Sushi Rev
Irvine's new conveyor belt sushi restaurant challenges local rivals with high quality and fair prices
For years, Orange County residents had only two conveyor belt sushi restaurant choices – imported Japanese chain Kura Sushi and locally owned Kaisen Kaiten Sushi Bar – but during the summer of 2025, those options doubled: Tokyo Central-adjacent Waka Sakura opened in July, followed by independent rival Sushi Rev in late August. Occupying H2O Poke and Grill’s former space at The Market Place on the Irvine/Tustin border, Sushi Rev combines Kura’s prices with Waka Sakura’s fatter fish cuts and nicer aesthetics, instantly making a place for itself in the local sushi scene.
A brief primer on conveyor belt sushi: Guests sit at two- or four-person tables next to a constantly moving conveyor belt loaded with clear plastic-covered sushi plates. You can pick up and immediately start eating any appealing items you see on the conveyor, then use a magnetically detachable tablet to order anything else you’d like from the kitchen. When your ordered items are ready, they’ll arrive on a second, higher conveyor belt on a tray sent specifically to your table. Empty dishes are manually picked up by servers and logged during your meal, eliminating Kura’s table-mounted dirty dish drop slots and automated tallying.
Sushi Rev’s initial menu is comparable but not identical to rivals. Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, shrimp, albacore, scallops, mackerel, halibut, squid, eel, octopus, caviar, and egg are all available as two-piece nigiri plates, many with two to four options (raw, seared, yuzu, and/or truffle); a dozen specialty cut rolls span the expected California, crunch, and spicy recipes, with additions including Hawaiian Harmony, Forbidden Dragon, Mushu Dragon, and a Rose Roll. Sushi Rev’s initial menu doesn’t include ingredient descriptions for the specialty rolls – an omission that needs to be fixed – but some combination of spicy tuna, tuna, avocados, tobiko roe, tempura shrimp, imitation crab, and sauces are generally involved. Specialty roll prices range from $3.75 to $5.75, with most including four cut pieces.
A brief “izakaya” list includes nearly 15 mostly fried or steamed items ($3.75 to $8.75) spanning edamame, multiple tempuras, chicken karaage, salmon or yellowtail collar, shishito peppers, and juicy broiled mussels. There are notably zero hand rolls and no conventional sashimi; five types of flavored carpaccio (tuna, scallop, octopus, spicy albacore, and salmon) are the only other savory menu options, with basic sodas, beers, and sakes as drinks, and no desserts. Every guest receives a small and nice bowl of free miso soup along with wasabi, pickled ginger, and a dish for soy sauce.
Many of the plates we tried at Sushi Rev were varying shades of good, great, or wonderful. Thick, moist cuts of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail were either perfect on their own, lightly dusted with black pepper, or brightened with yuzu to accentuate their natural flavor; that said, the presence of seasonings may rub some raw fish purists the wrong way. Scallop and squid pieces were fresh, clean, and in both cases more tender than expected – roughly room temperature, too, so they melted in our mouths rather than chilling them. From piece to piece, properly vinegared and lightly sweet sushi rice complemented rather than detracted from the fish.
Sushi Rev’s menu does include a couple of oddities: eel topped with a slice of strawberry, and “seared” egg with a slice of strawberry and a dab of mayo. We tried both on our second visit, and opinions varied from person to person; neither was bad, but the sweet berry and mayo struck one of us as unnecessary, the other as nice twists..On the other hand, we enjoyed the crab inari and garlic mackerel, and were thrilled to see these atypical items included on the conveyor.
Each of the specialty rolls we ordered harmoniously blended fish, avocado, rice, and seaweed across multiple recipes; only Rev’s crunch rolls fell short of rivals on tempura crispness and panko dusting. With the exception of tuna nigiri, wasabi appeared only as an option rather than being aggressively nestled into sushi pieces.
We didn’t love every Sushi Rev item we tried. Octopus carpaccio took a long time to arrive from the kitchen, then underwhelmed with four relatively thin, onion-topped slices for $5.75. Fried chicken karaage ($6.50) had plenty of batter and crunch but not enough tender meat inside. The third weakest of the items – a $6.25 plate with four pieces of lightly battered and somewhat thin organic agedashi tofu – was still tasty, as well as 1/3 less expensive than at places like Kin Craft Ramen & Izakaya or Sushi Zanmai.
Aggressive pricing is a major factor in our strong positive recommendation of Sushi Rev. As we noted when covering Waka Sakura, the local cost of conveyor belt sushi is currently between $2 and $3 per piece depending on where you go and what you order – but the more expensive places don’t deliver 50% better or bigger pieces of sushi. Consequently, the average person will likely eat enough pieces that $1 more per nigiri or cut roll piece will add up, pushing what used to be a $30 per person meal up to $45. Rather than pushing the upper limit, Sushi Rev prices most of its two nigiri or three/four cut roll plates just below Kura at $3.75, which is to say under $2 per piece for nigiri and under $1 for many cut roll pieces. But unlike Kura, where raw fish is sliced fairly thin and narrow, Sushi Rev’s pieces are fatter and wider – at least the size of Waka’s, sometimes larger. While this could change over time, Rev’s initial appeal is obvious: better value for the dollar.
Service was another major distinguisher between Sushi Rev and the others. While Kura relies on robots and automation to the point where tipping seems optional, Kaisen offers occasionally unpleasant service, and Waka Sakura has hiccups. By comparison, Sushi Rev’s servers earn their tips by being attentive, friendly, and frequently involved in clearing plates; we tipped commensurately. The only service issue we’d note was that the restaurant did nothing to manage or line up the people waiting outside its doors before it opened – a crowd large enough to fill the restaurant with several groups waiting for tables.
Assuming Sushi Rev continues to maintain this level of interest, it will need waiting lists and benches at a minimum, perhaps more. The dining room has capacity for around 60 people, and even in its earliest days, Rev was able to fill all of its seats with minimal word of mouth. We’ve already visited twice, and intend to return again. When the word really gets out about Rev’s quality and pricing, we expect the crowds will only keep on growing.
Stats
Price: $$
Service: Conveyor/Tablet
Open Since: August 2025
Addresses
13262 Jamboree Rd.
Irvine, CA 92602
714.389.2519
Instagram: @sushirev