Fukumoto

Despite Fukumoto being about 6,548 miles away from Tokyo, this yakitori grill and sushi restaurant in East Austin will make you feel like you’re at a tiny izakaya on a busy street in Japan, complete with bidets in the bathrooms, sake barrels lining the dining room, and an open kitchen where you can watch skewers smoke and sizzle over binchotan coals. 

photo credit: Holly Dirks

The stars of Fukumoto’s show are yakitori and sushi, and it can be tough to choose between the two. Fortunately, you don’t have to. Fresh from the grill, we love the skewered chicken options—thighs, hearts, and meatballs in particular—but their savory freshwater eel is just as satisfying. The nigiri here is great too, with well-seasoned rice and large slices of fish, most of which were hanging out in a Japanese seafood market just a few days ago. Round things out with a bowl of spicy raw octopus in wasabi and an order of light and crispy tempura. Come here to impress a date, or if you’ve just finished watching any Studio Ghibli film and want to recreate one of the many iconic food scenes.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Holly Dirks

Yakitori

The yakitori section of the menu includes all the classics—chicken thighs, hearts, gizzards, meatballs, and tails—plus a few other meat options, including pork belly, eel, and salmon. Everything we’ve had comes out expertly grilled, with little crispy bits on the edges, and perfectly cooked interiors.

photo credit: Holly Dirks

Nigiri

The quality of the fish here really shows—it has that texture that still feels just a little firm, but very tender. They’re also cut pretty large, and draped over some very well-seasoned rice, which makes each bite feel like it’s completely worth the price.