Kulu Kulu Sushi

Sushi belt restaurant in Covent Garden, one of the closest things you will get to having sushi in Japan. This restaurant has a couple of branches in London, so far I’ve only been to two of them; this one and the one on Brewer St.
Inside a reasonable sized restaurant with a sushi belt, stools go around the belt and there are hooks for your coats. The boxes under the belt are missing though (this is quite typical in Japan). As the plates go by you will just have to guess whats on them as there are no labels or guide, if you are picky you may have to ask someone or if like me just guess (I eat almost anything). One of my favourite things is hotate (raw scallops) mmmm.
The great thing is it’s pretty reasonable, the portion sizes are quite good and it tastes delicious. It’s much better than other similar belt chains you may know. In Japan these are renowned for being the cheaper sushi places anyway and not always the best sushi. I found it’s pretty close to the real thing.

Despite the good reviews for this place, I found it wholly mediocre. The sushi was in creative, overpriced, flavorless, and clearly pulled out of a refrigerator (it was cold through and through). What flavor did exist was the tell tale fishy aroma of less than fresh fish. On top of the iffy sushi, the service was surly and unhelpful. Its only redeeming quality is that it’s kinda fun to watch the sushi pass by.

Love this place!
(Especially because Im never good at choosing from a menu. it always takes ages until I know what I want: D)
Visited many times and never been disappointed. It tends to be very busy, so go early!
The sushi is of good quality, everything is extremely tasty and you dont have to wait long for items you order extra!
I cant wait to go back!

Best sushi train in London… although I almost don’t want to review it so it doesn’t get too busy!

Great sushi! I really like the atmosphere of the place but I believe they need to work more on their service
the salmon there is really good, one of the best I had so far :)

I’ve visited Kulu Kulu a few times seen as it’s just down the road from my work. The food is good and comes out very quick but I would say the hot dishes take a decidedly back foot to the sushi which is a shame. I would also note that the staff can sometimes come across rather hurried and impersonal but I would go back!

I have kept coming back to Kulu Kulu. It’s been a long time since I first came and it’s an extremely convenient spot for a quick lunch or pre-​theatre bite. But things are going downhill. This could be because my taste buds are maturing, or it could be down to too many trips to Tokyo, or maybe that in the past couple of years, there’s been a mini-​boom in decent Japanese places in central London. Either way, my pre-​theatre bite the other night was extremely disappointing.
Yes, there’s free tea. Yes, the price-​per-​plate hasn’t increased in goodness knows how many years. Yes, there’s appears to be an almost permanent 10% discount (a bad sign usually!).
But, you expect to eat sushi in a sushi restaurant. I sat at he counter for a reasonable period and the only raw fish that came round was: tuna nigiri (average); salmon nigiri and sashimi (both ok); a very sorry piece of ika nigiri (I didn’t touch); an even sorrier piece of tako nigiri; a few salmon/​avocado rolls (not my thing), That was it! Sushi my #!$*! I reckoned it was about a 6:1 ratio of «sushi» to «other», and the other wasn’t that inspiring either.
Kulu Kulu, please feed me fish when (or if) I come back to eat!

We were famished after a long wander by the Thames and decided to check out Kulu Kulu as it got great reviews on here and other review sites. Whilst my wife and I regularly frequent sushi places, this was our first time in one of the revolving conveyor systems; we’ve always been put off by them as we’re vegan, so we generally like to know exactly what we’re getting. After being seated we watched the dishes glide by with some trepidation, eventually spotting a couple of our regular favourites, agedashi tofu and cucumber rolls. The downsides of the conveyor system were soon apparent; the tofu, which is usually served freshly fried in warm broth, was stone cold and soggy. The rolls were OK, but nothing spectacular and you only get 4 very small pieces per plate. After eyeing the passing procession of fishy and meaty dishes for a couple more minutes we called over the waitress and ordered a few portions of oshinko and avocado maki, the latter of which wasn’t actually on the menu. These were both freshly prepared in front of us and were perfectly acceptable, middle-​of-​the-​road sushi, certainly nothing to write home about.
The waiting staff were friendly, but overall the restaurant lacked any vibe. The décor is about as plain and functional as I’ve ever seen in a restaurant and the chefs all appeared to be Indian or Pakistani — don’t get me wrong, I know very few Japanese restaurants in Europe are really anywhere near ‘authentic’, but this all seemed a step too far. I go out to eat for great food first and foremost, but the general experience and ambience of a place also have big parts to play in an enjoyable meal and this sadly had neither. Ultimately, this may be a good place to grab a quick bite on your lunch break but I wouldn’t recommend it as a destination for a relaxed, sociable evening meal. Like the conveyor belt at its heart, the dining experience at Kulu Kulu feels a bit too rushed, impersonal and lacking that excitement that eating great sushi should generate.

We were hoping to get udon from the prior incarnation of this restaurant. Somewhat startled to see it was now a revolving sushi place. Had the udon anyway. It was fine, though on the small side, but that was also reflected in the price. Noodles were a little odd, I’ve never had flat udon noodles before. Didn’t try any, but the handrolls looked delicious and they were huge!

I love this place. I come here most weeks and I don’t even like sushi. Or I didn’t until I came here. The food is great, you sit on little stools and snag plates from the conveyor belt as they pass so good for two or three people, but not more. There’s a huge selection of tasty saucers passing you by, so much so you could even bring someone that didn’t like fish and they’d still eat well. Come here, it’s not much to look at but the grub is great.

I want sushi, and I want it delivered to me by robots. No human hand will do! … Ok, I guess a conveyor belt will do.
For now.
Kulu Kulu is a fun sushi spot basically made for a quick lunch. Come in and sit anywhere. There’s a conveyor belt going round and round the place with different plates of sushi. Each plate is valued at a different price. You eat, they count the plates, you pay. Awesome.
The sushi wasn’t the best I’ve had in London, but it was cheap (nothing was more than £3.50 and everything was much less than that) and it was a fast and very easy to talk to the person you came with, even though you’re sitting next to them instead of across at a table. I had an excellent lunch meeting here and saw others doing the same.
Bring on the sushi. Good bites for all.

Kuru kuru is an onomatopoeic word meaning whirling or going round and round in Japanese, so as soon as I saw the name for this place I expected a conveyor belt! Sushi going «kuru kuru, kuru kuru» around the conveyor belt = happy Josy
I think this place was excellent value.
I went with some of my friends from Nara, so we sat munching sushi while reminiscing of all the times we had super cheap 100yen sushi in Japan. You can’t expect 100yen sushi in London… but this is the next best thing! I was stuffed for £14!
Fishy-​Quality:
— The salmon sashimi was excellent
— The rolls were immense! I have never seen so much fish crammed into a futomaki — awesome!
— The prawn tempura hand roll was delicious and massive! I was pretty full after eating this one roll!
— There wasn’t a huge variety of fish (If you fancy some amaebi/​hottate/​roe I guess this isn’t the best place.)
— I didn’t dare try the unagi, as I am an unagi snob, and it just didn’t look appetising enough to tempt me
I know it’s not sushi, but…
— The nasu was lovely
— The gyoza was pretty good and piping hot! How did it stay hot on the conveyor?! We must have been lucky and grabbed it just as it came out.
— The kimchi wasn’t bad either
— There was free green tea– just like in 100yen sushi joints in Japan. Yay!
All in all, this made me a happy bunny. It’s not the best quality sushi in London BUT it is probably the best value.

Is a «budget Sushi»,
Good for the money you paid, is a great find.
The Green tea is free and the soft shell crab is great.

Cosy little place with a nice chilled out atmosphere. Definitely a place to go solo or maybe in a pair. There’s a good selection and the portion sizes are good value, especially when you compare it to a chain like Yo! The only downer really is that the menu could do with being a little bit clearer. If you’re unfamiliar with all of the Japanese names for the dishes then you’re entirely clear what you’re picking up off the belt. Also, they operate a similar pricing idea to Yo! by having different designs in the plates according to the price if the product. Again, this could do with being more explicit.
All in all, my bf and I really liked this place and would certainly go again!

Coming from Seattle you know upfront that it’s going to be hard to find sushi that compares. I didn’t go in expecting the same quality. The inside was small and that typical quaint conveyor belt style sushi feel. However, in looking at the items going around on the conveyor belt, I wondered if I was in a sushi place. They had mystery type salads, potato salad, and fried pumpkin balls??? I had to ask the waitress to confirm my suspicions that I was eating pumpkin, that was definitely a first in a sushi place! Definitely a surprise taste when I bit into it. I was thinking it would instead be fried crab cakes. The options were very limited — they had limited roll options. The variety of mystery salads was larger than the sushi itself. I do agree with the other reviewers that the hand wrapped rolls with prawn tempura were rather good, and the best choice.

I’ve been frequenting place for the last 7 years and sometimes the food isn’t at its best but most of the time, it’s a good budget eat for london and it’s quite good for budget eateries. it’s always filled on weekday lunchtimes with office workers and locals. I also like it because it’s such a hidden gem away from all the tourists so I don’t have to wait for a seat-​not for long anyways.
green tea is free which is a bonus point. I always wondered about the teacups though, how many customers steal one? It seems to go down in numbers or change every so often!
I also love that it’s TOTALLY not pretentious, so if you are snobby at sushi and you’re used to higher end places. gtfo. Like it’s a Kaiten belt which some people have this myth that the food isn’t so fresh, but it’s cut and cooked on the day. We live in the era of fridges, food can be kept fresh.
All in all, I will always be a regular here!

Kulu Kulu is a great find. The Shelton St branch is almost hidden away down a small side street in Covent Garden so is off the tourist path.
It’s a conveyor belt sushi place but much better than other places I have been to such as Yo Sushi and Itsu. I recommend the hand rolls with prawn tempura. The chef places it right on the belt. You take it right off so the nori seaweed wrapper is still crisp and the contents still warm.
The little plates of salad are also good as well as the aubergine and the sushi rolls.
As others have said, the sushi stays to the very mainstream with tuna, salmon, prawn, grilled eel and perhaps a few others but is perfectly OK. Not one of those gourmet sushi experiences you will remember forever but a cheap and cheerful experience none the less.
As someone who tends not to book ahead and then be tied to a restaurant’s schedule and inevitably turn up late, I like this place. You can just pop in when you feel like. Usually haven’t had to wait for a seat.
I like the unending free green tea. Just help yourself to a teabag and top up with hot water as many times as you want.
Solid place and importantly, good value, therefore 4 stars from me.

Tasty tasty Sushi!!! Spicy tuna rolls, dim sum, sweet potato fishcakes, Soft shell crab, salmon sashimi, avocado salad, Octopus are just some of the delicious foods to choose from on this menu!
This small underrated sushi shop has a lot to offer; It holds a great menu with foods made to order, the staff are great, the warm sake is delicious and its cheap! Each plate of food ranges from £1.50 to £3.60. Choose the food that looks appetising on the conveyor belt, you’ll know the price by what coloured plate its on, pick it up, eat it, and enjoy it!
One downer is the size of the sushi bar, considering its location, it could be a little bigger. Its best to get there early so that you can eat a fair bit before the dinner rush.
You’d be silly not to try this Kula Kula cool sushi!
N.B It’s open Mon-​Sat 12 – 2.30pm, closed for lunch with dinner being served from 5−10pm.

Quick, cheap and cheerful. The sushi is not amazing but it’s reasonably good. The speed, combined with the fair pricing and free green tea makes this a good lunch spot to chat with colleagues before rushing back within the hour to your blahblahblah office like a good employee of the month should.

I love Kulu Kulu!
The sushi tastes great (as with all conveyor belt places, you want to avoid anything that looks a bit dry) — especially the hand rolls with soft shell crab and the potato salad! It’s not particularly expensive, and you can get in and out pretty quickly (be warned: they have a 40 – 45 minute limit, so that they can turnaround tables quickly, but then again, it’s conveyor belt sushi… it’s meant to be eaten quickly!).
Love it — loads better than Yo Sushi!