Build Your Own Sushi in Tampa: The USF Dojo Guide
· By the Sus Hi Team
Alright Tampa, let's talk. We opened our Dojo up here in June 2020 — which, if you remember 2020, was an absolutely wild time to open a restaurant. But we did it anyway, right near USF, because we knew this city needed something better than the same three takeout spots on rotation.
And five years later? Still going. Still torching salmon. Still watching people walk in with no idea what they want and walk out with a bowl they invented themselves.
What "Build Your Own" Actually Means Here
Some places say customizable and then hand you three options. We're not doing that. When you walk into our Tampa Dojo, you pick your base, your protein, your toppings, your sauces — all of it. Sushi bowl, burrito, poke bowl, chilled noodle bowl, hand roll. Your call.
You want white rice, spicy tuna, avocado, crab salad, crunchy onions, and like four sauces? Cool. You want a vegan setup with tofu, seaweed salad, and kimchi? Also cool. Nobody's judging. Our Ninjas have seen everything.
Honestly, if you're searching for build your own sushi in Tampa, the whole point is that you're the one designing it. We just hand you the tools.
Where We Are (And Why That Matters)
We're right in the USF corridor — walkable-ish if you're on campus, a quick drive from New Tampa, and easy to hit if you're coming down from Wesley Chapel or over from Temple Terrace. Post-gym, post-class, post-shift. We've fed all of them.
And yes — we're open late. Nothing hits like a fresh sushi burrito at 11pm when your other options are a gas station roller dog.
What to Order If You Freeze Up at the Counter
Happens to everyone. Too many choices. Here's my honest shortlist:
- Steak Mac & Cheese Crunch Burrito — mac and cheese. In a sushi burrito. I know. Just try it once and then come back and tell me I was wrong.
- Party in My Mouth Bowl — genuinely underrated. Spicy, loaded, never boring.
- Boom Boom Shrimp Bowl — the safe pick that's somehow also the best pick.
- Crazy Rich Salmon Bowl — for the raw fish people who came here with a mission.
- Krab Rangoons + Buffalo Goons — order both. Don't share.
Tampa vs. The Orlando Dojos
People ask if the Tampa Dojo is different from our Orlando spots — UCF, Lake Nona, Millenia, Colonial, Chickasaw, Altamonte. Same menu, same ninja energy, same house sauces. The difference is the crew and the regulars, and our USF crowd is loud about their orders in the best way.
We started this whole thing in 2011 across from UCF, back when fast-casual build-your-own sushi basically didn't exist. Bowls and burritos took over as our top sellers almost immediately — and that's still true in Tampa today.
Skip the Line, Get the Points
Order ahead online and it's ready when you walk in. Also — download the rewards app (iOS and Android). Free food for eating food you were already going to eat. That's just math.
Come see us at the Tampa Dojo. Build something ridiculous. Tag us in it. We'll probably repost it. 🥷