Interview with Sushi Pops co-founder

September, 2026

If you’ve scrolled through Instagram recently, chances are you’ve come across Sushi Pops. The bold and playful take on the traditional sushi has taken London’s food scene by storm, fast becoming one of the most talked-about (and filmed) bites in the city this summer. We managed to prise founder Ignacio Grimaldi away from the queues at his Boxpark Shoreditch spot to chat about viral fame, unusual flavours, and running a food startup alongside his wife.

Hi Ignacio, thanks so much for taking the time to speak to us today! To start us off, Sushi Pops seems to have completely taken over social media this summer. Every time we open Instagram, there’s another video of someone enjoying them. Did you expect the concept to blow up into such a mega viral hit, and what has that ride been like for you?

Honestly, no! You always hope people will love what you’re making, but seeing it take off across Instagram and TikTok the way it has… it’s been absolute madness, in the best possible way.

When we first came up with the idea, we just wanted to create something fun, high-quality, and easy for people to eat, especially in an office or event setting where sushi traditionally can sometimes be a bit fiddly. But once people started filming themselves eating them and posting, things exploded. We’ve had people coming up to our counter saying, “I saw you on Instagram and I had to try it!” It’s been a total whirlwind, but we love every second of it.

One of the things that really sets Sushi Pops apart, and gets people talking online, is your menu. You’ve brought some super interesting and unusual flavour combinations into the mix, things you definitely don’t normally associate with traditional sushi (Welsh Leek, Yorkshire Duck just a few of the flavours you can try!). What inspired you to push those boundaries?

Traditional sushi is fantastic, and we have huge respect for the craft, but we didn’t want to just be another standard sushi spot. We wanted to play with flavour profiles that spark curiosity.

Sushi is such a versatile vehicle for flavour, rice and nori are amazing canvases. Why not pair that texture with spicy, or sweet ingredients that you’d usually find in entirely different cuisines? When you combine fresh ingredients with bold, unexpected twists, it creates this moment where people bite in, pause, and say, “Wait, this actually works insanely well!” That’s the exact reaction we build our menu around.

That leads right into our next question, what’s coming next! Can you give us a little sneak peek into any exciting new flavours you’re currently developing in the kitchen?

Ah, I knew you were going to ask that! I’m afraid that’s a closely guarded secret for now!

What I can say is that we’re constantly experimenting with new ideas. We’ve got a couple of brand-new creations coming very soon that are going to push the envelope even further than our current menu. You’ll just have to keep an eye on our Graen menu and social channels to see when they drop!

You’re currently based out of Boxpark Shoreditch, which, let’s be honest, feels appropriately trendy for a brand that’s taken social media by storm! Do you have plans to expand beyond Shoreditch and open more sites? And we’ve heard a rumour on the grapevine that a few exciting collaborations might be brewing…

Shoreditch has been the absolute perfect home for us! The energy at Boxpark is unmatched, and being right in the heart of East London’s food scene has been incredible for building our community.

As for expanding, yes, absolutely. We’re definitely looking at new locations so more people across London can get their hands on Sushi Pops.

And as for those collaboration rumours... my lips are completely sealed! All I can say is that we’ve got some really fun partnerships cooking behind the scenes with people who share our love for bold food concepts. Watch this space!

Ha, nice tease! We also love the personal side of the business. You run Sushi Pops alongside your wife. What’s the dynamic like working together day-to-day, and how do you two split the roles to keep things running smoothly?

Working with your partner is an adventure in itself, but honestly, we make a fantastic team because our skill sets balance each other out completely.

When we decided to launch Sushi Pops, our different backgrounds helped shape our roles. My background has always been in hospitality, getting to experiment with fun menu concepts, so I focus on the food innovation, creating new pop ideas, and getting hands-on in the kitchen.

Emma brings a completely unique perspective to the kitchen. Her background is actually in microbiology, so she brings a level of scientific rigour to our recipe development, food safety, and kitchen operations that you rarely find in street food. She’s absolute gold when it comes to making sure our menu is truly accessible for different dietary requirements, ensuring everyone can enjoy what we make.

Because we each stick to our strengths, it works brilliantly. We step on each other's toes very rarely, and getting to build something fun like this together makes all the hard work worth it.

Ignacio, thanks again for finding a few minutes out of your busy day to speak with us. Huge congratulations on the amazing momentum, and we wish you and your wife every success as you grow the brand and bring Sushi Pops to even more people!

You can order Sushi Pops direct to your office through Graen.