Anyone walking down University Avenue in Palo Alto near Cowper is used to seeing a line of people on the sidewalk. A few summers ago, people were lining up for ice cream sandwiches at Cream, then Umami Burger and now the crowd is gathered outside Sushirrito, a unique small restaurant that is packed every day between 11am and 3pm. So why the buzz? Palo Alto Pulse visited to find out.
‘Sushi burritos’ hand made with unusual ingredients
A glance at the Palo Alto menu shows an offering of eight different ‘sushi burritos,’ with prices ranging from $9 to $13, in combinations you won’t find at any regular taqueria or sushi restaurant. There is also one salad and “lava nachos.”
Unusual ingredients, fresh tastes and affordable prices draw a crowd outside Sushirrito
According to the Sushirrito website, the restaurant is “revolutionizing sushi culture with made-to-order, hand-held sushi burritos in delicious Asian and Latin flavor combinations.”
For example, the “Porkivore” rolls up pork belly, shaved cabbage, radish, avocado, cilantro and mustard seed mayo, while the “Geisha’s Kiss” includes hand-caught yellowfin tuna, tamago, piquillo peppers, yuzu tobiko, lotus chips, namasu cucumber, and butter lettuce, and the “Budda’s Belly” has spicy eggplant, portobello mushroom fries, kale and more.
What’s tamago and yuzu tobiko, you might ask? For that you have to wait in the line and find out, but the flavors are a hit with the customers we met recently.
Worth waiting in line…especially when it moves quickly
“I like that they have vegetarian options. It’s actually pretty fast, even though there’s a line. They make the rolls right in front of you so it moves along quickly,” said Alex.
Sushirrito draws a crowd but the line moves quickly
“It’s decently priced, and you don’t wait long,” added another customer named Raffino. “My favorite is the Geisha’s Kiss because of the yellowfin tuna. I highly recommend it.”
“It started as a joke” but has five locations and growing
Founded by Peter Yen in 2011, Sushirrito has four locations in downtown San Francisco and opened its Palo Alto location in January 2015. Business is booming at all locations, and the restaurants aim to constantly experiment with new tastes because “food, like language, music, and culture, is constantly evolving.”
Yen told the Wall Street Journal that the concept for Sushirrito began when he starting trying crazy sushi combinations with his brother. “We decided to put a lot of stuff in there and make it as big as we could, because we were greedy, and to not cut it, because we were lazy, and to eat it as a burrito,” Mr. Yen said. “It started as a joke.”
Though its doors opened less than six months ago, Sushirrito has already established itself as one of the most successful lunch spots in Palo Alto. The eatery will be offering dinner in the near future in response to the demand for its fun, fresh food.
Sushi? Burrito? No need to choose with Sushirrito
Sushirrito is located at 448 University Avenue in Palo Alto. The line, though often extending out the door, moves surprisingly fast. So the next time you want lunch and can’t decide between sushi or a burrito, check out Sushirrito, an innovative and delicious combination.
