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    Soto South Lamar

    4.3 (742 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:30 pm, 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM

    Soto South Lamar Japanese Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    SOTO SOUTH LAMAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Trendy
    Intimate
    Romantic

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    Recommended Reviews - Soto South Lamar

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    Spring L.

    Soto Austin has one of the best happy hour deals in town - great value considering how exceptional the quality is. The fish is always incredibly fresh, and the chefs have a real talent for pairing unique flavors that enhance, rather than overpower, the delicacy of the seafood. Honestly, I'd take Soto over the Uchi chain any day. The balance, creativity, and precision here are unmatched. Their truffle risotto and uni pasta are must-orders - rich, elegant, and deeply satisfying. For anyone who appreciates refined Japanese cuisine without the pretension, Soto truly stands out.

    Scott T.

    Soto on South Lamar is easily a 5 star experience every time, one of those spots that just nails both the food and the vibe. The sushi is incredibly fresh, beautifully presented, and the flavor combinations are next level, you can tell a lot of care goes into every dish. The space feels upscale but still comfortable, perfect for a date night, or a nice dinner out without feeling stuffy. And yes, the famous flaming salmon dish is fun and delicious, but definitely get more than just that, the rest of the menu deserves attention too, especially the specialty rolls, nigiri, and seasonal fish selections. There is a lot of depth here beyond the showstopper plate. Andy is great, attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely makes you feel taken care of without hovering. Service like that really elevates the whole night. Between the quality of the fish, creative menu, and standout service, Soto continues to be one of my favorite sushi spots in Austin.

    Morgan-Emilee A.

    We made a reservation to celebrate while we were in town. The location was easy to find, and parking was not an issue. We had a great sever and she was attentive and kind all night. Everything we ordered was really good. Not one thing was bad. It is expensive. Expect to pay $150 plus for two if you're eating and drinking. If we didn't get drinks we probably could have spent $100 plus tip. The quality of everything was impressive and the environment was relaxing and quiet. Perfect date night. Can't wait to come back!

    Les Z.

    Personal favorites: Giant clam nigiri, ebi nigiri, Uni sushi (forgot the official name for this one) - The giant clam is refreshing and sweet. Not fishy or slimy at all. It's a thick piece so you can really feel the chewy and crunchy texture! - Uni is on the small side. They taste creamy and sweet, exactly what I expected. - The ebi one has some nice citrusy flavor to it, again very nice texture and flavor. Overall the food has very exquisite taste, fresh ingredients, and beautiful plating! We enjoyed everything we ordered. If I had to share one feedback, it's the uni pasta - I think they use something like instant noodle, not the Italian pasta kind. Still delicious though. I'd like to mention the creative seasoning pairing choices. I've been to Japan many times, but Soto surprised me with some unexpected combination of fried garlic, yuzu, truffle, etc. It's very delightful and unique. Will definitely come back.

    Habiba A.

    I had the pleasure of dining at Soto for Valentine's and their omakase did not disappoint!! Our server was incredibly friendly and did a great job at explaining each item and drinks to pair with them! It's such a fun dining experience, and it's so classy- you'd almost forget it's across the street from Gibson! Definitely recommend and will absolutely be coming back

    Soto 2.0
    Christina L.

    We were visiting from out of state and wanted to try something local in Texas. The restaurant is beautifully decorated -- classy, warm, and elegant. Perfect date night vibe. The service was amazing too; our server was super knowledgeable and made the whole experience enjoyable from start to finish. We started with the miso soup, which was delicious and had a unique touch with mushrooms added in. For rolls, we got the Soto 2.0, and we loved it. The toro was rich, savory, and just melted in your mouth. Under the cold section, the hamachi chili was one of our favorites -- the bite was perfectly balanced with fried jalapeño and scallions on top. The massugo maguro was another pleasant surprise, especially with the crispy rice underneath adding the perfect crunch. For nigiri, we had the seared sake toro, which was good but not as standout as the others. The hamachi toro (fatty wild yellowtail), though, was beautifully presented with smoke -- it had a rich, smoky flavor that paired perfectly with the fish. We also tried the housemade potato chips, which were a fun and crunchy snack. From the seasonal menu, the bafun uni was fantastic -- buttery, custard-like, and honestly comparable (if not better) than the Santa Barbara uni we've had before. The kama toro with caviar was incredibly rich and delicious. And the highlight of the night was the truffle masuter -- our server recommended it, saying the chef won an award for it, and we could absolutely see why. It was one of those "Ratatouille" moments where the flavors just come together perfectly -- an unforgettable bite. We ended with the uni pasta, which lived up to the hype. The creamy sauce and the egg on top tied everything together beautifully. All in all, Soto was a hidden gem for us and made our first visit to Austin even better. We'd definitely come back next time we're in town!

    Sandy G.

    It's becoming an annual tradition for me to celebrate my birthday here. We always opt for their omakase course, which comes with 18 bites. They also have a premium option that comes with 20 bites and includes more selections from their specialty menu but we're pretty content with just their standard omakase. You're also able to tell your server your preferences which is a huge plus for me because I'm not a fan of shellfish so they were able to customized their omakase selection a bit to exclude things we don't want. It's hard to pick a favorite dish because everything was plated delicately and also tasted superb - definitely very close to the quality you'll get in Japan. One of most memorable dishes for me was the wagyu on the hot stone. It definitely reminded me of Japan. Their homemade potato chip, which left me craving more, also deserves an honorable mention. They have a fantastic drinks selection as well. All in all, Soto is a great place for a celebratory meal. I'm already looking forward to my next visit.

    HH menu
    Dawn S.

    I popped in to grab HH before my movie at Alamo. The HH menu is great! My bartender was Son. He was helpful and friendly. He told me his favorites. I got the Chili Hamachi, Mini Sushi Tacos, Hamachi Nigiri, and Masu Nigiri. There were all fantastic. I was even surprised with a little extra sushi from the chef. Lucky me! Sorry Alamo, this food is way better than yours! ;) Happy Hour: M-F : 4-6 S-S : 3-6 In the words of A.S., "I'll be back."

    Kassilynn T.

    First time here and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We opted to sit outside since the weather was beautiful and we loved every minute. Our waitress was sooo sweet and made my daughter feel so special. We tried so many different things from their happy hour menu along with some from their regular menu. The sushi was phenomenal and I'll def keep them in mind for another Sunday fun day adventure.

    Shishito Pepper
    Erin Y.

    The food is incredibly fresh and full of flavor, with a great assortment that makes it hard to choose just one thing. Everything we've tried has been consistently excellent, but the nigiri really stands out; simple, perfectly prepared, and lets the quality of the fish shine. You can tell a lot of care goes into every dish. It's become one of our go-to spots when we're craving top-tier sushi in Austin, and we'll absolutely keep coming back!

    Dining
    Rishi P.

    Great service and quick too. Modern place located by other small restaurants too. Plenty of garage parking. Menu was thorough. Sushi was tremendous and best one was hamachi apple. White tiger was good but the arugula was best part of the Apple one. Appetizers the crab cake was delicious with the sweet sauce, the pork pot stickers had a spicier sauce which was worth keeping for the sushi. Dessert the matcha was surprisingly great. We had a great server as she tossed in a free dessert mango one at the end. She was quick and gave great recommendation. Will be back

    matcha mousse
    Megan Y.

    Have now been here twice. The first time we didn't order much & went to a different restaurant for the second half of dinner. We came for my sister's birthday & it was a lovely experience all the way through. We got two of their rolls, several nigiri, and two hot plates (classic uni pasta & truffle risotto). Everything was delicious except one of the nigiri's I felt was either not fresh or under seasoned. It may have been the scallops. They gave us their two signature desserts for free as well (due to the birthday) - Each course came out quickly, especially because my family doesn't really get lost in conversation when we eat out; we fully invest in eating our food! Service was great, we had two different servers take our group photo and the valet person outside also delivered quality work.

    Nigiri
    Ryan B.

    The staff was absolutely wonderful here. Everyone was very helpful and constantly made sure our water was filled. They made recommendations and checked in regularly. All of the rolls we tried were great but the nigiri was terrific. I would love to swing by again and load up on nigiri!

    Chili hamachi

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    Soto South Lamar Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Soto South Lamar

    What are their happy hour specials/discounts?

    9$ lychee martinis and margaritas and a few other drinks And basically a bunch of rolls/… Read more

    Do you offer a soy paper option?

    yes we do offer soy paper

    Is this place kid-friendly at dinner time?

    On my 2nd visit, there were families at dinner. There were no issues. Enjoy!

    Gluten free options?

    Plenty! They are super accommodating for allergies, especially gluten. They can do just about any menu item gluten free, even tempura!

    How long will the dining experience take if you do the omakase?

    Omakase tends to take about 1.5-2 hours depending on how busy the restaurant is

    What's the dress and ambiance like? Trying to do a slightly fancy/dressier dinner.

    For Dinner I would definitely say it's a nicer restaurant. It's in line with a nice steak restaurant or Uchi. No coat/tie needed but you definitely would not look out of place with coat tie either. It would be a really nice date night place.

    View All 7 Questions

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    TenTen

    TenTen

    4.3(565 reviews)
    1.3 miWarehouse District, Market District, Downtown
    $$$

    We had a fantastic night and savored every dish that was served. To our lucky surprise we came…read moreduring happy hour, so we ordered many things off of the happy hour menu. Both of the sandos were perfect. The wagyu beef sando had a little bit more flavor but it was slight and both are worth trying. Every roll was enjoyable and I felt like each had a little twist that really made the flavors explosive, like a shaved onion or a crispy puff on the side of the roll. The service was stellar and they were easy to book on OpenTable I also tried the green tea mocktail and found it to be light and refreshing and I was happy that it wasn't super sweet My two favorite items were: 1. The Edamame - which were charred in a way that I feel like I've never experienced it before and had such great flavor. 2. The scallop roll had a thinly sliced shaved truffle on top that made the roll simple yet out of this world. Shout out to the manager who came by just to check in. I always think that is such a sweet gesture.

    I have not been to Tenten in such a long time and recently went here for a happy hour with one of…read moremy girlfriends and had such an amazing time. Because of the influx of so many amazing new sushi spots opening up in town. I forget to visit my old favorite spots and neglecting tenten was a big mistake. Their happy hour is absolutely one of the best deals there is and on Tuesdays they have $10 rolls all night which is an absolute steal. I particularly went there on a Wednesday to try their A5 Wagyu sandwich, but because I hadn't been there in so long, I wanted to have all the rolls that sounded so amazing on the happy hour menu that I couldn't even get to the sandwich. Every single role we had was absolutely off the charts. They even had a Toro role on happy hour for $10 which was such a steal. The service and ambience was also as usual impeccable. Can't wait to come back here to try the sandwich on another Wednesday

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    TenTen
    TenTen
    TenTen

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    Uchi Austin - Asked for soy, sent it back! Everything is perfection, no intervention required.

    Uchi Austin

    4.4(3.2k reviews)
    0.2 miBouldin Creek, South Lamar District, 78704 (South Austin)
    $$$$
    Takes reservations
    Fine dining

    I finally got a chance to visit and Uchi did not disappoint…read more Free valet parking with Apple Pay for tips. It seems they take reservations now. One of the reasons I never came before was that they didn't take reservations and I didn't want to drive 30 minutes and the wait hours for a table. Even at such an early hour on a Saturday, the place with hopping. The ambiance was a trendy one. We had reservations at 4:30. Happy hour is 4pm to 6pm and the HH menu will help keep the heft of your wallet at a good heavy level. All the food was great. Be prepared for a party to erupt in your mouth for each bite. The multitude of flavors that complement each other harmoniously in each mouthful will touch every part of your pallet. This is the only place that I have been to have this party going on for each dish. Overall I like this place better than its sister restaurant Uchiba. I'll be going to Uchiko soon to determine my favorite of the three but Uchi is at the top so far.

    This was my first time at Uchi. I was here to celebrate my friend's birthday, as this is one of her…read morefavorite places. We took advantage of the Happy Hour specials and tried a few items off the regular menu. She is the Sushi expert, so please forgive me for not remembering all the wonderful selections we sampled. The service was excellent, despite it being a tad busy. We had dined during their Happy Hour, yet our wait was never long for our entrees, as we finished each. Appreciated how our server provided the details of each dish as they were brought to our table. The ambiance of the restaurant was what I expected from the fine establishment this is. It's much more spacious than it looks from the outside. We were fortunate enough to be seated where we could observe dishes being prepared by the kitchen staff which added to the experience Overall, for my first time here, it was an outstanding experience.

    Photos
    Uchi Austin
    Uchi Austin - Pork belly and kabocha

    Pork belly and kabocha

    Uchi Austin - Salmon handroll

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    Salmon handroll

    Soto South Lamar - japanese - Updated May 2026

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