Kansas City’s Mexican food scene continues to evolve, especially as restaurants like T’AHA, Jarocho and Yoli Tortilleria work to highlight the regional depth of Mexican cuisine.
There’s also Kculichi Sushi, a Mexican sushi food truck with proud roots in Sinaloa. Now, Kculichi’s cheesy, beefy rolls are getting a space of their own with the opening of its first standalone restaurant in KCK, set to debut next month (542 Southwest Blvd., KCK).
Owned by Jorge Sotelo Garcia and brothers Noel Lugo and Fidel Lugo, Kculichi Sushi (pronounced koo-lee-chee) has been the subject of viral videos posted by local food influencers since opening in November 2024. All three owners have roots in Sinaloa, where the cross-cultural cuisine originated and is known as Sushi Culichi, or Sinaloan sushi. (“Culichi” is a colloquial term for a person from Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.)
“It’s been a process to teach people how to eat [our Mexican sushi],” says Garcia. “Most people hear the word sushi and think of traditional Japanese food — raw fish, small portions. We’re the opposite. Our rolls are fried and baked. They have melted cheese on top, and they come with beef, bacon and chicken.”
Whatever preconceived notions you have about sushi, Garcia says to leave them behind. Most of Kculichi’s rolls are fried or baked, and many have bacon or beef in them. Of course, there’s your usual fillings of crab and shrimp, but they might be topped with gooey melted cheese, chipotle sauce or serrano peppers.
“I always like to tell customers to get messy with it,” Garcia says.
For first-time visitors, Garcia and the Lugo brothers recommend three rolls: the Nini, filled with beef, chicken and bacon; the Culichi, made with shrimp and cucumber; and the Sinaloense, packed with crab and shrimp and topped with creamy tampico.
The move to a permanent restaurant comes after more than a year of rotating pop-up locations across the metro. The new KCK space, formerly home to Bohemio Mexican Restaurant, spans about 3,300-square-feet and will seat roughly 30 tables.
“We’re pretty much converting it into a restaurant from Sinaloa,” Garcia says. “Most people think of Mexican restaurants with the typical sombreros. We’re not doing that. We’re leaning into our roots as a sushi restaurant, like you’d see in Sinaloa.”
While the new location will feature a menu similar to the food truck’s, the team plans to add more appetizers and experiment with new rolls.
“We’re the first and only in the entire Midwest bringing Mexican-style sushi — otherwise you have to travel all the way to Houston,” Garcia says.
The team is aiming for a mid-March opening. Hours are planned for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 9 pm, and Friday through Sunday from noon to midnight. Happy hour, offered Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 5 pm, will feature $12 rolls.
Kculichi Sushi was featured in our KC Food Trucks For The Inebriated Late-Night Munchers article.
