Sushi Lucy is a happy place and above all, a very logical choice for North Miami locals. Every time Chris and I receive the bill, we like to play the restaurant guessing game, closest guess wins the next dinner. With six small bites and a never-ending pot of green tea, we both made guesses between $55-60 (without tip). The bill arrived — a modest $43.38. With an extra $20 in my wallet, I walked out feeling invigorated, satisfied, “Yes! A win for our gastronomically grim, fast-food friendly neighborhood.”

Closed during COVID, Sushi Lucy re-opened this year — its star, a gimmicky conveyor belt, a lazy river, peddling cute boats of sushi and cold apps. Most of the negative reviews I read kept comparing Sushi Lucy to Katana, the beloved "rotation sushi" gem in North Beach, which became known as, “That place with the floating boats.” Like most locals, I heart Katana, but in this over-populated, day-fueled traffic Miami era, travelling forty blocks feels like travelling four hundred.

Upon sitting, we were immediately greeted by a pleasant server who explained the system: the plates are different colors, each color denotes a price. Then, within a minute we were enjoying an amuse-bouche of seaweed. Most of the rotating plates hover in the $5.50-$8.50 range, which makes you feel comfortable to freely grab, instead of being an annoying, price-conscience head calculator. The seaweed was cold and crisp, and the salmon sashimi was ultra fresh, tight on the outside, and tender in the middle. A crab salad delighted a sweet-salty craving, and a miso soup was big on umami, better than most. If you’re looking for high-ticket items, unique flavor combos, or “This fish just flew in from Japan,” then Lucy is not for you. She’s a simple girl.

Unfortunately, the wine list dampens Sushi Lucy’s whole underground vibe by serving what seems like “Publix’s Hot Picks,” and there’s no truly premium sake choices. Would you rather have three miso soups or one glass of thick & glossy Meiomi Pinot Noir?!? As a neighborhood ally, let me write your beverage list in exchange for some seaweed salad, please. Lucy has the potential to be the coolest girl in town, but for now I’ll take the miso, all day long.