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According to Sushi-Kito owner Carlos Chavez, his Mexican sushi restaurant was the first in the area.
“We started out as a truck,” said Chavez. “When we sold the truck, the new owner went into the same business as us and changed one letter in the name.”
But Chavez has a leg up. Sushi-Kito is the only brick and mortar Mexican sushi restaurant in town. And their expansive menu offers an overwhelming number of choices, including not just Mexican sushi, but tortas, tostadas, sopas, hamburgers, french fries, appetizers, nachos, rice dishes, pastas, tacos, burritos, salads, sandwiches, and a full kids menu. Without counting the combination plates, Sushi-Kito’s menu currently features 165 different items.
Since Mexican sushi is a food that you either feel like having or don’t feel like having on any given occasion, Chavez added the majority of the non-sushi items to appeal to a range of guests that might want to come with others that aren’t fans (yet) of Mexican sushi.
“We’ve got a full menu so that people that want to come here can find something they like,” said Chavez. “Even if they’re not that into sushi.”
With that kind of sheer depth in the menu, it’s easy to get distracted. But as the restaurant’s name states, they’re a Mexican sushi joint through and through. One of many good things about a menu so large is that you’ll have to return to really try everything. Unless you get too attached to a favorite too soon. Which, I might add, is extremely likely.
Sushi-Kito’s Mexican sushi menu is divided into 5 categories: Rollos Especiales (special rolls), Rollos Horneados (baked rolls), Rollos Básicos (basic rolls), and Rollos Tradicionales (traditional rolls). There’s also yakimeshi and gohan, which we’ll touch upon later.
Sushi-Kito’s Rollos Especiales are not far off from some of the more creative rolls you might find in a local Japanese sushi restaurant.
All rolls at Sushi-Kito feature the same base roll of cucumber, avocado, and cream cheese but with different additions and toppings. The Rollos Especiales are no exception. For example, the Maki Roll ($15) features the rolled base ingredients with added surimi and grilled jalapeño topped with salmon, cucumber dressing, lemon slices, and sriracha. The Tajin Mango Roll ($15) features the base roll with shrimp, topped with mango, lemon, and Tajin. The Tucson Roll ($15) includes the addition of breaded shrimp, topped with surimi, breaded shrimp, chipotle dressing, eel sauce, Caribbean chili, grilled chives, and white sesame seeds.
While you might immediately think of a California roll or spicy tuna roll when you hear “basic roll,” at Sushi-Kito basic rolls are something else entirely. Featuring the standard SK base of cukes, avocado, and cream cheese, Basic Rolls ($9) also include the addition of your choice of carne (beef), pollo (chicken), camarón (shrimp), cangrejo (crab), or tocino (bacon).
Again, don’t let the name confuse you. These are not traditional Japanese rolls. There are 16 Rollos Tradicionales ($10) to choose from and they’re all over the map with the protein additions. The Cielo, Mar Y Tierra Roll ($10) features Sushi-Kito’s standard roll base with the addition of shrimp, beef, and chicken inside. The Boneless Roll ($10) includes the addition of breaded chicken with a choice of sauce. (Think: boneless chicken wing.) The traditional rolls is also where the restaurant’s namesake roll makes its appearance. The Sushi-Kito Roll ($10) includes the base roll topped with surimi, shrimp, cheese sticks, eel sauce, sriracha, and sesame seeds.
While you can’t go wrong with any of the previously mentioned roll options – depending on your preference, the baked rolls are where Sushi-Kito really shines in the Mexican sushi department. There are 13 of these puppies to choose from and, fair warning: they’re large rolls. Probably more than two people can handle, especially if you’re ordering other items. The Mounstro Roll ($18) includes beef, shrimp, chicken, bacon, and crab along with the base in side of the roll before getting topped with surimi, mozzarella, chipotle dressing, and eel dressing. The Dragon Roll ($15) features shrimp and beef with the base, topped with surimi, caribe pepper, bacon, sirata, and chipotle dressing. The Sushi Pizza Roll ($15) features the base roll topped with marinara, mozzarella, and pepperoni.
If you’re not in the mood for a roll, Sushi-Kito offers two types of rice plates: yakimeshi and gohan.
Yakimeshi features a bed of fried rice with carrot, squash, onion, and soy sauce available in 7 different varieties, including sencillo (no additions), pollo (chicken), carne (beef), camarón (shrimp), mixto, (grilled chicken, grilled beef, shrimp), and Sushi-Kito (breaded shrimp, cheese fingers, tampico, cream cheese, avocado, chives, sriracha, and eel sauce).
Gohan features a bed of white rice, cream cheese, avocado, chives, togorachi, surimi, and sesame seeds available 6 different way, including plain (just the base), pollo, carne, camarón, mixto, and Sushi-Kito (same add-ins as yakimeshi above).
The Neverending Menu
Lastly, and I say “lastly” loosely, Sushi-Kito offers a ton of traditional and semi-traditional Mexican food, as well as items that are a mish-mash of various cuisines, including Italian, American, Chinese, and Caribbean. While there’s too many items to fully list here (a link to a condensed online menu appears below, highlights include tortilla soup, camarónes puercos (shrimp sauteed in garlic with squash, onion, cilantro, red miso over yakimeshi rice), nacho french fries (French fries covered with melted cheddar and jalapeño), coconut cream salmon (grilled salmon with coconut cream, white rice, salad), boneless wings, and oh so much more.
The restaurant also offers a variety of options for the kiddos, burgers and fries, tortas and sandwiches, a few basic desserts, and Mexican soft drinks. No alcohol is available.
With as expansive of a menu as Sushi-Kito maintains, it’s worthy of a few visits before you settle on a favorite dish, even if you love the first thing you try.
Sushi-Kito is located at 5650 S 12th Avenue and open from 10 a.m. – 10:45 p.m. daily. View a condensed Sushi-Kito menu at ubereats.com. Additional information is available on the official restaurant website at sushi-kito-restaurant.business.site.
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