Ryu of Japan

I miss this place. My favorite Japanese restaurant in Austin, or anyplace for that matter.

Ryu used to be one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. But in the last couple of years, I am afraid there have been changes.
There used to be two wonderful Japanese servers at lunch everyday, but then one quit in the beginning of the year. The rumor has it that they hired two Korean servers in the last two years. One seemed to be good, but the other seemed to be moody at times. The service is sometimes ok but other times unfriendly and un-​attentive while the experienced Japanese server is always good. Quality of sushi has fallen a great deal. I have been so disappointed at what had been happening here. When Ryu opened several years ago, I used to go there every week. Because of changes had taken place, I seldom go there anymore. I keep hoping things go back the way they were before, but now when I go, I come back disappointed. I can no longer recommend this place to friends and anyone who asks me about good Japanese restaurant unless Ryu turns things around the way it began a few years ago.

Have been here a number of times and gotten various things (although not sushi) — never been disappointed. Give it a try!

Finally! Good sushi in Texas. Priced perfectly for what it is. The seaweed salad was even good. Which is not something I have had in years! It is usually so bad. This place overall was a ⁵⁄₅ for me at lunch time. Not a place I would take a date for dinner but excellent place for a quick lunch. The waitress bows. It’s actually Japanese. Much better than other «sushi» places in the area.

We came on a Saturday about 15 minutes before lunch closing. We felt really rushed. The lady told us they were closing at 3. We did not take long to order since we noticed she turned off the OPEN sign outside. We were craving for their Saba Shio but they did not have it that day. She did not even say oh sorry we don’t have it today. The food was still good. I wish they gave more potato salad. While we were eating, the waitress asked if I can pay now because she needed to close the register. We ate our food right away since we felt really rushed. The green tea we ordered was watery. Not sure if it’s old. We found out too that Masayo no longer works there. She was awesome and we will her great service. We might not be back for a long time.

I like this place. It’s not that big, but it isn’t so popular that you’ll have a hard time finding a seat. Their selection is decent and prices aren’t bad, though I wish they had more riceless options. We opted for the edamame, the spicy tuna salad and the mixed sashimi plate. The serving size on the edamame was pretty hefty (about twice the size of what you’d get a sushi zushi), and the sashimi was a lot of food for the price! I really liked the tuna salad. There was just enough spice to make it interesting, but not enough to where it overwhelmed the salad. There were pretty big chunks of raw tuna in it too, though some of the pieces were semi-​frozen. This place seems like a pretty good lunch spot, but overall, it isn’t too much different from many other sushi places.

SO GOOD. This place far exceeded my expectations, and I am extremely particular about sushi. The portions of fish are great in both the rolls and nigiri. The rice is the perfect temperature and consistency. The miso soup is excellent. Prices are very reasonable. I’ve been twice with the same outcome. I’m so happy to have found them.

My girlfriend and I have made several lunch trips here the past few weeks and have really enjoyed it every time.
The udon is fantastic. The noodles are so soft, and the broths have all been excellent. Curry udon is my girlfriend’s favorite, but Nabeyaki Udon is the best thing I’ve had at the restaurant — hands down. Vegetable udon is very nice for a lighter dish, if you’re not feeling particularly hungry.
We LOVE the takoyaki balls. They are a must if you like octopus. Or if you’re just feeling adventurous but want something really savory and decadent. It’s like a big, gooey, kind of creamy, crunchy fish ball. Wonderful.
I just ordered hot green tea the last time we went, and it was delicious. Plus the waitress promptly refilled it 3 times (!!) throughout the course of the meal. Definitely getting it again next time.
My only minor complaint is that I’ve had better ramen in Austin — but I’m just not going to get the ramen again. Definitely not a bad choice, but the udon is where it’s at.
Oyako Don was also a good dish if you’re feeling like rice instead of noodles or soup.
The tempura is really good. It’s crispy but not greasy or oily — just really light and flaky.
We actually have never had any sushi at Ryu before. Maybe we’ll try that next time!
Definitely going back soon.

The sushi is average at best. I came for dinner on a Thursday. It was empty. Fish was acceptably fresh but sloppy in cut. The yuuki roll was tasteless. Miso overly salty. Reasonable happy hour prices. Good service. There are better places nearby.

We were there on a Wednesday night and could not believe that there was absolutely nothing that they did correctly from the front door to seating. see our pictures then you’ll know why we got up and left through the deep-​fried grease smoke fog in the place.

My salmon sashimi was still partially frozen. Not entirely frozen, but partially frozen. You’d bite into it and it would just be kind of crunchy and weird. I’m a bit worried that I might get sick from this. Not a pleasant surprise for lunch.
By the end of the meal, my eyes were burning from the smoke from the kitchen.

Very authentic, reasonable prices, great food. Service was a tad bit slow during lunch but extremely friendly and helpful despite the time. I’ll definitely be going back. They had a lot of dishes that are pretty hard to find around here.

Stay away from their hand rolls. They use poor fish cuts and I honestly think that since we ordered it for take out they thought that they could load up our hand rolls with bones. Every salmon hand roll had a 2 to 3 inch bone which hurt my wife when she bit down and it stabbed the roof of her mouth. Never again. Too bad because the wait staff were nice and friendly.

Both experiences are from lunch:
The first time I came here, it took someone 20 minutes to come take our order. Not only did they take the order of a larger party before us but the large party had just sat down. And then it took over 30 minutes for my order to come out which by then, I had been there almost an hour and had to leave. I told them, I had to to-​go my food and she insisted it was going to be right out which after hearing it 10 times, I didn’t believe her.
Okay maybe it’s just that day… the food was good so I decided to give it another shot. I came back the next day. The waitress remembered me and apologized for the day before (+1) but the food was awful.
I ordered a sashimi and there were bones in it. Bones with an S. More than one. Gross. Plus it was so stringy. Why? No idea. But gross.
This place is so conveniently close but I just can’t justify coming back after 2 bad experiences back to back.

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to eat here!
This modest gem is close to The Domain and will give you bang for your buck. Though the vibe is more casual and the fare is not as sophisticated as the nearby Sushi Zushi, I think that’s what makes Ryu all the more charming and will keep me coming back.
I’ve been hard-​pressed to find a great quality lunch in this part of Austin under $ 10 bucks until I tried this place. The friendly staff and quality of each dish makes me feel like I’m dining in someone’s cozy little home.
I tried the chicken kara-​age and shrimp tempura lunch combo – all delicious and hit the spot like a good homecooked meal!
Sure, we’ve probably all had better Japanese food elsewhere, but I’m giving this place 5 stars for what it is: a neighborhood lunch spot that serves delicious food for a great price!

This used to be a usual lunch spot for me, great location, great prices, and above average quality food. Then I started to notice decline in sushi roll quality, with pieces that are made haphazardly as if someone in the kitchen has no idea how to roll a piece of sushi roll (see latest pic). That was not the end of Ryu for me yet since their teriyaki rib-​eye steak and their tempura was still good. However, then I notice the restaurant’s attempt to use sirloin to substitute ribeye beef. Terrible idea, completely ruined the dish. The day was saved when they reverted back to their old ways.
However, recently I noticed a dramatic price increase. 9.99 became 10.99, those choose-​two-​combination lunches suddenly cost a dollar to dollar fifty more. I hope they realized they just inflated all their prices over 10%. With prices like this costing more than other sushi places that are easily better, that ends my journey with Ryu here.

I’ve eaten here a few times because it’s in the neighborhood– always on a Friday night when I can’t seem to make it out of the house before most places close. They do a fried oyster appetizer called Kaku that is really good, and an amazing Jalapeño Bomb served warm with a spicy tuna center, which gives it a really good texture.
Their sushi rolls don’t disappoint either, but I’ve had better rolls elsewhere. They have a pretty extensive nigiri menu, and I’ve picked out things with a randomness common to the initial stages of a game of Battleship, but I rarely get that satisfying hit.
The interior is chic and minimal– makes for a good late night spot. After a cheap 8oz of hot house sake, everything is perfect :)

I’ve been looking for an authentic Japanese restaurant (not strictly a sushi bar) serving hot food in Austin for quite some time now and am incredibly happy a place like Ryu of Japan exists.
I’ve been now three times for lunch and am very impressed with the expansive, customizable lunch menu that allows a person to select hot, cold, or a mix of both kinds of entrees. These come served bento-​style with a side of rice, a salad or soup, and one or two small side dishes. All in all, it’s a good amount of food and tastes authentic compared to what you’d find in Japan.
The best part of all is the price: Around $ 10 – with drink – for most lunch items. This is a fantastic bargain as far as I’m concerned.
I can only find one downside: Service tends to be a little too slow and disjointed during the peak lunch rush. (In other words, give yourself around 45 minutes to an hour to eat here.)
If you’re looking for affordable Japanese food for lunch, this spot cannot be beat.

Great quality for the price!!!
Ryu has a great cozy atmosphere, not fancy shmancy, but very charming. The food is delicious and tastes homemade. Their salmon skin handroll, my litmus test for an adequate Japanese /​sushi restaurant is very good. Again, everything is relative to the price, which is most reasonable. Lunch combos rock!
The staff is very friendly and courteous. A fantastic place that won’t break the bank! Excellent!

I am dead in the middle on this place. It’s cute, the service was friendly, and it was very reasonably priced.
On the other hand… service was slow, the food came out at random, and the portions were tiny.
The lunch special is pretty cool because you can mix and match items off the menu. I like that. I just can’t get excited about going there again. I am much more fond of Hanabi at this point.