Sushi Kyu

I’m no sushi/​sashimi/​nigiri expert. I have had good sashimi in San Francisco, Seattle, in Coral Gables, FL along the Miracle Mile, and at a few locations in Austin. I do know that I can trust my eyes, nose and taste buds, especially when eating raw fish. What I ate at Sushi Kyu rivals what I ate at the other locations.
I was going to have a salad at the soup and salad place next to Sushi Kyu, but the glowing blue neon in the Japanese restaurant’s window caught my eye as dusk turned to night.
I have been fostering a slight craving for Japanese food since I caved in to my wife’s Brittany Murphy movie selection, «Ramen Girl.» On it’s surface it’s the kind of movie you would expect, but at the core of the movie is the Japanese tradition and art of making a good bowl of Ramen. But that’s another story, it’s not a bad movie though.
Anyway, in we walk to SK, which was very clean and smartly decorated in contemporary Japanese fashion. I swear they were playing the SiriusXM Chill station. Very good ambiance. It might even be considered feng shui. Although, it was vacant. Nobody there. That did not prevent us from entering further to be seated, which we were, promptly.
I know there are reviews for SK that lean very far towards the bad category, but that was not our experience. The service was impeccable.
For starters we ordered the seaweed salad and nigiri, tuna and escolar. The seaweed salad was bright and tasted like the sea with a citrus finish. The nigiri was fresh, well prepared, and very appealing. The taste was absolutely fresh. A little dip into soy sauce broken with wasabi was all I needed. I skipped, or rather forgot about the ginger. This was my wife’s first time eating raw fish. She was brave and understands it’s going to take time. I would have no problem making a meal out of the various sashimi and nigiri served at SK.
The miso soup, which came with my main entrée — beef spare ribs — was good and what you would expect from miso soup.
The spare ribs were a little on the light portion side, which is my only complaint, because they were very tasty. The beef came with stir fried vegatables and a bowl of rice. My experience conitued to be a good one.
My wife opted for a lighter meal and had a bowl of udon with tempura vegatables. She was very happy with the soup as well and commented on the broth as the best part. I gave it a try. It was a very good fish stock.
We drank hot tea, but I am not sure what we were served. It was very good, though. It had a light smokey flavor and finished clean.
I woke up the next day thinking about the nigiri and how good it was. If the memory of food stays with you, even after a night’s sleep, then it’s worth going back for more. At least that’s how I see it. I definitely plan on going back to Sushi Kyu.

Restaurant was empty — so we decided to try Sushi Kyu for lunch.
The Lunch menu offered pretty good value with the Bento Box lunch.
I found the prices for sushi /​inari to be pretty high, but this far in-​land, ok, whatever.
I asked to have some tobiko added to my California Roll – and was promptly informed that I would be charged extra.
The Tempura was good, lightly battered and not too greasy.
BUT…
When the BENTO BOX came out, I had the beef spare ribs — the portion was SMALL and STINGY– and the worst part, the three tired little pieces of California Roll were soggy, the rice was day-​old tasting, and after eating California Roll for years– both in bad, good, fantastic Sushi bars and restaurants all over the world, this California Roll was THE WORST.
The California Roll tasted like it had been made one or two days ago, and was just very dense, soggy and nasty.
I decided I would ask if the California Roll was ‘fresh’ and had been made to order, or at least in the same day.
The owner, came out and challenged me: Do you know what California Roll is? Does the other rice taste old to you? He got in my face… basically telling me I didn’t know the difference between old — soggy — rice and fresh. Rather than get into a nasty confrontation with him, because. he clearly would never accept feed back from a dis-​satisfied customer, I just finished my meal, and left the tired, soggy day-​or-​two old California roll on the plate.
I don’t recommend this place, based on the attitude of the owner – and bull-​headed behaviour when I questioned and commented on the freshness of the California Roll and Rice.
If he even bothers to read this review — Mr. Sushi Kyu man… you really need to get schooled in Customer Satisfaction, and how to do a few simple things to keep a customer happy.
You should have: apologized — offered to make a fresh and new California Roll, and tossed the old, tired, 2 day old stuff you tried to pass off on me.
Instead — you challenged me, insinuated that I don’t know what is real maki-​roll, and you made no offer or extension to ‘make it right’.
No wonder your restaurant was empty. With that kind of attitude, you’ll be closed soon. I won’t be back — you blew it.

Been to this spot twice, and have been disappointed both times. During Happy Hour, the prices are good enough to cover all manner of sins on this passable sushi, but outside Happy Hour it’s too overpriced to warrant the lackluster food. The sushi is okay (meh), the tempura is a little better, and the drinks are fine. There’s never been anyone else in the restaurant with us (there for dinner both times), which makes for a depressing atmosphere and either over– or under-​attentive wait staff (who are unfailingly polite, though).

Sushi isnt bad. If you do go, go during happy hour. Dont go here expecting quality but do go here for the cheaps cheaps.

I am shocked to read such good reviews of this place. Went here a few months ago and it was naaaaasty. I’m pretty sure they used pimento cheese in the sushi roll. dude. Based on these good Unilocal reviews, I’m almost tempted to go back and see if this place has improved, but my experience was THAT bad I cannot imagine ever returning. even the chopsticks were cheap and splintered! Is it under new ownership or something?

My sister and I ate at Café Kyu with my mom and stepdad, and I have to say that it was the best sushi I have ever had. everything was so fresh and prepared perfectly it was like eating art. I also had the Bento box (Beef Teriyaki) one word AWESOME! The atmosphere is very laid back, beautiful brick walls and very clean. This is definitely the place to go to for lunch for a happy hour with friends and co workers.

Sushi Kyu is my go-​to place for good sushi. The sushi isn’t the best I have ever had but the price is reasonable, the sushi always tastes good, and the service is always prompt and polite. The lunch time combos are definitely the best way to get the best value. Fortunate for patrons and unfortunate for Sushi Kyu, the restaurant is always empty almost ensuring super fast and friendly service.

We had a very good experience here.
We went for dinner with a baby and it was fine.
The avocado crab appetizer was delicious (and spicy!) .
For our main course we had the spicy chicken which someone had recommended and it was also very good.

Great place for a bento box, and the sushi is pretty tastey too. I try to drop in for lunch whenever I can, or for some sake on Fri/​Sat nights on the way downtown. The waitstaff is very friendly and attentive. All in all, a comfortable and nice place to enjoy lunch or some sake, I’ll definitely take friends here when they want Japanese food.

Sushi menu with vegetarian and «no raw fish» options. Hard to explain, but this is a good sushi place for someone who does not like sushi. There is udon, yakitori, katsu etc. on the menu.
Tried the That’s It!, Caterpillar, and Rainbow Rolls. They were subtle and tasty, with a nice balance of flavor. The sushi was good.
Seemed pricey for what we had. (The combos seem to be the way to go here.)
Oh, and they didn’t know what Yakitori is… that should tell you something. (They call it Kyu sticks on their menu. but still)
The atmosphere was soothing without being oppressive. It would be a nice gathering spot for a group or catch-​up lunch with a friend.
Con:
Price I didn’t really think about it too much, but I ordered nearly an identical meal at another establishment (no names!) and it was 75% of the Sushi Qyu price. Keep an eye out for the specials!
Note: We didn’t know about the sushi robot at the time. Maybe the robot is the reason so many rolls that include avocado?

Try as much as I could to like Sushi Kyu, it just wasn’t possible. The sushi robot is very cool, but the food ‘not so much.’ I had a starter of crab dumplings which were not bad with beer. The sushi and sashimi were below average and pricey. The tuna nigiri seemed a bit old and the salmon on the bland side. I will say that the rolls that I tasted (Hawaii, Soft-​shelled Crab, and one with imitation «krab» and avocado) weren’t bad but expensive for the quantity and quality of ingredients.
The teriyaki beef bowl that was ordered was something that I thought might redeem Sushi Kyu. But nope. It was filled with cheap, stringy beef that needed more time in the marinade to reduce its chewy blandness.
The waitstaff was really nice and checked in often without being obtrusive. The interior of the place is kinda schizoid — two rooms that seem separate and not pulled together in a cohesive way. I know that Sushi Kyu has been open for only a month or so. I hope that they will hire a better kitchen crew, focus on good ingredients, and shape up their menu. IF the owner is REALLY smart, he tear up the interior and make it Austin’s first izakaya. Can’t recommend this place as it is too expensive for the sushi and other items it offers.

Random find today. I live literally blocks from Sushi Kyu (pronounced «Sushi Q») but had no idea that it existed. We were at Ski and Sun in that strip mall that surrounds Houstons on the NW corner of Burnet and Anderson and were driving away for some sort of Asian cuisine when we spotted this place neatly wedged between Souper Salad and Computer Nerds.
Walked in about 1:45 and it was (as you would expect) DEAD. Made the creepily embalmed Vladimir Lenin look like Mary Lou Retton.
The interior was pretty cool and chill… brick walls, cozy booths and tables, and for those of you who argue booth vs. table, a whole room of booth on one side, chairs on the other combos. The music was hip and cool… and once inside felt NOTHING like a strip mall.
Our waitress was attractive and very helpful. Almost TOO helpful… I needed a nap after she told me about the specials.
We both had the Bento Box lunch special ($ 10) which comes with your choice of chicken, beef, or pork (called something else… can’t remember). The chicken was breaded and fried with some unknown sauce. I think we both preferred the beef. Also came with a puck of rice, three pieces of California roll, a little salad, and 4 pieces of tempura fried veggies along with a dipping sauce and some salad dressing, both on the side.
It was all good and just the right amount of food. I’ll be heading back to check out their happy hour (Mon-​Sat 4 – 6, all day Sunday) and reverse happy hour (Fri-​Sat 9 – 11).
See Happy Hour Menu in photos… $ 8 pitchers of Japanese beer and other seemingly reasonably priced rolls and snacks.
I’m thinking that this would be a good spot for the next Gatheration. Anyone?