Tomodachi Sushi

It’s hard to fail on all levels but this managed to pull it off. To start my girlfriend and I went on a Monday at about 630 pm. The restaurant was not full but to our surprise they had a wait. Okay, this could be a good thing right? 5 minutes later, while still waiting 2 parties of 4 and 5 walked in and were seated immediately. I thought they forgot about us so I asked. They said the were waiting for a 2 top table to open to seat us and the other parties were larger so they could sit at open 4 tops. Seems a little precise but I understand what they are trying to do here so we waited. 20 minutes later, I’m still waiting… decide to peek around the corner and see multiple 4 top tables wide open. The few 2 tops are still occupied. Wow, really? you won’t seat us?
At this point we are determined to try the food as the reviews are great and there must be a reason for the strict seating policies. I can save you some time and say that we were eventually seated and pigged out (after waiting so long) but honestly the food was incredibly disappointing. I cannot understand the rave reviews posted on here. Do you Parmer lane folks know what good sushi is??? Grab a togo pack from HEB and you’ll be more satisfied.
Failed at every level.

SO GOOD! Small location but was delish! they helped us find something for our toddler to eat and she also loved the noodles they fixed for her!

My wife & I have been coming to Tomo for many years now. They know how to make some of the best rolls I have every had. Don’t let this strip mall sushi place fool you, they are one of the best in town. As for rolls they are one of the best I have ever found.

Absolutely falling in love after enjoyed my dinner at this place! I would like to visit Tomodachi sushi for my next Austin trip! Sushi Lover

Two words: huge Disappointment!
Came check out this place based on the reviews. The tables are very close to each other that u can literally hear what the stranger sits next to u were talking about. Waitresses were rude to my girl friends, messed up our orders, did not offer to make it right, the tables and chairs are worn out. Overall, food was at average, this place needs big improvements around services and customer experience.

I’ve been in Austin for almost three years now. I’ve visited Uchi and Uchiko. I’ve had countless other experiences at other sushi bars. And Tomo remains my favorite out of them all. I always leave there completely impressed with everything. And I’m so happy it’s in my neighborhood.
This past weekend was a special treat for me after a very difficult work week. They had Hamachi Kama which I have never had before. It’s yellow tail collar. And it was the most delightful cut of fish I’ve had in a long while. Fresh, crisp but almost as tender as Tuna Toro. Paired with fresh wasabi, just an unbelievable dish.
I can’t recommend this place enough.

I went during lunch hours and the place wasn’t crowded, but very small. With the lack of space you are within reaching space of other guest at neighboring tables.
On the plus side the food came out very quickly. The Japanese Lasagna roll was good, but they use a generous portion of cream cheese. The ex– girlfriend roll was perfect.

Love this place! The angry beaver (I think) is my favorite — the one with lots of drag jalapeños! Recently discovered the sushi bomb && I can’t get enough! I’ve been there twice this week and can’t wait to go back!

I’ve given a lot of good reviews lately so I am being extra cynical and trying to find fault with the places I eat. Tomodachi passed the test with flying colors though.
I don’t think I’ve ever had more fresh tasting sushi anywhere. We sat at the bar and ordered our standard app of dumplings which were great with a tangy dipping sauce on the side. I then had the Mexican roll and my fiancée the «Pregnant Ex-​Girlfriend» which she had had before and was the better of the 2 dishes although I have no complaints with my dish either.
Fast (check), delicious (check), cheap (check), and a good atmosphere (check). I’ll be back for sure I just wish it was a little closer to home

The food was awesome. But it is small, crowded and loud…
Would I go back? Absolutely, if I were in the area.

What can I say about this please? I love coming here. I only come to this with my friend Kim K. b/​c she knows how to tomo-​sushi it up!!! :) We ALWAYS sit at the bar. It’s the best experience! The specials can never be wrong and taking the chef’s recommendations is a must!
The first time I came here was a few years ago, also with Kim K. I felt like this place is good but certainly. I’ve had better. Fast forward a few years, I have to say that this is my favorite sushi place in Austin! It’s so far north for me though but I still try to make it every once in a while and it never disappoints. Here I rarely get any rolls. I just see what’s on the special board and get those and it is always fresh and delicious. I was a little disappointed in the dynamite this time around. (not your regular mussels dynamite, it has shrimp, scallops, onions and mushrooms) It was a bland to me. But Gus hooked it up with some fresh wasabi and it turn out amazing!
I cannot wait for the next time to come here. It is pretty pricey but it’s sushi! You have to enjoy the specials and not the bentos…

This place is amazing, pricing for what you get is nice!!. We ordered whos is daddy and tempra 2 plus a few tempura shrimp and vegetable. The attention of the staff is great, always a smoke on the face.

Omg… I’m in love with this sushi bar. It’s one of my favorites. I absolutely loved the cherry blossom that was stuffed crab covered with avocado, so so good a must try!
We also loved the sushi rolls, the names they have for their rolls are exotic but very fitting for each roll.
I always love coming back here, it makes me appreciate how good this place truly is & makes me wonder why I try others Bc this place is on the top of my list for sure!!!

After finding out that Chef Stephen came from Nobu Las Vegas and his wife from FIT Nyc my friend and I had to make the trip up north to try Tomo since both of us are from Las Vegas and New York City respectively.
It is a small space, most likely under 40 seats at a glance, with the sushi bar taking a chunk out of that number. There was a short wait on a Tues night around 8 pm.
Thankfully our server went over the menu and pointed out something we might not have tried. The New Nobu special, which I highly recommend and will definitely be back for.
I had the sake toro, aji, and waru (fatty salmon, Japanese mackerel, and escolar) nigiri. Its priced pretty reasonably and each order includes two pieces. Please do yourself a favor and order the side of fresh wasabi to go with your sushi or sashimi.
Friendly service, we had multiple servers helping us out. The sushi chefs cleared or plates, everyone said goodbye to us, it was a team environment.
As far as quality I think the sushi is good and fairly priced. But I’d make the trip for the prepared dishes like their specialties since I can get awesome portioned and good quality nigiri at Maikado.
All of that with some veggie tempura cost around $ 50.
P. S. I know it’s weird but I like their water. Restaurants have different tasting tap water!

Better for rolls than Nigiri,
Seems I’m the last person to know about this place but I usually stick to my two goto sushi spots. My friends have praised about this place, I really wanted to be blown out of the park.
The two rolls I did have we’re pretty good, not a huge fan of specialty rolls. But they were really good, especially the tempura #2. The ex girlfriend was the rave of all my friends, that did not let down.
I ordered some nigiri and was sadly let down. The fish to rice ratio was off, not enough rice. The color of the salmon was alarming and it wasn’t the right taste.
Service was spot on, there was only one lady serving the entire place and she was quick. I would definitely be back to try some more rolls but I will not be ordering anymore nigiri.

Great fare with items not normally found on a sushi menu. Even the names of the rolls, etc., may cause conversation at the table. I’ve not been disappointed. Very busy during lunchtime.
The only negative is that the lunch crowd is too busy. :)
Try the hot and spicy edamame.

Delicious! Sit at the bar if you can. At lunch you can generally get seated pretty quickly, but if you go for dinner you might consider calling ahead to reduce the wait.

This place is quite the find! We promptly found seating at the bar. Very busy for a Monday. Most of the items we ordered needed no soy, and we were told so. The 4 play and Sonya told were fantastic! We moved on to flounder, king salmon, and Japanese snapper sushi; perfection! We finished of with a nice portion of steamed mussels, which were delightful. All of this for about $ 60. I will be coming here a lot!

Best sushi I’ve had in Austin! Service was great, friendly staff, good music/​atmosphere…
Order the ex-​girlfriend & sassy suzy!!!

This honestly is one of the best sushi places I’ve ever been to in my life! The atmosphere feels like family and all of the staff is over the top accommodating and the service is excellent.

Everything is good here… make sure to try the fresh wasabi… not that green paste stuff.

Great sushi, but a little pricy. However, it’s so good that it’s worth every penny. If you are coming with more than 1 person, make sure your a complete party as they will not seat you until so. Guess it’s a new policy. Oh well, still good. 5 star food, 4 star service.

I sat at the bar during lunch rush and got a seat before it quickly filled up
Was chatting w the sushi chef and he was giving suggestions and we landed on the «pregnant ex-​girlfriend»
I mentioned I wasn’t a huge tuna fan and he offered to swap it for crab instead, perfect!
I also had the edamame which was simply salted
The sushi was sooo delish and worth the price!

Oh What a Northwest Austin Gem. This place is great, there is plenty of parking out front, no need for a Valet or downtown traffic. The food is good, it’s always fresh and great. The service is great, because all the tables are shared by all the employees, so you will always have someone to come help you. It is a small location, so there could be a bit of a wait, but it’s sure worth it to me. They have the best tempura in town, that is for sure. I love this place I wish it was open for more hours and on Sunday. It’s a great place to grab Sushi, super fresh items on the menu.

The atmosphere felt more like a bar than a restaurant. It was busy and because of the narrow walkway packed with seating, it’s difficult to maneuver through the place. It was so loud not only from patrons but from the ghetto rap blaring from behind the cooks. Are you kidding me?! Totally inappropriate! We were seated at a dirty table so the waitress flung a towel around on it and flung bits of whatever onto me (um gross). The booths & floors are filthy & sticky with dust and food. Our order was wrong (missing items) so we had to reorder them & wait even longer. It takes way too long for food to come out, and the rolls are very small. Hope you’re not very hungry. We couldn’t find the waitress and had to ask for our check. The prices are average but with the smaller rolls not worth it at all. The sushi rolls here are okay at best. They are not anything special whatsoever. They are almost warm, like the fish is not being chilled (FYI not safe). We eat sushi a lot, and this is honestly not a place I will ever choose again. Not good unless you’ve never had sushi in your life and have no idea what it should taste like, or you want to get sick from bad fish!

I’ve been to a a lot of good sushi restaurant and this one is one of my favorites. I highly recommend everyone to come

I’ve only been here twice, and I can say this is my favorite sushi spot in Austin. Very friendly staff greets you the moment you step in the door. The waitresses are always checking in on you which is always a plus.
Now I’ve only tried a few sushi rolls, some tempura fish and pumpkin, chilean sea bass, and salmon filet, followed by fried cheesecake and mochi for dessert. All very good. Also their green tea is delicious.
As far as their sushi rolls, from what I’ve had so far, I would recommend the ex-​girlfriend, tempura #2, and volcano. You will not be disappointed at all.

One of the best sushi places ever. The Cherry Blossom is out of this world and so is the Japanese Lasagna roll. But every roll we’ve tried has been phenomenal too. Sometimes there is a bit of a wait but it’s never very long and the waitresses are always very nice. I can’t say enough great things about this place. It is so good!

BEST SUSHI IN AUSTIN!
The sushi is absolutely, no question, grade A quality.
The chef’s are very nice and atmosphere is, small, but great.
The sushi chef’s made some recommendations for daily specials, all of which were delicious. We also ordered the «Cherry Blossom» which is essentially avocado wrapped, crab meat, with some mayo dressing… while the first few bites were good, this also was a bit of a filler. I would recommend this as an appetizer for a group of 4 vs. 2 ppl.
I would suggest that you ask for what daily specials they have are good and come open minded.

Hidden lil gem on parmer in north Austin worth the trip awesome food great environment. Bring friends and try as much of the menu as possible it’s amazing and I seriously mean it dnt under estimate this tiny sushi spot!

Excellent sushi quality !
Nice service. We’ll be back probably for lunch instead of dinner.
Last night it was a bit loud maybe due to the game being on.
Will try again for sure!

I love this place for lunch they have a great rainbow roll special with sashimi and soup for only 13 $. the quality of fish isn’t bad but its not amazing, defiantly priced right I have come here often and generally with 3 or more people and they always seat us fast and we are out in less than an hour. I will continue to go here as long as I work near by! MUST TRY.

I am way overdue to write another review for Tomodachi Sushi Bar and restaurant. After eating sushi and some of the other specials they make here it is the only sushi restaurant I choose to eat at.
My health has been interfering with my ability to go to a lot of restaurants especially my favorite ones and enjoy the food but a few weeks ago with my husband, daughter, and granddaughter, I was able to go and thoroughly enjoy my delicious lunch.
I also experienced a wonderful surprise in that Lee B., Who had left to explore some other options outside the sushi world had returned. I was totally shocked and very pleasantly surprised, as Lee is the one who helped introduce me to the world of sushi and sashimi and I had really missed him. Steve and Tina still own Tomo and are very active and present in preparation and ensuring all the customers are satisfied. Danielle, Jack, Goose, Chad C., Yoko, Suzie, Chen, and Gilbert are all still there as well. (I know I missed some of you and I apologize!) That’s what is really awesome about Tomo in addition to the quality and beautiful presentation of the food, everyone from the owners to the sushi chefs to the kitchen staff to the wait staff are all exceptional people. As a small return for the wonderful sushi I eat there I love to take them things that are home-​baked and they are always so gracious. I am hoping in the near future I am well enough to re-​initiate that tradition!
If you haven’t been to Tomo, you are really missing out!!! Take the time to explore it, experience it, and eat the best sushi, sashimi, and other wonderful delights… I promise you won’t regret it!!!

After a year and a half of being a very regular dinner patron at Tomo, I’m upgrading my review to five stars. Yes, the venue is tiny but if you plan your night correctly there’s no reason you won’t get a seat.
Besides that, Tomo is the most consistently impressive sushi bar I know of. They are always bringing in new menu items. Tonight I had best octopus sashimi (Live Tako) I’ve ever tasted. And they started me off with traditional cold Soba noodles; something I adore.
Did I mention they are doing oysters regularly from the Canadian North? (Yeah, PEI!)
Thank you Steve, Chefs, Girls and staff for bringing the best fish to North Austin, Texas.

This is my sanctuary. I love everything about Tomo. The staff, décor, of course the damn sushi!!! This place makes everything in life better.
I like sitting at the sushi bar, the chefs are aweesome! Not only do they serve up some of the freshest sushi in Austin, but they will even give you betting advice on sports lol. And may even take a sake bomb with ya. The waitresses are legit, crack jokes, always smile even when they are swamped. The chefs or waitresses will suggest stuff based on taste you are craving.
My go to order calamari/​veggie tempura for starters
Main order
2 orders of toro tuna nigiri $ market price (usually around $ 20 an order)
Order of Blue Fin nigiri I think around $ 12 an order
2 orders yellow tail nigiri average price $ 5.50 an order I believe
I usually try a different roll every time I go but ex girlfriend is a safe choice.
sometimes ill get a shooter or two as well.
I recommend trying the stuff on the chalk board by the sushi bar, they have new selections every time I visit.
They do get busy on the weekends, expect a 45 min wait. It is worth it, I don’t believe they take reservations.
I’ve been to almost every sushi place in Austin, I promise this is top 3 as far as freshness, selection, portions. After typing this review I am now craving it… I’ll be there tonight