Sushi | Bar Austin: What to Order
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The verdict: Book the omakase and let the hamachi with sweet-corn pudding and sourdough breadcrumbs run; Phillip Frankland Lee’s 16 courses are the point.
Sushi | Bar is the Austin outpost of Sushi by Scratch Restaurants, the ten-seat omakase counter from chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee, hidden downtown at 603 Brazos Street since December 2024. There is no a la carte and no menu to read: you order the omakase, or you do not come. Here is what that buys.
What the Omakase Delivers
The meal is a fixed 16-course omakase at $195 a seat, plus a 20 percent service charge, so the ticket lands near $234 before drinks. You do not choose the courses. What you get is the Lees’ signature move: nigiri that keeps edomae discipline but carries an original touch, the clearest example being the hamachi finished with a dab of sweet-corn “pudding” and sourdough breadcrumbs, with even traditional pieces lifted by a house-fermented soy sauce.
Arrive 30 minutes early for the complimentary bites before the counter starts. The run moves through a sequence of finessed nigiri at the chef’s pace across roughly two hours in a room of ten seats. Beverages are extra and built to match the sushi, with cocktails, sake and beer offered as pairings rather than a list to browse.
How to Build the Order
The order is made for you, so the real decision is the seating. Book the earlier counter for the quieter, slower pace; the later seatings run a touch faster. Reservations open on the first of each month at 1pm for the following month through Tock, with a $25 deposit applied to the check, and weekend seats vanish quickly. Take the drink pairing rather than ordering off-piece; it is designed against the exact sequence the chefs serve.
Related Reading
- Our full profile: Sushi | Bar, downtown Austin.
- Land the seat: how to book Sushi | Bar.
- The wider city: Austin dining guide.
- The other Austin counters: Otoko at the South Congress Hotel and Uchiko.
- More of the format: omakase counters worldwide and the best sushi restaurants.
- Best for the occasion: solo-dining seats and first-date restaurants.
- A neighbouring counter: how to book Uchi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you get at Sushi | Bar in Austin?
You get a fixed 16-course omakase, chosen entirely by the chefs, at $195 a seat plus a 20 percent service charge. There is no a la carte option and no children’s menu. The run is Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee’s take on edomae nigiri with original touches, such as hamachi finished with sweet-corn pudding and sourdough breadcrumbs, served across about two hours in a ten-seat room.
How much does Sushi | Bar Austin cost?
The omakase is $195 per person, and a 20 percent service charge brings the total to roughly $234 before drinks and tax. A $25 deposit is taken at booking and applied to the final check. Beverages are extra and offered as cocktail, sake or beer pairings built to match the courses, so budget above the base ticket for the full experience.
How do you get a reservation at Sushi | Bar Austin?
Reservations are released on the first of each month at 1pm for the following month, exclusively through Tock, and weekend seats go within minutes. There are only ten seats and multiple nightly seatings, so set a reminder and book the instant the window opens. A $25 deposit secures the seat and is credited to your check, and arriving 30 minutes early gets you the complimentary opening bites.
Is Sushi | Bar the same as Sushi by Scratch?
Yes. Sushi | Bar is the counter brand of Sushi by Scratch Restaurants, the omakase group founded by chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee. The downtown Austin location opened at 603 Brazos Street in December 2024 and follows the group’s format of a fixed, chef-driven nigiri run in a small hidden room, the same model they run in Los Angeles and other cities.