Biting into the Crazy Tuna Roll at Maki Maki Sushi is like a little round piece of heaven. I’m a fan of spicy stuff, so I’m not shy when cart owner and sushi chef Adam Pan suggests this spicy roll as the one to try at his food cart at The Lot on Bend’s west side. With spicy tuna inside and more seared pepper tuna on top of the roll—plus spicy ponzu sauce and jalapeno, it’s got it going on in the spice department, but it’s nothing unmanageable, and the whole roll is gone before I know what happened.
Maybe this experience of seeing your food disappear before your consciousness can catch up is why readers of the Source Weekly have voted this cart the Best New Food Cart in Bend in 2022. Pan and his family opened the cart in January 2022, settling on Bend to raise their sons after spending a couple decades running kitchens in New York. While Pan is a native of Fujian, China, his many years of training at Japanese restaurants have given him a chance to hone the craft, and to bring a mix of “old favorites” as well as new surprises. While Central Oregonians have a lot of options when it comes to sushi these days, this one is definitely worth a visit. Congrats to this new arrival for its win in Best of Central Oregon!
First place:
