I've been a fan of Scratch restaurants ever since trying Sushi by Scratch when it was a popup. Even though the Sushi scene in Austin is a bit saturated, I like that there is a more casual space like Shokunin for high quality sushi with some fusion flavors - made much more affordable by the happy hour prices. Shokunin is one of my fav happy hours in Austin. Every day from 5-6pm, the happy hour features half off all hand rolls, Japanese draft beer, and sake bombs. I've aged of sake bombs but I wouldn't mind ordering it so I could drink the beer and sake separately. Shokunin is also on the InKind app, which helps add a lot more value by earning rewards or pre-purchasing credit. The space is small but nice, with natural light coming in from the street. It has a casual neighborhood vibe and I haven't been when it's too busy to not find a table. If I'm dining solo or with a friend, I like to sit at the sushi counter. The Wagyu Sukiyaki is rich and tasty with lots of umami from the beef, soy, and egg yolk, and a good appetizer to share with a group. All the fish I had was fresh and seasoned well. There are definitely bites that work better as nigiri than a hand roll (like uni) but if I'm there for happy hour, I'll try and order anything as a hand roll. Aside from the standard menu, which you can order from the menu/ticket, there are daily nigiri and hand roll specials listed above the sushi counter. One day, the special was an amazing wagyu, caviar, truffle hand roll. read more

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Excellent quality sushi and handrolls. The sushi was so fresh, perfectly tender and delightfully fatty and flavorful. I especially enjoyed the Toro and Japanese Wagyu sushi and handrolls. The Japanese Wagyu sushi & handrolls are a little bit pricy but definitely worth it imo. read more

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Service was excellent and attentive. You can make a reservation in advance or try your luck as a walk up. Sunday evening wasn't too busy and we were able to have the entire seating facing the window to ourselves. You order off a small menu or choose the omakase. They also have specials for the day. We ordered one nigiri of most of the options and it was a mixed experience in taste and quality. The salmon, tuna, hamachi, and albacore had top notch smooth and buttery textures. The flavors were good, not fishy, but fresh and delicious. The amount of wasabi was perfect for me - very up front and tasted like real wasabi. The rice was nice and vinegared, held together well, and was a good amount for the piece of fish on top. Unfortunately the uni was awful. It tasted like it had soaked up the flavor of the box. It tasted stale and had a very unpleasant and lingering aftertaste. The Wagyu was very chewy and not as pleasant to eat as I would have expected from a Wagyu. Prices are a bit high to go back again for this level of quality and experience, but some of the sushi pieces were a very nice mouthful. read more

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I had a great omakase experience here, thanks to a discount I was able to use from InKind. I arrived at 5:15 on Thursday not expecting a crowd, but it turns out I actually got the last seat at the sushi bar so perhaps make a reservation just to be sure. The 15 course is more than enough, I'm not even sure I could stomach 23 courses. It comes with 3 apps, 3 sashimi, 5 nigiri, 2 hand rolls, and 2 desserts - all of them are from the menu except 3 of the nigiri which are chefs choice and come from their specials for the day. The fish was high quality, the apps and desserts were unique and interesting, and while it's expensive, it's actually cheaper that other omakase options in Austin. Combine that with their fairly open availability and it's a very solid option for a spur of the moment sushi excursion. read more

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I took my husband on a date night and Shokunin did not disappoint! We wanted to try someplace we haven't been and we had so much fun sitting at the bar and learning about the 15 course omakase! We were welcomed with smiles and hot towels. The staff introduced themselves and truly made sure we were having a lovely time. I did my first Sake Bomb and let the experience take me away watching the chef's cut the incredibly fresh sushi with detail and finesse. Every bit from start to finish was a outstanding!! I may have forgotten what each course was as I was enveloped in learning, tasting and getting to know the staff, but I took photos and cannot explain how excited I am to go back! The 15 course omakase was a great choice and I got so full! I would have to really work up to the 24 course but it is not out of the question in my future! Thanks y'all for making my date night perfect! read more

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This is a great spot if you care most about high-quality fish and clean, simple nigiri without heavy sauces or garnishes. The fish itself was excellent : fresh, silky, and buttery in texture. You can really tell they focus on letting the seafood shine rather than masking it with extras. That said, the rice was much more vinegary than I personally prefer. I know some people love that sharper style, but for me it slightly overpowered the fish at times. My scallop handroll had a ton of wasabi inside, it was extremely strong and ended up overwhelming the delicate scallop. It was too much for me. I also don't think the sukiyaki was worth $32 but it was decent. The interior has romantic, cozy vibes and feels perfect for a date night. You can sit at the sushi bar for a more intimate experience or choose a table if you're dining with a larger group. Overall, a solid choice for sushi purists who prioritize fish quality above all else! read more

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From the owner of Sushi By Scratch, Pasta Bar and NADC Burger, comes Shokunin, a '90s LA sushi concept now open on East 6th! I went in for my 2nd time today since they opened, and the sushi was just as fantastic and fresh as last week. They don't take reservations and are only open Th-Mon 5-9pm. Went in at 5:45 on a Monday and the estimated time on the waitlist was 75 minutes. It ended up only being 25 though which is much better than 75! They have an excellent wine and sake menu if you choose to imbibe. I say skip that and chow down. Definitely get the baked green mussels to start. It's like nothing I've had before. You pick from nigiri, hand roll or sashimi for the fish. I recommend skipping the hand roll. Definitely order the scallop, tuna, toro, salmon, salmon belly, hamachi in nigiri form and the salmon sashimi! Save room for the matcha affogato and the bon bon! Service is best at the sushi bar but the staff throughout are very nice and helpful! Our server, Noah, today was very attentive! The sushi is high quality, and you'll spend a pretty penny, but it's worth a visit and the splurge! read more

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Best sushi I have ever eaten! A small intimate space that provides a one of a kind experience. The chefs were wonder, explaining the options, aging process and how to best eat each piece. The Madai was exceptional. The aged Wagyu also did not disappoint. But one surprising highlight the in house made ginger and soy sauce. Worth every dollar. read more

Shokunin - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Excellent addition to the Austin sushi scene - a la carte with an optional omakase but not required. The restaurant maximizes the seating without making you feel too crowded. If you aren't in the neighborhood and on feet or bike, there is street parking on 6th and garages nearby on 5th. Each dish and bite were fresh, delicately prepared and delectable. read more

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Been wanting to try this place since they opened a few weeks ago. Everytime I walked by it was packed with a wait. Found out they are now have a waitlist available so you can be notified 20 min before your table is done so you're not sitting there waiting. Pros: Music selection was fantastic. Definitely 90's. Quad city DJs, Bone thugs and harmony, No Doubt, Biz Markee. Classic. Vibe was laid back and chill, sitting at the sushi bar gets you a front row set to everything that is going on. Food was delicious and unique flavors. I did an omakase which made life easy. No choices for me! Cons: Sitting at the sushi bar lets you see everything. The downgrade in star comes from hygiene. The plates for the sushi were handled by multiple people...as in servers handling the plates (where food goes) after assisting guests. One server took a plate from the chef, then walked into the back room to drop off a used plate. Now I know air doesn't per se have issues, but taking fresh food into an area where things are cleaned seems a bit odd. The chefs also weren't keeping it above board with one specific memory of touching other stuff (reserved seating plaques, for example) then going right back to making sushi. The host placed the plaques so why wouldn't they pick them up? To keep the chefs hands as clean as possible? I know no where is perfect however when dealing with raw fish, I do expect to have a chain of hygiene followed. Washing hands if touching stuff other than sushi or hell, using gloves. If I didn't sit at the bar and see all of that, 5 stars cause I wouldn't know. Will I return? Perhaps. read more

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Friendly staff! Luckily walked in right when they opened on a Thursday so had no problem finding seating right at the bar. It's very clean. Staff is super attentive and helpful with recommendations. Our sushi chef was wonderful and provided great recommendations. It's a good casual sushi restaurant with above average pricing. I wish the nigiri pieces were more tightly packed and neat, but the fish quality was great. I'm basic but would love to see miso soup or more standard appetizers on the menu! read more

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No complaints. I loved the intersection of quality and à la carte. The salmon nigiri was possibly the best salmon I have ever had. Josh waited on us and he was prompt and helpful and gave great recommendations. The music was a little loud but nothing we couldn't work around and the casual vibe made it enjoyable and not stuffy at all while being able to enjoy absolutely top tier food. read more

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Had some difficulty reserving this place. Opentable said not available. Sevenrooms worked. But you can't cancel the reservation without calling them. We called at 5pm to confirm a table for 4 not the sushi bar. We were told no problem with a table. We arrive and offered 4 bar seats which doesnt work for 2 couples socializing. The hostess says sorry but our call to confirm a table was not a guarantee. So we left and ate somewhere else. This place is too much work! read more

Sat at the sushi bar and my husband and I just walked by and saw the happy hour special and decided to drop in. We love sushi and we're only expecting to have a couple hand rolls and call it a day. We sat at the sushi bar and the sushi Chefs really made a memorable experience. Great conversation with the chefs and surrounding guests at the bar. The fish was also great quality. You can tell by the Scallop and it was definitely bomb! We had multiple hand rolls and nigiri plus sake. We're not local but this was definitely a great spot and we left very happy with the quality of fish, pricing and vibe with the Sushi Chefs! read more

Overall the experience was great.. we knew there would be some "ironing out" moments in their procedures which is what is expected from a new spot... especially for the notoriety Chef Phillip has.. The fish was top notch always been a huge fan of his from when they first came to Austin and even in the chaos he kept his crew calm and everything was very pleasant for it only being open 5 days when we went. Chef Phillip really made the evening special since my mom came in town for her birthday so grateful for all they did! read more

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Came here after seeing all the rave on IG and I have to say it does live up to the hype. Fish is fresh and everything was delicious just warning, it is very pricey! It's worth it tho, service was awesome, everyone is very attentive. My only criticism is that the rice is very loose so nigiri pieces tend to fall apart fast. read more

We went for the Valentine's Day special omakase and unfortunately, it was a hot mess. When we arrived for our scheduled reservation, we were immediately told that the pacing for the night was already off and that some dishes were running behind for certain tables. That set the tone for the entire experience. For a $600 dinner, the experience felt very impersonal. It honestly felt like they were capitalizing on the fact that it was Valentine's Day without delivering the level of service that should come with that price point. We left feeling like we got finessed. While the fish was good for the most part, a few pieces tasted overly fishy. The biggest disappointment, though, was the service. Most of the servers didn't explain what was being served -- they would just place the dish down and walk away. We had to repeatedly ask what we were eating and how it was meant to be enjoyed. Overall, very underwhelmed by the level of service, especially given the cost and the occasion. read more

Tonight we went back to Shokunin for what was nothing less than an absolutely spectacular experience. From the moment I walked inside we were greeted with smiles and amazing vibes. The food was nothing short of remarkably delicious. We were all stunned that each course was somehow better than the last. My favorite tonight was the Sawara, the texture and taste was new and amazing. Their knowledge and care for the highest quality ingredients was meticulous and precise. The value Shokunin brings to our community is amazing, if you enjoy the best sushi this is the place for you. The value of the Omakase menu is actually insane $140 for 15 courses! You may want to wear your stretchy jeans! They have updated the way seating works and now you can get in line from home and they will hold your spot even if you are a few minutes late. You can definitely get in now without any frustrations with the new system. The music is not too loud and you can hear the chefs and the people in your party. We would like to thank many of the team at Shokunin by name. Phillip Franklund Lee, first thank you so much for having us back and taking the time to share a great conversation and some of your knowledge with us tonight, that was something I won't forget! Your attention to detail and the way you were checking in on every single guest even if they may have not known was incredible. To Chef Christian, Chef Yoji, Chef Makow, & Chef Lorenzo thank you all for an absolutely excellent experience, watching yall work was mesmerizing. To Wails and the exceptional hospitality team, thank you for making this THE experience we had hoped for from the moment we walked in the door, simply amazing. We will be back as often as we can and have already started planning family birthdays as this is the place to bring everyone together for a true foodie experience, even joking (maybe not so much of a joke) that this is our new Saturday spot after the gym! Thank you to everyone that made our evening as memorable as it was, our group talked about the meal the whole way home and how we can't wait to return. read more

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Chef Phillip is killing it in every aspect. This was better than any sushi in LA, SF, or even Seattle. His passion and attention to detail is everything. He loves what he does, he loves his wife, and it shows in everything he's doing. Wonderful food, wonderful chap, and wonderful place. Thank you! read more

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tldr: Great quality fish, dogsh*t service. Food: The quality of the fish was pretty amazing. Very clean flavors and great texture. You can tell they focus on that here. I also like how the rolls and nigiri are kind of simple without a lot of frills. The nigiri are all served with a hint of wasabi already applied. The salmon belly was the star of the show for sure--it's a must order. Almost creamy and had a very clean flavor, and amazing mouth feel. However, I found that the sushi rice was a little too sweet for me. This may be a personal preference thing, but it felt overpowering. Additionally, both of my hand rolls had too much wasabi, to the point where I got a bit of a nose rush. That just doesn't seem right to me. The seaweed for the wrap was excellent though. The scallop was, like the salmon belly, very high quality. I also tried the baked muscles. I was served two pieces for $9. They were just okay, and I wouldn't order those again. My friends ordered a grain sake in a carafe and it was super good. I've had some pretty great sushi in my life, including Sushi Bar omakase and omakase at Sushi Junai. The sushi here excels in fish quality, but just didn't do it for me in other ways. The food was also on the pricey side, even for sushi, which leads me to the biggest issue I had here... Service: To give credit, we were seated very quickly for a walk in. But after that, it just took absolutely way too long to get our food. It wasn't even that busy and it just seemed like the cooks were messing around or something. Additionally, my friends were waiting for me before I joined them and their order for drinks was not taken for 20+ minutes. After a while we started getting impatient when it took so long to get our food, especially when you're essentially only getting a few bites at a time. The other really annoying thing was how the servers were not able to understand who was ordering what. My friends (a couple) and I put in separate orders, and they kept not knowing who to serve the food to. On top of that, the waiter was a nice guy and all and seemed knowledgeable, but it felt like he was screaming in my face when talking to me and kind of droning on, and it was just unpleasant lol. Overall, I live in the building where this place is located, and I'd love to come back here, but last night was a disappointment. My friends who had joined me had a good experience another time they had come here, so maybe their crew were just having a bad night. But as of now, I just can't see myself going back here. read more

Shokunin - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

wow. the greatest sushi experience of my life. My wife and i loved the ambiance and incredible bites. So fresh. So fatty. Incredible. We will be going back! The Ice cream matcha affogato is one of the best things i've ever tasted read more

Walked in for dinner and was excited to try out this new place since we have enjoyed their other concepts. Was a bit underwhelmed from the start when it came to the service. Very slow and a bit inattentive. I know it's new and there's always growing pains, but some questions about the menu couldn't be answered and the basics like water refills, offers for drink refills, etc just weren't there. Felt like they only focused on the sushi bar guests and not the rest of the restaurant. The food was good, but I didn't feel like it was good enough for the price. In a city with so many amazing sushi spots, there's a lot of places you can go and spend this amount (and probably have better food and service). Hopefully they can work out some of the kinks! The space and concept are very cool! read more

Absolutely wonderful experience. Food was top notch. Sushi chef and rest of staff were very friendly. Vibe and music was great.

Still dreaming about this sushi. Literally so good and I can't wait to come back! Such a cute date night spot with great service.