Komé: Sushi Kitchen — Restaurant in Austin

Komé, the best sushi restaurant in Austin is now open 7-days a week! For over 12 years, this Japanese-owned Austin favorite has employed the best Japanese sushi chefs in the area. We’ve tried so many sushi restaurants in Austin, Komé stands as our No. 1 choice because of how serious they are about their food. Komé make sure all their ingredients are fresh, and craftsmanship meets their highest standard. No unnecessary decoration, flavor, or sauces are added just to charge you more. Great portions so you don’t leave hungry and break the bank.

Make sure you check their menu on the phone once you are there, as Komé has special sushis that are to die for (which can only be found there).

For appetizers, we had brie tempura, shishito peppers, and ika yaki. They are all great, but their shishito peppers are a must-have for each visit.

From Komé’s phone menu, under the chef's special, the sushi rolled tempura (forgot name 😖) is made with Japanese mountain yam in a tuna sashimi roll with seaweed and then tempura fried. It comes with bonito flakes and scallions on top and spicy wasabi sauce at the bottom. This sushi dish is a next-level delicacy compared with all other sushi rolls we ordered! We were amazed by how all the flavors harmonized together. Highly recommend!

For main sushi dishes, we had maguro/yellowfin tuna sashimi, chef’s signature rolls “tarantula”, classic rolls “crunchy dynamite,” “earth, wind, fire,” and “trio.” Sashimi and trio are so fresh; earth, wind, fire is refreshing and excellent for warmer days. This time Komé’s chef added asparagus (not described on the paper menu) which makes the taste even better. Tarantula is constantly tasty and the quality remains the same as always. Crunchy dynamite is the combination of two different textures, which is fun to eat.

Komé has a variety of selections of alcohol. We had local beer and warm sake this time, both smooth and worked well with our orders. From previous experiences, if you love wine, Komé’s house wines are good choices; their sake pairing on the menu is on target if you are uncertain which one is right for your meal.

Everyone is friendly and professional in Komé. They greet you when you walk in and once you are seated, they give you a warm towel to clean your hands before anything else. Our waitress Madison was very pleasant and quick and chef Toshi was kind and knowledgeable. All staff members help each other to make your dining experience great and welcoming. A friendly,...

My husband and I visited this establishment for a second time. The first time we ate here was a few months ago, and we had a great experience. This second time we visited was completely different. While the food itself was great, as usual, the service we received this second time around was not. My husband and I are both BIPOC, and it was the first time we had experienced racial profiling/targeting. When we ordered drinks, the server asked to see IDs. My husband showed the server his ID, but the server said that since his ID was a Mexican ID, not a US ID, he would have to show the ID to his bar manager. My husband offered to show him another form of ID, as he had his passport with him, but the server refused, instead choosing to have his bar manager, who was also Mexican, look at the ID. The server basically asked another Mexican person to verify a Mexican ID. The ID was, of course, fine and perfectly valid. While we understand wanting to make sure that any ID shown is valid, we don't understand why the server could not have just looked at the passport, which is another valid form of ID. It felt weird that because my husband's ID was not a US ID, he had to call the bar manager to look at it. My husband has used his ID many times ordering drinks at restaurants, and he has never run into issues. It just felt unnecessarily humiliating to have an ID verified by someone else, just because it was a Mexican ID. We wonder if we would have received the same treatment if the ID was a European ID.

Additionally, the server was generally just rude; when he would come over to our table, he acted like we were bothering him. We had intended to order more food, but the poor service was enough to make us just ask for the check and leave. It's a shame because we love the food here, but we are hesitant to return due to the service and the racial profiling. I think it would be wise if the management here re-trained their staff on DEI and...

My friend and I are visiting Austin from out of town and decided to stop at Komé for a casual lunch today because of all the on line recommendations for the restaurant. While everything was amazing, I really want to highlight the staff and, especially, our waitress (I am so sorry, I forgot your name despite asking for it a second time). She was prompt, very friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable of the menu, giving us great suggestions when asked. Of course, all the other staff we interacted with were very friendly and helpful, as well.

As on line individuals described, the food came out quickly, while respecting our coursing, and delicious. Everything was, obviously, also of great quality despite being so affordable. We started off with the "aji fry" which was perfectly breaded, had a nice tender texture, and paired perfectly with the tartar sauce accompanying it. My friend ordered the "kitsune udon" and thoroughly enjoyed it with a side of steamed rice. I ordered the "chirashi-don", which our waitress recommended and had a variety of sashimi and definitely did not skimp out on the seafood. Everything on it was very fresh. It came with some "miso soup;" I usually don't care for miso soup, but this was very refreshing and subtle (I've had miso soup elsewhere that is too overpowering in flavor) and felt perfect as the temperatures start dropping. I also ordered the "tarantula" signature roll to share with my friend. The roll is "only" five pieces, but each piece is huge and stuffed with shrimp tempura and softshell crab. The ratio of rice to the "filling" was perfect. Definitely doable for some as a meal alone.

To end, this was a great experience and I would definitely come back if I find myself back in the Austin area. And the establishment, as amazing as the food and decor is, is very lucky to have the waitress who served us...