Uchibā Austin — Restaurant in Austin

We dined here to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Valet parking is available and affordable(basically like parking in a garage downtown, only slightly more expensive than street parking, but obviously a lot more convenient). We arrived five minutes before our reservation on a weeknight. We were asked to wait in the little lounge/waiting area that they have at the front of the restaurant, and then taken to our table a couple minutes past our reservation time. The restaurant seating is cozy with dim mood lighting, and tables that are placed quite close to each other. The light inside was dim enough that I couldn’t get decent pictures of the food or the menus. Also, it was very loud inside. You definitely have to yell (slightly) to actually hear from right across the table, and as a result, almost everyone at every table is talking quite loud loudly. All the servers definitely have great balance, considering the narrow spaces that they must get through to get food/drinks on tables. The restaurant was very busy on a Wednesday night, yet our server was mostly attentive. In the end, it did take a long time to get our check, but apart from that, timing between plates brought to our table was decent and we weren’t waiting too long on any particular food items. Our server was also very helpful with the menu, and in making recommendations. The tables had a cool little pocket underneath the surface to hold the drinks and food menus. Although I’ve forgotten the name of the cocktails we ordered, both the drinks were good (one was a martini and the other was a gin cocktail). Something I really liked about this restaurant is that they have a separate vegetarian menu that just lists all of the vegetarian items from the main menu. Overall, many items on the menu read interesting and appetizing, and the only thing slightly off-putting were the prices per portion. However, we knew that this was a pricey restaurant and had our expectations set accordingly, so we weren’t surprised. From the core+vegetarian menu, we got: the bluefin maki: a dish my partner tried as a novelty, it was enjoyable, but not groundbreaking Savage blonde oyster: the single oyster was Paneer skewer: I suspected this could be a dish that would be a true letdown (as a vegetarian who prepares and eats a lot of paneer/tofu at home/at Indian eateries) and unfortunately, it was disappointing. Dry, overcooked paneer, with barely any flavor, although the green curry/chutney that accompanied it was fresh. Watermelon nigiri: we were blown away by how good it tasted! Intensely flavorful. At $4 a bite, it’s not economical but definitely worth trying at this restaurant, for veg/non veg eaters alike Nasu katsu bao: another very impressive and flavorful dish. Again, it’s a pricy bao but definitely worth trying. The eggplant was so rich in taste and texture, and the Yuzu labneh was creamy & flavorful. Kinoko skewers: our server recommended this dish as it’s one of their most popular items, and we thoroughly enjoyed it Inari maki: this roll was ok but not the best item considering taste and texture. Each bite was a little dry and quite a big mouthful Salmon roll: enjoyable, fresh sushi roll, and the aioli it came with was yum Pho Wagyu dumplings: these were OK, the pho was flavorful We didn’t try any desserts since the one sweet item I really wanted to try wasn’t vegetarian (the fried milk). Overall, this is a nice place to have a celebratory or a special dinner, and while the price point might seem steep-ish, some of the menu items definitely justify it based on...

Upon entering you're immediately taken into a mid-century modern meets contemporary lounge, chill vibes for sure. Upscale but relaxed, definitely designed for the classic cocktail/happy hour in mind. Delicious drinks paired with delicious bites. 1st Monday of the month they do not do Happy hour, instead they collaborate with local chefs on ramen dishes. (not sure if it's always ramen) Instead of happy hour we ordered a little bit of everything; starting with soft shell bao - I'd say the fermented kimchi/slaw that was in the bun overpowered the delicate flavor of the soft shell. It was super vinegary and not really to my liking. I would've love the flavor in maybe an aioli sauce. 4/10 probably won't do again. Next up, Kani maki it's brown butter poached snow crab, with avocado, crispy fried (something) wrapped in rice paper. This was delicious; let be real, everything's better with butter. The snow crab was sweet and well balanced with the butter and the different textures with every bite. 8/10 would do again. Next up the aged king salmon, I've had some amazing wet aged fish and this just wasn't it for me. Where I wanted the king salmon to come in with the buttery creamy flavor it just didn't. These bites made me a little sad, I ordered 6 pieces thinking it was going to be standard blow my mind; it wasn't. It had the essence of salmon with the after taste of refrigerator. Definitely disappointing, let's just say my wife had a piece and pushed them all towards me. :( sad salmon days. Next up, Madai Cruda - this was a 10/10 would do again and recommend! I wish I would've ordered 5 of these. The fish was delicately creamy, and the acidic oils and juices at the bottom gave the flavor amazing balance; combine all that with a beautifully placed pear sliver that added the texture to make the perfect bite! 10/10 absolutely recommend. Next up, Inari Maki - our chef kept putting us on this and since it was tofu we were really hesitant. I will say, this was an 8.5/10 I would recommend. The flavors were light, with the perfect sauce combination and the crispy texture just tied it all together for the perfect bite. Next up, Kabocha croquettes - these little guys were crispy, full of soft potato, but really lacked on the pork belly. I've had traditional croquettes and absolutely love them, I think they should rename these to the essence of pork belly because that doesn't come through at all. They jazz them up with a vinegar slaw thing that was a little too much for me but the sauce under them tied it all together. I liked them, but who doesn't love a good fried mashed potato! I would give these a 4/10 wouldn't recommend if you're expecting pork belly. 6 of ten if you just want fried delicious mashed potatoes, the slaw can be moved to the side no problem. Maybe a happy hour recommendation if it's on that menu. I had way more dishes than I care to review so let's end on the croquettes. The service here was 10/10, the staff was friendly, attententive, made great recommendations and guided us through our food and drink experiences. The sushi chefs explained a majority of the bites, and what one couldn't elaborate on the others would chime in. I love sitting a sushi bars and the chefs back there did not disappoint!! Our drink server was also on point with recommendations, explanations and carrying us through the perfect pairings. 10/10 the staff definitely elevates the experience. Go in, try some bites, or the whole menu; either way, it's going to be a...

TLDR: every bit as delicious as Uchiko, with more creative cocktails, livelier music, and some great street food/bar style additions (no omakase option).

We are massive fans of the Uchi family of restaurants, most often frequenting Uchiko here in Austin. We'd visited Uchiba in Dallas, and we were very excited to try out this new Austin location in the base of the new google building.

The inside of the restaurant has an almost boat-like feel to it, with wooden arches and circular portholes. We sat at a casual, small round table, with a full bar off to our left, a separate whole sushi bar behind us, with ample tables surrounding and even a great outdoor space. They passed the vibe check with flying colors.

Learning that there's no omakase like you can request at Uchiko, we devised our own, with the help of our waiter who guided our journey through the menu. The photos will do better than my words to describe all the delectable bites we got, but some total standouts:

Ebi Katsu - sure it's just a fried shrimp, but it's one of the best you'll taste, and the sauce is absolutely golden.

Kanpachi - understated deliciousness that always takes me by surprise with how much I enjoy it's light but incredibly pleasing flavor.

Madai crudo - our waiter said that Uchiba goers tend to miss the crudo, but we know from Uchiko how good they can be, and oh BOY was it worth it!

Gyutoro - I was REALLY skeptical getting a 'beef pretending to be sushi' dish the first time I had it at Uchiko...but man was I wrong...we were very pleased to see it on Uchiba's menu as well, and they absolutely nailed it. What a treat!

Speaking of treats...for whatever reason, before we could even order the Masu (ocean trout, utterly delicious and a long-lasting finish of flavor), our waiter delivered it to us...letting us know that somebody in the restaurant had gifted it, and wished to remain anonymous?! As if this meal wasn't special enough already, that really topped it all. My wife and I are now thinking that's an idea we want to start paying forward. Wonderfully positive note for the evening.

And I cannot end without mentioning the Nodoguro. At $18 a piece, we had to convince ourselves it would be worth trying out this rare special edition item on the menu. We're VERY glad we did. It had some of the best flavor we'd had that night, and a really interesting texture that we loved.

All in all, this is a crazy long review, but that speaks to how much I enjoyed the night and felt compelled to share our experience.

Bravo, team. I can't wait to be back to try out that spectacular sounding DIY cold rock...