Tancho Sushi — Restaurant in Austin

Tancho is our new go-to spot for sushi and omakasi!

My wife and I were looking for an affordable omakasi dining experience for our anniversary and were delighted to discover Tancho Sushi!

The ambiance is great. It was intimate on the night we went, yet I can still see this place feeling lively on a more popular evening. I'm looking foreward to returning with a small group of friends!

The omakasi experience was solid. If you're the type of person who appreciates good value, this is your place. The omakase selection will not likely change much over time (although they do have seasonal specials), but the price point makes it hard to beat. There are three different omakasi options (roughly equating to light, regular, and grand in terms of size). This allows all parties to order based on their appetite and/or budget, which is awesome and something I haven't experienced with omkase elsewhere.

Perhaps the biggest draw and reason for returning is the remarkable and attentive service we received from Andrea, who made our special occasion feel even more special. She seemed to know just the right times to check-in on us, and even offered her personal recommendations to make sure we had the most memorable experience. She's the type of person who would remember regulars, and I have no doubt that Tancho Sushi will be winning over a LOT of regulars --...

Good experience overall. I thought the fish was fresh and tasted clean as well as its presentation. However I thought the flavors needed to be punched up by 50% while understanding letting the fish be the star; a good portion of the items fell short. With that, I believe all the options were fish and served cold: nothing torched, no other proteins like your omakase competition serving at least one meat option like a braised short rib or sorts. Service was good. A lot of the food was dropped without detailed description of was being served. But if it’s being served in order as listed on the menu that you’re allowed to keep - maybe it’s not a big deal. I think they’re freshly opened so I’m hoping it’s more helpful than not with some of the ambience and service aspects: late drop on candles, not clearing empty glassware, food selection/preparation. The price was decent, especially for the area but the I left wanting wayyy more or going to the competition and paying the additional $30+. And for some reason the included gratuity was 16%, why?? Standard is 20%. While I wanted more from the food, if the service (even if it’s basic) was good 20% should be the added grat. All things considered, willing to give it...

Beware junk fee of 17% mandatory tip, which they make clear on the menu, but the sneaky part is that it’s applied pre-tax, so you pay the tax on the total plus the mandatory tip.

We had the grand omakase, and the food was great.

The pace is too rushed, but they slowed down when we asked. That said, I’m still confused as to why the staff isn’t trained to wait until the current dish is completed before bringing out the next one… especially when there’s nothing to cook!

The atmosphere is fine, but its very casual and the service + atmosphere model is designed to turn tables. No issue with that model in principle, but mentioning here so people know going in what to expect.

Lastly, regarding that junk fee of a mandated 17% tip. The service is basically runners bringing out each round of the Omakase; granted, you have a “server” when you first sit down, that person never checked in with us and we just had people dropping off dishes with a brief mumble of what was on the plate. This is a great example of why a mandated tip doesn’t work - just raise your prices appropriately and pay your staff properly.

Just say no...