Restaurant Overview

I'd heard about this place from Master Swaying Petal as she told me of her favorite sushi Play Time spots in Austin, TX. Kenichi Sushi is situated in a prime location very near to the heart of where everything happens in downtown Austin. Honestly, I arrived with a bit of skepticism as the last two spots that were recommended to me fell far short of a great experience. I met Master Crashing Waves there and we set out on, what would become, one of the best Play Time experiences in Austin thus far.

Restaurant Atmosphere:

The exterior of Kenichi Sushi is pretty modern feeling with its large door that peels back to allow you into the restaurant. Once inside you notice a social bar with several selections of alcohol and a sushi bar to its left. The dinning area is fairly large as well, and although there is nothing wrong with the place, it just feels like an upscale sushi spot rather than one with much character. I've seen this kinda motif in other spots like Sushi Roku - dark traditional feel.

Service and Hospitality:

I could go on and on about the service. Master Crashing Waves at several times in the evening thought I had put the servers and manager up to the kind of hospitality they were displaying to us. We felt like King and Queen in there. Our server was one of the best I'd had. There when we needed her and not hoovering over our table. I wish I could remember her name so I could give her shout out. She gave us a sample of their house sake and, with deep knowledge, went on to answer a couple questions we had about sake. I'm going out on a limb and saying this was the best service I've ever had while Playing.

Nigiri Sushi From The Menu:

Hamachi
The cuts of Nigiri weren't anything out of the ordinary. If it hadn't been for the freshness of each cut they could have been easily a 3.5 Dragon.

Salmon
A staple of every good Nigiri Play Time. The salmon cuts were a bit small, but the proportion of rice to fish was pretty spot on.

Unagi
Ah, the desert sushi. This Unagi, although having a bit more rice than I like, was perfectly cooked: Crispy on the edges yet a bit tender in the center.

Sushi Rolls From The Menu:

Aleution Roll
Salmon with asparagus, cucumber, chives, sesame seeds, sweet miso and cilantro basil sauce. Master Crashing Waves scouted this roll out on the internet before we arrived. Although it was a fairly large roll, it had a light fresh taste. The after taste of the cilantro basil is what really set it off.

Blake Roll
Shrimp tempura, with spicy tuna and avocado, topped with tuna, sesame seeds and eel sauce I ordered this roll not only because of what's inside, but because a portion of sales from this roll, I believe, go towards a foundation in honor of a former employee named Blake. What's better than getting a great tasting roll and doing some good in the process? Order it.

Kenichi Sushi All Rolled Up

There aren't too many spots that I've visited that I can point to having an amazing experience. Kenichi Sushi in Austin, TX has set the bar so high, that I every other Play Time will be measured by how they stack up against Kenichi. If you're in Austin and you're hanging out near 6th st, make a hop over to Kenichi and let me know what you think.

• Hours: Sunday-Wednesday 5:30pm-10pm, Thursday-Saturday 5:30pm-11pm
• Phone Number: (512) 320-8883
• All You Can Eat? No
• Reservations Needed? Yes
• Website: HTTP://WWW.KENICHIAUSTIN.COM/
• Pricing: pricey