Push-up sushi is the only thing on the menu at this new eatery in NoMad

Although we’re not usually suckers for viral culinary trends—which almost always turn out to be fleeting—there was something about the videos of New Yorkers pushing up sushi rolls (part lollipops, part ices) and devouring them that made us very curious.

How, exactly, were these rolls constructed at Suka Sushi, the relatively new eatery in NoMad at 61 Lexington Avenue? What’s in them? Is soy sauce part of the experience? Can they really be eaten on the go, or do they require the kind of gastronomic pyrotechnics that doom a trend to obscurity? Of course, we had to try them for ourselves.

And so, on a recent Thursday afternoon, the Time Out New York team was treated to Suka Sushi’s entire menu roster (a total of seven items—more on that later) and, well, we had thoughts (good ones!).

As creative as the presentation of the rolls is, Suka Sushi does a solid job of sticking to the basics when it comes to flavors. At the moment, the menu offers a handful of classic rolls only: California, Philadelphia, unagi, spicy tuna, shrimp mango, veggie and Alaska. Each one comes in the pop-up contraptions you’ve probably seen all over social media, complete with a detachable tube filled with soy sauce. We were told the soy sauce should be poured into the larger sushi-holding tube before each piece (the rolls are pre-cut inside). That same soy sauce tube is then used to push the roll up from the bottom of its container.

We promise it sounds much more complicated than it is in real life—and that goes for the menu as well. At least for now, Suka Sushi isn’t angling for world-class recognition for its flavors or techniques. The rolls are fine and perfectly suited for a to-go lunch given the way they’re presented. (Eating on the subway is a big no-no, but if you’re going to do it, a relatively clean sushi roll contained in a push-up tube might just be the way to go.)

Most importantly, eating a Suka Sushi roll is fun, which is an aspect of dining that we sometimes forget about when analyzing the number of Michelin stars and celebrity visits any given restaurant boasts.