Kemuri Tatsu-Ya

"A fusion of Japanese izakaya and Texas barbecue, offering unique dishes like bento boxes with smoked brisket and salmon collar." - Nancy DePalma

"Kemuri Tatsu-Ya brought with it a whole new food category: Japanese izakaya-meets-Texan smokehouse, involving things like “guaca-poke” and chili cheese takoyaki. There’s also a big focus on barbecue, where you can get things like brisket burnt ends in a bento box, complete with rice, pickles, and sheets of nori to make your own DIY brisket handrolls. All the while, you’ll be sipping from an extensive menu of sake, shochu, Japanese whiskey, and playful riffs on classic cocktails (try the matcha painkiller)." - nicolai mccrary, adele hazan, raphael brion

"Austin “Kemuri Tatsu-ya’s menu is equal parts Japanese izakaya and Texas barbecue, and it’s the best (and only) place to find smoked brisket, ramen, and yakitori under one roof in Austin. When the world fell apart, they took a pause, and briefly reopened as a takeout sandwich shop. But the real pivot came in the fall, when they closed their dining room, doubled the size of their patio, and created a new omakase experience that channeled the restaurant’s izakaya/barbecue roots beautifully. Dishes came packed in a little wooden box - which made the entire meal feel like opening presents. The box filled with brisket burnt ends, fermented hot sauce, nori, and an array of pickles for DIY hand rolls still might be the best thing anyone’s given me all year.” -Nicolai McCrary, Austin Staff Writer" - team infatuation

"Standing somewhere at the crossroads of Japanese izakayas and Central Texas smokehouses, Kemuri Tatsu-Ya is a place where you can get chili cheese takoyaki, smoked eel bento boxes, and yakitori skewers under one roof. And it all happens in an eclectic dining room that feels like a Texas hunting lodge that picked up its decor from a vintage store in Tokyo (there are also lots of robots). It’s a fun and lively experience, with Japanese-inspired tiki drinks to keep the energy going when you start to slow down after a second serving of taiyaki cornbread with sesame butter. " - nicolai mccrary

"Standing somewhere at the crossroads of Japanese izakayas and Central Texas smokehouses, Kemuri Tatsu-Ya is a place where you can get chili cheese takoyaki, grilled skewers, and smoked brisket bento boxes that are kind of a DIY handroll situation made for the whole table to share. And it all happens in an eclectic dining room that feels like a Texas hunting lodge that picked up its decor from a vintage store in Tokyo (there are lots of robots). A restaurant like this couldn’t exist anywhere in the world other than right here in Austin. " - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs, raphael brion