Kome Sushi Kitchen has been a staple in the Austin sushi scene since it first opened in 2011. Brian and I originally went because I needed to try their matcha desserts for my #ATXBestEats City Guide, but we ended up having a great little date night 🙂
I will say, we had some mixed feelings about Kome. If you’ve never visited before, definitely read my thoughts before going.
When we arrived, Kome was packed! We were not expecting such a crowd, but you can’t make reservations, so we decided to wait it out. Luckily, you can sit on their patio and order off their drink/bar snack menu. We ordered two drinks and actually really enjoyed our 45-minute wait. The only bummer was that the two drinks we wanted, we weren’t able to order because they were out of Japanese whiskey. That was kind of a letdown. I landed on a “Papa Don’t Preach” (kraken rum, ginger wine, yuzu, blood orange cordial, lime juice, peach bitters).
The interior design is really great – a contemporary Japanese-style dining space. They have a long sushi bar where individuals or small groups can sit. Above the bar is the owners’ growing Manekineko (lucky cat) collection! The restaurant is one large, open space, but it’s not too loud, which makes conversation easy. I also really liked the bubble mural on the wall. It was created by local artist J. Muzacz.
Once seated, we ordered some ramen, gyoza, and a second round of drinks. This time, I ordered the “Mitsu Berry Sour” (sweet potato shochu, yuzu, honey, cassis, soda). The ramen was good and the gyoza was good… but if I’m being honest, I’ve had better ramen and I’ve had better gyoza. They were tasty to snack on, but I probably wouldn’t order either of them again.
The rolls are where Kome really shines. We ordered the “Tarantula” (shrimp tempura, softshell crab, avocado, carrot, spinach, sesame seeds, topped with black tobiko, go-go sauce, tx green sauce) and the tempura fried “Midnight Sun” (smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, candied jalapeño, topped with sunflower seeds and go-go sauce). I wish we had skipped the ramen and gyoza and just ordered rolls! Their classic rolls are mostly between $7-10 dollars and the specialty rolls are anywhere from $11-17. I feel like these are pretty good prices for such delicious sushi!
Finally, dessert! We ordered two – the coconut matcha creme brûlé and the green tea parfait. I really enjoyed the creme brûlé. I thought the flavors were wonderful! The green tea ice cream in the parfait was not as flavorful as I would have hoped… again, I’ve had way better green tea ice cream.
Overall, Brian and I had a great time with one another. We definitely enjoyed the experience at Kome more than we enjoyed the food. Waiting outside on the patio was very comfortable, the interior design was nice, it wasn’t too loud so we could actually hear one another, and, to highlight the best part of our meal, the sushi rolls were very tasty.
My suggestion would be to go to Kome, but stick to the sushi. It’s priced fairly and was the most delicious thing we ate that night.
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