Uchi

An island of fine, delicate and delicious Japanese food in a city of big, beautiful bbq meat. You will not regret the pretty penny your pending here. The food is inventive, elegant yet simple. The service is top notch. what more do you need?

With all the hype about Uchi over the last couple of years traveling through Austin, Uchi sadly was a letdown.
My experience at Uchi was as shockingly upsetting as the Golden State Warriors getting routed by the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2016 NBA Championships.
I was expecting it to wow my pants off (*insert dirty jokes here*) but nope. Pants, socks, doors all intact.
Having eaten through all sorts of sushi /​sashimi restaurants in towns with the largest concentrations of Japanese populations and cuisine in the US (Honolulu, HI; Torrance, CA; Los Angeles), as well as isolated presences all around, Uchi strives to, but falls short, to measure up in numerous ways: ambience and experience, bang for buck value, fusing taste profiles, or as a traditional Japanese establishment.
If Uchi was striving to revitalize the «nare-​zushi» vintage traditional style of sushi, then it may not too far off the mark. But barely anyone nowadays does «nare-​zushi».
The texture and flavors of the fish slices didn’t leave me longing for more. For example, as a toro fan I was eagerly excited about the potentially super moist slap-​a-​ho juiciness of the salmon toro (more eager than usual due to Uchi’s hype). Stuff made from $ 10 salmon bowls from supermarket stands in Torrance, CA. Shocked was I when Uchi’s salmon toro seemed tougher and drier than even some average regular salmon sashimi I’ve previously had.
Also, their tsukiji selection, allegedly flown in from fish markets from Japan, was underwhelming, long story short. Nothing like other tsukiji selections I’ve had, even compared to an Orlando sushi restaurant that’s easy to miss while driving by (
).
Even their fusion /​Western-​influenced selections weren’t outstanding, and «outstanding» would be the bar I’d set as far as expectations are concerned.
There are instances of previous reviewers who brought similar prior experiences to Uchi with them who’ve exhibited sentiments similar to my own.
Probably the best thing on the menu for me was the $ 3 sake for happy hour. At least I left Uchi with a nice sake buzz, so at least not all was completely lost.

I have been coming here for a while now and have yet to have anything but amazing service. It is worth making a reservation since you will be seated quickly and have a drink in your hand within minutes. It can be noisy, but I actually like it and contribute it to the overall ambiance of a hip place such as this. Food is subjective, but everything is plated beautiful, clean and I have yet to have a bad meal here.
A lot of people complain about the wait, but if you make a reservation it won’t be an issue.

This review is long overdue. Uchi is hands down my favorite place to eat in Austin and quite possibly the best sushi I’ve ever had. Uchi is great for a great value happy hour but also the perfect place to go all out for a celebratory meal. I definitely recommend the salmon sake, madeye sushi, zero sen, hama chili, and scallop hot rock to name a few. Ending with the foie gras is always a treat. Best fish with unbeatable service!

This place is so good. I consider it such a treat when I get to go there. Anytime I’ve been the service has been great and the wait staff can answer any question you have. Everything I’ve ordered has been delicious and the waiter/​waitress always has suggestions. I really can not brag about this place enough. Looking forward to when I can go back!

Went here for a girls trip to celebrate our collective 40^th birthdays. This was hyped up as we all heard a lot of good things about Uchi, and it did not disappoint. Service was phenomenal! Mandy was our server and we all agreed that she did a tremendous job of delivering an unforgettable experience. Management backed up the stellar customer service when we encountered a small issue. Ambiance is cozy and welcoming. I saw solo diners, dates, and small groups and all seemed to be enjoying the reason we come here… the food! We ordered numerous dishes to share and although they were all good, my favorites were the Hama Chili, Foie Gras, and Lemon Gelato. If you’re looking for Japanese food, this is as good as it gets!

Skip dessert (we got the brownie and daily special — Japanese cheesecake).
Other than that, Uchi is great and you will love it. The rest of the reviews are helpful but you can’t go wrong so order what your heart desires.

We arrived about 25 after 7pm we put our name on the list and and patiently begin to wait our 1hr 30min approximately. About 30 min into waiting we decide to wait outside and a hostess/​server takes an order for drinks and edema me. Soon after we check on our wait time and it jumped from the 1hr and 30min to an hr and 45min to 2 hrs Wow. We try to discuss this with the hostess that initially took our name but no luck it’s now an additional 30 to 45min wait. Really the only reason why it’s not a 5 Star rating. We get seated and right after our server gets our drink order and takes down our order because we were so past ready.
Round 1. The plates start pouring in (seared wagyu beef, mushroom roll, shag roll, seared albacore) and the deliciousness couldn’t be more gratifying. I guess it was worth wait.
Round 2. We keep it coming every time our server is even near our table we’re ordering 3 more please 4 more please another of this and so on.
Round 3. Ok we’re thinking our bill might be getting kind of high now. But what the heck another of this and 4 more of that and 1 last order of wagyu please.
Man I still had room but I was as satisfied as could be. Did want to ruin it by stuffing myself too much. I highly recommend visiting Uchi’s as I plan on coming back. I mean I’m even going to bring someone if I can afford it. I absolutely loved it. I hope you do too.

Good Japanese restaurant, did not live up to hype.
I brought some of my students from a high school culinary academy here for an end of the year dinner. The idea is to show them what fine dining is really like as they are mostly from lower. Lass families. We had 11 courses between 5 of us, two of them were dessert courses.
Just so it’s known, everyone was incredibly pleasant and helpful. Charisse who helped make our reservation was amazing and the staff that night were great.
This place is loud! It’s basically one long empty hallway and the acoustics as such. They began sigh several cold items. We had some tuna, himache, salmon and himache cure. The cure itself was pretty good, the rest were basic sashimi, similar to any other Japanese restaurant, only more expensive.
We had some hot items, escolar (why cook this???) Eel. Everything was straight forward, all good but nothing special. The only two items I really enjoyed were the fois gras and the brussel sprouts. The fois was slightly sweet and perfectly seared. Went very well with the sushi. The brussel sprouts were soaked in a very sweet ponzu type marinade that made it taste like rice wine and duck sauce. They also stayed crispy, yum.
Dessert were really lacking. Where was the Japanese influence? How did these compliment any order of flow of these previous courses? We had what wasn’t anything more than a chocolate brownie with a chocolate waffle come chip. A sorbet with a sauce that tasted like Elmer’s glue smells, and a peanut butter semmifredo that was actually pretty good, but again… for a high end Japanese restaurant?
I’ve heard a lot about uchi before dining here. So I had big expectations. My opinions will be slightly askew because of it and also that I try to give my students the best experience possible. I would say that if money is no object to you and you want some solid Japanese cuisine, then go for it. Personally, I’ll go down the street to my local place and have enough for Amy’s ice cream :)

Having had extremely high expectations of Uchi due to its amazing reputation in the food world, I showed up a week or so ago eagerly anticipating my meal there. The restaurant has a great ambiance and vibe to it — the majority of the dining room is dimly lit, while the sushi bar is the opposite, creating a sort of spotlight effect on the chefs preparing the food there. From the get go, the quantity and quality of produce is immediately evident in the displays of the various seafood at the sushi bar.
Decided to go ala carte instead of doing the signature tasting menu, as I had initially intended to, as the signature tasting menu had dessert as one of the six courses on offer. At $ 9 per dessert, I figured that each individual plate of the savory courses came up to be about $ 16 (roughly the same as the average prices of items on the ala carte menu). I’m not really a dessert guy, so I decided that ordering directly from the signature tasting menu would be a better option for me.
I ordered a total of one appetizer (spicy edamame), two cold tasting plates (Machi Cure, Hama Chili), three hot tasting plates (Wagyu Hot Rock, Sakana Mushi, Take Nabe) and two rolls (Shag Roll and Wagyu Maki), which was just the right amount for two people.
The food was a combination of mostly hits, and some misses. The dish of the night for me was the Hama Chili, with a great balance of the fresh yellowtail, tang from the orange segments, saltiness from the sauce and a slight kick from the chili. It was the non-​appetizer that came and was a great start to the meal. The Machi Cure was as great as advertised, with the crunch from the yucca chips providing great textural contrast to the rest of the dish. I also enjoyed the Take Nabe, which had a wonderful aroma to it (though it did get a tad too salty the more I ate it).
The Edamame was too salty for me, as was the Wagyu Hot Rock (though it was fun cooking the Wagyu on the hot rock, so order it for the experience if that’s what you desire). Otherwise, the rest of the dishes were good but not as great as the three mentioned above.
All in all, a great experience in one of Austin’s most famed restaurants.

After hearing so many great things about Uchi, I finally made it here on a Sunday night. We were told there would be a 45 minute wait (even early evening Sunday) but were actually seated much sooner as we opted to sit at the sushi bar. There’s ample outdoor space to have a drink/​wait before you are seated.
I love how the daily menu changes! We order a good amount from the daily specials … and my favorite was definitely the Hokkaido uni. The sushi here is crafted delicately and pieces just melt in your mouth. I think it’s great that the sushi pieces do not come with soy sauce as the chefs have added the marinades in the fish already. The ‘hot rock’ with wagyu beef was just fun — you get to cook your meat on a very hot rock :-)
It was fun to sit at the sushi bar and watch the chefs at work. My only minor complaint was that our chef didnt appear too knowledgeable (think he was relatively new). Though he was extremely nice, when asking for recommendations he basically said everything was good — It was good but we were just hoping for some more insight as we sat at the bar.
This remains to be a very popular place in Austin!

Excellent place! I went for «social» hour and dinner. The seaweed salad was like nothing I’ve ever had, it was awesome. Tried the machi cure which was out of this world yummy, the brussels which were pretty good and wagyu machi the waitress was awesome and the atmosphere was bustling. Will be back

Contrary to most people’s reviews, I actually found this place to be underwhelming.
Maybe I had really high expectations given this restaurant had the reputation of being one of the best Japanese restaurants in the US. I’ve been to many Japanese restaurants in SF, LA, and New York and Uchi would just be average in my opinion.
The best dish of the night was probably the mushroom rice in stone pot. Super flavorful, garlicky and since I love mushrooms it just made that dish felt like a comfort food. The soft shell crab roll was also pretty amazing. Probably one of the best I’ve had ever.
We ordered various sashimi and nigiri and most were pretty good but nothing that was mind blowing. The fish is of good quality but for sashimi and nigiri I always wish I get it right after the chef makes it at the sushi bar.
If you’re only in Austin for a few days, skip this restaurant and try all the yummy tex mex places. If you live in Austin, this is probably not a bad choice for decent Japanese food.

After hearing about the famed Uchi my four years in Austin, I finally went with a few friends for happy hour. I loved the ambience here: their outdoor patio was very serene and the interior was trendy and classy.
In terms of food and drink, I was blown away. I cannot even remember everything I had, but everything was so well-​made. They have a separate vegetarian happy hour menu, and most things are reasonably priced (as reasonably priced as things can be at Uchi). My top vegetarian choices were the avocado maki roll and the nanohana tatki (broccolini). Also tried their hot sake which was very nice and soothing.
I walked out of here paying over $ 20, and, honestly, I didn’t mind it. The food was so well-​executed and service so top-​notch that I could not complain about how much I paid here. Coming during happy hour is the best idea if you want to save a few bucks versus the full-​price menu; and I wholeheartedly believe trying Uchi is worth it.

Finally! In my 5^th year in Austin, I finally had the opportunity to dine in this famous restaurant and see what all the hype was about. Well the hype was right, and the amount of people that filled the restaurant on a Wednesday was also very telling to its popularity. We had to make a reservation two weeks ahead of time, and I’m glad we did because as we walked in at opening time, the space became filled within minutes.
Our service was amazing, and passed bites in the waiting area was also a very pleasant surprise.
The ambience is perfect for such a well known upscale restaurant– classy but still sticking to Austin casual. The patio is also a cute and quaint area to hang out in and grab a drink while you wait for your table.
We started off with Brussel sprouts and edamame off the regular menu. I had heard about these sprouts and as a huge fan of Brussel sprouts, I had to try. Oh my goodness– deliciousness in every bite! It had a slight barbecue tang to it, and was geniusly sauced. The edamame was also far more delicious than other restaurants’.
My happy hour picks: yellowtail roll (simple, fresh, delicious– just the way I like my sushi), crunchy salmon (also more simple than I expected– which I liked), machi cure, and uchiveche. Out of the sashimi tastings, I enjoyed the uchiveche more, but both were great and fresh, with nice flavors. The apple chips were pretty tasty too.
We had complementary flan and ice cream dessert, which was a little too syrupy but tasty nonetheless, to top off the night. Overall an excellent experience, and I was full from my picks. I am so overjoyed I finally got to try uchi before leaving Austin!

My boyfriend and I came to Uchi while #funemployed on a 3 week road trip/​vacation, with no job prospects to go home to. We should have probably been eating $ 5 meals and slumming it. So, of course, I said «oh I know let’s go to Uchi for happy hour because we won’t end up spending a lot of money because it’s cheap then!»
Ok well. Not so cheap of a meal later, this was so beyond worth it.
First mistake: sitting at the sushi bar. This was a blessing and a curse. Sitting at the sushi bar was so fun to watch our food being prepared and how quickly everyone works. It was not good because I got to see all of the delicious fresher than fresh fish staring at me and was tempted to order it. And by tempted I mean I ordered it.
BUT. THE FOOD IS JUST SO GOOD.
We had one of each of the sushi rolls on the happy hour menu, as well as the uchiviche, the machi cure, the walu walu, and pork ribs. Machi cure and walu walu were the stand out favorites, but everything was absolutely delicious. Then, since we were borrowing from the regular menu as well (oops), we ordered a ($ 16, because we are insane) piece of A5 waygu beef sushi, 2 pieces of madai (at the reco of our sushi chef) which were AMAZING, one of the specials of the day which was a citrus infused ceviche type thing (so helpful I know), sake nigiri, and hotate nigiri. That hotate (scallop) nigiri was one of my favorite bites of food of all time.
There may have been more, but I think this is a pretty accurate representation of what we had. The food was insane, the price tag was insane, but we left feeling REALLY happy, which was probably helped by my hefty glasses of rose and my boyfriends 4 glasses of sake ($ 3 a pop!).
It’s probably best that I don’t live in Austin, because I would want to go to Uchi every day. That would be terrible for my wallet, but wonderful for my overall happiness.
Can’t recommend enough.

Uchi,
(you’re still the one… after all these years)
You’re still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You’re still the one I want for life
(you’re still the one… since my last review)
You’re still the one that I love
The only one I dream of… for sushi!
You’re still the one I want to taste tonight
Another excellent dining experience, earning spots on my «Best Bets» and «Best Desserts» lists. Everything, including the service, was executed flawlessly as usual.
Brief comments (or you would be reading this forever):
edamame — such a simple thing, but there can be the BEST edamame… and this is it.
brussels spouts — perfectly done with lemon and chili oil
chef’s choice-​or-​your choice sashimi — a no brainer
umi masu crudo– if you like trout and blood oranges, don’t pass this up! (listed under «specials»)
maguro sashimi & goat cheese, pumpkin seed oil, fuji apples — it tastes as good as it sounds
machi cure — my favorite «cool» dish of the night. Exotic flavors compliment the yellow tail perfectly and I loved the crisp
hama chili — good, but why get this when you can order TWO of the machi cure instead?!
walu walu — my favorite «hot» dish of the night. Grilled escolar is one of my favorites anyway, but with the add of the candied citrus and the myoga it was delcious!
hot rock w/​ribeye — an impressive table pleaser, my only complaint is having to share it
peanut butter semifreddo, with apple miso sorbet and sake infused grapes — The — Best –Dessert (for sure in Austin, but quite possibly on earth)

I had been to the one in Dallas and loved it (it was a four hour dinner of wine and morsels of fish). This is, as they told me, the original location.
Sympathetic host who let us sneak in a bit late for our reservation after we got stuck in some annoying downtown Austin traffic.
Sat at the bar. If you are a party on 1 or 2 then that is where to be.
We told our chef to basically feed us. Not their omakase but just what he liked. What did we love? Everything.
The ribs. What? How did I just have the best ribs ever. In Texas. At a Japanese restaurant. But, my god. Sweet Jeebus.
The foie gras sushi.
The uni.
It was a lovely night.
I haven’t rate in every restaurant in Austin, but I can’t imagine there such better than Uchi.

If you are above 200lbs you cannot eat here because you will have to sell your house before feeling satisfied. However the food is dank AF.
Some of the dishes I had I will review below.
Bacon steakie: good combo of sweet and meat flavor. It is probably one of the more flavorful dishes offered here.
Yokai berry: very refreshing. If you could taste the color white this would be it
Machi cure: my gf says it was gud.
Hama chili: PRI dank
Hamachi nabe: it was very soy saucey but I liked it.
Karaage: its fried chikin in Asian sauce not much more to say.
Brussel sprouts: I Dont like vegetables. But this was good. It had many dankness to it.
Alcohol: always OK. I do think they have a BYOB with a $ 20 corkage fee.

Phenomenal! By far the best meal I had during my 6 day stay in Austin (sorry tex-​mex & BBQ)! It’s pricey but I thought everything was well worth it, especially for a special occasion.
Service: Our server was great! She gave excellent recommendations, was engaging and very attentive. She definitely made our experience what it was.
Drinks: They have lots of sake, wine and beer options. I don’t remember any cocktails really standing out in my mind, but we stuck to a bottle of Prosecco, which paired great with all of our food.
Food: All of the food is served in small tasting plates, so it was recommended to order about 3 – 5 dishes per person. We obviously indulged and got more than that, but it was worth it again! I don’t remember every dish that we ordered, but I’ll touch on some of the highlights:
Cool Tastings:
— Machi Cure: Unique, flavorful dish that is eaten almost like nachos with yellowtail and smoked yucca chips
Hot Tastings:
— Hamachi Nabe: A fresh take on a fried rice bowl with a fried cracked over it tableside
Sushi/​Sashimi
— Foie Gras: This is how our meal was topped off and it was the perfect bite to end with, flavorful, rich and melts in your mouth
— We tried 3 other types, which were all equally as satisfying
Greens:
— Uchi Salad: It’s so simple with baby romaine that you grab with your hands and dip into the dressing, but it’s simply delicious!
I really think you could order most things off of the menu and be satisfied. We loved everything we had and the whole experience was very memorable. I would recommend to anyone in Austin for whatever the reason. Take a break from tex-​mex and BBQ and come check this place out!

Uchi is a must visit destination.
We went to Uchi while my parents were in town for a visit. I’d heard amazing things about it and it did not disappoint!
We got there early for happy hour — don’t expect to get there any time after 5 and still get a seat for happy hour!
We ended up ordering one of every item on the happy hour menu and the Brussels sprouts off the regular menu. Don’t forget to order the Brussels sprouts because they were amazing! Perfectly cooked, crispy, and sitting in a flavorful sauce. Everything was delicious, full of flavor, and beautifully presented. It is pretty dark inside so it was hard to get a good photo of the dishes without using a flash.
We also had an EPICLY DELICIOUS peanut butter dessert with peanut butter 4 different ways. Outstanding!
Everyone in the party liked their cocktails, glass of wine, or box of saki. They say that in japan you pour you sake into a wood box and sip from the corner… I still haven’t been to japan so I don’t know if that’s true, but I tried it anyway.
They have valet parking, just watch out if you are coming in from the north because that street is really busy so turning across all the lanes of traffic can occasionally be difficult.

«Damn Chris! Back at it again with the amazing sushi!»
It’s what I wanted to say each time a plate hit our table. Our server Chris, who’s great btw, lined up our own special omakase. I had explained beforehand that I’ve had the omakase, been to Uchiko and had two of their tasting menus as well, and I was worried about running into the same things. Chris took an inventory of what I could remember and crafted our own custom tasting that turned out to be over 15 courses (10 sushi each and 5 plates).
They kept raising the bar and everything was wonderful we even asked for a second helping of foie gras nigiri. If you see it on the menu or their specials board: order it. The Hama Chili is also worth having as a palate cleanser. Everything was exquisite. It’s hard to beat a meal like this in Austin.

Uchi is truly divine. The belly salmon sashimi and foie gras nigiri is to die for. At $ 9 a piece for the nigiri it may seem like a lot but it is worth every dollar. Treat yourself if you come here– I have never had anything like it. On top of it every single thing I have had here has been fantastic. The place is sexy as hell and is perfect for a date or a girls night out with great friends. Although the prices Keep me from going as often as I would like I save my pennies for when I want to treat myself. They also have a happy hour that makes it more affordable but that fills up very quickly.

One of the finer dining experiences in Austin. Food is great and fresh. Dishes were all well-​thought out and highly creative. Service is phenomenal. Been here twice and would definitely come back here for the next big occasion.
Only complaint is that it’s $$$$ in pricing but portions leave much to be desired. I understand it’s just a «tasting menu» or «chefs menu», but I shouldn’t need to stop over at P Terry’s after dropping $ 250!

I’ve been to Uchi several times but have never written a review, I was fortunate enough to go twice in the past week to celebrate a couple of friend’s birthday and after about a dozen visits I figured I should finally write a review. The experience I have at Uchi is always consistently excellent from the wait staff to the food staff and everything in between I’ve never had a bad experience. The nice thing about going to a restaurant that has good vibes is that you feel good about going there. The wait staff remember you, they even remember the types of sake or fish you like and make great recommendations based on that. If a server has been with you before they’ll stop by to say Hello… which just adds to the excellent service.
The main attraction is the food, they have an excellent happy hour with dishes that change seasonally and some that stay all here round.
HAMA CHILI, WALLU WALLU AND SHIO SABA are my go to’s for starters, I also highly recommend the boquerones if you are an anchovies fan. (You need to also try the Medai nigiri its another item I could eat 2 dozen of).
I think more and more people are realizing that Uchi isn’t just good food in terms of Austin but even is probably one of my favorite restaurants in the country (& I love to eat). So if you’re in town and have never tried or visiting go for happy hour eat a million medai and think of me.
thanks for the yummy food Uchi

Can you ask a sushi restaurant to marry you?
And if so, would you get a discount if it said yes?

To be fair the food was excellent.
The ambient noise level for our early Monday evening visit was akin to a rock concert, and it never lessened. That certainly put a damper on our evening, and was really disappointing since this was our first visit to this highly recommended eatery.
The wait staff were attentive, but they kept accidentally giving our course to the table next to us. By the time we realized what was happening, we were getting a little put off by the slowness, and by the time it was sorted, we were ready to bail and go elsewhere.
So much potential and good food… just ruined by lack of ‘polish’ would expect from a $ 300 meal!
As a final bow on the evening: the remote for our car stereo did not survive the valet…
Nope… never again.

This is a very cool little restaurant. The staff is great, the bartender is excellent.
I have to mention one thing that I think was a stroke of genius. They have slots under the seats to hold spare menus. That way, if you want to order something else, you still have a menu (without having to keep it on the table).
I did not try any of the fish, as I don’t eat seafood. I will say that the others in our party said the seafood was excellent. I had the chicken, and it was just as great.

I guess this review is long overdue but this place doesn’t need my accolades — everyone knows the food and service at Uchi is superb. Most of the selections are works of art and the creative blends of taste are natural highs. But if you are looking for a «genuine» sushi restaurant, don’t go here.
You Austinites who long for the good old days can go eat your bbq; Uchi is one of the restaurants that puts Austin on the foodie map. Those of you on the other end of the spectrum who don’t consider Uchi a real sushi restaurant… well, ya, it’s not. It is sui generis — a creation all its own. The selections are a unique, and sometimes perfect, blend of different cuisines.
I can’t leave out the service because it adds to the experience. The wait staff is excellent — attentive in just the right way. the only down side to this place is the lightness of your wallet when you leave. But it’s worth it!

Ambiance is on point. Classy restaurant? Most definitely yes, perfect for a date night.
We went with the Brussel Sprout appetizer, Signature Omakase with a bottle of the Zirin-​San Sake and the Spider roll to finish. I could not have had a better sushi experience to date. And I’m from California. This sushi restaurant in Austin, Texas, has to be one of the best restaurants I’ve visited.
Enjoy your visit!
Service was exemplary by John. I would definitely recommend him

This place is the bees knees! Went here for my birthday (sadly they don’t do anything special for your birthday) and had a fantastic time. Made a reservation ahead of time but we still had to wait at the bar 15 for minutes. Nothing a little sake couldn’t keep us busy with. We tried 10 different dishes, loved majority of them. Tried uni for the first time, very interesting but probably wouldn’t order it again. Anything with beef was my ultimate favorite. $ 200 for two people but service made it worth while. If you live in Austin you have to try this place out!

Really good meal here! My friend and I basically made our own omakase and I really enjoyed all of the hot and cold dishes. However, the sushi is really what stood out and I wish I had gotten even more. Make sure to make a reservation way in advance. It’s worth it!

Had a totally amazing experience here, everything went perfect from the food to the service. The wait staff was incredibly knowledgeable when making recommendations. They were really friendly and the mood in the restaurant was great that night, hearing laughs and seeing smiles everywhere. The ambiance is incredibly mellow but refined, perfect for sushi and sake with a good friend.
Each of the pieces were so incredibly fresh, an amazing mellow touch of sweet flavors made the mouth water with every bite. The presentation was incredibly beautiful on the dishes. The additional side items were executed with perfection and the dessert was excellent using ingredients that paired fantastically. We had a wonderful time here and made some happy memories for the future.

If I could give this restaurant 10 stars I would. Mind blowing delicious! Our server John was a great host for us and very helpful in suggesting menu items. All the staff was very knowledgeable about the menu items and was able to answer all the questions we had (during our visit we had asked info from the bartenders and hostess while we waited, our food runners who brought the food, and our server John, they all were awesome and able to answer everything we asked). I will eat here EVERY time I come to Austin! I cannot wait to go back! SOME OF THE BEST SUSHI I HAVE EVER HAD! (and I eat a lot of sushi). :)

Came here Sat for HH. Lauren was our waitress and she was very friendly and helpful regarding the menu. I’m new to sushi so she suggested a couple things to try, and they were all good. HH menu prices are very reasonable! And they take reservations for HH 5 – 630, but call in advance bc they get full quick. Overall it was a great experience

Take my money, UCHI! If I could, I would eat here every.single.night. It’s THAT good.
We get one of everything on the happy hour menu EXCEPT the Walu Walu. We get two. We don’t share our walu walus. They are innovative and creative with how they do sushi. This place is definitely not a straight-​up traditional sushi place. They pair ingredients you have never even thought would go with sushi like raisins, almonds, and foie gras nigiri, but it is exceptional. You can’t go wrong with any dish here. Their service is excellent as well. We’ve celebrated many a birthday and the servers always serve a nice bonus birthday dish, which is always appreciated.
TIP: Go for happy hour (daily from 5 – 6:30PM) and try each dish on their tastings menu. Don’t forget the sushi rolls! They are equally as delicious.
They take reservations but if you decide to make an impromptu trip, get there by 4:30PM and sign your name in with the hostess. The bar opens at 4:45PM so the wait is pretty painless.

I’m lowballing this one. Though it may have been an off night for our server, things got pretty gnarly.
It took close to 90 minutes for the first food item to arrive, and close to an hour for every subsequent item, our server was very apologetic the first couple of return visits, which was fine, things get wonky sometimes.
It turned darkly comical when he came back the third time, looking a little haggard and asked us if we were ready to order. My friend and I looked at each other, and then over our shoulders to see if a prank was being played on us. «I’m sorry, we’ve been here for almost three hours, now. Do you not remember us?»
«Oh. Oh, man. I’m so sorry. I just… did you order?» said our poor server.
«Yeah, a few hours ago, we’ve been getting one item every hour or so. Is that normal?»
«No. No it isn’t. Man. I’m so sorry. Do you remember what you ordered?»
«Well, maybe you have it written down somewhere? You did write it down…»
Our server checked his pad, «Um… yeah, you know… I think I lost it. I’m so sorry.»
«Looks like you’re having a rough night.»
«HAI!» he said.
«So. What would you like to do, now?»
The whole half meal (plus two complimentary rolls) ended up being on the house, with zero negotiation, just out of the blue. Which was awesome for us, but we felt pretty bad for our server. We tipped him what we estimated his tip would’ve been had they charged us.
Anyway, this is a situation that is more painful for the owners than us, because they had to eat all the labor and foodstuff cost for our meal. Given the reputation of Uchi, I’m sure that this isn’t a regular occurrence, but I had to ding the stars a bit for this review.
The food was amazing, no complaints there. Eye rollingly good. Great stuff.
I think if everything went smoothly and the food had arrived in MUCH shorter intervals, which I assume is normal, I’d have knocked this up to a full five stars. Uchi is a little too expensive for a return visit. But if I have an opportunity to make it back, I’ll do so without hesitation. I’d love to see what it’s like when everything is running smoothly.

This was the best meal I had in Austin, hands down. Highlights included: the brussels sprouts, the shag roll, the hakujin roll, the lemon gelato, and the peanut butter semifreddo. The fish is incredibly fresh, and the flavor combinations are impeccible. Our server was very attentive, and the whole experience was lovely.

Wow! You’re in Austin and like sushi/​Trying new food concepts GO HERE! We ordered a bunch and split everything being that it’s all appetizer portion. I alerted the waiter who by the was amazing, that I’m not big into raw fish, he had me try the ‘machi cure’ and I feel in love.
Go and explore the interesting food concepts they have going on!

This was one of the best meals I had in 2015 and it was just a happy hour!
I made reservations about a week in advance for happy hour (it’s pretty great that you can have happy hour anywhere in the restaurant and can make reservations in advance). I ended up sitting at the bar though in front of the chefs which was nice because it was cool to watch them prepare plates. I ordered pretty much everything off the happy hour menu — the machi cure was one of the best dishes I ate in 2015! It was so amazing. The hama chili was a close second. I ordered that one twice. The walu walu was another one I loved. I had the zero sen twice and it was one of the best rolls I’ve ever had. The crunchy tuna was also amazing. The baby yellowtail roll was sort of boring and the only let down of the night. The unfiltered sake was the first time I’ve ever tried it and it was great, I can’t wait to try it again!
If you love sushi you can definitely eat like 8 dishes by yourself (they’re very small plates) and can expect to pay about $ 50 for happy hour — expensive, but cheap for some of the best sushi you’ve ever had.

I had high expectations. One of my friends had said she had one of the best meals of her life here. I got a last minute reservation for a 5:30pm dinner on the day after Thanksgiving. The place was packed when we got there. I’ve had a lot of Japanese before and the Japanese fusion/​not fusion category is always tough for any Asian to properly critique. The menu is large and I was glad that we still had happy hour specials to try normal menu items (but I think the portions were smaller so cheaper doesn’t make it that much more exciting).
Apps — for the 4 of us.
Sunomono salad — there is also a fungus in here. I liked the texture. Crunchy.
Ceviche — I thought this was ok.
Karaage — Portion too small to enjoy…
Machi cure — Also such a small portion but I liked the flavors and textures.
Walu — Yum.
Ocha Zuke — Rice with some broth poured over it. Really bland. I guess, add the fish.
Uni nigiri — pricey at $ 9/​per but it was good.
Hot rock beef — this was a fave and we ended up taking some other stuff and ‘grilling’ it on the hot rock too.
Carrot/​purée special — this was a little too sweet.
Hamachi Kama — nice and fatty.
Short rib — this was tasty.
Brussels sprouts — eek, way too sauce.
Age tofu — thumbs up.
Hamachi nabe — a good filler dish, but I think it would’ve been better if they didn’t pour all that sauce on it. Had to wait a while to get that nice crunchy crust.
Service was great, very helpful and friendly. Décor is nice.
It was a lot of dishes but we didn’t feel like we had a ton to eat.
Maybe this is the best of Austin but I walked away not feeling that impressed. Along with a few happy hour alcohol specials, we ended up paying $ 200 + tip. Cost and experience just doesn’t match up.

Like everyone, I love Uchi. I love it because it’s nailed the upscale Austin dining experience without being too stuffy. The service is always friendly and the food is on point. It’s a small space, so it can get pretty loud, but that’s my only negative comment.
I’ve dined at Uchi for both sake social hour and for omakase. Everything melts in your mouth, but the experiences are very different. Pro-​tip: Get there at 4:45 for Sake Social Hour. The restaurant looks closed, but they’ll happily place your name on the waiting list.

This place is expensive as fuhhhhhhhhhhh… but the second you try their food you’ll be like «OH I SEE NOW.»
Seriously this is the kinda food you’ll wanna keep chewing in your mouth just to savor the flavors cuz you don’t want it to end. Try to get here RIGHT when it opens at all costs if you can. There’s happy hour from 5 – 6 which has a small sampling of their menu for reduced prices. Service is impeccable! These waiters really know the menu like the back of their hand and the way everyone maneuvers around the restaurant really shows how they got this ish on lockdown. We ordered a ton of food and our waitress was still able to sell one of the desserts to us.
You’ll be happy with anything you order off the menu !!!

For a restaurant as highly acclaimed as Uchi, it’s unfortunate that I can’t bring myself to give this place 5 stars. So let’s talk about what’s WRONG with Uchi based on my sole experience.
PRETENTIOUS — They don’t take reservations during dinner prime time. Therefore, you’re either stuck reserving for a really late dinner or posting up at their miniature corner bar for over an hour or more hoping to be seated. Not everyone gets off at 5 o’clock sharp nor from the area so this is a major inconvenience.
TERRIBLE COURSE TIMING — We did a la carte style and ordered most of the nigiri pieces to get an idea of their baseline quality for fish freshness. The chefs should be aware of how long it takes for each piece to be prepared, served, and consumed. Yet, we were receiving our orders piece by piece sometimes in a minute to nearly 15 minutes for some.
The nigiri that I was most excited to try ended up being «out» for the night. This included the basic pieces you would find in an omakase set: uni, mackerel, amberjack. What a bummer. The other pieces were fairly standard and not particularly memorable with the exception of the foie gra. Not in a good way though… I felt this was overwhelmed by the sauce that accompanied it. Overall, Uchi is a classy restaurant with high prices for decent sushi. I guess this is as good as it gets in the area.

Despite the high prices, I cannot justify giving this place any less than the 5 stars it deserves. Since there are already so many reviews raving about the food, I’ll just make my review a more general FAQ — or, at least, TIH2COTCOTEE («things I had to consider over the course of the entire evening») — for those of y’all reading this who may have the same questions.
*Also, disclaimer: this is from a «poor college student who decided to splurge on one night of really amazing sushi» POV. I don’t come here often, so I took the liberty of going HAM (or, more fittingly, SASHIMI).*
TIH2COTCOTEE:
Question: Was it a good idea to come during Sake Social (aka Happy Hour)?!
Answer: YES, def! Even though the tastings offered on the HH menu are smaller, they are also cheaper (think: $ 6-​$ 7 for a small portion vs. $ 16-​$ 17 for a larger portion, maybe about twice the size). However, if Uchi isn’t a place you will frequent every week over the course of your lifetime, it is MUCH better to pay less to try everything you can!
Question: How big exactly are these «small tastings» from the HH menu?
Answer: My friend and I were able to get a good 2 – 3 bites EACH of the Happy Hour items. By bites, I literally mean an average-​sized bite, not a mouthful.
Question: Should I order anything off of the HH menu?
Answer: YES! Sashimi!!! Dessert!!!
Question: If I am trying to get full and pay the least amount of money, what would you suggest?!
Answer: Happy Hour rolls on rolls on rolls. Why? Rice is filling. But why?! Because the fish and other ingredients they put inside of the rolls are still so fresh and actually plentiful. It was cut into about 10 small pieces — so still relatively substantial and easy to share. For $ 6, the crunch tuna roll was delicious. However, splurging on rolls will not give you the full Uchi experience: the ingenuity of how fresh fish is combined with fresh, unique ingredients to make an amazing dish is what this place is about — so, branch out from the rolls!
Question: How much did it take you to get full?!
Answer: My friend and I ended up ordering 5 items off of the Happy Hour menu, 3 servings of sashimi (sake, akami, and kodai), the Hot Rock (diver scallop version), and 2 desserts. We also ordered HH sake for each of us. For $ 150+ (pre-​tip), we were pretty full by the end of the meal. Actually, even without dessert, we were already satisfied.
Question: Is the $ 20 sashimi worth it?!
Answer: YES! YES! It is very fresh. Freshest sashimi I have ever had. Melts in your mouth. However, for just six slices of fish, each slice is about $ 3 so eat this amazing dish with care.
Question: Okay, so $ 150 to get two people full sounds like a lot. Should I go with the $ 99 for 2 people 6-​course tasting instead?!
Answer: MAYBE. But if you want sashimi, you’re going to have to order it separately since they only include the cold or hot tasting menu options in the 6-​course tasting. Also, keep in mind, 1 of the 6 courses is your dessert. If you are seeking variety, just take the time to pick and choose what you want from the menu! If you trust the chefs and don’t want to be too overwhelmed by all of the options, go with the 6 or 10-​course (about $ 170 for 2 people) tasting.
Okay, will update as I think of more stuff.
Also, the Machi Cure was AMAZING.

On a recent trip to Austin, my travel companions and I were having difficulty figuring out what to do on our last day. Doing a nearby Unilocal search informed us that Uchi was just a hop, skip away. As we waited for our table, I read a magazine tear-​out that was framed on the wall. Chef Tyson Cole was telling an interviewer that he was a big food snob. «As am I, Chef», I nodded, «As am I…»
We decided to create our own little tasting menu, picking out various selections. I am only listing a small portion of what we ordered.

Uchiviche — Nice assortment of fish. It was a nice dish, but I didn’t think it was cured enough to be considered a «ceviche». It was more like a fish salad with citrus dressing.
Wagyu Hot Rock — Cook juicy pieces of wagyu on a searing hot river rock then dip in ponzu. I love the simplicity of this dish. What a great way to appreciate wagyu.
Brussel Sprouts — A must have side dish! The sprout leaves were crispy. Salty, sweet, with a kick. Can’t go wrong.
Karaage — Not a fan of this. I like the traditional karaage. This was fried and then sauced up. Kind of like Korean style fried chicken but not as good.
Quail — I forgot the name of the dish, but it comprised of grilled quail and some type of sauce. Easily the best dish of the night.
Coming into the restaurant, I was highly anticipating great sushi. It turned out to be mediocre. We ordered many types of nigiri to get a feel of Uchi’s sushi selection, but the best one that we had was the nasu (eggplant), which I felt wasn’t saying much.
In the end, I would still come back for the non sushi items because I feel they were not just delicious, but creative as well.

I have dreams about the sushi from Uchi. Phenomenal. If you want world class sushi in Austin come now. Stop reading the review and just come.
This is the place that awakened my taste buds. I didn’t know you could create such amazing dishes with such simple ingredients.
The sushi bar is probably the coolest spot in the building so if you can get a seat there do it.
They have some sweet happy hour specials at 5pm every weekday so if your wallet is feeling thing come during this time and try out a few dishes but don’t come on an empty stomach. These are tasting plates not full portions.
The pastry chef at Uchi is creative and inspiring. The dishes look beautiful and they have great play with texture, taste, and temperature.
The bathrooms are of course very well kept and they have modern fixtures and good music playing. The staff is really wonderful. Every time we had a new dish our server would explain what was on the dish and how the chef recommends eating it. The hostesses were accommodating and friendly.

I moved to San Francisco immediately after graduation and one of my biggest regrets was not having tried Uchi before I left. On a christmas trip back to visit the alma mater, I treated one of my best friends to dinner here. +1 for how easy reservations are outside of the bay area.
Everything was phenomenal and you can definitely taste the quality and freshness of every dish. Being a sea urchin fanatic, I was impressed with the three different types of uni they had — aka uni and 2 varieties of hokkaido uni. We ordered all 3 including uni shooters. Is there anything better than uni and champagne?
A couple of other delicious items:
Machi Cure
Hama Chili — I was particularly worried that we ordered too many cold hamachi dishes but I was pleasantly surprised at how unique each dish was
Crudo
Bacon Steakie
Wagyu hot rock — Not as buttery as I’d like but a fun DIY and plus, all wagyu is good wagyu.
Uchiko next!

Strictly a sushi review
I came here with a group of friends from out of town, because my friend raved about the various types of sushi. Being a fan of sushi and having eaten it all over the world including Japan I was excited. I read great reviews about this place and saw there was a lot of hype, but at the end of the day I paid $ 150+ and left hungry.
I was fully aware of what i was getting into and I expected it to be overpriced, but i figured it would be something memorable… I was wrong. I couldn’t even tell you what we ate. At the end of the day even when we had the chef tastings and then (since we were still hungry) an assortment of the most expensive pieces on the menu… it was just meh. Sure each piece came with a lengthy description but at the end of the day if you switched out their sushi for the sushi you get at a sushi buffet (which costs $ 20) I would have never been able to tell the difference. Nothing memorable at all about this place. You can do waaaay better for a fraction of the price

Happy Hour/​Sushi Review
Sat at the sushi bar with Masa as our Sushi chef who is awesome by the way. Uchi and Uchiko have the best sushi I’ve had in Texas so far, granted I am new to town but still. For someone who loves sushi, eating here was a like a happy homecoming.
1. Takara Nigori (hh menu) — unfiltered sake
2. Bond Roll (hh menu) — very flavorful I would recommend adding salmon
3. Crunchy Salmon Roll (hh menu) — meh, standard. On the menu it was tuna but we were informed that it had changed to salmon that day
4. Machi Cure (hh menu) — didn’t really care for this one
5. Karaage (hh menu) — felt it was a bit over priced for what we got
6. Shiki (hh menu) — the seasonal veggie turned out to be okra (not an okra fan)
7. Sushi– sake toro (we got a second order it was so good, melts in your mouth), unagi (a little disappointed with this one), suzuki, hirame, madai (my favorite), tako, wagyu (surprised I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would have), hamachi
8. Peanut Butter Semifreddo– too heavy a dessert for me, I think the ratio of ingredients was unbalanced. Let me explain myself, I think there should have been more acidic components to cut through the peanut butter. But the apple miso sorbet was amazing
9. Lemon Gelato– this dessert on the other hand was perfectly balanced as far as taste and texture
10. Bouvet Rose– drier than the extra brut Dr. Deinhard Riesling sparkling
I didn’t enjoy the happy hour menu (besides the bond roll) but that’s okay happy hour is meant to bring people in. The sushi though made me so happy and dessert was the cherry on top. I loved the atmosphere, it was bustling a bit boisterous and loud but not to the point where I couldn’t hear my companion. And an extra point in my book that the sushi chefs call out Irasshaimase just a small detail that adds to the experience.

Uchi continues to impress me every single time I go.
They love quality on all levels: drinks, food, service– all the best of the best.
I love their dedication to culinary arts– each dish really is a masterpiece. From the ingredients, the plating, to the presentation, to the taste. I love that they encourage their chefs to continue experimenting and coming up with new things & they treat their staff well.
I love that when my napkin fell off my lap when I was sitting at their bar-​height table, someone noticed and handed me a new folded napkin so I wouldn’t have to get off my seat and pick up my napkin off the floor.
I love that when a minor billing mistake happens, they are more than apologetic and make up for the mistake.
Dining here is never a mistake… except on my wallet.
Uchi, I love you.

It’s definitely good but bring your big boy wallet.
I have always said sushi only gets so good and this is about as good as it gets. Similar to Nobu in quality and price.
The fish was of the highest quality and freshness. The service was professional and mostly on top of it aside from a few awkward pauses between courses and other times some had food and others didn’t.
For the price I expected near perfection and they didn’t quite measure up because:
The hot rock beef was incredibly salty.
They ran out of octopus by 7:30.
We discussed shellfish allergies for two at our table and was assured that they took it seriously. They would not serve anything fried because it came from the same fryer shellfish was cooked in. They served fried yucca chips in the machi hamachi dish.
All in all it was very good. I will go back once I get over the sticker shock. That may take some time.

This place restored my faith in fine dining. The experience was worth every penny. The machi cure was an interesting dish with a variety of textures and flavors coming together wonderfully: crunchy, juicy, sweet, and with nice thick chunks of yellowtail. It was so much more complex than my usual fare. I felt like I was a judge eating something from Food Network.
All the sushi we tried was top-​notch for sure. We came here wanting good sushi, and this place definitely delivered. Some of the best I’ve ever had. The quality and care of the fish really came through with every bite. But I was so blown away by the machi cure that I wish we tried more small plates!
Great atmosphere, especially the courtyard outdoors.

Uchi is definitely the place to go for fantastic sushi in Austin. And it’s no regular sushi menu either! Uchi offers fancy Sushi combinations, all of them fantastic. Listen to the waiter’s recommendations, they sure know what they are talking about. I wanted to order a regular California Roll and I was convinced that «A California Roll you can get anywhere, try this instead, you’ll love it!».and right he was.
For U.S. standards, Uchi is on the pricey side, but it’s worth it. If you need an exclusive dinner spot for a special occasion, Uchi is the right choice.