Haiku Japanese Restaurant

way too expensive for the quality & service… i was disappointed. several times. don’t eat the seafood. its not fresh… three. thumbs down…

The owner is very good to her customers and the servers have been nothing but top notch! The food is over all amazing we get take out sushi from here at least three times a month!

After ordering a to-​go order of salmon sashimi ($ 12 for 5 pieces) from Phở Thaison and getting home only to discover tuna, not salmon, I thought I’d try an actual Japanese restaurant and finally get that salmon I’ve been craving.
I’m not used to eating sushi in Austin, and asked the server what the «F» meant by the salmon on the menu: «(F) Salmon.» She said it meant «fresh,» but found out later it stands for «fatty,» as opposed to arctic, I suppose. (No such thing as «fresh» salmon in Austin.)
I had the salmon sashimi and a special house roll. The sashimi was not fresh, and was slightly warm. It was borderline quality good enough to pass, but the special roll I got blew me away! It was exciting and exquisite! It was a heaping bowl of a California roll with two generous scoops each of spicy tuna and actual crab. I didn’t expect the quality nor the quantity, and I was in heaven!
I will definitely be returning for more bowls of that awesome goodness. I just hope I can find it again on the menu, cuz I don’t remember the name of it…

Pretty good service but the food can sometimes be overcooked (chicken) and they use a lot of sauce on everything, including the salad dressing.

Been to Haiku many times and each time everything has been perfect. Service is top notch and I love everything I’ve had. From the basic rolls to some great Sashimi. The prices are very reasonable and everything was nicely plated as well. Keep up the good work.

Ilove the food, atmosphere and prices! The Happy Hour is 4 – 6 pm and super good deals. We enjoy the pan fried dumplings and the Salmon Teriyaki. The lunch specials are under $ 7! The owner is super friendly and welcoming.

Cheap happy hour = poorly made sushi rolls. The server was inattentive, bad service overall. I personally prefer to pay a few extra bucks for better quality and selection. Not coming back.

Came in not expecting much however was pleasantly surprised by the happy hour. 2 dollar beers, 3 dollar sake, 3.50 sushi rolls, 2 dollar sushi. The spicy tuna roll was a bit mushy, but my escolar sushi divine. The edamame was fresh and firm and the egg (tamago) was fantastic.
So glad this place is around the corner from me. Looking forward to visiting here again!

This place was pretty good. I was very happy with my imperial rolls. The small rolls from the menu that are inexpensive aren’t very good. Infact my spicy tuna smelled a bit fishy.
However, the service was amazing. That’s probably because we came in at 4pm like we were senior citizens. I’m not, I just have young children so I eat when I can. However, my husband and I were having an indepth conversation about how the dating world might work these days. We’ve been together 15yrs, so we have no clue. The waiter was nice enough to fill us in on all the new and useful apps they have nowadays in order to fake yourself online to meet another fakey profile in order to meet and date a few months just to break up because she finds out he’s not «witty and fun» like his profile said…
So, with that, I give it 4 stars and I would recommend it. Just make sure you choose the big rolls, and the seaweed salad is tastey, too. And before you leave, indulge on a large warm sake.

Nice place, wait staff did not know menu. No biggee, maybe new. Service=2.5 out of 5
Rolls were very bland with no flavor. Wasabe didn’t even have a kick…
Soy sauce seemed watered down which is hilarious.
Overall i would go to taco cabana before this place again.

A huge disappointment. Based on reviews went for happy hour. Place looks nice enough, but that is the last positive comment.
Four different rolls all tasted the same. Sushi was dull in color and warm and either blah or fishy tasting. Mussels appetizers tasted fishy. Serving plate had an unappealing film on it.
Waste of time and money.

We had such a great dinner. Andrew was so helpful and had many suggestions for our first time. We did not get pictures of everything we tried but nothing disappointed us. Right down to the Soy Sauce, made in-​house, on the table. We can not wait to go back.

The old lady that «runs» this place is so rude. I ordered the vegetable roll and hated it. It give no description on the menu of why it is and it was terrible. I told the server and the women (owner/​manager) who knows told me the food wasn’t bad and I had to pay for it. Are you kidding me? I will never come back to this shit hole.

Quiet intimate seating with zen like music and ambience. Definitely not a lively crowd. No one greeted us right away since the hostess was in the back so we were a little awkward at first. Once she came up she quickly sat us and got our drinks. Pretty perfunctory service, she did not make any suggestions nor mention the specials.
Try the Imperial Roll, the Austin Roll, and the hot sake.

I just moved to south Austin after living downtown and have been on the hunt for good sushi… After trying this place I have mixed feelings about returning…
The sushi was pretty mediocre. I came with a group of friends and we all agreed by the end of the meal that the flavor of the sushi rolls here seem to be entirely salsa and fish. Spicy everything. We tried several different rolls and they all had the exact same spice consistency and tomato/​jalapeño taste. Within the rolls we got, the spicy tuna (traditional roll) was the worst and the most unbearable as far as that salsa taste… and it was also ridiculously hot (probably because it was an actual spicy roll) we also had a tuna tataki which basically tasted a lot like hot sauce on seared tuna. If that’s your thing then you’ll love it.
For drinks try the lavender milk tea. really nice for a cold night and has a lovely unique taste. (It is basically hot milk, hot tea, lavender syrup or something of that sort… still great!)
For the traditional Japanese «comfort» food: I will say the best thing we had was their tempura plate of veggies and shrimp which was super delicious, very crunchy, and piping hot when we got it. I wish I had tried more of their hot plates since everyone who got one at the table was pretty satisfied.
I also got the udon and the broth was so sweet And the noodles so mushy I couldn’t eat more than a couple bites. Miso soup was good! But really just your basic miso, was very hot. Tasted like most sushi café miso.
Overall a real dilemma for me to decide how to review… I would go back if I was desperate for Japanese but only for their traditional comfort food and some lavender milk tea.

I don’t know how on earth it took me so long to leave a review for this place! I’ve been going here for years now, at least once a month!
The thing that keeps me coming back is their amazing happy hour! Rolls under $ 4 – 5. Their gyoza and harimaki are great starters and the crunchy roll is my favorite of the happy hour rolls– it’s like a California with tempura flakes on the outside. For the price you can’t beat it! Some of their fancier rolls are more expensive but very good. Teriyaki is also a good choice if you’re not into sushi!
I’m not sure if they still offer it but Haiku is where I first discovered lavender milk tea. Stop. Game changer. It’s seriously the most amazing tea I’ve ever had, so comforting.
The green tea ice cream is excellent.
Staff is always nice and on top of it even when they are busy. Neat décor! Caters to children.

Love this place! Always have a good experience. Service always great! Prices are good also. Recommend the rock and roll, amazing!!! Crunchy roll is also a favorite!

I had the Salmon Avocado Roll and it was undeniably delish! I added cream cheese and it just added to the awesomeness of this roll. Also, I bought the Gyoza and had it deep fried, my mouth is watering already
May I add that the service was great?! The guy I spoke to on the phone #1 had great communication skills and #2 was super professional even though it was 11:00 and they weren’t officially open until 11:30. He said he would even talk to the sushi chef to see if he could make our rolls to be ready by the time they open. When my fiancé arrived, our meal was ready to go!
Can’t wait until the next time I can grab food here again! Love me some $ 4.50 sushi!!!

I have a stockholm syndrome-​esque relationship with Haiku. Now hear me out, I know that’s an off handed relationship to have with a restaurant but it’s true. Now people who live in far South Austin know that this is one of the few sushi places we have. Hence, the whole ‘loving and continuing to go back to my captor and think it’s wonderful’…thing.
In reality, it’s not that good. I mean the quality of the sushi isn’t all that amazing. It’s very average but you cant beat the happy hours. From 4 – 6 you can have $ 2.99 rolls and I think $ 3 sashimi pieces. A girlfriend and I walked out of there polishing off a bottle of wine and two rolls each for under $ 10. can you say DEAL?!
If I’m looking to sit down and have a glass or 5 glasses of wine, pop bite sized rice and crab pieces, as I gossip with the girls about our ex boyfriend’s horrible taste in new girlfriends– this is where I go. Why? Because it’s really cheap and it’s really close to my house. No other reason. Are you finally seeing how I’m a stockholm syndrome victim?
Now, if I have a date where some good looking guy is going to pick me up and take me out to eat, I’ll suggest going a bit up the road to somewhere more upscale.

Their sushi is just ok, but the fish itself always seems pretty fresh. Considering there are not many quality sushi options in south Austin, this is probably one of the better sushi restaurants south of William Cannon.
We like their tuna maki rolls, spicy tuna hand rolls and dragon rolls. Once again nothing special, but if you don’t feel like traveling toward downtown, it will do the trick.
It looks like they recently remodeled the inside so it seems a bit cleaner and inviting than a couple months ago.