Nigiri, Maki, Gunkan or Temaki? A Friendly Guide to Sushi Types

Sushi comes in more shapes than most people realise. Once you know the basics, reading the belt (and our menu) becomes a lot more fun. Here’s your cheat sheet.

Nigiri

A hand-pressed mound of vinegared rice topped with a slice of fish or seafood. It’s the classic. On our belt you’ll find salmon, bluefin tuna, white tuna, prawn and omelette nigiri — plus torched versions finished with cod roe mayo (mentai), spicy miso (karamiso), caramelised onion or truffle butter.

Gunkan

“Gunkan” means battleship: a small oval of rice wrapped with a band of nori, making a little boat that holds soft or loose toppings. Try salmon roe, corn mayo, crabstick salad or seasoned seaweed gunkan.

Inari

Sushi rice tucked into a sweet, golden beancurd pouch. It’s gentle, slightly sweet and a big favourite with kids. Ours come topped with crabstick salad, smoked duck and cheese, salmon roe and more.

Maki

Rolled sushi, sliced into bite-sized rounds. Small, simple rolls like cucumber, omelette and California maki go round on the belt, while our kitchen makes the big ones — the Signature Makimono. Look out for the Hiro Aburi Shiok Maki, the Ryujin Unagi Maki with crispy tiger prawn and avocado, and the cheesy, torched Volcano Spider Maki.

Temaki

A hand roll: nori wrapped into a cone and filled with rice and toppings, made to be eaten with your hands while the nori is still crisp. Salmon, California and soft shell crab temaki are easy crowd-pleasers.

Taco temaki — our crunchy twist

This one is all Sushi Hiro. We fold crispy nori like a taco and pile it high, from salmon and avocado to our signature Soft Shell Crab Spicy Mango Salsa Taco Temaki.

And sashimi?

Sashimi is sliced raw fish served without rice, so strictly speaking it isn’t sushi — but no sushi meal feels complete without it. Start with our air-flown salmon, or go for the rich, buttery Salmon Harasu (salmon belly).

Ready to try them all? Explore every category on our menu — from nigiri to nabemono.