Skip to main content

The Origins of the Sushi Burrito: Q&A with the Inventor

You may have heard of a sushi burrito or seen a coworker eating one at their desk. Or maybe you even enjoy a sushi burrito on a regular basis. But if you’re unfamiliar with this delicious portable meal, now is the time to get acquainted.

A sushi burrito is pretty much exactly what it sounds like — delicious sushi ingredients, including raw fish, rice, and veggies, wrapped up nice and neat into a burrito-shaped roll. Typically, they are assembled just like sushi rolls with the protein and other fillings in the middle, followed by a layer of rice, then wrapped tightly with sheets of nori, aka seaweed. The sushi burrito has blown up in recent years and can be found at all types of fast-casual restaurants and food halls that serve hungry lunchtime crowds and folks looking to grab a quick, filling, fairly healthy meal.

sushi burrito sushirrito
Sushirrito

By now, we’ve already seen a lot of places slinging the delicacy come and go. But the home of the original sushi burrito, Sushirrito, is still going strong. So we caught up with Sushirrito founder Peter Yen to learn about how the sushi burrito first came to life and how they come up with different flavor combinations to keep things delicious and interesting.

Recommended Videos

The Manual: What sparked the idea for the sushi burrito?

Peter Yen: In 2004 … I was working in downtown San Francisco and got bored with the usual lunch options. I started wondering why there weren’t more choices other than the typical sandwich, soup, and salad options.

“What would happen if you made a really large sushi roll, operationalized it for speed, and also modernized it by infusing Latin flavors?”

I particularly liked sushi, but there were only two possibilities at the time. One was pre-made grocery sushi which was fast and convenient, but of lower quality and not a great value. The other was full-service sit-down sushi restaurants which were slow and pricey. I realized quickly that sushi’s form had a lot of limitations for fast throughput, so I asked, “What would happen if you made a really large sushi roll, operationalized it for speed, and also modernized it by infusing Latin flavors?” That seemed intriguing, but I didn’t really take the business idea seriously until I was in business school in 2008.

TM: Was there an original “formula” or ingredient list for the first sushi burrito? How have you decided on new types of fish or fillings to add to your menu?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu4NOiTALfN/

PY: When I first met my executive chef and co-founder Ty Mahler in 2010, I asked him to create different rolls using tuna, hamachi, salmon, chicken, and one that was vegetarian. His first question was, “You want to put chicken into a sushi roll?” He was skeptical of what I was trying to create. But he quickly adapted and started creating so many different recipes. I remember our first tasting was of about 30 sauces and nothing else. He was very disciplined in getting that right, then moved onto the proper type of sushi rice and seasoning, different proteins, vegetable combinations, and then the operations. He always focused not only on balanced flavors but also on great textures in every roll. From there, it was just lots and lots of “R&D” (aka eating!).

TM: If someone was ordering a sushi burrito for the first time, what would you recommend they fill it with?

PY: Unlike a lot of recent fast-casual concepts, we actually don’t allow for full customizability with our menu. Each sushi burrito was designed with a different palate in mind, so each provides varying amounts of texture and flavor (saltiness, sweetness, tanginess, nuttiness, spiciness). So, it really depends on your personal preference. The best thing is to see what appeals to you first from a protein standpoint and then go from there.

TM: As the founder and CER (chief executive roller), what is your go-to Sushirrito order?

PY: I get that question a lot actually, and it’s a tough one to answer. It really depends what I’m in the mood for. But typically, if I want raw fish, I’ll go for the Satori (hamachi, cucumber, pickled onion, ginger guac). If I want something cooked, I usually go for the Salmon Samba or the Fiery Chicken. I’m not vegetarian, but I also really enjoy the Buddha Belly (Japanese eggplant, mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, ginger guac, kale, fried shallots). But as you can imagine, I’ve eaten the entire menu many, many times over, and I do enjoy them all — otherwise, we would adjust or remove the roll. We are also constantly testing out new items as well, so I’m usually eating. Not too shabby of a job to have I’d say!

Amanda Gabriele
Amanda Gabriele is a food and travel writer at The Manual and the former senior editor at Supercall. She can’t live without…
Copperworks Distilling Co. launches Washington Peated Single Cask No. 497
Fans of peated Scotch will love this new release from Copperworks
Copperworks

Seattle's Copperworks got its name because it makes small batch whiskeys, gins, vodkas, and other sprits using traditional copper stills. Recently, this popular brand announced the launch of an exciting addition to the American single malt whiskey marketplace.
Copperworks Washington Peated American Single Malt Whiskey Single Cask No. 497

This limited-release, single barrel American single malt whiskey was made with 100% Fritz variety barley sourced from Washington's Skagit Valley. Like the famed single malt whiskies of Islay, the barley was smoked during the malting process using peat sourced from Washington State. It spent four years and three months maturing in a new American oak barrel referred to as "Single Cask No. 497".

Read more
Veritable Distillery is launching its first two spirits
Veritable Distillery is releasing a bourbon and a gin
Whiskey in a glass in a dark room

Connecticut-based Veritable Distillery is all about keeping things as authentic as possible. That's why it makes its spirits using only traditional methods and exclusively natural ingredients. Recently, the brand announced it was set to release its first two expressions: a gin and a bourbon whiskey.
Veritable Distillery's new expressions

The first two expressions from Veritable Distillery are Ship's Bell Bourbon and Southwick's American Gin.

Read more
Booker’s Bourbon launches the first batch of 2025, “Barry’s Batch”
Booker's newest release was made to pay tribute to former Beam Chairman and CEO
Whiskey in a glass by a fire

There are few small batch, limited-release bourbons as beloved as Booker's.  This highly sought-after bourbon is released four times per year with no batch the same as the one before. Recently, the Jim Beam brand announced its first batch of 2025. It's called "Barry's Batch," it was created to pay tribute to Barry Berish, former Beam Chairman and CEO and friend of Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller.
Booker's "Barry Batch"

Barry Berish, the man the whiskey is named for, was a legendary figure at Jim Beam. He spent more than forty years working for the company. He passed away last year, and it seemed only fitting to release a bourbon in his memory.

Read more