Perfect Match Kemuri Tatsu-Ya combines two of my favorite things in a match I absolutely loved Describing itself as both a Japanese izakaya and Texas smokehouse, Kemuri honors the flavors of Japan while bringing a distinctive Texas spin Items I loved included the brisket served with Tsukemen noodles, the smokehouse flavored bbq tuna collar with nori seaweed wraps as well as the chinmi "sake accompaniments" that you often see only at more authentic Japanese establishments As we enjoyed our sake and sampled a variety of delicious bites, it was very clear that Austin's diverse food scene has got game It's easy to be skeptical of any fusion restaurant but Kemuri is refreshingly creative with bold flavors, great portions and unique items Sweet and Sour Mozuku Shooter $4 / Taiyaki Cornbread $6.5 / Jellyfish $6 / Ankimo $13 / Beef Tartare $19 / Tsukune $7 / Beefy Shrooms $14 / BBQ Tsukemen with Brisket $15 / BBQ Eel $16 / Bento +$15 / Tuna Collar $35 / Tamago Pudding $6 Kemuri Tatsu-Ya (Austin, TX) Seating is both indoor and outdoor in the back patio. If outdoors, there are flies but they have fly fans. Reservations are recommended on Resy and credit cards including Apple Pay are accepted.
Sarah Mendoza
We had RSVP for 9:30pm on a Saturday. We didn't actually sit down till around 9:45ish. We ordered some shared dishes and they came after the actual entree. Half of our table had food while the other half had nothing. When we finally got our food, the portions were so small, I had a hard time to believe it was enough to share between 2-3 people. I ate here maybe a bit over a year ago and the standard has really dropped. It was a very disappointing experience overall. The waitress did try to check in regularly but idk if they maybe had issues in their kitchen but it was a messy dinner service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Josie B.
TLDR: POSSUMS, SLOW SERVICE AND OVERPRICED. Hate to be that guy but there were literal POSSUMS next to our table, including a mama and two babies, and they were BOLD. (one of the babies ran into the bathroom) and when we told service no one seemed to care.. about RODENTS in a restaurant but ok... food was lack luster, things came out cold (cold brisket?? ugh) charred edamame was ok, cornbread was the best bite IMO, but the biggest scam was the Tuna Collar, it was $87 for maybe 10 oz of meat at most, and you had to scrape bones to get it and deal with scales and bones. Also we didn't get the majority of our food until 1 and a 1/2 hours after being seated.
Tracey Yost
Great service and AMAZING food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Giuseppina Glover
Until tonight this used to be my favorite place in Austin. I’ve been here many times and always enjoyed it. For that reason I always directed everyone who asked me about a great bar/eatery to go visit. I always talked this place up and loved to come here regularly. Today was my birthday. My sons asked me what my favorite place was and I told them I wanted to go there. One of my sons, who lives a bit further away had never been so I, as usual, described all the great food, service etc. I usually love the Tsukemen. It is supposed to come with a piece of delicious charred brisket. We ordered two portions. They are pretty small and expensive for the amount but I always deemed it worthy because of the delicious flavors. However what I received was not that delicious combination. Apparently they ran out of brisket and rather than say they were out or ask whether substitutions were acceptable, they presented us with an inferior dish containing 1 piece of pork belly, some ramen and the usual egg. To say I was dismayed is to downplay the disappointment I felt upon being served this. Not only the flavors were not there but the carelessness in the preparation was also evident. The amount they charged was the same they would charge for the original dish even though they did not serve what I paid for. In addition to that, we ordered the pork belly dish, charred edamame and some other stuff. We come here all the time. We know what the portions quantities are supposed to be. The pork belly dish only came with 2 tiny slices of pork belly for the price of a regular portion, the portion of edamame was also on the smaller side. The service was also very slow and inattentive. I had to move the grill from the grilled jerky to another table because my sons almost burnt themselves several times but no servers checked on us long enough so that I gave up and became my own busboy. My son paid the bill and gave a good tip because he works in the food industry but the embarrassment I felt having him look at me in wonder how I could say this was my favorite place ever will stay with me for a long time. I have traveled and dined all over North America and Europe and until tonight I truly felt this eatery was my favorite. Not anymore. My birthday celebration was pretty much ruined. After we left, we went and got food at a fast food restaurant, paid 1/4 of the amount we were charged here and that’s how everyone got supper and paid for two different restaurants in 1 night. I looked forward to tonight so much and now I feel like I was really let down. My son spent quite a bit of money and traveled all this way for a very negative experience. As we were leaving after paying quite a bit of money for a very disappointing meal, they asked us how our experience was and for the first time in years of coming here, I had to say it was terrible and asked why they served us a different dish but charged us just as much. Had they told us they had run out, we would have selected something else. It’s misleading and dishonest to charge people for a certain product but serve something completely different.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Liane C.
Interesting take on Japanese fusion cuisine. Creative dishes. My favorite is the chili cheese takoyaki- a combination of my favorite things. They also have gluten free options. Servers are really good at suggesting gluten free options. Our food also came quick.
Nikki Forsander
Great date night spot. Little pricey, since you have to order many plates with them being small-ish, but the quality of the food made it okay for us.Few favorites - the pork/scallion rolls, cornbread, brisket, the drinks - all so good. Honestly we were happy with all of the plates we ordered - something that doesn’t happen often for us at many Austin restaurants.. but we appreciated the flavors of the dishes at Kemuri.Service was great as well, very timely- our server was attentive and funny, gave us recommendations and checked on us the perfect amount.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Uni Sashimi, BBQ, Cornbread Taiyaki
Giuseppina G.
Until tonight this used to be my favorite place in Austin. I've been here many times and always enjoyed it. For that reason I always directed everyone who asked me about a great bar/eatery to go visit. I always talked this place up and loved to come here regularly. Today was my birthday. My sons asked me what my favorite place was and I told them I wanted to go there. One of my sons, who lives a bit further away had never been so I, as usual, described all the great food, service etc. I usually love the Tsukemen. It is supposed to come with a piece of delicious charred brisket. We ordered two portions. They are pretty small and expensive for the amount but I always deemed it worthy because of the delicious flavors. However what I received was not that delicious combination. Apparently they ran out of brisket and rather than say they were out or ask whether substitutions were acceptable, they presented us with an inferior dish containing 1 piece of pork belly, some ramen and the usual egg. To say I was dismayed is to downplay the disappointment I felt upon being served this. Not only the flavors were not there but the carelessness in the preparation was also evident. The amount they charged was the same they would charge for the original dish even though they did not serve what I paid for. In addition to that, we ordered the pork belly dish, charred edamame and some other stuff. We come here all the time. We know what the portions quantities are supposed to be. The pork belly dish only came with 2 tiny slices of pork belly for the price of a regular portion, the portion of edamame was also on the smaller side. The service was also very slow and inattentive. I had to move the grill from the grilled jerky to another table because my sons almost burnt themselves several times but no servers checked on us long enough so that I gave up and became my own busboy. My son paid the bill and gave a good tip because he works in the food industry but the embarrassment I felt having him look at me in wonder how I could say this was my favorite place ever will stay with me for a long time. I have traveled and dined all over North America and Europe and until tonight I truly felt this eatery was my favorite. Not anymore. My birthday celebration was pretty much ruined. After we left, we went and got food at a fast food restaurant, paid 1/4 of the amount we were charged here and that's how everyone got supper and paid for two different restaurants in 1 night. I looked forward to tonight so much and now I feel like I was really let down. My son spent quite a bit of money and traveled all this way for a very negative experience. As we were leaving after paying quite a bit of money for a very disappointing meal, they asked us how our experience was and for the first time in years of coming here, I had to say it was terrible and asked why they served us a different dish but charged us just as much. Had they told us they had run out, we would have selected something else. It's misleading and dishonest to charge people for a certain product but serve something completely different.
Mary Wimpfheimer
Zachary was an amazing bartender and host. He helped us select some amazing dishes and pair it with the best sake! Thank you to all of the amazing staff at this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Carly M.
I've lived in Austin for over 2 years now and this place is hands down one of my favorite places to go. Their meals are tapas style and they have a little bit for everyone. Their smoked brisket is better than any bbq place I've been. I love kemuri it is seriously a hidden gem.
This place is so unique that I felt compelled to make a post of it. The unthinkable fusion of Japanese and Texan cuisine. - it’s simply out of this world! If you are a foodie, as I am, you must come here. Their Hot Pocketz blends brisket, Gouda cheese and tofu to perfection. Their fried chicken is absolutely delicious. But their Chashu Pork Belly is the best thing I had all over Austin- yes, including Franklin’s brisket.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
k -
Nice ambiance and service, but I didn't like the food. Super fusiony, doesn't even resemble Japanese, so it depends on what you like.
Theresa H.
Stopped in for our first time. We not only had great food, but had a great experience as well. From our server who was amazing to the manager and another staff member we joked around with. Everyone is smiling and really seem to love their job. Their smiling and having fun was fun for us to watch. Really had an amazing time and we look forward to coming back and trying more of the menu.
Jongmin KIM
A fusion menu based on Japanese crappy food, free service, memorable greetings and prices, but my friend and I had fun.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Jakob O.
Took my finance for her birthday dinner and we recommend to anyone visiting Austin! The aesthetic inside was perfect, our service was great, and the food was the definition of umami!
Perfect Match Kemuri Tatsu-Ya combines two of my favorite things in a match I absolutely loved Describing itself as both a Japanese izakaya and Texas smokehouse, Kemuri honors the flavors of Japan while bringing a distinctive Texas spin Items I loved included the brisket served with Tsukemen noodles, the smokehouse flavored bbq tuna collar with nori seaweed wraps as well as the chinmi "sake accompaniments" that you often see only at more authentic Japanese establishments As we enjoyed our sake and sampled a variety of delicious bites, it was very clear that Austin's diverse food scene has got game It's easy to be skeptical of any fusion restaurant but Kemuri is refreshingly creative with bold flavors, great portions and unique items Sweet and Sour Mozuku Shooter $4 / Taiyaki Cornbread $6.5 / Jellyfish $6 / Ankimo $13 / Beef Tartare $19 / Tsukune $7 / Beefy Shrooms $14 / BBQ Tsukemen with Brisket $15 / BBQ Eel $16 / Bento +$15 / Tuna Collar $35 / Tamago Pudding $6 Kemuri Tatsu-Ya (Austin, TX) Seating is both indoor and outdoor in the back patio. If outdoors, there are flies but they have fly fans. Reservations are recommended on Resy and credit cards including Apple Pay are accepted.
We had RSVP for 9:30pm on a Saturday. We didn't actually sit down till around 9:45ish. We ordered some shared dishes and they came after the actual entree. Half of our table had food while the other half had nothing. When we finally got our food, the portions were so small, I had a hard time to believe it was enough to share between 2-3 people. I ate here maybe a bit over a year ago and the standard has really dropped. It was a very disappointing experience overall. The waitress did try to check in regularly but idk if they maybe had issues in their kitchen but it was a messy dinner service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
TLDR: POSSUMS, SLOW SERVICE AND OVERPRICED. Hate to be that guy but there were literal POSSUMS next to our table, including a mama and two babies, and they were BOLD. (one of the babies ran into the bathroom) and when we told service no one seemed to care.. about RODENTS in a restaurant but ok... food was lack luster, things came out cold (cold brisket?? ugh) charred edamame was ok, cornbread was the best bite IMO, but the biggest scam was the Tuna Collar, it was $87 for maybe 10 oz of meat at most, and you had to scrape bones to get it and deal with scales and bones. Also we didn't get the majority of our food until 1 and a 1/2 hours after being seated.
Great service and AMAZING food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Until tonight this used to be my favorite place in Austin. I’ve been here many times and always enjoyed it. For that reason I always directed everyone who asked me about a great bar/eatery to go visit. I always talked this place up and loved to come here regularly. Today was my birthday. My sons asked me what my favorite place was and I told them I wanted to go there. One of my sons, who lives a bit further away had never been so I, as usual, described all the great food, service etc. I usually love the Tsukemen. It is supposed to come with a piece of delicious charred brisket. We ordered two portions. They are pretty small and expensive for the amount but I always deemed it worthy because of the delicious flavors. However what I received was not that delicious combination. Apparently they ran out of brisket and rather than say they were out or ask whether substitutions were acceptable, they presented us with an inferior dish containing 1 piece of pork belly, some ramen and the usual egg. To say I was dismayed is to downplay the disappointment I felt upon being served this. Not only the flavors were not there but the carelessness in the preparation was also evident. The amount they charged was the same they would charge for the original dish even though they did not serve what I paid for. In addition to that, we ordered the pork belly dish, charred edamame and some other stuff. We come here all the time. We know what the portions quantities are supposed to be. The pork belly dish only came with 2 tiny slices of pork belly for the price of a regular portion, the portion of edamame was also on the smaller side. The service was also very slow and inattentive. I had to move the grill from the grilled jerky to another table because my sons almost burnt themselves several times but no servers checked on us long enough so that I gave up and became my own busboy. My son paid the bill and gave a good tip because he works in the food industry but the embarrassment I felt having him look at me in wonder how I could say this was my favorite place ever will stay with me for a long time. I have traveled and dined all over North America and Europe and until tonight I truly felt this eatery was my favorite. Not anymore. My birthday celebration was pretty much ruined. After we left, we went and got food at a fast food restaurant, paid 1/4 of the amount we were charged here and that’s how everyone got supper and paid for two different restaurants in 1 night. I looked forward to tonight so much and now I feel like I was really let down. My son spent quite a bit of money and traveled all this way for a very negative experience. As we were leaving after paying quite a bit of money for a very disappointing meal, they asked us how our experience was and for the first time in years of coming here, I had to say it was terrible and asked why they served us a different dish but charged us just as much. Had they told us they had run out, we would have selected something else. It’s misleading and dishonest to charge people for a certain product but serve something completely different.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Interesting take on Japanese fusion cuisine. Creative dishes. My favorite is the chili cheese takoyaki- a combination of my favorite things. They also have gluten free options. Servers are really good at suggesting gluten free options. Our food also came quick.
Great date night spot. Little pricey, since you have to order many plates with them being small-ish, but the quality of the food made it okay for us.Few favorites - the pork/scallion rolls, cornbread, brisket, the drinks - all so good. Honestly we were happy with all of the plates we ordered - something that doesn’t happen often for us at many Austin restaurants.. but we appreciated the flavors of the dishes at Kemuri.Service was great as well, very timely- our server was attentive and funny, gave us recommendations and checked on us the perfect amount.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Uni Sashimi, BBQ, Cornbread Taiyaki
Until tonight this used to be my favorite place in Austin. I've been here many times and always enjoyed it. For that reason I always directed everyone who asked me about a great bar/eatery to go visit. I always talked this place up and loved to come here regularly. Today was my birthday. My sons asked me what my favorite place was and I told them I wanted to go there. One of my sons, who lives a bit further away had never been so I, as usual, described all the great food, service etc. I usually love the Tsukemen. It is supposed to come with a piece of delicious charred brisket. We ordered two portions. They are pretty small and expensive for the amount but I always deemed it worthy because of the delicious flavors. However what I received was not that delicious combination. Apparently they ran out of brisket and rather than say they were out or ask whether substitutions were acceptable, they presented us with an inferior dish containing 1 piece of pork belly, some ramen and the usual egg. To say I was dismayed is to downplay the disappointment I felt upon being served this. Not only the flavors were not there but the carelessness in the preparation was also evident. The amount they charged was the same they would charge for the original dish even though they did not serve what I paid for. In addition to that, we ordered the pork belly dish, charred edamame and some other stuff. We come here all the time. We know what the portions quantities are supposed to be. The pork belly dish only came with 2 tiny slices of pork belly for the price of a regular portion, the portion of edamame was also on the smaller side. The service was also very slow and inattentive. I had to move the grill from the grilled jerky to another table because my sons almost burnt themselves several times but no servers checked on us long enough so that I gave up and became my own busboy. My son paid the bill and gave a good tip because he works in the food industry but the embarrassment I felt having him look at me in wonder how I could say this was my favorite place ever will stay with me for a long time. I have traveled and dined all over North America and Europe and until tonight I truly felt this eatery was my favorite. Not anymore. My birthday celebration was pretty much ruined. After we left, we went and got food at a fast food restaurant, paid 1/4 of the amount we were charged here and that's how everyone got supper and paid for two different restaurants in 1 night. I looked forward to tonight so much and now I feel like I was really let down. My son spent quite a bit of money and traveled all this way for a very negative experience. As we were leaving after paying quite a bit of money for a very disappointing meal, they asked us how our experience was and for the first time in years of coming here, I had to say it was terrible and asked why they served us a different dish but charged us just as much. Had they told us they had run out, we would have selected something else. It's misleading and dishonest to charge people for a certain product but serve something completely different.
Zachary was an amazing bartender and host. He helped us select some amazing dishes and pair it with the best sake! Thank you to all of the amazing staff at this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
I've lived in Austin for over 2 years now and this place is hands down one of my favorite places to go. Their meals are tapas style and they have a little bit for everyone. Their smoked brisket is better than any bbq place I've been. I love kemuri it is seriously a hidden gem.
Restaurantji Recommends
This place is so unique that I felt compelled to make a post of it. The unthinkable fusion of Japanese and Texan cuisine. - it’s simply out of this world! If you are a foodie, as I am, you must come here. Their Hot Pocketz blends brisket, Gouda cheese and tofu to perfection. Their fried chicken is absolutely delicious. But their Chashu Pork Belly is the best thing I had all over Austin- yes, including Franklin’s brisket.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice ambiance and service, but I didn't like the food. Super fusiony, doesn't even resemble Japanese, so it depends on what you like.
Stopped in for our first time. We not only had great food, but had a great experience as well. From our server who was amazing to the manager and another staff member we joked around with. Everyone is smiling and really seem to love their job. Their smiling and having fun was fun for us to watch. Really had an amazing time and we look forward to coming back and trying more of the menu.
A fusion menu based on Japanese crappy food, free service, memorable greetings and prices, but my friend and I had fun.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Took my finance for her birthday dinner and we recommend to anyone visiting Austin! The aesthetic inside was perfect, our service was great, and the food was the definition of umami!