Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant Planned For Downtown
Kenosha-based Sooshibay plans its second location on Water Street.
Site of future Sooshibay, 1154 N. Water St. Photo taken May 7, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
With their mosaic-like interiors and delicate garnishes, sushi rolls are already runway-ready. Soon, a new-to-Milwaukee restaurant concept will put the daily catch on the catwalk, giving the city its first taste of conveyor belt sushi.
The Kenosha-based Sooshibay plans to open its second location at 1154 N. Water St., on the ground floor of Milwaukee School of Engineering‘s Grohmann Tower.
Conveyor belt sushi, or kaiten-zushi, originated in Japan as a way to streamline restaurant service. Chefs place small portions of maki, sashimi, dumplings and other dishes on a continuously moving belt that winds through the dining room. Customers can pick whatever looks appealing, with prices calculated after the meal based on color-coded plates.
Iris Huang launched Sooshibay’s flagship location with her family in 2023. At the Kenosha restaurant, covered plates carrying four pieces of sushi each travel along the conveyor belt, with placards identifying each new roll as it passes. In addition to conveyor belt dining, Sooshibay offers a traditional restaurant experience complete with menus, table service and a full bar.
Sooshibay’s current menu features appetizers like vegetable spring rolls, crab rangoon and miso soup, along with poké bowls, ramen and a vide variety of sushi and sashimi. Desserts such as mochi, boba crepe cake and taiyaki — a fish-shaped shell filled with red bean paste — are also available.
Huang said she’s looking forward to joining a new community, and plans to maintain Sooshibay’s emphasis on “quality, creativity and service” at the upcoming restaurant.
“We’re excited to bring Sooshibay to Milwaukee and to become part of such a vibrant and welcoming city,” she told Urban Milwaukee in an email.
The restaurant space was formerly home to Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta, which closed in 2020. The incoming restaurant plans to reimagine the dining area, maintaining some of the original layout while updating the space to better suit the sushi concept.
“Our goal is to give everything a fresh look and create a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere for guests when they dine in,” Huang said.
The proposed Milwaukee location is still in its earliest planning stages, and requires city approval before opening.
A Qdoba Mexican Grill occupies the other commercial space in the 14-story building. MSOE acquired the unfinished condominium and hotel project in 2013 and now uses the upper floors for student housing and meeting space.
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