I think we ordered every roll on the happy hour menu lol they probably have one of the best HH in town. It's 50% off for all hand rolls. My favorite was the lobster handroll. It was so creamy and buttery. One unique thing about this place is that the nori/seaweed comes out on the side and you have to wrap it yourself to ensure it's crispy when you are ready to eat vs at other places, the seaweed can taste too soft/soggy by the time you get to eat it. Outside of HH, seems like it's pretty expensive for the portion you get. I like that this place has both outdoor and indoor seating. Very cool atmosphere! Service was very slow but everyone was polite. read more

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4.5 stars Beautiful space. Food was generally pretty good. Food: Hamachi crudo - delicious A5 wagyu handroll - very good but didn't think it was worth the $25 Toro handroll - delicious Mushroom handroll - delicious Scallop handroll - very good Blue crab - very good read more

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We decided to come here after seeing that they had half off happy hour from 4-5:30pm. Parking is very limited. We had to circle the lot a couple of times before someone left so I recommend coming a bit before 4 if you want to do their happy hour. Another parking tip is to not park in the big lot in the back. I did not see until I started to walk that we were not supposed to park in the big lot behind the place as it is only for the stores behind them. This place has a cool concept where you make your own handrolls by taking the seaweed and pulling out the fish from the container they give you. Everything was delicious for the most part. I got a chance to try the salmon, spicy tuna, fatty tuna (my fav!!), hamachi, and mushroom handrolls. We also ordered the hamachi crudo and tuna sashimi. I prefer the hamachi crudo (the sauce carries). The staff here are friendly and helpful. I enjoyed my time here and would definitely recommend this place to anyone in Austin looking for a good handroll place! read more

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Didn't even make it in. Saw this place on TikTok, had a rough day at work, and figured I'd catch the tail end of Friday happy hour. Mistake number one: driving 35 minutes to find out. The layout is basically: you walk in through the back, which is an open-air dining area with communal tables, a few 3-4 tops, and a bar. When I got to the host stand, I was told they were fully booked. Fair enough. So instead of turning and taking the L, I had just driven out of the way and wanted to try one more time since I realized there was more of a "bar bar" outside, mistake number two: asking if the outside bar was open seating. Bars usually are, right? That's when I met, I think his name is..Josh? I asked one simple question and he looked at me like I'd asked him to explain quantum physics. Didn't know. Didn't care to find out. Told me to go ask the host - not helpfully, just dismissively, like I was an inconvenience for wanting to spend money at his job. Wild concept: working the floor and knowing how the floor works. I burned gas and 35 minutes there and back for the privilege of being ignored by someone who apparently doesnt like his job as much as I now don't like this place. I'll book a flight to Japan before I willingly drive back & give them my money. Nobody forced you into customer service. Do better, or do something else. read more

Great service - love the decor. Happy hour was fantastic. $2 miso soup is a must. The hand rolls were fantastic we got one of each from the premium menu. Lobster was our fave, they brought us a free crudo which was delicious. This is an amazing happy hour spot. I would have a hard time justifying paying double the price for normal hour pricing but will be here for happy hour and late night happy hour FOR SURE! Also that matcha colada was BOMB. read more

Kitsu Nori - Crudo - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Kitsu Nori is located on South Congress in the same complex where East Side King was. I was expecting just a small restaurant but it also encompassed the whole hidden courtyard patio that you actually enter from in the back. That space is really nice and spacious, and almost feels like an outdoor sports bar with its own bar and TV. I came here for dinner on a Thursday night. I made a reservation but it wasn't too busy yet so it wasn't needed, as I don't think people have quite caught on. We sat at the really nice sushi bar counter. The inside got decently busy while I was there but there was still a lot of room outside if needed. I got a glass of the junmai sake and it's a very generous pour in a large wine glass. If you want better quality, some of my go-to favorites like Dassai and Demon Slayer are on the menu. We tried a few things on the menu: - Chips & Dips - Tasted like a cleaner version of a smoked fish salad with chunks of crab and nice bright bursts of salmon roe. I can see this as a solid appetizer for the upscale sports bar feel outside. - Hamachi Crudo - My favorite bite of the night. Perfectly balanced. The hamachi flavor is enhanced by the bright sweet and sour citrus from the orange pieces, bergamot oil, soy and yuzu from the ponzu, and spice from the slivers of serrano. I was able to taste every element as they all enhanced one another. - Spicy Tuna Handroll - Comes topped with their own chili crunch. They said their chili crunch doesn't have salt, which would normally be fine but I do feel the handroll as a whole was lacking salt. I didn't get any bright flavors and it tasted muted and one note. - Fatty Tuna Handroll - Really enjoyed this handroll because it's similar to one of my favorite tuna sushi preparations - a negi tori gunkan. Minced tuna and green onions are a match made in heaven. I love getting it at Kura Sushi and the convenience stores in Japan. - Maine Scallop Handroll - I love scallops but this ate a bit too sweet to me. If I got it again, I'd prob add a few drops of soy. - Uni Handroll - I love uni and this handroll honors it by keeping it simple and pure. The uni pieces were large and plump, and were sweet and fresh with no fishiness. If anything, there may have been too much of the aged temari on it but I also may prefer uni just on its own with rice and nori. The handrolls here come presented in a very smart way to ensure optimum nori texture on your own timing, as well as wiggle room if there's delays in service getting it to your table. The server explains if it's your first time - pulling out the filling from the wooden block it is on and dropping it on a fresh sheet of nori. It took me a few tries before settling into the appropriate muscle memory (mine was tipping it on its side a bit left of center, and sliding it off onto the nori by pulling the block to the right and up). I also envision this would be the best way to have handrolls delivered. I've actually gotten Yuki's handrolls delivered as a test and the seaweed was so wet and chewy by the time it got to me. As we were closing out, our wonderful server told us about the amazing happy hour they have from 4-5:30pm with half off handrolls, crudos and I think some beverages. Definitely will come back to take advantage of that. Also pro tip: Kitsu Nori is on the inKind app where you can pay your bill, so you can get rewards, use offers, as well as purchase dining credits at a discount. Costco also consistently has $100 e-gift cards for $75. read more

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We came here with 2 other couples for a friends date night and we really enjoyed it. The space is small and intimate, the staff was amazing. For food, the hamachi crudo is a must. For the hand rolls, I really liked the presentation and enjoyed putting it together with the nori wrap. Everything we ordered was good, but my favorites are the Scallop and Fatty Tuna. Lastly, the fact we can pay using inKind is a plus. read more

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Food: 3/5 Service: 2/5 Ambiance: 2/5 Kitsu Nori didn't live up to my expectations, and unfortunately, everyone in my party agreed that it was subpar in nearly every aspect. Service: 2/5 After we were seated at 5 p.m., everything went downhill. The indoor dining room was only half full, but it seemed like the staff were still setting up. There were so many staff members idling and chatting that we were confused as to why no one was helping us. Even after we were finally able to place our orders, it took a very long time for the food to arrive. It was frustrating because we could see that only two of the four kitchen staff members were actually working. We were also offered a water refill only once during the entire dining experience. Food: 3/5 We primarily ordered the hand rolls, and they were decent. The nori arrived separately, and we had to assemble the rolls ourselves. That seemed unnecessary, especially because there were functional issues with the wooden planks used to serve them. We encountered broken planks, and the planks were thicker than the length of the nori sheets, making it difficult to slide the hand rolls off cleanly. The sushi rice was pink and overwhelmingly sour. We had to dig through the reviews to discover that it is seasoned with beets. I wish that had been stated on the menu or explained by the server beforehand. The strong flavor overpowered the delicate taste of the raw fish in some of the hand rolls, which was disappointing. Ideally, at a Japanese restaurant that serves food meant to be eaten by hand, guests should be offered wet towels or wet naps to clean their hands between courses. That was sorely missed on this occasion. What really bothered me, however, was that the person expediting the food was touching the monitor and handling the nori and accompanying items, but was also scratching his beard and touching his face in between handling the food. Yuck. Ambiance: 2/5 Lastly, the environment was not conducive to conversation. The music was so loud that I felt like I was in a club. I could barely hear the people in my party, so we essentially sat in silence while waiting for our food. Overall, this experience fell well below our expectations. As soon as we got into the car, everyone complained that the restaurant's push for a trendy vibe ruined the elegance and simplicity of what should have been a traditional Japanese meal. read more

Kitsu Nori - Menu June 2026 - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We came across Kitsu Nori when we were wanting handrolls and safe to say we were very impressed - each one was fresh, flavorful, and nicely balanced. You can really taste the quality of the ingredients. The only downside is that service tends to slow down once it gets busy, so be prepared for a bit of a wait during peak times. Overall, still a solid spot for satisfying handroll cravings! read more

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This place is solid. I would definitely come back for happy hour but I'm not sure it's worth it at full price. The quality of the fish didn't seem to be amazing, so if you're just coming for the raw fish/handroll situation I would opt for another sushi or handroll spot. (Unless it's happy hour of course) The steak and other options looked good - and I will note that the server highlighted the lobster, steak, crudo and a lot of the small plates. So maybe the hand rolls aren't meant to be the main event. Vibes were good all around. We did not have a reso so glad they had some space but we did end up at a low very casual outdoor table - so if you're not looking for that vibe I'd grab a reso. read more

Kitsu Nori - Fatty tuna, salmon, and hamachi handroll. And miso soup. - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Had a chance to come by again and sit at the bar. The bar experience is slightly different since the hand rolls are made for you so no assembly required! Just grab and eat read more

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An exceptional meal from start to finish. Every dish we ordered was outstanding, beautifully prepared, and full of flavor. The only downside was not having enough room to try more, which simply gives me the perfect excuse to return. We started with the crab dip, which was incredible. I'm usually not a salmon roe person, but we practically licked the plate clean, it was that good! The toro cashew, hamachi crudo, and negimaki were also exceptional. As for the hand rolls, I was completely obsessed with the spicy tuna, uni, caviar, and wagyu. Every bite was memorable. The vibe was just as impressive as the food. We ended the night with a drink at their patio bar, which was the perfect way to wrap up the meal. I truly can't wait to go back and I can already tell it'll be especially beautiful there in the summer. read more

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Handrolls were fresh and good. It was fun sliding the handroll off the display and wrapping it with seaweed. Will definitely be back for more and want to try other options offered. read more

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Fantastic meal and experience. The fatty tuna was incredible. Happy hour is tough to beat and our server Dondi was immensely helpful and attentive. Will be back soon! read more

Nate & Zuri were excellent, providing immaculate service and killer recommendations for both drinks and the menu The Ginger-Lychee Margs are absolute gas -- quite strong & incredibly tasty (would say 3 is a solid "gotcha" limit) The scallop ceviche was also incredible, featuring a unique Mexican-style horchata base, which complimented the scallops & fruit exceptionally well Swung by for lunch so got the "Nine" & some additional hand rolls: - Tuna Sahsimi: Excellent w the soy sauce - Spicy Tuna: The chili crisps are - Salmon: Fuji apple was a nice twist - Yellowtail: Genuinely solid - Crab: Also genuinely solid + Uni: My first time trying uni, was literally shipped in a couple hours before.. (didn't disappoint) + Uni+A5: My favorite of the round by far The dessert was also exquisite.. a homemade-twinkie ube-tres leches (elite ball knowledge here ) The inside is quaint & cozy with a distinct zen vibe, an ambiance that effortlessly exudes to its exterior (perfect for a date or solo side questing) Indubitably will be coming back for HH [oh .. plenty of vegan options too!] read more

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The food exceeded expectations and the recommendations of the staff were on point! It was my birthday dinner and was the perfect meal to celebrate. Donde was our server and his attention to detail was excellent. Our food came out as ordered and in the correct order. 10/10 for taste and presentation and service. read more

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Had a great experience here last night. All dishes were super fresh and delicious. Service was friendly and courtyard was really cool. Stayed after dinner in courtyard for an espresso martini. read more

Kitsu Nori - Fatty tuna and uni hand roll. Side of caviar. - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

We tried Kitsu Nori in late December right after it opened, and it was good. Then we returned in March and omg it totally knocked our socks off! The difference is before they served the hand rolls with the nori already underneath the rice and toppings. That meant that the nori - which is extra special really crispy and fresh - would lose some of that crispiness. Now they have the nori on the side and the finer slides the topping on keeping the nori fresh and crispy. You wouldn't think this would make such a difference but it does! Plus - they have a fabulous happy hour now called tuna time which offers many items at half price as well as drink specials. Our favorite rolls - mushroom, cucumber, avocado and lobster. And do not miss the sinónimo which is fabulous! read more

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Dondi was a great server! Explained everything very well. The food highlights were Toro Cashew, the Eggplant hand roll, and salmon handroll. Nice ambiance inside and a very cool outdoor area. We will definitely be back! read more

Finally got to try Kitsu Nori after the holiday. They're still in a "soft open" phase (limited drinks etc.) but we had a wonderful experience. We had a reservation and were greeted and seated right away by friendly host staff. Food wise, we shared the Hamachi crudo and ordered 4 hand rolls each. (A good amount of food for two people unless you're super hungry.) Everything was delicious, but the crudo absolutely stole the show. Spicy broth, deep flavors, and perfectly textured fish.100% getting this again. Possibly every time I visit. All the hand rolls were great. Our favorites were the spicy tuna, crab, and hamachi. The mushroom was surprisingly delicious for those craving veggie options. It's a little pricey, but the food was worth it. The only real challenge is parking. The lot gets full pretty easily, so be prepared to find street parking one block north. Overall, really excited for this place. It's a great addition to the food scene in this area. Absolutely check it out. read more

Kitsu Nori - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Run don't walk to this wonderful new restaurant by Paul Qui. Every single bite we had was amazing. Beautiful interior and lovely courtyard in the back. Can't wait to go back ! read more

First time visiting and I was blown away. The vibe is great and the playlist is banger after banger. Went with my gf for her birthday with no expectations and I kept finding myself stopping mid story to savor the hand roll bites. Dondi took care of us and made the right recommendations for food and set up the pace for dish after dish. We'll be back to try more soon. read more

Kitsu Nori - Sushi bar - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Dondi was great!! Food was AMAZING!! Love the handrolls!!! And the miso soup was good. I would definitely recommend coming during happy hour because the deals cannot be beat! Cute atmosphere as well! read more

Kitsu Nori - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Happy to see this section of S Lamar filling out with great options...overall great experience, from friendly staff, to the food, to not feeling rushed. The food is delicious... might need a longer primer on the hand rolls, but we got the hang of it... we think? The himachi was perfect, the mushroom roll was great too, and the dessert was a subtly sweet way to end the night. The ambience is great! Both indoor and outdoor spaces are well appointed and curated. But the acoustics inside make it difficult to have a conversation. The music could be turned down a notch and perhaps a different genre entirely (instead of dance club vibes) so that we aren't yelling to be heard by the rest of our party. And I would suggest investing in sound dampening. That would go a long way! read more

Ambiance: beautiful dark blue walls. Spectacular ambiance. Intimate sushi bar setting. Chefs are fun and personable. Always a treat to watch them work. Food is delicious overall. For me, scallop and mushroom stood out as delicious and good value. Maybe crab and lobster as well. I would've liked to add roe or caviar on top of the crab. I'm not the biggest lobster fan in general but it's definitely worth trying. Wagyu is a miss for me. It's not melt in your mouth, which is a problem with $25 per bite price tag. Tuna hand roll was a great bite, not blow your face off but a great bite. Toro appetizer was also delicious. I liked the raisin addition. My partner did not. It's good but I'm not writing home about it. Such a finicky business but I thought it was a good mix of flavors and texture. Chefs are passionate, talented, and innovative. The rice is infused with beet as a natural sugar so it's tinted pink. I thought it was delicious. They're going to try to source fish from Texas gulf, which I think will be fun to see how it goes. Much of the fish "from Japan" actually comes from other parts of the world including the US so it will be exciting to see what they can do with different fish from the gulf. I think they have great chefs and staff who are excited about the work and inspire confidence in its future. Their drink menu is thoughtful but their Japanese whiskey is limited. Their house junmai was easy drinking w fish. Overall, I'm glad we came here before it gets crazy busy. It has all the markings of a restaurant where reservations will become tough. read more

The food is amazing, every hand roll we tried was full of flavor. The standouts were the lobster and toro, the scallop was a close second. The yellowtail crudo and oysters were fresh and flavorful. And our waiter was so friendly it made the experience even better. Obviously ambiance is great with the intimate dining room then the large outdoor area to hang out and enjoy the day. HH is absolutely spectacular, I literally cannot say enough good things about Kitsu Nori. Please keep the HH prices when y'all blow up, o.o we're obsessed and I know everyone else will be once they try. read more

Kitsu Nori - From front to back: lobster handroll, toro handroll, and scallop handroll - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Food was great. Lobster was my favorite and the mushroom was surprising in a new way. Glad to see a plant based section with 4 options, which was the reason I could bring my husband to enjoy as well. However.... (Enter sad trombone): I wish I could be more positive here, but they had *major trouble* tonight with our party of only 3 getting seated. Service is not efficient at all yet, so come with patience. The mention on OpenTable of it being a "45 minute dining experience" didn't seem to be enforced by the staff (or maybe we just weren't cool Enough to matter?) We didn't get seated until 30 minutes past our reservation time (this was on a Tuesday night). Is this just the new normal for Austin service these days!? Unfortunately the delicious hand rolls did not save the mood of our hungry and tired out of town guest. So be warned, don't bring discerning guests here *yet.* They are just still too new. We would have ordered more but didn't want to wait for the dishes to come out- kitchen was backed up. One roll for our guest was messed up and not what we ordered but we smiled and ate it rather than wait for it to be fixed, which created double negative points for our out of towner guest who didn't get the handroll he was looking forward to eating the most. All in, I'm not sure I could convince my husband to ever come back here now, especially since he left wondering what else he was going to eat after. Oh, and ambiance was cool If you're okay with the vibey loud music. Realizing that maybe this review makes me sound a bit old and cranky, but perhaps if you're early 40s you won't be down to check out a hot new spot like this either. Hopefully 7 months from now I'll find a way to get back for a better redo read more

I rarely write reviews, if ever, but I feel like this place deserves one. A huge out to Chef Hector - his attention to details were impeccable. He saw my girlfriend picking off scallions on her first handroll. Without hesitation or us even telling him, he excluded the scallions on her handrolls for the rest of our dinner. He simply told us he noticed when she did so. It's the little details like this that provided us with a memorable experience. I have nothing bad to say about our time there. Every single dish was amazing. All staff was friendly and attentive. We will definitely come back for another great dinner. read more

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Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious -hamachi crudo Hand rolls: -lobster -mushroom -scallop -blue crab -tuna -salmon Are all must orders. It was also a really cute spot and the vibe was good. There is comfy outdoor seating and also really nice indoor/bar seating inside! One thing go to note is you have to enter through the outdoor seating area on what felt like the side of the building. I almost missed the sign. Will definitely be returning! read more

Tried Kitsu Nori and it's a win. The fish quality is amazing and everything tasted super fresh. The hand rolls are such a standout! I love that the nori is served on the side so it stays perfectly crunchy (because crunchy nori is elite). The space is cool, warm, and inviting and service was friendly and on point! 78704 has been seriously missing a spot like this. Plus, the patio is adorable for a drink before or after dinner when the weather's nice. Definitely going into the regular rotation. read more

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Food was great we ordered every single hand roll!! And none missed! We also got the ube dessert and it was creamy and sweet! Dondi helped us out all evening! read more

I love your services the food was excellent and came so fast the people that served us and made the sushi were really nice everything was good and nothing was bad so thank you I give you 100000000000000 stars! read more

Such a fun little date night for us! The food was delicious, the ambiance was inviting and modern, and the service was fantastic. We loved the hamachi crudo, all the hand rolls, and the wagyu. Excited to come back and try more items on the menu. read more

Popped in for Happy hour and found the food and service to be great. Definitely do not skip the vegetarian hand rolls as they packed a ton of flavor and will surprise a typical fish sushi lover. This place is on the smaller side but seating is well placed. read more

Great new spot on Lamar. We had the sake crudo, really good. and 6 different rolls which were all great. I think they recently added a new "entree" part to the menu and we had the lobster which was highlight for sure. The vibe and service was outstanding, hopefully they add a bar with cocktails for outside area in the summer. read more

Kitsu Nori - lobster - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Visiting from LA and had a friend recommend Kitsu Nori, and I'm so glad I went. The space is beautiful with thoughtful design and a really inviting atmosphere. The food was outstanding, especially the quality of the fish, and everything we tried was delicious. Service was great, and I'll definitely be back! read more

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The atmosphere of the restaurant was very intimate and the bar seating was phenomenal. I could watch the chefs make the meals right in front of me. A great experience overall. I want to give a shoutout to Tyler and Fitts for providing such a curated experience! Thank you! read more

The food was great, as was the music and overall vibes. The service was some of the worst I've ever experienced. Can't say I will return for that reason. read more

Great food cool ambience- we will be back soon. We live in the neighborhood, finally a good sushi spot read more

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Was excited to go to a Paul Qui restaurant and was nice to see him very much involved in the expo / kitchen, making sure the food was good and the kitchen stayed efficient. I had extremely high expectations for this meal given what Paul had done in the past and the amazing ambiance of the restaurant itself so this review may be too critical. However, he needs a full turnover of his waitstaff. The service was very bad, to the point where we were slightly uncomfortable. From the second we were sat we just felt a weird vibe like the servers were expecting us to take their order or something. When we ordered drinks we were told the first bottle of wine we ordered was out, then were told they were out of orange and sparkling wines, then tried to order a Sauvignon blanc and we were finally told the only wine they have left was Chardonnay, why not tell us that before???? Then before we even ordered we were asked if they could take a menu from us bc (because they were out of menus). We then settled for a cocktail and a beer, the cocktail came out and then we waited 15 minutes for the beet only for the server to return (without the beer) and then tell us they are out of the normal size of that beer and only had the large version, we told her that was fine and then waited another 20 minutes for said beer. The food itself was actually quite good, the waitstaff just made the meal uncomfortable. We wanted to order more hand rolls but did not see our server for about 30 minutes so at that point we were over it. Maybe it's growing pains, I will come back in a few months and hope there has been some improvement. All this to say, the kitchen seemed very efficient and the food was good, we were checked on by the kitchen staff more than our servers! read more