Sushi Spin

Highly anticipated conveyor-belt sushi restaurant opens in Austin

A fun new sushi concept is giving Austin a whirl. Kula Revolving Sushi Bar is now open in North Central Austin at the Crescent shopping center.

The successful restaurant chain from Japan delivers fresh sushi and Japanese dishes via a conveyor belt. The concept is simple: Customers pluck labeled plates directly from the belt that weaves throughout the restaurant. If you want something specific, place an order on the mounted screen at your table, and the items will be delivered via the same method.

The sushi menu includes nigiri, gunkan maki, classic rolls, and hand rolls (which look like sushi cones). Heartier options range from ramen and udon to various fish dishes. For dessert, expect mochi, sesame balls, and more.

The rapidly growing chain, which has over 300 locations in Japan and nine in Southern California, made its Texas debut in Dallas in 2016. The first-ever Austin outpost is the largest in the U.S.

Kula's Austin arrival was announced in May 2016 along with 99 Ranch Market, a California-based chain of Asian supermarkets. 99 Ranch Market is expected to open later this year.

Crescent, previously known as Highland Village, is a 120,000-square-foot development at the intersection of Airport and North Lamar boulevards. Owner Misuma Holdings tapped Austin's CBRE to handle the leases, update the exterior, and improve the parking lot. The team is also behind the rebranding of The Linc; both shopping center makeovers are part of a larger effort to revamp the Highland area.

Kula's hours are Monday through Thursday, 11:30 am to 10:30 pm; Friday, 11:30 am to 11 pm; Saturday, 11 am to 11 pm; and Sunday, 11 am to 10:30 pm.

The Austin outpost is the chain's largest ever.

Photo courtesy of Kura

The Austin outpost is the chain's largest ever.

openings

Peak Plates

7 Austin restaurants make OpenTable's top 100 for 2024

Jeffrey's Restaurant/Instagram

Jeffrey's Restaurant is a great example of the type of fancy, well-established restaurant that made the list.

Restaurant reservation website OpenTable has issued its new list of the top 100 restaurants in America for 2024, and seven Austin restaurants have made the list. That's already impressive at a glance — 7 percent of the entire national list in just one city — but compared to other Texas cities, it's huge. Austin is the only Texas city to have more than one restaurant on the list.

The "2024's Top 100 Restaurants" list is a compilation of the most sought-after and top-ranked restaurants in the U.S. based on 14 million verified reviews on OpenTable from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Restaurants are not ranked, but arranged in alphabetical order by state.

Austin's seven restaurants (including several repeats from OpenTable's 2023 list) are:

Aba: Known for its laid-back, yet fancy patio and being a popular spot for visiting celebrities
J Carver's: Known for a commitment to the classic steakhouse experience and legitimately fancy dining
Jeffrey's Restaurant: Known for fine dining, a connection to Austin before its boom, and a fantastic wine program
Red Ash Italia: Known for approachable, yet high-quality Italian food with rustic touches
Sammie's Italian: Known for its romantic take on the archetype of an East Coast Italian joint
Uchi: Known for bringing Austin into the national sushi conversation and defining the scene
Uchiko: Known for a cool atmosphere and getting creative with sushi and other small plates

Austinites will probably not be surprised by this list, which names some very well-established restaurants that are all upscale. These qualities tend to appeal to similar lists, regardless of who's curating them.

It is interesting, given that the list was democratically based on user ratings, that there were not more beloved food trailers or casual spots. However, other factors that led to high rankings included alerts set and reservations made ahead — things that don't really apply to even the most awesome taco truck.

Mediterranean food was a trend among the Austin picks. Red Ash Italia and Sammie's Italian are, as the names would imply, completely dedicated to Italian food, while Aba covers a wider swath of the Mediterranean. There were also two steakhouses: J Carver's and Jeffrey's Restaurant.

As list-perusers may have guessed, Uchi and Uchiko are in the same family of restaurants, with Uchi being the more formal and Uchiko being a bit more accessible for drop-in meals and cocktails. But are two more incognito duos of sibling restaurants on the list: J Carver's and Red Ash, and Jeffrey's Restaurant and Sammie's Italian.

That could be a coincidence. It could also be a reflection of the utility of money and experience in opening a good restaurant, or a lesson about the effects of good (and expensive) marketing. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like hospitality groups had any direct sway on how OpenTable made its choices.

This list was different from the inaugural list of OpenTable Icons, which launched in 2024. The "Icons" list chose restaurants that are getting a lot of buzz, which ended up being more subjective. It also seemed to let in — as a side effect of the process, rather than a hard eligibility rule — more new and Mexican restaurants. Two restaurants are on both lists: Red Ash and Jeffrey's.

Restaurants outside of Austin that made the Top 100 list, organized alphabetically, are:

Hudson House — Dallas
Steak 48 — Houston
Signature — San Antonio

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