Much like momos, this Japanese dish is now popping up across Indian menus

Once a premium offering limited to niche sushi bars and upscale restaurants in metro cities, the popular Japanese dish is increasingly appearing on the menus of small eateries in tier-II and tier-III towns, mirroring momos' rise from novelty snack in the 2010s to mainstream favourite.

And like many foods adapted to Indian tastes, the Japanese dish made with vinegared rice and traditionally paired with raw or cooked seafood has taken on a vegetarian avatar.

Take, for instance, the city of lakes, Udaipur. Nestled beside one of the tranquil lake waters lies a restaurant by the name “Verandah by the lake" that serves sushi. The restaurant serves vegetarian sushi, including the Dragon Roll, California Roll, Kimchi Roll, and many more varieties, all at affordable price points, such as ₹500 for a plate of six pieces.

“Sushi’s vibrant colour palette and visual presentation make it particularly appealing to younger consumers, many of whom are drawn to dishes that photograph well for social-media platforms such as Instagram," said Shravan Singh, manager of the two-year-old restaurant.

In Kanpur, the dish is the highlight of the menu of another such small restaurant, “Oishi the temple of Wok". It offers a variety of sushi, including Prawn Tempura, Avocado Cream Cheese, and Smoked Salmon. The price ranges from anywhere between ₹325 to ₹525.

“Most of our customers who walk into our restaurant are students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur, and many of them also travel all the way from Jajmau, which is a small suburb in Kanpur, to have sushi at our restaurant," said its manager Ram Pandit.

The founder, who is currently in Dubai, wanted to start a dedicated sushi restaurant as there were no restaurants in Kanpur that served the Japanese dish, said Pandit. “Now in Kanpur, we can see several restaurants popping up that serve sushi, a wave, I guess, our restaurant has started."

The demand for the seaweed rice rolled dish isn’t restricted to the North, but can also be found in many parts of the country, including Coimbatore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Madurai, signalling its spread beyond metro cities.

The exotic bug

Indian consumers are now experimenting with a far broader range of cuisines than before, ordering about 20% more unique cuisines and trying 30% more restaurants—a shift that has helped global dishes like sushi move from being occasional treats to being an integral part of everyday eating habits, said a 2025 Swiggy-Kearney report.

The report also said digital ordering and quick-commerce services have made international foods more accessible not just in major metros but increasingly in tier-II and tier-III towns, as new restaurants and cloud kitchens serving global flavours open at a rapid pace across the country.

Sushi’s trajectory follows a familiar pattern seen with other global foods in the country. “Global foods usually enter as lifestyle experiences, but as access improves and usage becomes familiar, they transition into everyday consumption," said Chirag Kenia, founder of gourmet food brand Urban Platter, which sells international foods and speciality ingredients.

This reach is even visible in how consumers shop for sushi ingredients, he added.

“Demand is clearly emerging from tier-II and tier-III cities, driven by digital exposure and aspirational consumption," he said, noting that consumers in these markets are increasingly confident about experimenting with international cuisines at home.

In smaller towns, home kitchens often lead the way. “Individuals experimenting at home create the initial demand, with restaurants and cloud kitchens typically following once volumes stabilize," Kenia said.

The fine dining experience

This shift, according to large restaurant chains, is now translating into repeat dining. At pan-Asian restaurant Gong, sushi has moved beyond being an occasional indulgence. “Where once sushi was a special-occasion treat, it’s now part of weekday meals and quick dine-outs, especially among younger and health-conscious diners," said Avik Chatterjee, executive director at Speciality Restaurants Ltd.

At Mumbai-based Koko, sushi has become central to the brand’s business model. “What began as a niche exploratory choice has now become a core driver of both menu identity and revenue," said Keenan Tham, founder of Pebble Street Hospitality, which operates Koko.

He added that sushi also plays a strategic role in improving average ticket sizes and signalling culinary credibility when entering new markets.

Localization has been critical to sustaining demand beyond metros, according to the restaurant operators. Formats featuring vegetarian rolls, cooked proteins and smaller portions have proved far more effective than traditional raw fish offerings. “Repeat consumption in smaller cities increases when offerings are localized. If menus rely only on unfamiliar raw fish, demand tends to plateau," Chatterjee said.

Still, scaling sushi comes with challenges. “Sushi is technically demanding and requires precision, trained chefs and strict cold-chain integrity. It’s not a category that allows shortcuts," Tham said, pointing to sourcing, skill availability, and wastage as key constraints.