Philadelphia Roll
Salmon, cream cheese and cucumber — named for the cream cheese brand, not the city. The roll that put dairy in sushi and made a lot of people happy.
- Style
- uramaki
- Typical ingredients
- salmon (raw or smoked), cream cheese, cucumber or avocado, rice, nori
- Calories
- ~320 per 8-piece roll (varies by shop)
- Raw fish?
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- No
- Origin
- United States — named after Philadelphia brand cream cheese
Dairy in your sushi
The Philadelphia roll pairs salmon with cream cheese and cucumber. The name comes from Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, not the city — and the cream cheese softens the salmon into something mild and rich that converts a lot of raw-fish skeptics.
Raw or smoked
It’s usually made with raw salmon, though many shops use smoked salmon (cooked), which leans the flavor toward a bagel-and-lox direction. Worth asking which you’re getting.
Calories
About 300–350 per roll — the cream cheese is the main calorie driver, not the fish. Indulgent but not extreme.
Neta inside
Related rolls
California Roll
The roll that taught the West to eat sushi: imitation crab, avocado and cucumber, rolled inside-out. No raw fish — which is exactly why it caught on.
Spicy Tuna Roll
Chopped raw tuna bound with spicy mayo and a little heat — the American sushi bar's other gateway roll, and a smart use of tuna trimmings.