Bistro 88

I continue my hard critique of Austin restaurants. Call me spoiled or elitist, but California has dining down. Places here can’t seem to get the Texas out of em, from the greasy entrees to the homely environments. Bistro 88 was no exception.
+ they sat us even though we came in only 30 minutes before they closed
+ staff wasn’t the greatest, but friendly
— overpriced (even with my $ 25 off
certificate, I still felt like I overpaid)
— greasy food
— run down (exterior and interior)

This place was just ok.
I was thrown off because there were things that I loved and things that were disappointing.
Things that I loved:
volcano roll– California roll topped with spicy scallops. The presentation was freaking sweet. They had a tiny bowl with salt and some sake that they lit on fire for dipping the scallops. Yesssss please, yummy in my tummy.
crunchy roll– shrimp tempura and asparagus with masago aioli and tempura flakes. This one wasn’t as memorable as the volcano roll (probably because it didn’t have a fire pit for dipping, duh) but it was still quite tasty.
Things that were disappointing:
The waiter was pretty quiet and it was hard to hear the specials
My dad got the salmon special– grilled salmon with mango and pepper topping something or other– and it was very dry and weak.
I’d probably come back again but the atmosphere wasn’t too great, it wasn’t a bad experience though– just ok.

This was our second visit to Bistro 88 and we were pleased with the courteous, prompt, professional service. There were 6 of us and ordered plates ranging from pork chops, steak with shrimp, and two different salmon dishes. I had the grilled salmon with a dill sauce and it was wonderful. You must try the chocolate dessert!
I rated 4 instead of 5 stars because the steak and shrimp order was missing 1 shrimp. When that was pointed out to the waiter, there was no offer to bring the missing shrimp or adjust the bill.

I think this place is awesome and I especially love it that they are open for lunch. I do agree that the place is kind of quiet but I think it sets a romantic mood and the fiancé and I like dining here both for dinner and for lunch. The food is a little expensive but you have to take into consideration that it is high-​quality food and sushi. They also have pretty interesting menu choices that are hard to find elsewhere and the presentation of the food always looks nice. I would recommend this place and I have never got food poisoning after dining here.
The location is pretty inconvenient and hard to find because it’s in a plaza with Texas State Optical and other medical offices. If you’re headed West on Bee Caves, coming from Mopac, it’s going to be in the plaza right after the Chevron.

went here for dinner on mother’s day, no reservations. but we got in, the took my
cert w/​o any hassles.
this is fancy asian food. nice clean place, good money was spent on the plates. silver and stemware. the service is top notch. sushi was fantastic.
I feel bad that I often forget to eat at bistro 88. it’s just down the street from my house and they deserve my patronage. I’ve heard they have a good happy hour 7 days a week, I definitely can utilize such an event.

Probably wont be back for this one.
Awesome sushi rolls. High quality fish, Tastes great. Beautiful presentation. Way Expensive.
Bad slow service. We waited a half an hour AFTER we finished eating to get the check. Redic.
Treated us like crap cause we had our
coupon. Kinda dumb…

Bf and I decided to use our
gift certificate here. We’re so glad we did because dining here costs a pretty penny!
Here’s what we tried:
Daniel roll — had four kinds of fish but it was not good! The waiter said it was many customers popular choice. I think they’re trained to say that bc there was nothing great about the roll. What a huge letdown. We felt it lacked the size of fish given and too much rice!
Wild Irishman — had to try this since many Unilocalers recommended it and we give this roll two thumbs up! It has a spicy kick to it bc of the thai chili sauce. I wouldn’t say its worth $ 15 for it. Thank goodness for our certificate which allowed us to splurge and give this roll a try.
Avocado roll with eel — Tasted really good with the shrimp strip on the ends of the roll. It was a favorite for us!
We were disappointed in the lack of dessert choices. What sushi/​asian place doesn’t have mochi or tempura ice cream for a dessert?
Other than that, dining experience was good. Our water got refilled very often and our waiter Rolan was very attentive and great. I wouldn’t come here on a normal basis or without a
certificate.

Tuesday night, 9 pm. This place is DEAD.
But it isn’t attributable to the food. Our seafood bisque ($ 4.50), combo sashimi plate ($ 22) and crispy quail ($ 11) were fantastic.
I can’t wait to come back; the fifth star is not that far out of reach for Bistro 88.

I had the pleasure of dining here recently for a business dinner… and it definitely was a pleasure! It is sort of tucked away even though it is on Bee Caves Rd. It is unassuming in appearance but I was impressed with the size of the menu (both wine and dinner) given the size of the restaurant. I was feeling adventurous so I let the waiter suggest something… and I was not disappointed. The chilean sea bass with a tomato and green chili sauce was pleasantly spicy, a little tangy, but not overwhelming (like me!). And presentation is everything here… the food was almost too pretty to eat. I can’t wait to go back!

Bistro 88 isn’t my first choice, nor is it my last. The plates usually sound pretty good, but execution can occasionally miss the mark. The food winds up coming across pedestrian at yuppie level prices. I have never been excited by their sushi. Typically I wind up with whatever steak choice they have. This time I had the ahi tuna plate. Again, not bad, but I didn’t walk away excited about lunch.
It is quiet, infrequently full, and they do have a party room.

Stopped in here over the summer. It had been on my radar for years. The food was good.
The disappointing thing was that they actually only had 60% of the sashimi and nigiri on their menu in stock. I didn’t get the impression they’d just run out, and it was early on a holiday weekend Saturday. It was really too bad because the menu listed some fairly exotic stuff.

I’ve been going here for years. Over the last couple it has fallen from a 4 star to a 3 star for me.
For sushi, get the spicy sara. The sushi overall is a safe bet.
Their sea bass used to be incredible, now it’s just above average. Not sure what happened.
Otherwise, a bunch of solid lunch items, wouldn’t go here for dinner.

I’m torn.
Started off with the Spicy Sara, which wasn’t bad.
Tuna Tartare with Goat Cheese = not a fan. weird presentation that made it tough to eat, looking like a kid making a huge mess.
Miso Glazed Sea Bass = amazing. cooked perfectly, rice not so good, sauteed green beans
Prime Ribeye Steak= I’ve had better steaks, a bit tough.
Dessert= NY Cheesecake with Blackberries & Strawberries. Delish! (I think I ate about ²⁄₃ of it by myself) oops! :)

I’m one of those people who gets stuck in a restaurant rut, and tonight I decided I really needed to break out. I promised myself that I would go somewhere I had never been before, and made my fiancé hold me to it.
Enter Bistro 88. I was in a sushi kinda mood, and searched around Unilocal to see what all you smarties were recommending. After reading Bistro 88’s reviews, both fiancé and I were sold: The food sounded awesome, prices seemed fairly reasonable. Well, we went. As much as I hate to say it, because I love and trust my fellow Unilocalers (I do, I swear!)…meh.
Sure, the restaurant was cute & service was good, but I like to go to restaurants for the food… and this place just didn’t cut it. Sushi was just blah-​it wasn’t inedible, but a far, far cry from a 4 star experience (or even 3 stars, honestly). Best to steer clear of this one.; much better sushi can be had elsewhere. Damn, I hate it when that happens…

Very fresh sushi. My favorite is the three irishman and tuna tacos. You have to try the tuna tacos! Delish!!! Incredible wait staff. Very nice and informative. Great wine a sake list.
They just started this new happy hour. $ 1.25 sushi, $ 5 apps and $ 5 drinks.
My husband and I have been going here for years and we love it even more every time.

Bistro 88 was fairly pleasant meal with delicious food. We ordered Sake, Tuna Tartare with Goat Cheese, the Crazy Irishman, Spicy Sara, Hong Kong style Chilean Sea Bass, and Ahi Tuna tacos.
The tuna tartare was my date’s favorite dish. The goat cheese is deep fried with a crunchy outside with a gooey with paired well with the texture of the tuna. My favorite roll was the Crazy Irishman. The combination of the flavors of this deep fried roll was a winner as well. Another favorite dish of ours were the Ahi Tuna tacos. I’m usually partial to traditional hole in the wall Mexican food style tacos, but these Asian style tacos could hold their own. The shell was a deep fried wonton wrapper nestled on a bed of rice.
One minor issue was that the sauce on the seabass was just a bit to salty. Otherwise, the fish was perfectly cooked and absolutely fabulous. I was pretty impressed with the dishes overall and would definitely go back for the Crazy Irishman.

So the Bistro hmm… what to say.
1. Location: Tucked away, hard to locate and in a dimly lit plaza.
2. Décor: Butterflies, fish, and crude paintings… what the heck happened in there?
3. Service: Very prompt
4. Food: We all had sushi. The spicy tuna rolls were a hit and I loved the vegetarian options. They have combination platters also.
5. Menu: Quail to many other delightful options.
6. Dressy? I didnt see it as that, nice jeans and a polo for guys is ok.
Overall: I loved the food but dont want to go back because of how being in there confuses everyone.

So, we went to dinner there tonight. We got the appetizer special and 3 sushi rolls.
At the end of the meal, the server actually asked us if we enjoyed the meal. I’ve had it asked to me a thousand times before, and I usually reply the courtesy «yes, it was fine» but tonight, he was very sincere about wanting honest feedback about the meal. Specifically, he wanted feedback about the appetizer because I think they are experimenting with it.
Now, I’ve never exactly been subtle about my opinions but I think he was a little taken aback by my frank assessment of the restaurant… I believe I referred to it as «a little too Buckaroo Bonzai.»
Bistro 88 is a restaurant that doesn’t know what it wants to be. It looks like it was decorated by an ambitious 11 year old whose mother came behind them and tried to make sense of the mess.
For starters, the tables in the dining room area are set up as a very nice dining area. The tables are tastefully constructed and the chilled water bottles for each table are a good touch. While I think the room is a little dark, it holds its own as a desirable place to go eat. However, the rest of the ambiance leaves a bit to be desired.
Let’s start with the outside. On the way in, the rusting metal lawn art (think 6 foot roosters) evokes more Cathedral of Junk than high end restaurant. They also seem to be growing veggies instead of plants. I can dig it, but it is awkward and discordant with the image I think they want to project.
You open the door and see a monstrous neon sign better suited for an all you can eat buffet. They have both a bar and a sushi bar which I think takes up entirely too much room that could be better suited for tables… especially since it makes the place look crowded, and I’ve never seen more than a couple people at the bars ever… or at least just have one bar.
Then, bisecting the dining room are these large glass and water bubblers plus a giant fake jellyfish tank. The overall effect is bizarre… the dining room isn’t cohesive because of the bubblers and they make it look, well, cheap. The artwork is also rather strange. I don’t know how to explain it… but its like if Andy Warhol and the Chairman Mao icon portrait had a baby. It’s a bit creepy to have these portraits staring at me while I eat.
Of course, all of that has nothing to do with the food. We would go to the Bistro 88 more often if the food was more reliable. It’s probably the best sushi in the Westlake area, but that’s not exactly a compliment. When we left the husband remarked that all it did was make him hungry for good sushi.
What did we like? The appetizer was a seared tuna taco. Truthfully, it was the highlight of the meal. The tuna was good, the sauces were spicy and flavorful and the dish was mostly well composed. However, it was wrapped in a fried wonton wrapper that shattered when you bit into it. It would be better in smaller bite sized portions or maybe in a tostada shape using the wonton as a cracker.
The sushi was a little like the 3 bears. One roll was bad, one was okay, and one was good. I’m pretty adventurous in my sushi and I tend to gravitate to the unusual rolls. The unusual one was quite good. It was the tiger’s eye (I think) and it was a hot egg roll wrapped in a sushi roll. The overall effect was unique and flavorful. The vegetarian roll we got was okay, but nothing worth writing home about or recommending.
The Rainbow roll was kinda appalling. It was a california roll with supposedly fresh raw fish across the top. We didn’t finish it.
What sort of ticked me off was when they asked about it, I said the shrimp tasted old and they agreed with me like they knew they were serving subpar shellfish. It wasn’t the placate the customer platitudes, but more of the «yeah, it could be fresher» acknowledgment. The salmon was equally old tasting and off putting. On the other hand, the tuna and white fish did taste fresh and were well executed on the top of those pieces.
When Bistro 88 is on, the food is excellent… however, it needs to figure out what it wants to be… it has a very schizophrenic overall appearance and I think the bottom line suffers. The menu and dining room aspire for greatness, but the trimmings scream Big Lots.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was here for a ‘bidness’ meeting and had occasion to meet the chef, so my experience during lunch today was maybe not exactly the experience everyone might have walking in off of Bee Caves Road. That said, the food was absolutely exquisite and I can’t wait to try it again. Chef Jeff Liu has long had a reputation as one of the premier chefs in town, and it was easy to be reminded as to why: the presentation of both the appetizer orders of mussels in thai curry coconut milk, a fanned thin crusted pot sticker (oil-​less, to boot) were amazing, challenged only by the «Crazy Irishman:» «four different kinds of fish, red tobiko, Thai chilis and avocado.» Yum.
I followed that by attacking a defenseless pork chop with a hint of wasabi, served alongside a plate full of Asian veggies and mashers. I can’t believe I ate this much at lunch, and I was impressed by just how easily it went down. I’ll be back, Bistro 88, I’ll be back. Keep the wok warm… you’ve not seen the end of me just yet!

Bistro 88 has the only true gourmet Asian-​fusion food in town, in my opinion. The menu is more like you would find in San Francisco; although the dishes are eclectic, they’re generally based on Chinese flavor combinations. Last time I was there I had the Hong-​Kong Style Sea Bass. Oh my, was it tasty. It was tender and rich, in a sweet-​salty soy broth. Even better, it came with Chinese style green beans, and a risotto, I think flavored with shiitake mushrooms. We also had the scallop and tuna tartar appetizer, it was really delicious as well.
The service is a little funky sometimes, we always seem to end up with eccentric waiters, and the restaurant is a little overly air-​conditioned, but I certainly recommend it for a fancy night out.