Before Chidori Revolving Sushi, which opened over the summer at 758 State Street, I’d somehow never heard of conveyor belt sushi—even though, as I’ve since learned, it was invented nearly seven decades ago, in 1958. Its inventor was sushi chef Yoshiaki Shiraishi, in Higashiosaka, Japan. His idea—inspired by watching beer bottles being processed at a brewery—was to seat patrons along a circuit bearing small plates of sushi (and other foods). When a customer saw something they wanted, they would simply reach out and take it.
This process helped Yoshiaki run a lean operation with fewer servers. It also happened to delight customers. At its peak, according to Yoshiaki’s 2001 obituary in The New York Times, his business empire, named Genroku Sangyo, grew to roughly 250 restaurants, though it had contracted to 11 by the time of Yoshiaki’s death at age 87. Today, the top conveyor belt sushi chain in Japan—Akindo Sushiro, with more than 600 domestic locations—has far surpassed the reach of the original.
As those numbers suggest, the concept has endured booms and busts in Japan over the years. But it’s only recently gained a foothold in the United States, driven no doubt by the rise of social media and the popularity of flashy food content.
With Chidori Revolving Sushi, locals can now experience this novelty in the flesh and at their leisure. I went for a leisurely lunch myself and found a cheerful scene: smiling and courteous waitstaff, bright lighting emphasizing the pops of color riding the conveyor belt, softer lighting from a dizzying array of paper lanterns overhead and a soundtrack of upbeat pop music. Over the course of the 90 minutes I spent there, customers included a young couple, a family spanning three generations, two pairs of work colleagues and a father and elementary school-aged daughter. Not packed, but busy enough to feel like a robust business—and not bad for the day before Thanksgiving.
I soon discovered there are actually two ways to receive food at Chidori. One, of course, is the conveyor belt, which carries small domed plates generally holding two pieces of sushi, either in roll or nigiri form. Prices are indicated by the color of each plate: blue ($2.50) for basic rolls like spicy tuna; red ($3.50) for specialties like Dragon Rolls (eel and cucumber wrapped with avocado in eel sauce); and black ($5.50) for nigiri. True to the concept, the conveyor belt items constantly rotate, traveling past everyone along the track until someone claims them. The plates are then deposited like coins in a sideways slot, with every eight deposits earning a prize: a toy in a plastic globe that rolls out of a dispenser on the highest shelf.
The other way to order is via a tablet at your seat that includes not only sushi but also options common to most Japanese places: appetizers, yakitori, tempura, entrees, dessert and drinks. (All of the rolls that appear on the conveyor belt, as well as others, are also available on the tablet.) Ordering food this way takes a few minutes, coming on the bed of a motorized vehicle that travels on the track’s second level. “Your meal has arrived,” an automated voice says from above. “Please remove it in time.”
I would soon be receiving those instructions myself, but first I decided to pluck a plate of the colorful, seasonally themed Grinch Roll (salmon, mango and cucumber wrapped in soy paper and topped with spicy tuna, spicy mayo and tobiko; $3.50) off the conveyor belt. Compared to standard seaweed, the soy paper, offered a lighter color (pink) and a lighter touch. Less chewy and more neutral flavor-wise, it created necessary space for this roll’s many other ingredients, which in this case could have tasted a little fresher—and spicier.
As a few more options passed me by, I decided to place a menu order on the tablet, choosing the Ribeye Steak Yakitori ($10). While I waited for that to arrive, I selected another red plate from the conveyor belt: two pieces of a Godzilla Roll (spicy tuna and “crunch” wrapped with avocado, topped with spicy mayo; $3.50). I liked this one more than the Grinch, because of its well-balanced and distinct flavors. The spicy mayo this time delivered the kick I was after, and the avocado was nice and fresh.
The yakitori then arrived via the motorized vehicle, piping hot, in a soy-based sauce with togarashi—a spice blend typically involving chili peppers, ginger, orange peel, seaweed and sesame seeds—on the side. The beef was moist and well-seasoned and could be amped up as much as I liked by the togarashi. The order included seven large bites on two skewers and was simply delicious.
I went back to the conveyor belt for a black plate of the Salmon Nigiri ($5.50)—nothing special despite its premium pricing, perhaps because it had spent too much time on the belt—and then returned to the tablet, ordering the Sweet Potato Tempura ($6). When it arrived on the upper track a few minutes later, the conveyor belt was simultaneously tempting me with a Salmon Lover’s Roll (salmon avocado wrapped with spicy salmon and crunch on top; $3.50), and I impulsively snagged a plate before it passed me by—a testament to the marketing genius of conveyor belt sushi.
Like the ribeye skewers, the discs of battered sweet potato were hot, fresh and plentiful, served with a dark and sweet dipping sauce. I was starting to get full, though, so after a few crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside bites, I moved on to the Salmon Lover’s, which proved to be my favorite of the rolls. I’m a salmon lover myself, and this plate was fresh from the kitchen, with the spicy salmon lending heat and the creamy avocado cooling it off.
Alas, I couldn’t eat anymore by the time I discovered the New Haven Roll—deep-fried spicy tuna and jalapeño topped with spicy kani, caviar and scallions, in spicy mayo and eel sauce. What that quadruple-spicy combination of ingredients has to do with New Haven will have to remain a mystery for the moment.
Tallying up my meal, I found that, on balance, the items I liked best came from the kitchen, not the conveyor, which made me want to return another time and lean my orders further that way. Customers may come for the novelty of the conveyor belt (and the delivery robot), but they’ll come back because they like the food. I know I’ll be back, at least once more.
Chidori Revolving Sushi
758 State St, New Haven (map)
Mon 11am-9pm, Wed-Sun 11am-10pm
(475) 254-8502
Written by Daniel Fleschner. Images 1-3 photographed by Dan Mims. Images 4-7 photographed by Daniel Fleschner.
