Devon Chichester

June 8, 2026

In this day and age, it seems like there is a new food-related gimmick making its rounds on social media three times a week. Whether it’s a fun presentation, an unlikely ingredient or a photo-opp worthy restaurant interior, it’s sometimes hard to tell if a viral spot has become viral because the food is actually good, or if there’s just enough smoke and mirrors to draw in one-time customers. 

I’m no sushi extraordinaire. I do, however, live with some passionate ones. This week, their algorithms were penetrated by a new food trend arriving in Boston–sushi push pops. Honestly, it seems like this should have been dreamed up a long time ago; American sushi’s signature roll shape lends itself wonderfully to the concept, and Brighton Sushi and fry is a newly opened spot that has been utilizing the art of the gimmick to drum up some business. It was enough to bring us in to check the place out, so I must commend them for this. 

As I said, I’m not a leading expert in sushi. I did, however, bring some along with me. This only makes my evaluation more trustworthy, as sushi-loving and simply sushi-liking readers alike will feel represented by one party or the other. It is worth noting that while the push pop sushi trend may be this new spot’s current claim to fame, one shouldn’t disregard the other half of the business–fry! This local shop also  offers up fried chicken, mozzarella sticks, sweet potato fries, and fried fish sandwiches. Even if you’re a sushi hater, you won’t go starving trying to appease your sushi-loving friends who want you to come along. 

Wanting to try both the sushi and fried sides of the menu, I opted for a non-push pop (I know, how boring) spicy California roll and a four-piece chicken tender combo with fries. These two entrees ran me a combined total of $21, and taking into account the $14-$16 price tag on each sushi pop, I would say I got a decent bang for my buck. The tenders tasted exactly how you would expect from a fish fry shop, pretty fresh and lightly breaded. The fries were honestly mediocre, but this could be in part due to transport making them soggy after getting takeout. The california roll was delicious, with fresh filling and a flavorful kick from the spicy mayo. It didn’t necessarily stand out as the best sushi I’d ever had, but I would rate it a solid 7/10, the chicken combo a 6. 

My two accompanying sushi connoisseurs each got a pop, one opting for the “Salmon Delight” and one the Spicy Tuna. Our vegetarian friend got a veggie inari (fried tofu with veggie roll filling). The push pops were a fun touch, with a tube of soy sauce acting as the push stick after being emptied into the top opening of the sushi tube. They described the pops as flavorful and fresh, while our vegetarian rep enjoyed the crunch of the inari and appreciated a different veggie option apart from the typical veggie roll. They each rated their meals as 7/10. 

My overall take on Brighton Sushi and Fry is that it’s a fresh, local shop with plenty of options at a decent price rate. There is still more I’d like to try, like their smoothies and bone-in fried chicken, and all of the food my friends and I got was solid. The push pops themselves may be just a one-time purchase for the gimmick—they didn’t seem to be much more in quantity at nearly double the price—but they were fun to try nonetheless. On future visits, I think we’ll all stick to classic sushi. While the food may not be anything groundbreaking or life changing, sometimes it doesn’t have to be. This is a restaurant that knows what it is, and doesn’t try to be something else. Most importantly, at a price point that doesn’t leave you wondering where your money went. In this case, I respect the use of a gimmick to draw people in, because while the sushi-pop itself may just be a fad, Brighton Sushi and Fry definitely has the potential to be fab.