Food and Drink

Revolving sushi restaurant with 100+ menu items sets Ballantyne debut. Here’s when

Charlotte’s newest revolving sushi bar is poised to open later this week.

Kura Sushi will debut Friday, July 17, at StoneCrest at Piper Glen in Ballantyne, marking the chain’s first-ever restaurant in North Carolina. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.

Sushi plates start at $3.75, and the first 150 seated guests will get a commemorative T-shirt to mark the special occasion, according to a news release sent to CharlotteFive.

A hand reaches out to select a plate of avocado-topped sushi rolls from a moving double-decker conveyor belt system. The top tier features various rolls and nigiri on open plates, while the lower belt shows salmon nigiri protected by clear plastic domes. The industrial-style revolving bar is labeled with small signs identifying the different types of fish.
At Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, customers can expect 100+ food options served via a two-layered conveyor belt system. Kura Revolving Sushi Bar

The eatery, known for its interactive, tech-driven culinary experience, will occupy the former Pearlz Oyster Bar, which closed in 2023 after an 8-year run. Customers will have “more than 100 menu items at their fingertips.” Think: classic sushi and nigiri, plus fried wontons, noodle bowls and sides of squid.

Plates are served via a two-tier conveyor belt system. The primary belt carries sushi plates through the entire dining area while a secondary express belt delivers items ordered on the touch panel menu directly to customers’ tables.

Sushi lovers can also expect a dose of dinnertime fun with Kura Sushi’s mascot, Mutenmaru. The tiny animation appears on tablet screens when you place a certain number of plates into the disposal slots at each table.

A top-down “flat lay” view captures a large spread of Japanese dishes being shared by three people whose hands and chopsticks are visible. The table is filled with a variety of plates, including a steaming bowl of pork ramen, crispy gyoza, shrimp tempura, and several types of nigiri and rolls. Small side bowls of edamame, ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce complete the communal dining scene.
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, known for its interactive, tech-driven culinary experience, will take over the former Pearlz Oyster Bar in Charlotte’s Ballantyne neighborhood. Kura Revolving Sushi Bar

“Deposit 15 plates and he’ll reward you with a prize,” according to the restaurant.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar will be open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fridays from 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Saturdays from 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; and Sundays from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

The bright interior of a Kura Sushi restaurant features rows of light wood booths with pale green cushions alongside a multi-tiered conveyor belt system. Small, white capsule toy dispensers sit atop the conveyor tracks, which stretch across the dining room toward an open kitchen area in the back. A wall mural with Japanese-inspired artwork and the “Kura Sushi” logo decorates the space beneath a grid of modern pendant lighting.
At Kura Sushi, plates are delivered via a two-tier conveyor belt system. The main belt snakes through the entire dining room while the express belt delivers meals ordered on the touch panel menu directly to customers’ tables. Courtesy of Kura Sushi

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar

Location: 7804 Rea Rd, Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28277

Menu

Cuisine: Sushi, Japanese

Instagram: @kurasushi_usa

The exterior storefront of a Kura Revolving Sushi restaurant is housed in a modern beige stucco building with black fabric awnings over large glass windows. Double wooden doors mark the central entrance, flanked by black benches and classic lamp posts on a clean concrete sidewalk. In the background to the left, an outdoor patio dining area with black fencing and red chairs is visible under a clear blue sky.
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar officially opens in Ballantyne on Friday, July 17. Courtesy of Kura Sushi
Read Next
Read Next
Related Stories from Charlotte Observer
Profile Image of Tanasia Kenney
Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER