A-OK is about as perfect as I can sum up my dining experience with Kome. For years I have heard people rave about how great Kome was and an worthy challenger to Uchi/Uchiko, so I finally stopped by for lunch one weekend. Maybe I just ordered the wrong items and missed out on all the deliciousness? I had the lunch special, including 4 pieces of nigiri and an Austin roll, plus two extra rolls (Sunshine & Alone Together) to share with my husband, along with chicken kaarage. To start, the clear soup is fantastic and probably the best moment of our meal. Very simple, yet very delicious. The kaarage was pretty good...it's fried chicken, so a hard one to miss. Finally, the main event.....the sushi..........drum-roll please........................disappointing. First on the nigiri, I'm 95% sure the waitress misidentified what fish was what, or that is the oddest piece of yellowtail I've ever tasted. Second, I just was not wow'd by the rolls. I was anticipating something that could compete with the Shag, Ham & Eggs or Zero Sen rolls from Uchi and I didn't think they were even close to delivering the same depth and composition of differing flavors. Nothing was particularly bad tasting, just not "wow- I can't wait to come back" good. Hence the 3-star, A-OK rating. read more

such a comforting atmosphere especially since the entire staff greets you when you enter and as you leave. we barely waited to be served and had no complaints, and they still gave us a complimentary appetizer! i HIGHLY recommend the summertime roll and sake kasu cheesecake. read more

This place is good, location is cool. They moved about a year ago which is great because parking was a nightmare before, still could be better now. This place Is great, you'll get your sushi craving satisfied here! read more

Second time in Austin, second time here. I like the vibe, the service and the food, so why not come back... We tried several dishes on the menu, as you should do when in an Izakaya. Edamame, Chicken Karaage, some rolls (yoshizo, spooky, salmon...), katsuo tataki, takoyaki... Everything we ordered was well prepared, tasty and fresh. If you are in the area, give this place a try (location is not the best, but still fine). read more

I've lived in LA and the Bay Area and have had my fair share of delicious sushi. This place comes pretty close! The sushi lunch is an absolute STEAL! I really enjoyed the Austin roll and would definitely order it again. Parking could be better.. but plenty of street parking available as well. Great service, food came fast, and clean interior. Definitely worth checking out if you are craving sushi on a budget! read more

Finally returned to Kome after years of it being closed! I have to say, while the experience was a little different, we had an incredibly wonderful time all thanks to JOHN!!!! We opted to order through him instead of using the QR code situation. His service was friendly, warm, funny, thoughtful, all around wonderful. He handled my parents' sarcasm with comedy and grace. I can't thank him enough for the wonderful time that we had! The food is still 10/10. My only negative feedback is the check in situation. When you arrive, you have to use the QR code to add yourself to the waitlist and there is virtually zero welcome from the host at the stand. It felt awkward. And if you wanted to order a drink while waiting, you also have to use a QR code.... which again is awkward. But again, seriously huge props to John. Thank you a million. If you are able ask to sit in this guys section!!!! read more

Great sushi, but they charged for Soy Sauce packets and didn't put any wasabi in the takeout containers.

I've been living in Austin since August and I rarely ever repeat restaurants, there's just so much to try! That being said, I've been to Kome probably upwards of ten times. What can I say, it's hard to walk away from great sushi. I have never had a bad experience or bad roll here. Although, quick disclaimer, I do have a few favorites that I tend to stick to. My three favorites are the Go-Go roll, the Spooky roll, and the Rock N Roll roll. The Spooky roll is filled with spicy tuna which I'm typically not a fan of, but it is delicious in this roll paired with avocado and salmon. I have also tried the Yoshizo roll, Crunchy Dynamite roll, Philly roll, and Austin roll. They've all been good but just don't stick in my memory like the other three! I've typically only come with small groups (2-4) and have been sat quickly. There was one time I came with a larger group, around 6 or 7 and we had a bit of a wait. But, we were seated in a small private room which made the wait well worth it. The restaurant itself is small, but not overcrowded. All of the wait staff that I've had have been friendly and helpful. This is my go to sushi spot in Austin and I would recommend it to anyone! read more

Kome was my favorite restaurant. I've actually waited a month to write this review, because it pains me. I was a big supporter of the original Sushi-a-Go-Go trailer, so I was thrilled when Kome opened its brick and mortar restaurant. Despite how cramped it is and ridiculous the wait is for a restaurant that refuses to take reservations, I'd always had a pretty great experience, and the value was on target for the quality...or so I thought. On my most recent (and last) visit, my agedashi tofu came out fridge-cold in the center. This was actually the second time this had happened, but I'd shrugged the first occurrence off. When I finally had the opportunity to send it back, my waitress actually didn't believe me that it was cold - she said "well that's not how it's supposed to be" in the most condescending voice I've heard in some time. Yeah, I know, that's why I'm sending it back: because it's supposed to be hot! I think she could tell I was annoyed with her at this point, because she sent the manager over to talk to me. I kid you not, this next part actually happened: as I am telling the manager about the cold tofu, a sushi chef literally right in front of us opens an industrial-size bag of store-bought, FROZEN, PRE-COOKED tempura shrimp in full-view of the entire restaurant and dumps them into a metal bin (I assume to be defrosted for use in sushi rolls). This obviously helped me make my point to the manager. She knew she was screwed at that point, so she sent me some free nigiri. I was in shock for the rest of the meal. [Note: After this happened, I kept a very close watch on the sushi chefs, and it quickly became apparent that half of them have no idea what they are doing, as far as rolling technique. One of them kept plastic wrapped around the roll while he sliced the roll and had to re-roll it every time he cut a piece. Enjoy the tiny shreds of plastic in your roll, unsuspecting diner.] I won't be back. read more

Hands down my favorite sushi place in Austin! I've been here twice so far and I have yet to be disappointed. It's a small restaurant with some picnic benches out front and a conservative number of tables inside along with bar seats. My first time here my friend and I ended up sitting at the bar, which is perfectly fine since it was only us two. The second time, we came in a rather large group and were seated in a separate room with a large picnic table style wooden table with benches on both sides. Pretty sweet! The list of everything I've tried - Trio roll, Alone Together Roll, Fat Samurai roll, Crunchy Dynamite Roll, Ride of the fox cold sake, Edamame, and Miso Soup. If you go here, order the Alone Together roll! My favorite of the bunch. The Trio roll is next on my recommendation list. Simple, but perfect for you salmon/tuna lovers out there. The fat samurai roll was slightly disappointing because it was so massive but contained very little fish. The pictures on Yelp are exactly what it looks like, but I guess I was so focused on how beautiful (trust me, it is very visually appealing) it looked that I didn't think about the fact that over half of the 3x the normal sized roll was actually just rice and spinach. I also don't know why I ordered the Crunchy Dynamite roll because I've never been a huge fan of spicy tuna or spicy salmon, but again, it just looked delicious in the pictures. If you are a fan, you'll love it! My logic is just skewed sometimes when ordering food. I order with my eyes and growling stomach and not my brain. Edamame is standard. Nothing too special there. But the Miso Soup is a must! It has chunks of tofu and seaweed and is the perfect appetizer to any sushi meal. Of course Kome has the standard Japanese beers - Asahi and Sapporo. They also have a lengthy list of cold sake options that I normally don't see at other places (I normally order beer and some hot sake to share with a friend). The Ride of the Fox was supposed to contain hints of melon among other things that I can't quite remember. If I had a more refined palette for sake, I would be able to describe everything that I tasted, but what I can say was that it had hints of sweetness and was enjoyable. Points for presentation as well! Happy eating and drinking everyone! read more

Komé - Ride of the fox sake - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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It was my first time to have a lunch at Kome AND it's an awesome experience. I will def. Eat there again. I had the spicy noodle. Starts with the "T".The taste is so perfect. The kimchi was that strong, which i love it. The soup itself is so good. Perfect seasoning, you dont have to add anything. Just perfect! For the dessert, i had the green tea ice cream. Gosh it is wonderful and the quantity is so huge. I am satisfied and i will recommend people from all over the place to come here instead of..i am sorry Tatsu-ya... I didnt try their sushi. Maybe next time. The building looks old. The environmental looks classic and old. It qont fit alot of people in the restaurant, i guess that's how they keep the overhead spending low. It's clean. No smells, not too noisy. Bunch of young and beautiful people. I am hopong they would lile to improve their building little bit, but hey it's their style i guess. The waitress, they are so friendly and nice. Wink wink - good tips for them. read more

Komé - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Always looking for a new sushi place to try out in Austin. This place is located off airport boulevard in a strip mall type setting. I wouldn't expect a place like this to be located where it is, but they make it work. I really enjoyed the ambiance and commend them on their genuine attempt to make the place look traditionally Japanese. We ordered four rolls: the Texas turf and surf, the longhorn, the midnight sun and then endo in NY. Overall I was satisfied with the taste and presentation. The quality of the turf and surf was mouthwatering and flavorful. I've never had hanger steak in sushi before, but they did well. It got me to end up ordering the longhorn, which has hanger steak as well. It's a bit pricey, and the quantity isn't extremely filling, but the taste makes up for that. I really Enjoyed the endo in NY. It was filled with vegetables and helped break the heaviness of the other rolls! read more

Nice decor. Spacious room doesn't feel cramped. The service was a little slow for lunch crowd but we weren't in rush so this was negligible. We ordered the bento box. The fish tasted very fresh but I thought the sashimi was sliced too thin. I also thought the rice in their maki tasted old. I also had the seared salmon. Great char combined with miso sauce. That hit the spot. There was too much cream cheese in our gogo roll. read more

My fiance and I would go here a lot pre-COVID and their sushi is amazing. Their food and tea were amazing every-time we went, but it's a little expensive. What I love the most is when you're able to dine-in they serve half portions of ramen so you can get ramen and sushi without feeling too full! read more

I've only had one chirashi bowl in my life... and it was awesome. Believe it or not, it was in South Texas and I've been on the hunt for one for the past 6 mos. Lo and behold, Kome has one. A little pricey at $18 but I went for it. Some clear soup came first, followed by a magnificent chirashi bowl full of all kinds of delights. Clam, unagi, mackerel, roe, salmon, tuna and some kind of puffy lettucey thing that was really odd and quite pretty. I hope I was supposed to eat that. The best part? A branded piece of tofu. That was super cool. Check my pic! The fish itself is literally some of the freshest Ive ever tasted. I'm one of "those" who doesnt like their fish to taste like fish. And this just tasted mild and creamy and gorgeous. Fresh from the sea, fresh. Kome is my new go to sushi spot up north. read more

The restaurant is pretty small and intimate. It seems like they usually have a long wait but we were seated immediately (Sunday lunch time) and they were quick to take our order and serve our food. I really enjoyed the clear soup. It was a nice change from the typical miso soup that sushi restaurants usually serve. We got the chicken karaage and it was mediocre. It was a bit over cooked and dry, making it a little hard and tough. I wished they served it with a spicy mayo instead of just mayo. I got the sushi lunch and my boyfriend got the bento box. The sushi was delicious but small. The fish was sliced soooo thinly. The nigiri was just small overall. Flavors were all good. I just think that if I didn't order an appetizer, I would still be hungry. read more

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Oh Kome what shall I say about you...? I can't say anything was bad but I was expecting so much more... First thing I noticed was the real authentic booming "Irasshai!" walking in the door. Not like the wimpy greetings of other so called Japanese joints with the token staff all saying irasshaimase for the thousandth time and sounding so tired of saying it...but not here, Yoshi-san at the sushi bar shakes the windows with his welcoming and it truly made me feel nostalgic from my time in Japan. The first time I went here it was relatively quite, the staff were fast and friendly, and the sushi chefs were amusing and entertaining singing songs of baked fish Taiyaki. A very nice night with good food. The second and third time here, it was nice to see Japanese families hanging out and laughing but the place was crowded as hell with hipsters from wall to wall... Its like the theory of cool, once it becomes known that its cool, its no longer cool. But hey good for business right... unfortunately it was a real turnoff to feel like just another patron in a crowded hip sushi place of Austin, another Uchi or Uchiko, not what I was looking for. I don't blame the restaurant for this...I blame you Austin hipsters, go eat some celery sticks so you can keep fitting into your skinny jeans. The food left me on both ends of the spectrum. Some things they got just right: the Takoyaki was great, the Tenpai-yaki and Tori-teba were delicious The tempura was tasty but seemed more like Panko than tempura batter. THE SUSHI: was not as good as I expected, now don't get me wrong it was better than most but with Yoshi at the bar I guess I had higher expectations. The nigiri pieces were all great but some of the rolls let me down... like an eHarmony date when your prince charming turns out to be 5'5" (sorry short guys). THE RAMEN: I nearly peed myself when I heard a place in Austin was serving ramen, and coming from such an authentic source I dragged my friends here before they could finish putting their shoes on. Now many Americans may not be familiar with ramen aside from cheap college food, but it is an awesome dish that warms my bones and heart when done right. World piece could be achieved if somehow we simultaneously gave everyone on earth a good bowl of ramen. Alas I have to say as much as I like this place, the ramen was a let down... My friends said the miso base was good but my shoyu style was weak. And the noodles were hard and lacking in flavor. Hopefully they vamp up their ramen because no one in Austin does it right... All things considered I still really like this place but my quest for certain Japanese foods in Austin continues. I really do hope these guys spice up their ramen...Ganbatte! Bottom-Line: Mixed feelings but better than most Austin Japanese food. read more

This has long been an overlooked part of town. It's rugged, a bit hood (say hello to the Rim Shop), street walkers and bums are frequently in sight. Basically it hasn't been a much sought after place to build a restaurant. I like to make fun of this road because the name has no purpose anymore; the airport isn't around the corner anymore and hasn't been for many years! Never in my wildest dreams did I think Airport Blvd. would possess a sushi restaurant. But fortunately Daniel J. saved the day and I finally got to try this spot with some good friends. And great scott, this place was crazy packed! I had to park waayyyy up in the neighborhood, it might have just been better to walk! The inside was small but cozy. I couldn't help but notice that all the servers were quite...different. In fact they looked very alternative. You know what I mean, the people who dress decidedly sloppy, strange hair-do's, tats all over, piercings....aka people who look like they may have worked at Freebirds before. Anyways, this is a VERY Austin-y sushi restaurant, and I'll leave it at that. It is also quite loud here, but just look at the floor: its stained concrete so yea, of course it's going to be loud when there's no carpet to absorb the noise. Because of the overwhelming decibels, this cannot be much of a date place AT ALL. Just my luck! I wasn't on a date unless I can date 8 people at once. The food was better than I expected. The rolls ordered were presented as if it were the most important piece of art on display. The other non-roll dishes served such as steamed monk fish liver looked intriguing and enjoyed by all who tried them. My miso soup was delicious but somehow reminded me of chicken guts-juice, though I happily devoured my non-vegetarian soup. Sometimes ya just gotta give in and cheat. A special farm salad that was recommended by our server was delicious and included my favorite vegetable: daikon! The mango & avocado (close to the sunshine roll) was a fantastic addition to the feast of veg-heads. Most impressive was the grilled tofu steak. I typically don't go out of my way to order the only tofu dish at a place, but this was the best damn flavored (and best looking) tofu I've ever had in my short 3 month life. I'll be back, as they were very accommodating (split the checks), attentive staff, very affordable prices and the food was wonderful. read more

New to the neighborhood, we'd been looking forward to trying Kome, hoping we could add it to our regular roster. Food was fine, but the behavior of the host and management made sure our first visit would be our last. 5:20PM on a weeknight, my wife arrives with two hungry, summer-heat-wilted teens. I'm on my way separately, about 10 minutes out. She asks to be seated and is refused (incomplete party). She asks again -- look, it's really empty; we're hot, hungry and tired, and really want to get our order in. Host consults with management. The verdict: "Yeaaaah ... that really STRESSES us, so ... no." First ... we're a family of four. They'd seat the first three of us at a four-top anyway. It's not like we were a gaggle of office workers trickling in, pushing tables together and slowly expanding over two hours. And they're a small-plates restaurant -- ostensibly they WANT us to order more! So seat my family already and let them get started! Second ... why should I care about (or even HEAR about, for that matter) the "stress level" of any restaurant, let alone a premium-priced one? Finally ... you know what stresses ME out? Arriving to find my family huddled in the hot waiting area while 60% of the tables sit empty, no food on the way, and an awful lot of non-stressed staffers lining the walls. Food was tasty, waitress was competent but distant. No manager stopped by to see how things were, nobody asked if we enjoyed our experience. Dropped our 75 bucks and left. You know, you can love your policy, or you can love your customer. Thankfully, Austin is rife with other restaurants who go out of their way to let you know your business is appreciated. read more

Kome is a fun and local sushi joint in my neighborhood, it's a brisk 25 minute walk from my place if I'm feeling athletic. Expect a packed house, lively crowd, and hipster waitstaff. The sushi is fresh but I think the real star here is the noodles. I love their soba noodles and they once had this cold ramen on special for lunch that was superb. Everyone should try the parfait dessert at least once. It's this bright concoction of green tea ice cream, azuki beans, pocky sticks, whipped cream, rice krispies, and gummy candies all coming together to make this quirky Japanese/Anime dessert. read more

Went in for lunch today. Not busy at 11:30 on a Wednesday. Sat at the bar. Very nice guy behind the bar. I asked him for a small plate starter recommendation and he suggested the sunomono... raw shrimp and octopus salad with fresh veggies. Was really good. Then I got the oyster and shrimp katsu. Good portion of food and was very satisfied with the crunchiness of the fried seafood. Wasn't greasy. In and out for lunch in like 30 mins. Will definitely be back. read more

Kome se dice "muy delicioso"? Balance a delectably light ramen broth with lemongrass, add a perfectly-seasoned salmon lunch special, and throw in crunchy dynamite roll for good measure and you have a blissful day-off lunch at Kome. At 1:30 the wait was about 10 minutes to get in just under the 2pm lunch cutoff. Having been there once prior for dinner, the lunch specials were a serious steal. The salmon combo lunch came with a fragrant broth and magic rice that must've been picked out by Jiro's rice dealer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiro_Dreams_Of_Sushi). A lot of love was put into the salmon marinade; it tasted like seafood candy clouds. Minor snag: our large green tea came out brewed freshly, but continued steeping for the duration of lunch and became too bitter to finish. I guess we could have removed the mesh strainer, but try distinguishing between your ass and your elbow in the middle of a lovely feast. Our server was lovely, the noise-level was noticeably reduced (from last year), and the midday sunlight fell perfectly upon our beautifully-presented spread. Oh catch-up lunchtimes, how I adore thee. If you're lucky enough to be nearby for a late lunch here, you should pounce on it. I envy you. In fact, I don't like you at all. read more

Hard to not just order "one of everything, please." On my visit today around 1:30pm, I enjoyed zero waiting around for a table time, and undivided attention from our lovely server. Our party of five was seated in a private room with a sweet chandelier, and offered water with lemon like the fancy people we are. Our server mentioned that the special was a spicy ramen with kimchi, and I immediately knew what I wanted, but pretended to look at the menu anyway. Two people ordered the sushi lunch, my friend's dad also ordered the spicy ramen, and one person ordered the Kayaku Udon. The sushi came out the fastest, and looked really fresh. The people who ordered them said they were delicious so I'll take their word for it. The spicy ramen, however, was the only thing I was interested in. It came in a bowl of unimpressive size, although I quickly realized that unlike other restaurants that give you a giant bowl that is mostly soup, this bad boy was chock full of ramen-y goodness. There was the noodle, which was slightly chewy but firm, topped with a generous portion of ground pork, seaweed, two fish cakes, that tasty, tasty marinated soft boiled egg, bamboo shoots, and kimchi, all swimming around in a bright red broth. The broth wasn't as thick as other ramen broths I've consumed, but it did thicken up when I stirred in the ground pork. I wanted to eat my ramen as slowly as I could to savor every bite, but unfortunately the other people in my party ate way fast so I had to shovel in bites like it was my last meal (which, by the way, I would totally request this as my last meal.) Pricing was $9.50 for that, $8-9.50 for the other kinds of ramen. About on par with the other ramen joints. I would love to come back and try their other lunch offerings, but if spicy ramen is still on the table...well, I guess I'll have to make many trips to 51st and Airport. read more

We were in the area and as sometimes happens, my mind totally blanked on Kome being nearby. In fact I drove right by it, but was so excited about seeing Errol and Ashley's home away from home, Mrs. Johnson's Bakery, that I missed it. The following day I made a special trip to rectify my mistake and finally try Kome. I wouldn't say we were devotees to Sushi A Go Go, but loved the concept and ate there once in a while if we were nearby. Kome, is on a whole other level. The sushi/sashimi/roll menu is fleshed out along with a section for noodles. My wife the Chinese noodle freak refuses to try any Japanese noodles. Doesn't make sense, I know, but I guess it's because they aren't rice noodles. We chose the sake toro sashimi as an appetizer. Salmon belly is something you don't always see on sushi menus. I was pleased with the freshness and taste. The presentation was impeccable however with several garnishes and the toro wrapped over a piece of asparagus balanced on the edge of the dish. We shared our two meals also. My wife's sashimi plate was fresh and tasty and had several pieces I have never experienced before including some yellow fish eggs. My Kaki Fry Tashoku (fried oysters) took a bit of time to arrive, but it was worth the wait. These were fried oysters done right. They were encased in a delicious crunchy breading and a homemade tartar sauce was on the side. Could have used just a little more sauce. I was running low with the final few oysters. We finished the meal with a sake flavored cheesecake that was topped with a caddied piece of ginger. Truly a unique take on cheesecake. Very tangy. Kome is going to have a secure future on the Austin sushi scene. But interest in the menu of non-sushi Japanese cuisine offered here is spreading. Word is out and they were packed Thursday at lunch. This will definitely be a return spot for us! read more

Even the chicks at the bar live Tweeting/Texting/Blogging their entire meal [Is this a thing now? Are we doing this now?] couldn't take away for the incredible meal/experience I had here. I had the Pickled Daikon rolls to start. I love pickled daikon. LOVE. And these were damn fine. I followed it up with the tofu "steak". YO! This is a giant serving a food and eating giant blocks of tofu with slippery chopsticks is pure comedy gold But it was fried crispy and deliciously and I loved every bite of it. It's really nice to have a well thought out and executed vegetarian/vegan meal. I had a glass of their house pinot noir and malbec and both were quite lovely. My dinner companion ordered ALL of the fishes and what nots and was very happy with his meal. Service was great and I love that even though it was crowded and the tables are close together, they somehow have managed to set it up so you don't feel like you're on top of your neighbors. [I'm looking at you Elizabeth St.] It took me forever to get here but I'll be back very soon. read more

Have you ever missed something so much that it brought a tear to your eye when you saw or experienced it again? I've searched far and wide for a ramen joint in the southern United States, only to come up short way too many times. I honestly thought that Nippon in Houston was the closest ramen to East coast's Ippido or west coast's Daikokuya. I don't think that I could ever die peacefully knowing that. People...Houston isn't the place to be... TONKATSU RAMEN IS IN AUSTIN. Thank you so much to Komé for literally making my dreams come true. I'm honestly still in shock that tonkatsu ramen is finally in Austin. The ramen noodles here are great, and cooked the way I expect ramen to be - al dente. The creamy pork bone broth is the lick-your-bowl-clean type--nice and milky/smoky, with plenty of pork and garlic flavor. The noodles come with two meats--sliced pork and half of an onsen egg. The pork was slightly on the disappointing side (thus the 4 stars). After eating black pork a few times in New York I honestly expected better. I believe that the pork should be mind blowing if you are only provided two slices--which was the case. The onsen egg, however was soft, yolky and slow-cooked greatness. The ramen is also laced with a variety of other "goodies." The bamboo shoots are thick and unsymmetrical--aka not the Wei-Chuan canned type. I also enjoyed that the ramen is laced with large kernel sweet corn and seaweed as well. On top of that, they have a few pieces of spinach and minced picked ginger. One major downfall--ramen is only served for lunch. :( I sat at the sushi bar and the sushi chefs were friendly and funny. My understanding is that both were former Uchi guys that left for new ventures. It absolutely shows in the way that they prepare food. One of them I recognized as Yoshi from Sushi A-Go-Go, and the other--Také I believe is one of the owners...both hilarious and talented Uchi alumns. Watch out Uchi(ko), Komé might just have your number. read more

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I had been waiting to pounce on this place as soon as it opened, and pounce I did. :) Fans of Sushi A-Go-Go will be pleased to see many classic Sushi A-Go-Go rolls on the Kome menu (including the Sunshine roll, Trio roll, and Fat Samurai). They also have an extensive nigiri selection, as well as some new rolls exclusive to Kome. Their dinner menu consists of small plates--of which we tried two, but almost all of them looked delicious. The beef carpaccio was heartbreakingly good and the pork gyoza were tender and delicious. They had a pretty interesting spectrum of small dishes, including various types of tempura, yakitora, some rice dishes, and a random smattering of stuff that seemed sort of strange but delicious, like ceviche or steamed monkfish liver. I'll willingly admit that I'm not terribly familiar with Japanese cuisine outside of sushi, because that's what I generally order at a Japanese place. But Kome has me intrigued and I will definitely be back to try more from their small plates menu. From the sushi menu we ordered the Trio roll (one of my old favorites), the Alone Together roll (freaking FAB), and the Endo in NY roll, which was actually a spring roll stuffed with fresh, fresh fish. I probably could have eaten about 5. :) Service was a little slow, but they're probably still working out some kinks on that front. The owner lady is wonderful and friendly and comes around to every table to say hi. Before anybody asks - no ramen and no curry, at least on their dinner menu, but I didn't get a look at their lunch menu. read more

Came here tonight to check this place out. 45 minute wait....not too bad for a Saturday evening. Then, 1 hour passes, 1 hour 15 minutes....... All the guests who came in after my group all were seated before the hour time. Something must be wrong, so we ask if we are still on the list, and now a party of 20 rolls in and they have 3-4 empty tables and yet we are still not seated. 1 hour 30+ minutes pass, we ask again how much longer and the hostess tells us: "mmm it might be another 20 minutes or so...." Are you kidding me? Several groups who were waiting the same time we were, got sat, ate, and left the restaurant and we are still standing here 1 hour 45 minutes after. (I'm sure the food is good, and I can't rate it since we were never seated) Maybe there will be an update to this review, but this is definitely no-no for service. read more

Reading some of these reviews made me sad and annoyed. First of all, you have some ppl on here who seem to only write bad reviews, others who complain over every little tiny thing (crumbs, really?) it makes me wonder why they ever leave their house! Also, to the guy who complained he couldn't find the exit... as in most restaurants, the entrance and the exit are the same. Did you forget that quickly how you entered the restaurant? Also, to those who feel the need to compare Kome to Uchi: I'd keep in mind that Uchi is a much bigger restaurant, with a lot more employees and has also been around since 2003. Kome doesn't compare themselves to Uchi. Food: I love food but I'm not an adventurous eater (and I wouldn't dare review/rate a restaurant based on foods that I've never before tried in my life). I come here a lot with my boyfriend who *loves* Japanese food and I find plenty on the menu that I can enjoy. The Texas Surf N Turf roll is my favorite. Makes me want one right now! I also like the tempura camanbert cheese and the kome viche. Also, they use locally farmed ingredients from HausBar Farms. Local biz supporting local farm. Service: I've had good and not so good service and the wait can be long at times. I hope these are kinks that are being worked out since Kome is still brand new (less than 3 months!). Since we frequent this place, I've had the chance to meet the owners (who are there all the time) and they are genuinely nice people. It's a small, locally owned, family restaurant... and I'm happy to spend my money in places like these! read more

I have to agree w/ Deanna L....just because the guy has worked at Uchi, what makes people think it's a "poor man's Uchi" or a casual version of Uchi? While Uchi is very good, it's not exactly Japanese home cooking. Kome is Japanese home-cooking. Their website says so. And well my (Japanese) mother did cook up kara-age for my bento for my Saturday school lunches, she'd whip up katsudon after she made tonkatsu and there were left overs. She's from Osaka so she's picky about her udon - always dashi, never soy based. Dad's from Kyushu, so he has a thing about his ramen. So growing up in a household like that I'd have to say that this is truly Japanese home cooking. The ramen (tonkotsu) is my favorite and delicious. I love all the goodies, like Nori (so authentic! to have it in ramen!), corn, pork, egg, and of course their shichimi chili powder. Too bad they don't serve the ramen at dinner. When we want ramen, we WANT ramen ;) Oh and an iced matcha would be a nice addition to their non-alcoholic drink menu. In the twice in a month's time that I've been there it went from pretty busy to....PACKED. There were tons of young Japanese families and that's always a good sign. I didn't even know there were that many Japanese families in Austin, and I said that in Japanese to the owner and he agreed that surprisingly there are :) THe owner and his co-sushi-chef-pilot were very nice guys. There was a manager while were there busting his a$$ - he was cleaning down the tables, making sure to seat people, etc. When I approached a waiter for the chili powder, he came by immediately to see if anything was wrong (there wasn't). Kudos to the manager dude. All I have to say is ARIGATO for having Japanese home cooking right here in Austin. It feeds into my inner japanese soul and reminds me of my mom's cooking growing up. I'll definitely be back. read more

Before I get into the meat of this review, let me say that I really WANTED to like Kome. The owner used to work at Uchi, which in my humble opinion is the best restaurant in Austin. The price point for most dishes is low in comparison as well. So, as others have echoed, it was supposed to be a "poor man's Uchi". But as I came to find out, there is NO comparison to our hallowed local portal to Japan. I write this review with no ill-will, but with a hope that the owners will take it into consideration in an effort to "iron out the kinks". My girlfriend and I chose to sit at the sushi bar and here were our observations: 1. The bar chairs had food crumbs all over the seats. My girlfriend made a remark but the hostess just sorta stood there while my girlfriend leaned over and cleaned the crumbs off. I did the same for my chair. We should not have to do that. 2. After we were seated, we looked up 45 degrees and were met with 4-6 rather bright Home Depot quality flood lamps. We likened it to staring into the sun. I understand the sushi chefs need light to work, but they could have covered them in a better way. Task lighting, people. Bright and poorly placed lights do not lend to a romantic or calming air. And this is not Home Depot. 3. As we were not drinking that night, we both ordered sparkling water. "Two Perriers", said the tatted up server (btw, I like tattoos, so 4 stars for her on that). However, 10 minutes later, we were still sitting at the bar with nothing to drink. She had forgotten them. And she was posted up in the kitchen to right of the bar, talking to another server. Someone finally came by to rescue us a couple minutes later. We re-ordered our sparkling waters but they didn't come until AFTER our first appetizer arrived. More on that next. 4. We decided to start with the Tako-Wasa, as I'd heard good things about the Octopus at Kome. Well, it was basically diced octopus in a quail egg in a little bowl. Now, I've never had octopus so perhaps I'm to blame for this one but, it was not good. It was slippery, one dimensional and just not very well thought out. It was hard to chew through the meat, and when combined with the slippery egg white, turned into a game of cat and mouse, except the cat was my molars and the mouse was the octopus. I had one bite and left it sitting on the table for 15 minutes before it was picked up. ENOUGH SAID. 5. Uchi has a pretty incredible pumpkin tempura so we decided to see what Kome had in comparison. While Uchi batters thick slices of the pumpkin, which can be eaten like a large chip, Kome served us a julienned medley of vegetables with the tempura just poured on top. The ratio of vegetable to tempura was easily 1 to 5. No attention to detail. No presentation. Just a crap-ton of fried tempura with a few strips of vegetables here and there. Pretty disappointing. 6. At this point our dining area was starting to get a bit "crumby" (see point 1) again. But the server did not offer to tidy this up for us. Perhaps this is something that only happens at fine dining and higher end steak restaurants, but c'mon now, good service is good service. I ended up cleaning the crumbs myself. 7. We decided to finish with the "Midnight Sun" roll as I'd read good things about it here on Yelp. This is a deep fried tempura and salmon roll, similar to Uchi's "Shag Roll". When it came out, the presentation was actually quite beautiful. They stacked the 4 pieces on top of each other and drizzled sauce all over them. One bite though, was a different story. While Uchi's Shag is smaller and much easier to eat, the Midnight Sun was rather large and chewy. It took me about 30 seconds to get through one piece. And the addition of sunflower seeds didn't help the situation. Sunflower seeds? Really? Chew. Chew. Chew. It just didn't work. 8. At this point, not being satisfied with any of the dishes or the service we just wanted to get the check and leave. When it arrived, there was nothing itemized. Just a $24 tab. After doing the math, we deduced that she had charged us for the Tako-Wasa, which as mentioned earlier, wasn't even touched. I left a tip and we got up from our seats to leave. But the exit is not clearly marked so first I opened the door to the office. Bewildered, I turned the other way and got a storage closet. Process of elimination left me and my date with $30 tab for two Perriers, a cold parking lot and a whole lot of disappointment. I wanted to love it. I really did. But as my girlfriend later said, "Sushi is like sex; once you've had the best (Uchi) you never settle for less". read more

My favorite sushi spot in Austin. Not too expensive, but incredibly fresh. They do classic rolls well and their specialty rolls are just the right amount of creative and delicious. Their tempura is amazing. Their Japanese food is to die for. Fantastic chirashi too. read more

Hello Ramen. I've never had ramen that's not from a packet. Granted, I've always wanted to and I've upgraded in the past years to the high-dollar Japanese ramen from Asahi Imports on Burnet (I think that stuff's a dollar a pack!), but Kome is the first time I've had the real stuff. For my first time, I went with the tonkatsu-ramen which is a milky pork broth with lots of toppings including corn, bamboo shoots, ginger, seaweed, and some kind of greens, maybe mustard? Also two sliced of the cake that is white with the red swirl...I'm not sure the name or what it is, and half of a hard-boiled egg. It's so delicious and homey. I don't know how else to describe it, but it's pure comfort food. I could eat it every day. The Man had the tonkatsu rice bowl which was egg, onion, and breaded pork on top of a kind of saucy rice. I had a bite and was in heaven. I'm going to have to try that next. Service was pretty backed up when we were there, but they were so nice and gracious that it didn't bother us in the slightest. I can't wait to go back and try more! read more

Long wait on a Friday night. That was the only drawback. Waited one solid hour. But it was worth it! Sushi was outstanding! Had yellowfin tuna and it was cheap and as good as I've had anywhere. Had the bluefin tuna and it was equally outstanding. Yellowtail was as good as I've had. The rolls were fine but I'd probably skip them next time. The other items were good but not great (gyozo, fried chicken wings, edamame) But this is a sushi place and the sushi is cheap and fantastic so that garners all 5 stars! Smiley face and star read more

Kome is a new sushi / izakaya (think Japanese tapas) restaurant from the owners of the Sushi-a-Go-Go food truck. It's on Airport Blvd just south of Tamale House, replacing what had been a long-closed Mexican bar and grill. (Oh La Revancha - I'll miss your spray-painted signage!) They have two menus - a sushi/roll menu and a page of small plates (generally in the $5-$7 range). I think this place has a lot of promise. Here's what I've tried so far: Sushi Menu The two pieces of sushi I tried (unagi and hamachi) were both really fresh. Hoping this wasn't a first night only tease because I'd definitely come back just for this. The spicy scallop was just ok (needed more spice). The Surf and Turf roll ($7.50) was big and had some nice heat on the sauce. Solid choice if you don't like or can't eat raw fish. Izakaya Menu Yaki-Ongiri (rice balls - $5) - The plate comes with two rice balls and some sliced Japanese pickles. There is no filling but the flavor (mirin?) of the rice and the texture difference between the crispy outside and chewy inside really delivered. The kushikatsu ($6) - panko-fried skewers of pork and vegetables - were good. Liked the breading and the sweet soy sauce but didn't love the fillings. I'm looking forward to trying the standard Katsu lunch box. They are open for lunch M-F and dinner M-Sat. Looking forward to future visits! read more

This review is for dinner which unfortunately does not include the ramen dishes which look awesome. The hostesses at the front are very sweet and apologized for the wait on a Saturday night; no worries as they gave us a menu and set us up with drinks. Once we were seated the waitress took our drink orders and then disappeared for like 15 minutes?? The sushi tasted fresh and the octopus dumplings were very good but drenched in an overpowering sauce. The pork and cabbage omelette was decent but too sour. The potato croquets were awful. I was surprised at the low quality of the grilled items but lesson learned. read more

I made the mistake of coming to Kome on a recent Saturday during lunch. I say "mistake" because Kome was recently featured in the Austin-American Statesman, so the place was absolutely packed to the gills. (No pun intended) I sampled two different items at Kome: The kara-age (Japanese fried chicken) and the ramen. First, the kara-age. The Japanese love them some fried chicken but, honestly, who doesn't? This dish was as close to perfection as possible. There's nothing fussy or unusual about it--small chunks of chicken that are fried to perfection, incredibly juicy, and extremely flavorful. The portion size was generous and came with a side salad, too. Alone, I would rate this dish as 5 star worthy. Next, the ramen. This was really a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I'm extremely happy and grateful to have another restaurant in Austin serving Japanese style ramen to the masses. On the other hand, I know how amazing a great bowl of ramen can be, so I am extremely critical, too. I judged the bowl on three components: The noodles, the broth, and the toppings. Noodles: A great ramen shop will make these by hand, but most are store bought. I was told these are not made in house, but are made locally. I thought they were nicely cooked, with good flavor and consistency. 4 of 5 stars. Broth: There are three varieties sold at Kome--a pork bone base, soy sauce base, and a miso (fermented soy bean) base. I decided to try the miso variety based on owner Take-san's recommendation. I thought the white miso base was a bit too weak and should've been stronger in flavor. That's not to say it was bad tasting, because it certainly wasn't, but it just didn't add anything either. 2 of 5 stars. Toppings: Really, this boils down to "chashuu-style" pork slices and everything else. The chashuu pork is, without doubt, everyone's favorite part of ramen because it's fatty, flavorful, and there's almost never enough of it. Surprisingly, Kome uses ground pork in their miso ramen. I've encountered this before at some ramen shops in Japan and it's just not my preference because it's harder to eat than a pork slice and doesn't taste anywhere as good. Chef Take-san informed me they do offer pork slices on their other kinds of ramen, so I asked the waiter for some on the side. This, I was shocked to learn, is just roasted pork. It wasn't very flavorful, juicy, or tender and absolutely incorrect for a bowl of Japanese ramen. So why does Kome do this? Either they're cheap, lazy, or don't think people will know the difference. Whatever the reason, I feel cheated. 2 of 5 stars. Overall, the ramen was a major letdown, but even so, I still think it's one of the better ramen bowls you'll find in Austin (believe it or not). The kara-age was incredibly good, so this helped bring up the score to 4 stars for me. I've only just scratched the surface as far as Kome's menu goes, so I hope to be back and try more items on a subsequent visit. read more

I've been meaning to hit up this place in quite a while, and what better opportunity was there than to treat a homesick Tokyo-ite to some Japanese food? I was so excited to hear this place had more to it than the same-old sushi and teppanyaki combo that seemed to define Japanese fare to the inexperienced, and kept my fingers crossed that I wouldn't be scrambling to save face after bringing my guest here. When the end of the evening is full of an excited Japanese declaring "THIS is Japanese food!" - then that, my lovely Yelpers, is the best vote of confidence this place can get. We ordered several little plates of various goodies - the takoyaki (doughy rice flour grilled into little pancake-y balls filled with ginger, onion, and pieces of cooked octopus) was piping hot, moist and fluffy. The Camembert croquette was the perfect size to share, with hot and crispy panko breading, flavorful, cheezy insides and just the right amount of crunch. I won't say much about the sushi - because that's not we really came for so much as the more unusual (for America, anyway) fare. We ordered some ankimo (monkfish liver - yum! If you're an uni fan...or a fan of foie gras, actually...give this a shot!), salmon, and escolar. All were just cold enough without being near-frozen (believe me, it happens more often than it should), flavorful and delicate. There's something to be said for the atmosphere...while the fare is fairly izakaya-style, the atmosphere is not. This can be fortunate or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it. On the plus side, you never have to worry about the stench of cigarette smoke permeating your senses (or your clothes), but on the other hand, the surroundings are a little too chic for this to be the "authentic izakaya experience" that Austin is lacking. Alas. I have to say, though, this restaurant is probably one of the busiest, loudest Japanese restaurants I have been to in quite some time. It's great to see that it's doing well, but if your idea of Japanese dining is a serene, secluded time, you might want to hit this place up in off-hours. My guest and I were having to practically shout in order to hear each other. It's a lively spot, and definitely one I will be returning to...but probably when it's not quite so busy! read more

Last week my friend Rachel suggested we try Kome, a new sushi restaurant on Airport near 51st Street. Aparently the founder is a Uchi alumnus, which is getting to be a common theme among hip, new Asian restaurants around Austin. Two things I noticed right away: 1. The parking lot is tiny. Luckily, there is street parking in the neighborhood street adjacent to the restaurant. 2. It was crowded! We arrived just before 7pm and was seated right away on a Thursday night. By the time we spoke to our server, there was a wait line forming at the door. There were several unfamiliar items on the menu including Fried Camebert cheese and Fried gizzards the server recommended. We opted for the cheese which was served with a honey dipping sauce. Sushi rolls dominated the rest of our meal, with the standout roll being the Midnight Sun roll creatively presented with two pieces each stacked on top of each other and drizzled with an orange-colored spicy sauce. Beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. I am looking forward to returning for lunch when the menu changes to more hot, traditional Japanese items. Here's a shot of the impressive Midnight Sun roll: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/386737_10150433905191275_532046274_8989994_1988614303_n.jpg read more

I've been to Kome three times - twice for lunch, once for dinner on a Monday night. Bottom line - the sushi is fine, but nothing amazing or different or special - and the space is too small, making it uncomfortable to dine and too loud to hear your friends. The facility is too small for the number of tables and people. It's crazy loud - as in when I finally got to leave after to dinner, my ears were ringing as if I'd been at a Metallica concert for the lats hour. I got a waiter/waitresses butt in my head about 20 times because the tables are too close together and they had to walk behind me every time to get to other tables. The food is fine. But it's not worth it. Drive the extra two miles to another sushi joint. read more