Uchi Restaurant

On my last night in Austin, I decided to check out Uchi Restaurant. While “sushi” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Texas, I heard great things about this sushi restaurant, located in Austin’s Zilker neighborhood. After sampling the city’s best barbeque and Mexican cuisine, I was ready for a change.

We didn’t have reservations, so we enjoyed a glass of wine from their extensive list on the outdoor patio while we waited for seats to open. We sat at the sushi counter — a perfect experience for getting tailored recommendations from your dedicated sushi chef. Uchi boasts a daily menu and everyday menu. We wanted to sample from both.

To start, we ordered a few items from the sushi and sashimi selection including salmon, sea urchin and eel. At our sushi chef’s suggestion, we ordered a dish with yellowtail, yucca crisps and marcona almonds. The combination was better than we expected and the tasty dish felt like we were eating sushi nachos. From the everyday menu, we ordered a side of Brussels sprouts with lemon and chili — they were cooked perfectly. We ordered two rolls: Spicy tuna and fatty tuna with scallion and tamari. The spicy tuna was different than we expected — the spicy sauce was on the side. I enjoyed this preparation. The fatty tuna roll was rich yet light and perfectly complemented our order of fresh-grated wasabi. Far too full, we skipped dessert.

Uchi is a must-stop on any trip to Austin.

Uchi Restaurant

801 South Lamar Blvd.

Austin, Texas 78704

tel 512 916 4808