Bakersfield has never been accused of being a sushi capital, but Kura Revolving Sushi Bar at 10530 Stockdale Highway Suite 300 decided the Central Valley was ready for the full conveyor-belt treatment. Opened as a deliberate test of smaller markets, this location brings the Japanese revolving-sushi formula—two-level belt, covered plates, touchscreen specials, and a drink-delivery robot named Kur-B—straight into The Shops at River Walk.
Kura is an authentic Japanese conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain that started in Osaka in 1977. It’s known for affordable plates of fresh sushi for only $3.95. Stack fifteen plates and drop them into the return slot at your table and a Bikkura Pon machine rewards you with a prize that drops from the ceiling like a very polite slot machine. Service is a mix of efficient humans and the occasional robot glide-by delivering water and real wasabi to your table at the start of your meal.
We weren’t expecting to find a Kura in Bakersfield; an oil-drilling town at the southern edge of California farming country. We detoured through Bakersfield because of a traffic accident on the 5 on our way from Los Angeles to San Francisco. If you’re ever in Bakersfield and want a healthy, affordable Japanese meal, Kura is a good choice.