Uchiko is a fun dining experience. It was not the sushi experience I am used to - typically I order a few rolls to share and call it a day. In contrast, at Uchiko, we ordered a variety of cold/hot/raw dishes that were really interesting and tasty. The service was also very good. The only thing that underwhelmed was the spicy tuna roll. It was bland. If we go back, we'll probably continue to take our server's advice and try new things versus sticking with the sushi rolls. I look forward to going back! read more

Chef Paul Qui is no longer at Uchiko people!!! Stop going there. He moved to another sushi joint in Allandale. Now let me eat in peace!!!

Ummm.. I am at a loss for words when it comes to this place. Absolutely top notch from beginning to end. Every waiter/waitress that decided to drop off each one of selections stayed at the table to explain this dish which I have never seen in any restaurant (fancy or not) that I have been to. I will for sure be back! read more

All the hype about this place is TRUE!!!! I won't belabor this review since all the other 500 plus 5 star reviews are right on. I would rank this in the top 5 of my all-time favorite meals. One tip, from 5 to 6:30 they have a lot of their items on their menu for either $3 or $6 which is unheard of for the quality of food that you get. My wife and I had 14 dishes with a glass of wine for $150 dollars. read more

I ate here twice and I can't recall everything I ate, but I can tell you this, EVERYTHING I ordered was DELISH! I went here for my birthday and even though the portions are small and served family style, you will be amazed how quickly you can get full. I love love this place because 1. awesome food 2. the servers are so knowledgeable about the food. You can tell a restaurant really wants their servers to be in the know of what happens in the back of the kitchen. They show team work inside and out with the food, service, and with that brings a great atmosphere for their guest. read more

Ate everything. Not going to repeat what is already out there on yelp. Had a great anniversary dinner here with hubby. Check it.

This restaurant was astoundingly great. The staff and chefs should be so proud and other restaurants should look to Uchiko for inspiration. Food: The food was divine, best restaurant I've been to in 2013, and top 10 meals I've had in my life (and after working in 7 countries and now working in an airline, I travel and eat quite a bit). Each dish was complex, flavorful and ridiculously well balanced both in terms of flavor and texture. Highlights on what we ate: - Hamachi Crudo - Fish was flavorful, the orange supremes complemented the flavor of the fish without overwhelming it, the thai chilis were spicy but not overpowering - Waygu short-ribs - this was on their specials menu and it was so ridiculously good it's not even funny. There are very few bites that make you want to savor that flavor forever and you can't help buy smile at how great life is, and this is one of those bites. The Waygu short-ribs are braised for 72 hours, are fall off the fork tender with rich beef flavor. The rapini is served 2 ways, both braised and in puree form. There's also a roasted garlic puree. Everything together is simply delicious. - Brussels sprouts - sweet, salty, sour, spicy, smoky. All my favorite "s's" in Brussels sprouts form. - Onion rings - these were decent, but not necessarily something to write home about. The batter was very light, the onion was tender and juicy, but still had a little crunch. The seasoning made a sauce unneeded. - Pork jowl - Looks fatty, tastes awesome. The richness is cut by the Asian pear and the kimchi spicy mixture which all makes for yet another well-balanced dish. - Sushi - At a typical sushi restaurant, a piece of sushi is just a slice of fish over a bit of rice, with maybe a touch of wasabi to hold the fish to the rice. Sometimes you can some ponzu sauce or chili-oil. Here, they complement the fish with a twist, a shiso leaf in the case of the madai (Japanese Sea Bream) or a touch of basil and shaved salt in the case of uni. We also had fatty salmon and big eye tuna. They were all excellent. - Fried Milk dessert - sounds strange, but again the textures played really well together and made each bite interesting. Service: Impeccable. Our waiter was so personable and you could tell he genuinely enjoyed working at Uchiko. He was honest, straightforward and gave us excellent recommendations. He was conversational, informative, and was great at building rapport with his guests. Ambiance: Lively, but not overwhelming. Upscale, but approachable and unpretentious. Dinner cost: $120 before tip for the above dishes, plus two iced teas. I would highly recommend this restaurant. Be sure to make reservations beforehand. read more

One of my first (and best) fancypants Austin restaurant experiences! Sit at the bar and let the sushi chef make you whatever he likes--trust me, and trust him, you'll love it. The dessert was a little odd, tobacco flavoring or something, but major points for creativity. Diabetics be warned: sushi doesn't always come with a ton of rice, so make sure you are prepared! My friend had to scarf down the whole dessert because none of our sushi came with rice. I, on the other hand, would rather not have any starchy fillers interfering with the taste of my food, so I LOVED the lack of rice. It's amazing and more casual than the location down south, so if you're leery of classiness, this is a better bet. read more

Uchiko is not your typical sushi bar. Every aspect of their menu is thoughtfully crafted with true quality you can taste. We came for happy hour and ordered basically everything on the happy hour tastings and nigiri section including the makimonohama chili, sake crudo, kinoko no nanbanzuke, niku dango, green bean tempura, short rib, avocado nigiri, sake nigiri, bincho nigiri, broccoli with crispy chicken skin (unsure of the name and not on menu), milk n' cereal and apple kasu. My favorites were the avocado nigiri, bobroccoli with crispy chicken skin, short rib and the milk n' cereal. Each were perfectly executed in terms of presentation and taste. I will say that the milk n' cereal (originally the fried milk) stole the show by far. The toasted milk ice cream was pleasantly sweet and had hints of a toasted taste; paired with the fried milk and the chocolate mousse and you can die a happy life. Brandon was by far the best waiter I have had in awhile - very attentive, conversational, helpful and thoughtful. I am already looking forward to coming back to Uchiko! read more

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Uchi and Uchiko never disappoint on cuisine. The pattern has emerged that no matter how exquisite the food is, upon leaving the discussion is always about how the wait was quoted at 5 minutes, but turned out to be 40. Or the previous time, 50 minutes but was 2:30. On our last visit the service was sub par as we felt that the staff was rushing us out. This evening we had a much better experience with the staff, despite the inaccurate wait approximation. The way we dine, we shouldn't be rushed out (if we take our time, the tab reflects that). We dined at the Sushi bar and Mango took great care of us. His suggestions were the best parts of the line up tonight. Typically being slow diners we enjoyed three courses of sushi and drinks before desert and never felt rushed. Everything we were served exceeded expectations. If the front of the house service was improved, Uchi and Uchiko would be tops for dining experiences in Austin. read more

The noise level was unbearable and totally ruined our experience. It is a pity because the quality of the food is great. But when you spend so much money on your meal, you don't only expect excellent quality but also an impeccable experience. That was not the case. read more

While I originally shyed away from Uchiko for a while, because I thought it would be too much like Uchi, I now frequent this place regularly. Everything about this place is amazing. While it is a bit pricy the experience is totally worth it. To be honest, I would go as far to say Uchiko has over taken its sister restaurant Uchi. The atmosphere is more intimate, the food is just as amazing, the desserts are to die for, and the wine and sake lists are incredible. So definitely try Uchiko but be ready to pay close to $250-$300 dollars for two people. read more

I am normally wary of a high price point with food because I've often felt like it was something my husband (not me; never me) could make at home. At Uchiko last night, we might've had the best dining experience we've ever had in Austin. It was Hubs' birthday, so the expectations were higher than usual, which is saying something. The food was AMAZING. We went during social hour when all of the apps are 1/2 price. We put all of our trust in the dude serving us at the sushi bar and told him to give us an experience. All of the goodies from the social hour menu, in the order he deemed most delicious, and a few surprises if he thought it was necessary. It blew our minds, especially the foodie birthday boy. Best ever. read more

I made reservations and they wont allow you into happy hour unless you sit at the bar area. I made reservations and assumed i would get in but they turned us away. Snobby and bad service doesnt make up for the food. read more

I've been to Uchiko three or four times now and each time has been an amazing experience. I think each visit trumps the last, probably because I get a little more comfortable and adventurous with what we order. :) Beautiful restaurant, extremely knowledgeable waitstaff, and yes, wildly expensive if you do it right. But we all deserve a special dinner once in a while, right? Right! The maguro sashimi and goat cheese is a must-order. It's the best thing I've ever tasted. The Shag Roll is another delicious item that we can't skip. The Bacon Tataki is absolutely delicious and actually pretty filling as far as a tasting plate goes. Very delicious pork belly dish! The sweet corn sorbet desert is a perfect finish to the dinner. I'm still thinking about it from last night. :) read more

Over-priced and not worth the price. I have had better experience in other seafood / sushi restaurants. We did a 10-course meal selecting different items from sifferent sections. A couple were excellent. The rest were forgettable. Good sea food need not be intensely seasoned. Chefs need to respect the natural flavor of the food. I had geoduck or mirugai. This is best served raw and gently seasoned. I am not a fan of smoking this wonderful clam. Some of the items were too salty. The waiter over-explained things and assume customers do not know the menu or ingredients. I can ask if I do not know. What upsets me most is some made-up stories to explain the rice wine. Good food and good drinks just need to be presented instead of some fictitious stories behind the wine. Waiter does not even know what kind of rice the sake was made from. Try good quality cold sake and try different types. You will enjoy good sake better when it is cold. After dinner, I was still hungry and had to go late night somewhere. Do not go to this place and expect to be fed decently. Austin is a good city to eat. Unfortunately, this is not one of the better restaurants. read more

Best sushi ever! Every time I have been has never been even okay or bad. Incredible food!

Came here for the sake social hour. We ordered the 3 makimono rolls, beef tongue, bacon (with crispy rice, egg), and the seasonal dessert. The first roll was a vegetarian one, which was tasty. The 2nd was very very plain. Just a piece of fish with rice and the seaweed wrapper. It was maybe, 3/4inch in diameter. Also, it wasn't cut very well b/c the pieces stuck together. It came with a single sauce on the side. Upon seeing the 3rd plate, which was just like the 2 roll MINUS the sauce, I sent it back immediately. Just not what I expected. Compared to the Uchi Houston happy hour, this one lags far behind. The bacon was excellent, however! Easily my fave dish of the night. Tongue had a strange aftertaste, but it was a good experience to try it. The dessert was also very good. I think the normal menu would be great, but the HH menu here (at least the rolls) just pales in comparison to the Uchi houston one. read more

Wow. 1 star for brilliant interior design. 2nd star for incredible service, with a smile from everyone who works here. 3rd star for incredibly well prepared dishes. 4th star for some of most brilliant flavor combinations I've ever had in any restaurant, anywhere. Can you say, 'umami'? Five stars it is, then! read more

As good as it gets. I still get an occasional hankering for a couple of the Uchi-only dishes, but overall, I prefer the ambiance at Uchiko.

Uchiko is the sister restaurant of the hit place and foodie heaven Uchi. It wasn't bad, but after Uchi a bit of a let down. read more

Uchikoooooo! What could I possibly add here that will matter in the sea of 711 other fanatical reviews? Well.. Not much. I'm still reviewing this bia though. Boyfriend and I came for happy hour on a Monday. We were strategic in our approach and arrived at 4:40 to wait for them to open at 5. We were the first, but several other pairs began arriving a few minutes later. We went in at 4:50 and got our names down to sit in front of the sushi chef station, and were seated at the bar to wait. While at the bar, we were treated to some fancy-looking peanuts. I had just put one in my mouth when I overheard the bartender explaining to another patron that they're made with fish. Yup. How? I don't know... maybe bonito flakes or fish sauce. I'm a vegetarian though who doesn't eat any seafood (bet you're wondering why I'm at Uchiko?) so that kind of sucked for me. That one peanut was good though... We were seated at the sushi chef station right after 5.. and we were there literally almost two hours. Although I'm a strict vegetarian, I still adore sushi - I love veggie rolls, and really love a place that can give me something that is more than your standard carrot sticks, cucumber, avocado and asparagus kind of roll. Uchiko really delivered. I got... 1. Fried brussels sprouts: sprouts are a favorite of mine so I was super excited to have these. Boyfriend, who usually finds sprouts too "earthy" said "whoa" after eating one. They were incredible. 2. Kakiage (Sweet potato fritter): This was one big fritter. We had to break it up to make it manageable but it was super tasty. I love tempura anything. 3. Komaki roll: This was amazing. The lemon miso sauce was great, and the mix of mint and cilantro garnish on top was fabulous. Party in my mouth, seriously. Incredibly flavorful. 4. Avocado nigiri: I don't know how you make avocado on top of rice so freaking good but whatever, I'll take it. 5. Trumpet mushroom nigiri (daily special): Probably my least favorite thing but still good. I also tried to order the "imo tostones" from the daily specials, but when the waitress explained the dish as she was putting it on our table, she mentioned "bacon foam". Eh? No mention of bacon foam on the menu and the sushi chef had said it was vegetarian. They took it back, apologized profusely, and removed it from the bill. As for my boyfriend... he practically ordered the menu. At least 10 things. He went a little crazy. He was over the moon though and was freaking out over everything he put in his mouth. At the end of the meal he said it was the best sushi he'd ever eaten. Our total bill (before tip) was $92. Whooaaaaa. Crazy cheap for how much food we ordered and the number of drinks between us (6? 7?). Going for their Happy Hour is definitely the way to go. I can't wait to go back for dinner - there were a lot of other things on their menu that I want to try. read more

Excellent service. Very attentive. Everything was spot on. There wasn't a dish we did not like. Not cheap, but high quality.

We had eagerly been anticipating the opening of Uchiko. Delicious uchi-like food available in our neighborhood? We're in. We made our reservation, and off to try the 10 course tasting menu we went. Service - Amazing. Attentive but not overbearing. Similar to Uchi, I love that they give you their "suggestions" on how to eat certain dishes, because honestly, with some of the crazy yet amazing presentation, I would have no clue if not for their recommendation on how to dig in and get the full flavor effect (i.e. try the sushi pieces upside down in your mouth so you get the full flavor of the lemon infused sea salt topping.) YUM. Drinks - Tried the Pan Am - a delicious sake cocktail. It was refreshing (sake, rosemary, apples). Also a great selection of wines by the glass. Food - A-MAZE-ING. Seriously. Much like the tasting menu at Uchi, there were some things that completely blew us away, and some that were pleasantly delicious. My favorites? The tuna on watermelon (akami te) - the flavor was incredible - the contrast of textures, the lightness and pure summery delight of the combination - perfect. The Ao Saba (grilled mackerel, mushrooms, huckleberry) was very interesting. Great flavor (very earthy) and beautiful presentation. The usagi tomago (Rabbit confit) was unreal - the textures, flavors, and presentation were amazing. Also tried a wonderful Wagu Beef dish which was to die for. Peppered in the tasting were some other wonderful sushi pieces, the hot rock tuna, and another beef dish. And dessert? Wow. I tried the tobacco cream dish and it blew me away - LOVED it. The husband tried the sweet corn sorbet (and that was also amazing.) The only downside on the food side of the meal was that they were out of the bacon sen (must go back to try that.) We had an amazing meal, and walked away full, and happy....can't wait to go back and try some other things on the menu. Definitely make reservations (it was packed, even during our early reservation time.) It's pricey, but worth it for a splurge or special event. The decor is also really beautiful, and we appreciated the table spacing (less intrusive then uchi). We really enjoyed it, and cannot wait to go back. read more

This is about the 5th or 6th time I have been here with the gf in the past couple of months and the sashimi was delicious, gotta get the scallops (one of the best things I've ever eaten)... but honestly each time I go, it's not quite as good as the previous time... This time we found out they no longer make the coconut crepe, watermelon sashimi dish and this rice dish in a clay pot with moving ingredients (forgot the name) and those are the gf's favorite dishes... tobacco ice cream and fried milk for dessert was good as always but seems like we will be heading back to Uchi as they seem to have a better selection of cooked food and slightly better quality read more

Four stars for food and vibe, minus one star for location. Just wasn't feeling it; especially when I compare it to Uchi. I'll definitely go back to Uchiko, don't get me wrong...but I'd rather go to Uchi. Just not into the strip mall feel of the location. read more

Chef testing menu is the way to go. You can see how well the dishes are curated to carry the dinning experience throughout the meal. State of art culinary experience. Get the Hama-Chili and Tabacco cream. read more

Pretty fantastic place. We went here for my birthday and had the best service of any restaurant in Austin I've been to. We got a seat at the bar and got to watch the head chef making us an amazing Omakase over the course of a couple of hours. There was one dish we had, an Uni based fantasy with sea grapes, that literally took me back to my childhood. Unreal. Fantastic experience, would go again. Having said this, if I were to skip anything on the menu it would be the dessert. It simply does not compliment the delicate flavors of the rest of the dishes. I found it was trying too hard to be avant grade and needs to pull back on it's over enthusiastic flavor pairings and excessive ingedient mixings. Other than that, as close to perfect as you can find. read more

Best sushi place I have been. It is not the typical sushi food. They have amazing food, everything we tried was very good. It's better to get there when they open for two reasons: the happy hour menu and your food is served faster. After 6 the place gets packed and takes more time to get your food. We were at the restaurant two hours due to every time it too longer to be served even when we ordered almost everything from the beginning. But definitely the was was worthy. The tofu strawberry, bacon and jar jar duck were our favorites. The tobacco desert was also very good. We read it was too expensive so we were expecting a higher bill but was not that expensive, about 40 per person (we ordered 5 dishes from the happy hour, 3 from the regular menu, 2 iced read and 1 drink from the happy hour menu). The serving is also the best I have ever seen, all of them were very attentive, as soon as you finished a dish any waiter picked it up. Highly recommended. read more

Uchiko Austin - Tobacco - Sushi Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

I still LOVE Uchiko. Rob says that he dreams about eating here. Last time we sat at the sushi bar, which I highly recommend.

Uchiko is over-priced and over-rated, but we have no regrets at eating there ONCE. Fool me twice, shame on me however. Uchiko reminded us of those trendy Aspen Japanese-Asian fusion places like Kenichi (Aspen) and Matsuhisa. We had mostly sushi and but sampled around the fusion menu, and it was all good but also all seriously over-priced and over-presented, especially the delivering server's blabbling. Our waiter was down-to-earth and saved the meal for us. The original Uchi is rumored to be more traditional and is still on our bucket list of to do's. read more

Have been to both Uchi and now Uchiko and totally get why there are two restaurants. Uchi is more refined and subtle flavors while Uchiko goes for bold and strong tastes. The atmosphere at both places is pretty relaxed and upbeat. While I found Uchiko amazing, the one regret was not getting the smoked duck dish (since I got the tasting menu) which smelled and looked fantastic when other peopled ordered it. read more

I love Uchiko. The food is great, the waitstaff is courteous and knowledgable, and the management is superb. I've eaten there dozens of times. On my latest adventure I found a piece of silicate in my crudo. It was part of the preservative packet they use for preserving their fennel chips. Not a pleasant thing to find, but it is absolutely clear and would be hard to see. That isn't the story, the story is that I received an effusive apology from the management and half our bill comped. I could have gotten angry and stormed out, and would have been in my right. But I'll be coming back to Uchiko because by the time I got to the line caught maguro toro I didn't care any more. Everything was handled well. read more

Food: pretty solid sushi. Yes expensive , but the quality is definitely a grade or two above almost every other plce in Austin . Beyond that, I think it's great if you're into lots of bells and whistles (smoke in the duck jar etc). Based on two visits I would say the food is overall excellent, but not outstanding . Service: Our assigned sushi chef Ken was a real A-hole. Sure this is a high end sushi restaurant, but spare me the sanctimonious attitude bro. You have sushi skills , which I can respect, but don't forget that you're still in a service industry -- have a little respect for your customers. Debating on whether its worth going back to deal with the attitude again. Rest of the staff was great, but we were unfortunately soured by one rotten apple. read more

Great sushi but the rolls are uninspired. Don't go here unless you want to show your friends how much money you can spend in one evening. The entrees are really just tapas portions so you need to order 3-4. Maybe if I was rich I could have ordered the $300 stuff and had a better time. read more

Wow! Had tasting menu, fantastic top to bottom! Looking forward to returning!

This is for both Uchi and Uchico--too inconsistent. I have been there maybe 10 times, and if my first experience was like the last one, I would never have gone back. Can be good, but the last time was way over priced and their quality was so-so and know I go to San Fran and NYC often enough to not mind paying up for great sushi as such I have found a place up by the Whole Foods in north Austin which I like better--nothing fancy, but good and always the same quality. read more

I love sushi and this is one of the best I've ever had. rated 4 star but it really isn't that bad if you just get rolls and sushi pieces (which is all we ordered). I highly recommend the uni and the mackerel with truffle sushi (forget the name they gave it). Really some of the most unique sushi I've ever tried. The ham and egg roll (pork) isn't bad but too heavy for my taste. Would absolutely go back. read more

Good and pricy. Fun to try interesting food combinations from time to time when you have some extra money, but it's not something I would ever crave or go out of my way for. I'm glad I tried it, but I have lots of other places on my list to try, so I don't think I'll be rushing back. read more

The best restaurant in Austin - just amazing overall. A Japanese fusion combined with farm-to-table ingredients and an amazing staff to curate the best dishes for each person. For a foodie, a must go. read more