Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture, located about an hour by plane or three hours by Shinkansen from Tokyo, is one of Japan’s most popular tourist spots.
Kanazawa is known as a city with many attractions, including Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s three greatest gardens, and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, which displays a large number of modern art pieces.
Facing the Sea of Japan, the city is also rich in fresh seafood, and the local food culture is particularly famous for seafood dishes, including sushi.
So, this time we visited Sushi Kuinee!, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that is extremely popular among Kanazawa locals, and we’ll tell you about the charms of the restaurant and our impressions of the sushi we had.
The appeal of Sushikuinee!” which is loved by people in Kanazawa.
This time we visited Sushi Kuinee! prefectural office branch.
Sushi Kuinee! prefectural office branch is located about a 15-minute bus ride from Kanazawa Station.
This is a well-known conveyor belt sushi restaurant among Kanazawa residents and it is often fully booked even on weekdays.
There are many conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Kanazawa.
Sushi Kuinee! is extremely popular among locals, and is known as one of the top conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Kanazawa.
Let’s take a closer look at its appeal.
Attraction No. 1: The chef makes sushi right in front of you
One of the attractions of Sushi Kuinee! is that the chef will make the sushi right in front of you.
When you imagine a typical conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, you probably imagine a variety of sushi lined up on a conveyor belt.
However, at Sushi Kuinee! a sushi chef standing in the center of the restaurant will make the sushi when an order is placed.
Even though it is a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, you can enjoy the feeling of being at a high-end sushi restaurant.
Attraction No. 2: Wide variety of sushi
The second appeal of Sushi Kuinee! is the wide variety of sushi they offer.
The standard sushi toppings are tuna and salmon, but at Sushi Kuinee!, they offer different toppings each day that even locals rarely get to see.
Not only do they offer sushi toppings unique to Kanazawa, but they also serve sushi made with seasonal fish delivered directly from ports in Hokkaido and Kyushu, so one of their charms is that the sushi available changes depending on the season.
Attraction No. 3: Menu that even those who don’t like raw fish can enjoy
The third appeal of Sushi Kuinee! is that they have menus that even people who are not big fan of raw fish can enjoy.
Sushi Kuinee! doesn’t just offer fresh fish as sushi toppings-they also offer sushi with cucumber, daikon, avocado, shiitake mushrooms, and more.
They also have an ala carte menu with fried foods and a kids’ menu, so the whole family can enjoy.
Sushi Kuinee! is also recommended for people who have tried sushi but are not big fan of raw fish, or for vegetarian hoping to avoid eating fish.
What is the atmosphere and seating like inside Sushi Kuinee!?
One of the attractions of Sushi Kuinee! is that the sushi chef make the sushi right in front of you – what does this mean?
Let’s go inside the restaurant and check this out.
As one of the Sushi Kuinee!’ attractions, you’ll see the counter seats right after entering the restaurant and this allows you to be closer to the chef!
In the back you can see a board with today’s recommended sushi toppings written on it, and the contents change from day to day.
The inside of Sushi Kuinee! gives off an air of luxury.
On weekdays, many customers are already there right after the restaurant opens, and on weekends the tables are bustling with families with children.
Wondering how much sushi costs?
Now let’s take a look at the actual prices of Sushi Kuinee!
The lunch menu is reasonable, starting from 680 yen (tax included).
Sushi Kuinee! offers limited-time lunch sets from Monday to Saturday during lunchtime.
All sets come with a side of miso soup with fish bones, and a set of eight nigiri pieces is 680 yen (tax included), while a set of 11 nigiri pieces is 1,190 yen (tax included).
Please note that quantities are limited and the offer will end once sold out.
The sushi contents of the set change depending on the day, but the restaurant’s recommended sushi will be served.
This is a better deal than ordering individual items, so if you’re not sure what to eat, we recommend ordering the lunch set and then ordering the sushi individually that catches your eye.
Orders start from 160 yen (tax included) per plate
If you look at the plates displayed on the wall inside the restaurant, you will know the price of each plate.
At Sushi Kuinee!, prices range from 160 yen (tax included) to 1,100 yen (tax included), but when we checked the menu, the highest price was 990 yen (tax included).
The sushi offered on that day changes depending on the ingredients procured from the market, so you may encounter the premium sushi.
It seems that most sushi plates cost between 400 and 500 yen.
Ordering is easy by using touch-screen
Ordering is easily completed by using touch-screen, and English is also available.
After ordering, if you’re sitting at the counter, a sushi chef will hand it to you, and side dishes will be brought to you by the staff in the dining area.
Time to try it! Sushi Kuinee!’s exquisite sushi
We tried the following dishes from the extensive menu!
1.Best deal lunch: 680 yen (tax included)
In addition to the popular tuna and salmon, the set includes eight pieces of sushi including locally caught sweet shrimp and squid, as well as fish soup, all for 680 yen (tax included)!
The egg was slightly sweet and easy to eat.
The fish is properly prepared so there is no unpleasant odor.
2.Hokkaido salmon roe: 490 yen (tax included)
This Hokkaido salmon roe has an irresistible crunchy texture.
A grain of Hokkaido salmon roe is large and filled with flavor.
3.Tiger pufferfish: 580 yen (tax included)
Tiger pufferfish is hard to find at conveyor-belt sushi restaurants in Tokyo.
Because pufferfish is a poisonous fish and a license is required to cook it.
There are licensed pufferfish chef at Sushi Kuinee!, so you can eat tiger pufferfish sushi, a high-quality fish.
The mild, crunchy texture of the pufferfish goes well with a spicy kick by momiji oroshi (a condiment made from daikon radish and chili peppers).
Access information for “Sushi Kuinee!” Prefectural Office Store
Here’s the information on access and payment methods for the Sushi Kuinee! Prefectural Office branch, so please check it out!
| Store name | Sushi Kuinee! Prefectural Office Branch (Sushi Kuinee!) |
| inquiry | 076-268-3450 |
| reservation | “No seat reservations possible. Online and phone reservations available for take-out only.” |
| transportation | By car or taxi 10 minutes from the west exit of Kanazawa Station By bus Within a 5 minute walk from the prefectural office |
| business hours | 11:00-21:30 Last orders 21:00 Lunchtime Monday-Saturday 11:00-16:00 (Excluding public holidays) ■Closed days Open everyday |
| budget | Lunch: ¥2,000 – ¥3,000 Dinner: ¥3,000 – ¥4,000 |
| method of payment | Cards accepted (JCB, AMEX, VISA, Master, Diners) Electronic money accepted (Transportation electronic money (Suica, etc.), Rakuten Edy, nanaco, WAON, iD, QUICPay) |
Frequently asked questions about “Sushi Kuinee!”
Before actually going to Sushi Kuinee!, be sure to check out the frequently asked questions.
Question 1: What does “Sushi Kuinee!” mean?
The name Sushi Kuinee! means “Eat sushi.”
“Kuinee” is an old Japanese word that means “eat.”
Question 2: Can I bring children into the restaurant?
Sushi Kuinee! The Prefectural Office Branch has over 10 tables, making it easy to bring children with you.
If you let the staff know you have children, they will prepare chairs for children.
In addition to sushi, they also offer side dishes such as french fries and fried chicken, as well as desserts such as pudding and ice cream.
Question 3: Are there any English-speaking staff?
Going straight to the point, I would say there are no particular staff who speak English to serve tourists from overseas.
However, the touch-screen systems are in English and there is English writing here and there, so it doesn’t mean that they don’t provide any service at all to tourists from overseas.
What are the reviews from people who have visited there like?
Now let’s take a look at the reviews from people who have actually visited Sushi Kuinee!
Looking at these reviews, we noticed that many of them were written by locals as well as tourists.
Summary: I want to go to “Sushi Kuinee!” again!
My impression after eating sushi at Sushi Kuinee! was that it was a wonderful conveyor-belt sushi restaurant where you could enjoy authentic sushi at a reasonable price and be obsessed with the charm of Kanazawa.
The appeal of Sushi Kuinee! is wide-ranging, including sushi made by a chef right in front of you, a wide variety of toppings, and menus that even people who are not big fan of raw fish can enjoy.
Another attraction is the casual lunch set and reasonable prices.
If you’re in Kanazawa, be sure to stop by Sushi Kuinee!
