality and variety.

If you’re looking for sushi and sashimi, this is not the place for you. This is a rotating sushi bar; meaning, sushi rolls, hand rolls, and crab meat mix. Went here on a Thursday night for 6 PM dinner and it was not packed. Maybe because it was NYE? The staff here are attentive and always check on you.
Their rice was dry and the fish was not fresh. Each plate is $ 2.25 and also you have the option to order hot food on the side as well. DO NOT eat their crunch roll or anything that has the word «crunch.» I felt like I was eating stale flakes. Being an avid sushi eater, this place was not my cup of tea. I enjoy the concept of food coming towards me rather than ordering all at once. It is a fun experience but I would invest in the quality of the food rather than the enjoyment of choosing a different sushi concept.

Went here on a Saturday night with both kids my Sister and her boyfriend. There wasn’t much of a wait so that was a plus and this was our first time eating at a revolving sushi place.
The service was on point. There was always either a waiter or waitress at a moments glance outside of the traveling food. My 4yr old had spilled her Coke and a waiter was immediately available to clean up.
The food was alright. I had almost everything that sounded interesting. Garlic ponzu salmon, crispy rice crab mayo, soy salmon, spicy shrimp taco which was more like an unrolled hand roll. Unagi Cali. The list goes on and on.
The taco spicy shrimp «taco» was ok. I wish the seaweed was a bit crispier because it kinda collapsed as I bit it. But delicious none the less. I blew threw close to 16 plates and was a bit disappointed there wasn’t a nigiri figurine for eating at least 15. That’s what they have at the Kula down on Convoy St San Diego.
Oh well it was a great experience and I’d definitely come again.

I had 3 stars before but I come here so often I just had to fix my review. I’m definitely a regular now, below are my regular plates and ones I’d recommend!
* Shrimp Avocado
* Seared Salmon w/​mayo
* Eel & Avocado Handroll
* Crispy Rice & Crab Mayo
* Eel
* Tonkotsu Ramen (basic bowl of noodles)
There are always 2 servers at least, if you order by telling the server what you would like — instead of getting it off the conveyer — it will always be extremely fresh.
This place is also fun to try things out that you never have before, I tried uni here cause it’s expensive everywhere and I didn’t like it — but now I know not to get uni anywhere else and saved myself some money but trying it out here.
This place is great for a one person meal or multiple person meal, I always feel comfortable eating here and anytime I crave sushi, I always consider Kula.

Cheap Prices = Small Portions + Average Quality + Speed.
Yes, its only $ 2.25/plate, but its gonna take a lot of plates to fill up. If you’re anorexic or perpetually on a stupid fad diet, this is probably a great place for you… but not if you’re 190lbs and 6 foot 2 and somewhat athletic like me. Overall edible sushi for the price, but I’d rather just spend $ 20 on a couple quality rolls than 8 of these sushi plates, which is about the same amount of food.
Deep Fried items… AVOID! Takoyaki balls, karage chicken, and gyoza… they’ll be luke warm and soggy. That shit needs to be eaten within 15 minutes out of the fryer, but only gawd knows how long they’ve been cruising on that conveyor belt… yuck!
$ 3.99 Ramen… pretty darn good for $ 4! That’s not much more than than the freeze dried crap in the styrofoam bowls at H-​Mart.
Kula is like a premade sandwich you buy in a vending machine versus a freshly made sandwich at Jersey Mike’s, Jimmy Johns, or Subway (not the best example)…I’d rather spend the extra money for the later. If friends want to go again, I’ll come along… but I wouldn’t suggest Kula.

Kula no why have you disappointed me?
Kula pls.
It’s not
No
Please tell me it’s not…
So back in 2012 or so, when my friends and I thought Kula was the bomb, we went a couple times to try their cheap $ 2 sushi. Their quality was good, their portions were good, and it would satisfy your sushi craving.
I have one huge complaint. Their crunch rolls now are made with FLAKES. DRY OLD FLAKES. Which already ruins the sushi plate because you want to throw it away now. And the price keeps going up. Is it $ 2.25 or $ 2.50 now, I don’t even know anymore. Their quality has gotten subpar, their sizes have gotten smaller too.
At the end of the day, it’s good for a «cheap» sushi where you can look at things go around, but if you want things that aren’t California Rolls, I’d go elsewhere. If you want a quick fix and you’re at UCI and sick of Ippo, then I guess yeah come here. But meh merp a derp ew. :/​
Wouldn’t even wait here now unless I had to :/​
Kula why did you get worse :’(

The Kula in Irvine is the best compared to all their other locations. The sushi and rolls are much more fresh and flavorful!
If you don’t enjoy patiently searching for your food on the conveyor belt you can always put in your order with the waiter/​waitress (server). It is a good way to avoid having your food being taken by the person before you when the conveyor belt is going around. (Also the hand rolls are not on display. You will have to order those.)
My all-​time fave is salmon with mayo, then the salmon yuki. I would also get ikura, inari, spicy scallop handroll and their takoyaki!
For dessert I tried their Japanese soy milk donuts. It was just perfect since I’m not much of a sweet tooth so this wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet and very balanced.