I’m a sucker for a sushi train.
There’s something thrilling about watching little plates of delicious bites circle round and around. The next one to creep by could be that salmon nigiri you’ve been craving! As long as one of the other diners doesn’t grab it first, that is. The thrill of the find makes each bite that much better. And if your socks aren’t knocked off, no sweat. Just snag another plate.
Kota Kinabalu is the capital of the Malaysian state Sabah, which is in the north eastern part of Borneo. Most tourists visiting the Malaysian side of Borneo will go through Kota Kinabalu, and there are all types of food options to accommodate all types of tastes. There are dozens of Chinese restaurants, Indonesian joints, burgers and steaks, and, of course, plenty of Malay spots too.
(Read about our 8 day tour in Borneo HERE!)
We also noticed an abundance of one type of restaurant we didn’t expect to see: sushi trains.
Specifically, sushi trains located inside the Suria Sabah Shopping Mall. There are a whopping 4 sushi trains in the fairly compact mall, and we set out on a mission to try them all.
Let’s dive into my ranking of 4 sushi trains in Kota Kinabalu at the Suria Sabah Shopping Mall!
4. Sushi King
Sushi King was the first of it’s kind when it opened in 1995, and now there are over 100 branches across the country. It has an well established membership program and stellar specials, which makes it mega popular among the locals.
During our time in Kota Kinabalu, Sushi King was offering an all you can eat sushi deal from 4-10pm for RM56.80/$12.80USD. Every day starting at 3:45pm, a line stretched down the mall of people waiting for their sushi extravaganza. When I see a line I run in the opposite direction, so we went one afternoon for lunch.
Out of all the sushi trains in Kota Kinabalu, Sushi King seemed to be the most popular. But it turned out to be my least favorite.
Conveyor Belt Options
The belt options were “mid.” (As the youths say.) Shrimp nigiri, tamago (egg), and inari options went around and around on repeat.
Menu Options
I can’t say the menu choices had me salivating either. There were basic nigiri options with a few types of salmon, eel, and shrimp, and an exceptionally poor selection of maki. Various noodle and rice dishes were available as well.
Something I loved, however, was that everything ordered off the menu was delivered on the belt via a train with cute “choo choo!” noises.
Quality
Out of all the sushi trains in Kota Kinabalu at the Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, Sushi King is the only one that elicited that, “Should I put this in my body?” hesitation. The salmon belly was pale with a chewy texture, and the fried scallop was equally questionable. I couldn’t understand why the maki had some sort of spicy flake mix on top. And the seaweed salad was flat out inedible.
The apprehensions weren’t convincing enough to simply not eat the sushi we ordered. And I’m happy to report neither of us got ill.
Price
Two orders of salmon nigiri, 1 maki roll, 1 eel nigiri, 1 fried scallop nigiri, a plate of edamame, and seaweed salad came to just under $11USD. For that price, how can you be too mad?
3. Sushihan
Out of the 4 sushi trains in the Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, Sushihan has the most upscale vibes with high prices to match.
Conveyor Belt Options
We rolled in at 4:45pm. This is on the early side, especially considering the fact that we were there during Ramadan, and most people couldn’t eat until sundown. There were hardly any options on the train, and I’m assuming it’s because there weren’t enough patrons. No one wants sushi that has been taking a ride on the sushi train for 2+ hours.
Menu Options
Out of all the sushi trains in Kota Kinabalu, Sushiahan’s menu was the most robust. There were many tasty looking rolls, loads of nigiri and sashimi including different types of tuna, hot pot, ramen, ricebowls, and plenty of appetizers to choose from.
Quality
The quality was exceptionally better than Sushi King. The fish tasted fresh, and it had that melt-in-your-mouth factor you look for in raw fish. My favorite was the salmon genki roll, which had half broiled salmon, crab, avocado, and tamago. The aburi salmon nigiri and salmon nigiri with a spicy sauce were perfectly fine, but not memorable.
I impulsively ordered the ramen because my bones still felt chilled after scuba diving. But it was no better than instant ramen you can get in the store.
Price
One specialty roll, two orders of nigiri, ramen, and one plate off the train came to a whopping $21.69USD. That’s 50-100% more expensive than all the other sushi trains in Kota Kinabalu. Yes, the quality and options were good. But as a frugal foodie, I wouldn’t go back.
2. Sushi Jiro
Sushi Jiro serves up a plethora of sushi options for the unbeatable price of RM3.98/ $.90USD a plate. There are 15 locations across Malaysia, and the one at the Suria Sabah Mall in Kota Kinabalu was pumping every time we walked by.
Conveyor Belt Options
The sushi train options were ho hum. Plates of shrimp nigiri, various canned tuna options, and inari spun around on repeat. Looking around, most people were ordering a la cart rather than snagging plates from the train.
Menu Options
There’s a decent selection of a la cart options with all of the above sushi in addition to ramen, rice bowls, and teriyaki meat. I admittedly wasn’t too enamored with the roll options. But I suppose you can only expect so much when they are $.90USD a plate.
Quality
We tried the aburi salmon, salmon mentai mayo, inari salmon salad, eel, crab, and one of the maki rolls. Everything was perfectly tasty and seemed reasonably fresh. But I can’t say I’ll be dreaming about the flavors and textures for years to come.
Price
The bites themselves weren’t too memorable, but the price was. We got 8 plates for $7.86USD, which is simply outrageous! Mind you, the pieces of fish were cut very thin. But what can you really expect for that price?
1. Sushi Zanmai
Sushi Zanmai has been serving up conveyor-belt sushi since 2007, and there over over 30 locations across Malaysia as well as one in Singapore. While the menu says “Backed by more than 20 years of experience in Japan”, Sushi Zanmai is totally Malaysian in origin. But Malaysians certainly know a thing or two about sushi. The fish is fresh, there are plenty of options, and prices are reasonable. Which is why Sushi Zanmai gets our #1 spot on this best Kota Kinabalu sushi trains countdown.
Conveyor Belt Options
Out of all the sushi trains in Kota Kinabalu, Sushi Zanmai had the best conveyor belt options by a long shot. There was salmon nigiri, salmon maki, and the occasional specialty roll that our hands raced to grab.
Menu Options
Sushi Zanmai also takes home the gold for it’s menu options. You can nosh on donburi, ramen, tempura, and loads of sashimi, nigiri, and maki options.
I particularly appreciated the specialty rolls on offer, which you can check out above.
Quality
Off the menu, we got the aburi salmon terimayo (seared with terimayo sauce), aburi salmon belly (half broiled), and spicy salmon specialty roll. From the conveyor belt, we snagged a couple helpings of the salmon mentai roll.
The fish tasted fresh with a soft, not-chewy, texture. And the rice had an ideal sticky consistency, although the grains were a bit on the large side. Overall, I was extremely impressed with the quality for price.
Price
The prices were absurdly reasonable with plates ranging from RM2.80/$.63USD to RM7.80/$1.76USD and specialty rolls sitting at just under $5USD.
Two orders of nigiri, 1 specialty roll, and 2 plates of the belt came to $14.13USD. Good luck finding sushi for that price in the US!
Trying all 4 sushi trains in Kota Kinabalu at the Suria Sabah Shopping Mall was a fun endevour.
Sushi back in NYC will cost you an arm and a leg. Scoring so much tasty sushi for under $10 a person was a frugal foodie’s dream!
Happy eating!
