Neighborhood Sushi — Restaurant in Austin

Update on Jul. 27th. Tuna tataki perfection, to a point I would consider give up on beef for it. Service on an average 3.5, today’s server was good. Last time I was there the hostess had no smile no greetings, today she was one of the servers there. Honestly, that’s almost the first thing to either teach or train. Also one of the sushi guy was fetching sushi rice for one of the server while he was chewing something. I checked twice made sure. As one working in the same industrial, I just don’t want to see that. And I wish the front of house appreciate the working environment they are in too.

Update on feb. 20th. Crudo kampachi with asian pear, love the tiny bite by the end of the asian pear gives. sweet and crunch added the texture and flavor, opened up the appetite for sure too. What a perfect combination shrimp with bails leaf which both are my favorites. Crispy and sweet, right on the point. Hands down the best tempura. Seared tuna topped with uni, a very luxury experiences. Best tuna steak on top a piece of uni gives the kick of the dish. Grilled enokitake wrapped in seaweed and garnished with roasted garlic, a small explosion in mouth. Been grilled relaxed the flavor of enokitake very differently, a must try. Scallop topped with quail egg, this brings back memories for years. Chef Jorge had this little “minion” as his signature creation fish standing up topped with egg head. That still running a little but creamy texture wrapped the bite silky made it last longer in mouth. Which creates memories. To be said good memory is the major reason ppl revisit a place. Update on Jan. 3rd. 2022 Finally, finally omakase arrived at this place. It’s a pleasure to say to the chef, do your best. In my case, I said do your worst chef Jorge, and this is what and who I come for. The nigiri were perfectly seasoned, if I may I would say chef Jorge costumed the suits for what’s the best to brought out individually each single one of their own personalities. It’s a pleasure to know red snapper could be so refresh and summery. That cilantro put the mark on that fish, period. Home made tamago, don’t skip that. Just want to say it’a not a omelet, but layers thin layers of folded eggs with that just right amount of sweetness. The elements been picked to use have to be cared with dedication and respect. That means we know what in front us, so we do our best to represent not the best we can do only. But what original the food itself can offer us. The fish so fresh, but it’s the texture of them so bounce and even. So I know the fish been cared when they’ve been prepared. June, 2021 Yellowtail tartare was evenly and perfectly dressed, every bite had just right amount of sauce. It’s like brushed over every tiny pieces of the fish, nothing over powered. And the tartare melt in the mouth but had enough texture stood as tartare. Ceviche, wow just wow. That first bite of cucumber lightly had sesame oil coated, it hit home. I meant real home, it’s very Asian. Sesame oil’s there for bringing everything else to another level. For the nigiri pieces, king salmon rich and bouncy. Fluke, summery. Fatty tuna and Japanese uni just melting your mouth. Shima always has been my favorite, the earthy and meaty textura of the fish itself lightly seasoned with a tiny piece of Thai chili on top, heavenly. The only thing missed out was no homemade tamago in my chirashi bowl. The price not cheap, but ppl always say we pay for not only the food but atmosphere and service. It’s what and how it made we felt at the time. What made it special for me has always been the way how a chef take care of the food been given in front of him. Not over seasoned, not drown in the sauce, but kept the food original texture and taste. Bring out or even release more flavor. Dedication comes from the deepest respect for the food. Chef Jorge, your nigiri has always been the most delightful treat above all, the fish and the rice they complete each other in your hands. Thank you chef Jorge, and congrats on your 1st. Year Anniversary at the...

First night in Austin and our friends brought us here for dinner. We arrived around 6pm without a reservation, but we were able to be seated at the bar with a short 15-minute wait. If you want to be seated at a table instead, reservations are highly recommended or be prepared to wait at least 45 minutes for something to become available for walk-ins.

Fortunately, we were seated at the end of the bar, which was L-shaped, so we were able to hold conversations without shouting over each other. The menu was pretty simple with a cocktail menu, specials menu and the neighborhood dinner menu. The dinner menu was double sided with the usual suspects - appetizers, soup & salad, nigiri, sashimi, cut/hand rolls, and desserts. We spent quite a bit of time discussing what to get since it was new for us all.

We started the evening with cocktails - The Suki Suki (junmai sake, yuzu, cucumber, passionfruit, simple), Summer Breeze (junmai sake, cappelleti, lychee, pineapple, lemon) and Tarusake Paloma (tarusake, stones ginger, grapefruit, lime, salt). With sake being the base, my paloma was very light and citrusy. It reminded me of a sweet nigori upon first sip and continued to evolve or change with each sip.

For dinner: blistered shishito peppers spicy tuna tataki with jalapeno soy, fried garlic, serrano and micro greens steamed egg custard with snow crab, shiitake mushrooms and crab butter nigiri: squid, tuna, yellowtail, scallop, amberjack and BBQ fresh water eel cut rolls: spicy salmon, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura salmon hand roll miso soup

Since we shared everything, we did order a few quantities of the nigiri. Nigiri is priced per individual piece, while the sashimi orders come 3 to an order. Cut rolls had 8 pieces per roll. In conclusion, prepare to spend your savings here. My favorites for the evening was the spicy tuna tataki, BBQ fresh water eel, steamed egg custard and salmon hand roll. The steamed egg custard could have been lighter, but it was flavorful as it was infused with the crab butter. The salmon hand roll looked more like a taco, but it was beautifully presented.

Overall, it was an enjoyable dinner. I was a bit put off by their pricing structure for nigiri/sashimi, but for the ambiance, fun cocktails and specials, I think it's worth it to spend your...

For certain, one of the best sushi restaurants in Austin, TX and comparable to any sushi I have had anywhere. We came early afternoon and it was pretty quiet. Although the restaurant faces the main street, the entrance is around the back and can be easily missed. Once inside, we were seated right away.

They have booths, tables and a sizeable sushi bar. Never having been here before, I wanted to try a few things different than my traditional sushi orders at other places. We started off with Miso soup and the Neighborhood salad. The soup was good but it's kind of hard to make bad miso soup. The salad was okay... there are better ginger dressings.

As an appetizer, we had the Miso glazed Sweet Potato Yaki. It is good and I do recommend. I just don't know what makes this a Japanese dish. To check the quality of the fish we had Yellowtail and Fatty Tuna Nigiri. The fish is incredible and you would have a hard time finder fresher fish. To finish, we had the Salmon Avocado Crunch hand rolls.

I know we are in Austin where they seemed to make everything look like a taco... this place is no different. They even served them in what looked like taco serving platters. I did a Google search for a "tuna hand roll" and after looking at hundreds of photos... I never saw a single one that looked anything like theirs. So, before people start their attacks, when I read "hand roll" on the menu, I had a certain expectation and this was not it. The ingredients are good... but I did not want to eat something that is going to fall apart like a taco. And if I wanted a taco, I would have gone somewhere and ordered a taco. I wish I could have at least had the option; the server could have asked if we wanted it as a traditional hand roll. And before you tell me it's the chef's creation.... the chef is not paying me to eat this. I am paying, so yes, I do have certain expectations.

There is another popular sushi restaurant down the street that is not nearly as good when talking about fish quality. But we do know of some other sushi spots in Austin that have equally as good fish and about half the price and more traditional. Good quality fish, but too expensive and I prefer my sushi served in a...