Always a wonderful visit - friendly with great service and high quality food! When friends visit…read morefrom out of town we come here for dinner! So I shall let the pictures do the talking this time.

TLDR: Pro: authentic Japanese restaurant with food prepped to order…read more Con: lunch menu is minimum two item order which wasn't clear, and they prepare the food with way too much salt The restaurant is authentic which was a huge win for me. The lunch menu wasn't very straightforward so when I got my bill in the end I was a little surprised to see it came to $18, instead of $10. I guess I could have asked when I ordered, but the menu clearly lists mackerel is $8.50, so I didn't quite get that the lady/owner/mgr meant you have to order two entree items for the lunch menu, so its not like a typical lunch special at a set price for the listed price. It felt a little deceiving so it wasnt a great feeling, i guess i should have picked up on it when she said two items. But I wish it could have clearly stated that on the menu when i was reviewing it, i would have just opted for one entree on the menu instead had i realized that sooner. The fish was fine but $20/worth idk. I will say the meal was actually cooked to order. The downside for me in terms of the meal was the salt bomb all over my meal, starting with the salad which was a very small amount of greens to the amount of salad dressing they topped it with. The miso soup was made with miso but very strongly seasoned making me want to water it down. The edamame were good but once again so much added salt on it. The mackerel was good, but yet again the excessive amount of salt made it very difficult to enjoy the meal from start to finish. The vibe is a small dining area with minimal frill, and a small counter with seating where the sushi chef is to make rolls/sashimi. The lady is very attentive and the food is made with care, I just wish they would hold back on the salt. I left feeling very parched due to the amount of sodium I ingested from the preparation. Overall this restaurant is a great Japanese restaurant, I wouldn't mind going back. If - minus the miso soup, I wonder if I could request no added salt to my food in the cook process. Aside from how they may have prepped the fish before cooking, if for example it gets pre-seasoned in salt that's one thing, but no additional salt when cooking. I recommend you give it a shot, its a rare find to see a Japanese restaurant ran my a Japanese family, which was a nice surprise.

I have been a student of Jingyu Gu's for over 11 years. Previously, I studied Yang and Chen styles…read moreof tai chi in New Orleans, and prior to that, White Crane Kung Fu. What impressed me from the beginning was Dr Gu's emphasis on precision. He is careful to explain that you should not exceed your body's capabilities, but that you should do the form as precisely as possible within those capabilities. He doesn't talk much about philosophy or energy; he says that you must learn the form first, and that can take decades. Not just learning the moves, but training the body and the mind to unite and execute the form smoothly with perfect concentration. You are learning a comprehensive method of movement that is radically different from what most of us have learned previously. It is also incredibly efficient, especially when you learn to relax simultaneously. All this takes diligence, patience and time. While at times Dr Gu makes claims that seem incredible, I have experienced incredible changes in my physiology and psychology in the years I have studied with him. My body is more able to withstand extreme heat and cold, although not as well as Dr. Gu. I no longer experience intrusive thoughts or mood swings and can enjoy seated meditation, which has always been a challenge for me. And I have seen Dr Gu grapple with a man half his age for 30 minutes (informally) and stay relaxed and polite the entire time, while his challenger was exhausted by the end. Having been diagnosed at high risk for a heart attack, I perform cardiac stress tests annually on a treadmill. These are very intense cardio exercise sessions. I do not regularly perform cardio exercise, yet I regularly "pass" my tests with more than average scores for someone my age. This gives credibility to Dr Gu's claim that tai ji practice is as good or superior to cardio workouts. I happily tell new students that Dr Gu is the kind of teacher I never thought I would find--someone who truly understands the Tao and its application in tai ji chuan. The classes are very affordable, and if you are truly interested in learning and attend regularly, you may experience similar benefits.

After prepaying for a month, I walked away after two weeks. While I definitely need the exercise…read moreand I love Tai Chi with a passion, this school consists of one unacceptable teacher and his followers. He has very anti-American views and doesn't hesitate to say China or Chinese people are superior. That by itself wouldn't have driven me off as quickly as the rest of his behavior. He uses typical personality cult techniques of pitting students against each other, alternating praise and humiliation, etc. He railed against me personally, even attacking my balance which is poor due to a car accident, for ten minutes for asking one very appropriate simple question during his designated Q&A time when I was trying to learn a move. I was frankly stunned and waited until I got away from the situation to think through what had happened. I stepped back and looked at my experience in his classes as if I was an observer and realized what was happening. He claims to have the secret to longevity (Chinese alchemy approach) that he will share with a select few. Everybody else is a fraud according to him; he is the only true source of this occult knowledge. In the classes that I attended, he attacked Yoga, other Tai Chi instructors, former students, other forms of Tai Chi, America, etc. The only "good" according to his own statements is himself and those that follow him. He even talked about specific martial artists that he was sure he could beat up -- never had a tai chi instructor do that! Stay away from this school. There are way too many decent people and choices in the Tai Chi community to subject yourself to abusive behavior. Before coming to Austin, I have had the privilege of having world class teachers including the man who was the head of the Yang tradition at that time.

I have been a student of Margie's for many years and she has taught me so much about Tai Chi. When…read moreI came to my first class with her, I knew nothing about Tai Chi except what I had read. Her experience teaching many students over the years has been invaluable to my tai chi progression. She has been taken me from a complete beginner to being able to practice several different forms on my own at home. I am very appreciative of her guidance and highly recommend anyone interested in Tai Chi to give her a try!

I have been studying tai chi with margie for about 6 yrs. If you have an interest in learning tai…read morechi, I highly recommend her. She has a way of breaking down the movements into concrete concepts and always emphasizes the need to have fun while learning. Her classes have changed my life.

A welcoming and friendly environment. Inclusive to beginners & advanced levels. Kids & adults.read more

I am constantly blown away at the community that has developed at Shaolin Do of Austin! The Masters…read morehave gone out of their way to provide a wide array of online classes so that we can all continue to learn our Kung Fu and Tai Chi, and I know that they have more in the works. If you are looking for a place to learn martial arts, get in shape, or just meet some amazing people then this is the spot for you!

I have taken several different Martial Arts, and had been wanting to get into Tai Chi for some time…read moreas it is more of a meditative form. I have been going for a little over a month now, and I am very impressed. It was pretty difficult to find a place that was close to me (Cedar Park) that instructed Tai Chi, I called about 4 different places (all further than 10 miles away from me, mostly in Round Rock and Pflugerville) before I found North Austin Tai Chi. Not only is Kade a fantastic instructor, this is one of the least expensive of places I found. it costs about $10 a lesson depending on which plan you want to work with, which is about $2 less expensive than the best packages at some other places .... at first I was a little sceptical but it turns out it is because he doesn't have the overhead of owning a place (he rents/leases part of the Senior Center on Duval) If anyone is interested in Tai Chi, without hesitation I would recommend Kade, and North Austin Tai Chi .... he has an exceptional style of instruction.

I have also taken martial arts from different instructors, and you could not find a more patient…read moreand wonderful teacher to learn under. With Taichi you will learn better balance, flexibility, not to mention the mental relaxation. Kade radiates calm and makes the environment very understanding of any limitations you may have. Each person is taught in the best way for them, with gentle guidance to realize your own mistakes to correct them. Tai chi should be used everyday by everyone!

My son has had a great experience with the virtual kung fu classes and the monthly in-person…read moreclasses. The instructors are great and really take care with the kids to ensure they do well. They also make it easy for kids to gain new skills and advance which my son found to be a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend this program for any kid.

I've been here 11 months, and I have to say that my experience at AFKA has been life changing. As…read morea girl, there's nothing more empowering than being able to spar and ground-fight with the guys. I never had upper body strength, and now when I fly on planes, I have little trouble lifting my 40 lb bag into the overhead bin. I feel safer when walking alone. I know self-defense skills, and I have the strength to back it up. I was upset by reading Lauren's review, and I recall the day she tried our class. I'm not going to go on a tl;dr tirade, but basically, martial arts is not for everyone. It's a contact sport, and the conditioning for your body is different than other sports. Yes we do sit-ups. Yes we do light contact sparring. Yes we do groundfighting, and you may just groundfight someone twice your size! We are very combat focused. If you can't handle lots of abwork, then try one of the many other fitness options offered in Austin. Each of our instructors have years of experience in various martial arts. I have complete faith in them. They are in tune with what is correct and proper technique. Training goes nowhere if you are injured. However, I stress that martial arts training is different from other sports you may have tried.

My son has been going there for a month now and really enjoys it. The instructors are nice,…read moreencouraging and really take the time to answer. Any questions you have about the program and go above and beyond and making sure that your child learns and what they need to know to become a great martial artist. I highly recommend checking in this place out if your child is interested in learning kung fu

Birthday Party Review…read more So much fun! So easy for parents! Wonderful teachers and volunteers! I can't say enough good things about Master Gohring and his team! My son and his friends had so much fun!! We'll be back for classes. Thank you, Rebekah, for taking such good care of us!

I was advised to look into Tai Chi after a serious hip injury and was lucky enough to find Four…read moreSeasons. Seven years later, it is part of my life. Jim Williams is exceedingly patient, knowledgeable and dedicated.