Sushi Lovers Tell Tasting Table Their Go-To Sushi Roll - Exclusive Survey

It's difficult — and dreadful, really — to imagine America without sushi. The Japanese creation has become as common in society as pizza and chicken wings. When the hankering hits, you can find the fish and rice combination anywhere from restaurants to airports to gas stations. It's hard to believe, but 50 to 60 years ago, many Americans had never even heard of sushi. The very few eateries that offered it before this time catered to newly arrived Japanese immigrants, according to Michelin Guide. 

In the late 1960s, Kawafuku Restaurant opened in Los Angeles and began attracting both hungry Japanese and Americans alike. It wasn't long before word caught on and a rise in sushi restaurants began taking place in larger cities across the United States, per Food52. It seemed everyone who tasted seasoned rice, seaweed, and raw fish together had their taste buds bloom for the first time.

In that respect, nothing has changed. Ingredients may have evolved, but people adore sushi on date nights, at parties, and on any given Tuesday. And there is certainly no shortage of flavors. Many sushi menus contain a long list of ingredient combinations, raw or cooked types, and fanciful designs. But when it comes to people's favorites, it seems that the simple and most common reign supreme. We asked 601 of our readers to share which sushi roll they order time and again and found that people love one of the originals the most.

Several restaurants claim to have invented the California roll, including Tokyo Kaikan whose chef, Ichiro Mashita, substituted king crab for fatty tuna in the late '60s and rolled the creation with rice on the outside and seaweed on the inside (which was unusual at the time), per Britannica. 

The addition of avocado and the absence of raw fish also appealed to the growing number of Americans patronizing the restaurant. It became a hit and, apparently, stayed that way, because about 44%, or 265 readers, claim that the California roll as their favorite sushi. In a distant second place with almost 24% of votes is the spicy tuna roll followed by the shrimp tempura roll with 20% of the votes.

Interestingly enough, the two "fanciest" rolls appeared at the bottom of the list. The popular rainbow roll is the favorite of only 8%, or 50 of our readers. It includes imitation crab and avocado rolled inside nori with rice on the outside, explains My Sushi Kitchen. The roll is topped with a "rainbow" of colors coming from raw tuna, salmon, white fish, and avocado. 

Just 23 readers rallied around the delicious spider roll that contains tempura battered and fried soft shell crab, avocado, and crunchy carrot or daikon wrapped inside nori and sushi rice, sometimes drizzled with spicy mayonnaise. You're probably not alone if you have a sudden sushi craving and, fortunately, in this day and age, you're not far from someplace that can give you a fix.