There Has to Be a Way to Work Sushi Into This Blog Somehow

And there is! I'm headed out to Kamehachi with some friends later this week, and when I was checking out their menu online I was struck by how well-designed it was. Even though this isn't "traditional" (read: computery) interaction design, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite parts of this menu.


First: informative headers! It's not so long since I was a total sushi amateur, and would have loved an explanation of the difference between nigiri and maki (I've seen several people have trouble with this distinction). Also, it tells you how many pieces you'll get by default, which is something else I've seen cause sushi buying confusion (usually in the context of "is that the price for just one roll?").


The menu correctly does not assume the customer knows cuisine-specific jargon. Each item is explained, with a clean visual presentation that makes it easy to scan and process the text.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I like this line. It creates plausible deniability for that one guy who wants his carrot garnish cut into the shape of a cylon, while at the same time saying, "Hey. If you have a special request, shoot. We're accommodating, friendly types." Also, I think phrasing it like this makes the customer more comfortable making a special request, because check it out, so many other people make special requests they had to add a thing about it on the menu!

This is just a straight up brilliant idea. Kamehachi has identified a massive pain point ("I don't think I want to try raw fish...") in beginner sushi adoption and has created a menu item specifically to address it. Someone give these guys an honorary user experience designer certificate, please.

Other restaurants, take notice! Kamehachi enthusiastically wins my sushi budget for the near future, and if the food is as good as the menu this place could make it into heavy rotation.