Keiichi

Sushi Lover’s Listen Up… This is one of the best places I have ever been to eat sushi! Fresh Sushi that is prepared in front of you by the Chef in an intimate setting of no more than 10 people at one time. However, the place books out 2 – 3 months in advance, so make reservations early as they do not make exceptions. It is well worth the wait and dollars for an unbelievable experience. The Chef has more than 30 years experience in the MetroPlex. U will not be disappointed.

This little place just gets better and better. There’s a reason the Dallas Morning News said sushi chefs from Dallas drive up here to Denton for the exquisite food. Last night was as perfect as it could be; each bite was sublime and memorable. Love that the servers are so familiar with each dish and how it’s prepared. No place better.

We ate here the first of April and it has taken me this long to decide how I wanted to review this place.
The location seems like an old house converted to a restaurant. It is generally pretty clean looking but there has not been a big effort at interior restoration or decorating.
The servers are nice enough but I am not sure that they are what I would expect for the prices that are being charged.
The food was, generally, very good. The fish itself seemed extremely fresh and tasted wonderful but not much better than Sushi Sake or Nobu. Maybe it was what we ordered but It did seem like the same sauce was used on a few of the rolls and that got old.
If you sit in the «bar» as we did, you have no contact with the chef. If you want privacy, this is the way to go.
I guess my gripe about the whole experience was the price. $ 360 including tip for me, wife and daughter. I was the only one drinking (beer). When you look at the whole package, atmosphere, service, food quality and menu imagination it just does not add up to the prices they are charging. I honestly believe we could have had a substantially better meal at Nobu for that money or less. I left feeling very underwhelmed and, really, kind of ripped off.
And as someone else pointed out, avoid the lasagna. Big letdown.

Keiichi. Sushi on Elm St. Use to have an old abandoned sign in front. Now has a new sign. The chef/​owner told us resentfully how he was forced by the city to upgrade his sign. Guess he took his frustration out on us — his customers.
Because it’s really average sushi. And super overpriced. Like you can get better sushi at Kroeger. Made fresh that day by a real sushi chef. More for your money.
The drinks are exorbitant. 30 bucks for one sake. Takes some digging in the menu to find just reasonable sake.
You can get to a hundred bucks in milliseconds of ordering. Which would be OK if this place were Nobu in Malibu or Las Vegas. It’s just ok sushi in Denton. So we didn’t spend 100’s of dollars. If that’s what it takes to get to the 5 star experience — I pass.
Reason I rated this poor is because there’s not much personality in the place. Sushi chef acted pretty disinterested in his guests. And the décor was just formica chic.

Wow wow wow — when my husband told me to eat here for a sushi date. Yes I had a my doubts. Yes I judge the fact that it is in Denton. And when I drove up I question his choice even more. But once you walk in… It’s like you stepped into a intimate Japanese restaurant magically. The vibe is different, I was anxious to try everything. Extremely small restaurant. Their hours are very limited and they only have VERY seating so please be sure to call and ask so you can get on this list! We basically ordered everything off APP menu– my highlights :
squid with Hawaii salt and lime –amazing taste and the squid is so fresh!
Tasmanian sea trout– yummy must try
Beef takai– melts in your mouth!
Clam miso –love that you can bites of clams in miso soup. I love clams. So we also ordered the clam app with garlic sake. Amazing
We ordered the 5 mushroom pasta as well just to see the quality. It is cooked perfectly al dente on the pasta. The mushrooms all favorable but it is a very rich dish. I will stick with sushi sashimi next time. With the exception I told him to make me squid ink pasta (off menu special) and he wrote it down along with my reservation for next month :) this places gave the the BEST THE BEST I SAID, scallop sushi and salmon sushi I ever had. I don’t understand it?! It’s Soooo good!!! It’s like butter. Kei seriously have some hook ups with the fisherman guys on the coast!!! We Also ordered every dessert item — black sesame ice cream, green tea tiramisu, mango sorbet. Every last bite was completely gone and so delicious. I can’t wait to come back. Oh yes the bathroom ARE fabulous if you like Japanese toilets :) must try if you never use one :-D

God help us all! Mr. Keiichi is definitely the inventor of food porn! I don’t even know where to start. The food is beyond perfect and the small restaurant makes it for a really nice romantic date. You don’t know what you want more… To go home with your hot date or stay and eat some more food…

No words. Check it out! Make a reservation. You will not be disappointed by anything here. Whether you’re a seasoned sushi eater, or not.

Is there even a reason to review this place with another 5 stars? I’ve been twice now and it was amazing both times. The first time we went with friends who had been before and we ordered off the menu and tried the sushi, the pasta, a meat dish. All fabulous. This most recent time my husband and I went and got the omakase; I’m probably never going back to ordering myself because the chef knows what’s up– he created a beautifully balanced sequence of dishes that hit every note you could want. The tuna tataki, the lightly torched scallop, the ribs (I don’t even remember anything else about «the ribs» other than that they had the most amazing texture and flavor of maybe any meat I’ve ever eaten?) were the highlights but even just the simple salmon sushi was on another level from what I’m used to. The last time we didn’t go for the cream cheese and steak roll so I was very pleased to try it this time– the creaminess of the lightly torched cream cheese and the thin steak slices are just heavenly. We heard multiple people talking about something that they were out of so I’m sad we missed out on whatever that was! But it’s hard for me to imagine the meal being any better than it was. The cost is no more than what you would pay for the same amount of food at any other decent sushi place but it’s the quality seems so much higher (it was about $ 150 for the two of us and we were stuffed.)
Oh and yes, they do require reservations and oftentimes it’s going to be 3 or 4 weeks in the future but it’s also worth a try to see if they have sooner openings; when we called they offered reservations for that coming weekend because someone cancelled! So it does happen. They do finally have somewhat noticeable sign up and it looks less like an abandoned building! But the «no frills’ look really kind of adds to the experience.
Do not miss an opportunity to use the restroom while you’re there because there is a heated toilet seat and bidet going on in there and it feels very luxurious!

An absolutely perfect overall sushi experience!!! I highly recommend letting chef pick your selections on your first visit.

so i am giving this a 4.4
this place was amazing. and i think part of the joy is the fact its such a hole in the wall and a secret.
just get the «apps». do NOT get the pasta. he used to work for pappas brothers and learned pasta. they are all executed well but dont mess with it. trust me. focus i tell you, focus!
the beef tataki and every sashimi dish — just order that. dont talk back, just do it. all of it was phenomenal.
i wish i could do a side by side with uchi as this place is seriously legit. the vibe is very hole in the wall but if they were in uptown, upped the décor, they would make bank. no doubt. the guy knows his food.
they do seatings at 5:30 and 7:30
jeans: ok by far. you can get away with dressing casual but dont take it too far. its a hole in the wall. parking lot is much bigger than they need

Best sushi in DFW! To get the best experience just ask the chef to feed you and enjoy !

My husband and I went to Keiichi a while back for a special occasion. We saw that it had excellent reviews so we had to try it. For all the hype (People make reservations a month in advance for this place…) and the price, we didn’t think the sushi was that delicious. We’ve had better sushi at other locations around DFW. My husband got a miso soup that was fantastic, but other than this we were not very impressed and will not be back.

If you drive past this place, you would never guess that this is the best kept secret in Denton.
This is my favorite place to eat in all of DFW. Kei is awesome and the wait staff are cool. The food is unbelievable. My husband and I don’t eat sushi and this is our favorite. Highly recommend!!!
But call at 1:30ish for reservations and plan a month in advance. No walk ins as they are always booked solid. He has a 5:30 and 7:30 seating. 4 in the bar, 10 at the counter, and 6 at a table. We book our next reservation while we pay.

We ate here some time ago but it was soooooo memorable that I wanted to give them the credit they deserve.
EVERYTHING was spot on. I still to this day CRAVE the role that had cream cheese and waygu beef (I think). VERY unique and rich but it was seriously like dessert…
WE WILL be back!

Amazing fish, sweet servers, sushi chef is a little shy, not that talkative though we sat barside
They only take reservations though. They serve more than ten though. I noticed sitting other than right in front of the chef.
We ordered the sashimi plate and the Tasmanian sea trout appetizer
About $ 60 per person with the rest of the party we were with.

The food and atmosphere at Keiichi is just like Denton– fabulous, unique, and delicious to boot. You won’t go wrong with anything you order but I recommend the steak/​jalapeño/​cream cheese roll– probably in the top 5 of all things I’ve ever eaten.
Be sure to get reservations– although we went on a Tuesday and several couples walked in, so maybe it just depends on space and the owners mood! Be prepared to put out a penny but it’s BYOB– if we’d known that in advance, we would’ve saved a bundle.

Wow, if noone ever told me about this place, there is no way I would’ve found it or even have the desire to come here even if I happened to drive by it. The outside looks like a ran down building with the sign missing letters as well! There is a tiny sign at the door so if you’re trying to come here, drive real slow because it’s very easy to miss.
Once you walk in, you see chef Keiichi in the middle of a sushi bar with 10 seats. There is also a small table for 6 in the back that’s available for bigger groups. The entire place was filled up by the time we were eating and there had been several people that tried to walk in without reservations, and were turned away. If you want to come here, make sure to place a reservation and check with them before coming to make sure that you do have one!
As far as the menu, we were mainly interested in the appetizers as the entrees didn’t exactly appeal to our desire to go eat sushi. The entrees consisted of ribs and lamb. We did order a variety of the appetizers, which were fortunately decently sized. We started off with the tasmanian sea trout. It had ginger on top of every piece and drizzled with ponzu. The trout was extremely tender and marbly. It melted in my mouth. It’s amazing how fresh this tasted ! Next, we had the flounder carpaccio which had tiny minced pieces of jalapeño over every piece. This was a bit less tender than the trout but still very soft. They were sliced very thin. The jalapeño gave it a nice kick. I actually enjoyed switching bites between this and the trout. It was a refreshing change of pace. Next, we had the beef tataki. I was a bit iffy as I’ve never eaten my beef this raw before. I was in for a wonderful surprise. My first bite was like a wonderfully cooked steak. It was so soft yet meaty at the same time. It was drizzled with this sauce that was mixed in with a subtle flavor of truffle oil. There was also some spinach to eat along with this. We then ordered the marinated tuna with guacamole. The tuna pieces here were pretty huge, enveloping a hefty spoonful of guac. he was not stingy at all with the guacamole, if you like guac, this is a great dish for you. The tuna pieces were very meaty. I’m not sure what the tuna was marinated in as it didn’t really give a whole lot of extra flavor. However, this dish was sitting on this creamy sesame sauce that was sooo delicious. The sauce blended very well with the guac and the sliced radish that was there for garnish. As much as I enjoyed this dish, I felt the price was a bit steep for only having 5 pieces for $ 30 but I guess tuna is quite pricey. We then got some salmon sushi, which were beautifully marbled. These were some very fatty pieces, really really good. It was buttery and melted in my mouth even though it was sliced a bit thick. Lastly, we thought we’d try the squid with red salt and lime. This was probably our least favorite dish as the squid was chewy and overall just not very memorable.
For dessert, we were lucky enough to have the green tea tiramisu that I hear is only offered so many times a year. It was the first of its kind that I’ve had so I don’t really have anywhere else to compare it to. Basically, it had a very very thin layer of green tea flavored sponge cake layered with regular mascarpone topping topped with another layer of the sponge cake then green tea flavored cream. The green tea flavor was very subtle but recognizable. It was a pretty rich dessert, smooth and creamy. I enjoyed it very much. The slice they gave was also enough for 2 to share.
Overall, I thought this was a wonderful place to experience a variety of high quality fish sliced very carefully in the thickness appropriate to enjoy each type. Every slice we had was extremely fresh. He had a good assortment of fish that I don’t typically see at other sushi restaurants. Yes, it is pricey as these appetizers run for about $ 24-​$ 30 each but as you can see from the photos, you get a good bit. For people that enjoy sashimi, this place is definitely worth a try at least once and the beef tataki is one I’d recommend as well! However, if your definition of sushi is a sushi roll topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce, don’t bother coming here as this just isn’t that type of place.

Best sushi ever. By far! Beef tataki is also best beef I’ve ever had. By far. Book your reservations early though and don’t show up without one or else they’ll let you know you don’t have one :)

This place is impeccable. Perfection at its finest. It’s really a hole in the wall and a gem located in downtown Denton. It’s tough for a first timer to find this place since it’s so hidden with no sign.
When my friend first told me about this place, I was a bit hesitant because it’s in Denton. Yup! I judged a book by its cover. My bad Keiichi, my bad. I was wrong, so wrong.
Keiichi really means business when it comes to perfecting his skills. Everything I had was amazing, and I’ve been here twice and I absolutely love everything. Make sure to RSVP in advance because it’s a small restaurant, and only 8 people can fit at sushi bar. To get the best seat in the house, I highly recommend the sushi bar, where you can interact with Keiichi and watch him do magic. He’s actually very fun to talk to, and I had a few foodie conversations with him about Japan.
Yes, the food does take time. Not everything is served at once, so just sit back and enjoy the meal as he serves it. No need to rush when you’re enjoying an authentic meal.
What I highly recommend here is the squid sashimi with red salt and the hamachi. The squid is so meaty; I don’t think I’ve taste anything like this anywhere else (yet). All fish sashimi are extremely fresh and buttery. They melt in my mouth like butter. The favorite sashimi of the night was the scallop. All sashimi and sushi are served with fresh wasabi without paying extra for it. Not only can this man make some darn good Japanese food, he can make steak and Italian food. Ask for the cod roe pasta. It’s an off the menu special. Not sure if there’s anything Chef Keiichi can’t do.
For dessert, I was very lucky to end the wonderful night with green tea tiramisu. Keiichi makes tiramisu daily, but not green tea tiramisu. The waitress told me in 3 yrs of working there, that was the third time he made green tea tiramisu. I asked the Keiichi why, and he said it’s a lot of work and it takes too much time. He only makes it once a year. I was so fortunate to try it. It’s officially one of the best desserts I’ve ever had in my life. I did try the regular tiramisu on my second visit. It was amazing too, just not the same as the green tea though.
It’s officially the best Japanese restaurant in Texas, better than the original Uchi (Austin). Chef Keiichi is my hero. I wish he adopts me so I can dine here everyday. My biological parents would understand if they try his food.
One more thing, he visits Japan each year for a whole month (I think in Sept), so they are closed at that time.

Came here on New Years eve. Had been wanting to come he for years, … two times previously we had to cancel. Third time is the charm.
This place is amazing.
Kei is a true food artist. (Pronounced as «arteest»).
I have eaten sushi and individual creations all over, and I put his up against some of the finest chefs. We will be back. … soon.
Make reservations way ahead of time, sit back and enjoy.