"Ask any random person in Austin where to go for a special occasion, and there’s a 96% chance they’ll say Uchi. The restaurant earned its reputation by offering a mix of traditional sushi and inventive Japanese fusion dishes at a time when most places thought “Japanese fusion” meant plopping spicy mayo on a tuna roll and calling it a day. There’s a reason this place has expanded to half a dozen states—but it all started right here in a tiny, renovated house on South Lamar. Reservations at Uchi open up one month in advance, and they tend to go fast. If you want to secure a prime time seat, you’ll want to be there right when reservations get released, but even the off-hour tables get snapped up about three weeks out. You can also show up right when Uchi opens and usually snag a seat at the bar (or sometimes even a table). The plus side to an early dinner is you’ll also have access to the excellent Happy Hour. Uchi also has two sister concepts—Uchiko in Rosedale, and Uchiba Downtown—both with very similar menus, and tables that go about half as fast." - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs