Conveyor Belt Sushi Arrives Downtown
Kenosha-based Sooshibay has expanded to Milwaukee.
Sooshibay, 1154 N. Water St. Photo taken Feb. 3, 2026 by Sophie Bolich.
Rotary sushi restaurant Sooshibay opened over the weekend at 1154 N. Water St. The new location is the second for the Kenosha-based business and the first of its kind in Milwaukee.
Sooshibay’s menu is filled with familiar favorites — miso soup, gyoza, assorted maki — but instead of being delivered by servers, small plates bearing bite-sized pieces of sushi and nigiri ride a conveyor belt around the dining room, passing tableside for guests to grab at their leisure.
Plates are color-coded by price, ranging from $2.99 for orange to $6.99 for pink. Vegetarian, gluten-free, raw and spicy dishes are also specially marked. At the end of each meal, Sooshibay employees count the plates and provide a final bill.
While rotary service is Sooshibay’s main attraction, the restaurant also includes tables away from the conveyor belt, catering to guests who prefer a traditional experience.
Owner Iris Huang said the restaurant’s debut was a success. “It was a very exciting opening weekend for us, and overall everything went well,” she told Urban Milwaukee in an email. “We were thrilled to see such a great turnout and feel very grateful for the warm welcome from the community.”
Sooshibay occupies a large, ground-level space in Milwaukee School of Engineering‘s Grohmann Tower. Wraparound windows offer passersby a view into the modern restaurant, which features booth seating, warm lighting, TVs and a digital mural on one wall.
The expansive menu leans into comfort with crab Rangoon, shumai dumplings and ramen noodles available in five flavors: chicken, classic tonkotsu, tonkotsu and shrimp, spicy, creamy vegan and miso. Other non-sushi options include poke bowls, soups, salads and a wide variety of appetizers, ranging from edamame and meat skewers to fried calamari, oysters and whole soft-shell crab.
Sushi is divided into eight categories — nigiri, sashimi, gunkan, temaki, hoosomaki, regular rolls, deep-fried rolls and signature rolls — with over 100 distinct offerings including simple avocado maki, giant surf clam sashimi and dragon ball nigiri featuring seared scallop, unagi sauce, scallions and red tobiko.
The menu also includes sushi platters for two or more people, alongside desserts like cheesecake, layered crepe cake and mochi. Sooshibay has a full bar program, with non-alcoholic drinks including boba tea lattes, fruit tea and Ramune, a popular Japanese soft drink.
Sooshibay’s Milwaukee location is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit the business’s website.
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