Kurama Sushi and Noodle Express is a delicious, informal restaurant located in Chapel Hill as well as Durham, North Carolina. It incorporates one of Japan’s most common styles of restaurant, kaiten-zushi. This translates to sushi conveyor belt, or sushi-go-round. In short, there is a central counter surrounded by a conveyor belt containing an array of tempting rolls that circulate around a mechanized “sushi-go-round”. This is Japan’s version of fast food, which is why the restaurant has express in the name. However, Kurama is far from an American style fast food restaurant. The rolls are constantly being handmade to order by a professional chef.

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The simplicity of Kurama is one of its most appealing aspects. You walk in, take a seat at the booth and pick which sushi rolls you want from the conveyor belt. If you want to order one of their signature soups, more intricate sushi rolls, sashimi or salads, they have waiters that are more than happy to place your order. Another incredibly appealing aspect of Kurama is that the service is quick, so if you are in a rush but want to eat healthy, homemade food you can be in and out in a matter of minutes. Or, if you want to leisurely eat lunch or dinner, you can take your time since the food keeps on coming. 

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The Chapel Hill location is conveniently located in the middle of Franklin Street on UNC campus. This brings in tons of students because Kurama Sushi and Noodle Express is incredibly inexpensive! The most expensive item on the menu is about $7 and the average price of a 4 roll plate is $1.50 and the average price of an 8 roll plate is about $5. Of course, if you are on the same diet as Michael Phelps, the bill will probably become quite pricey but for the average Joe, it’s not bad.