Soto

If you’re not drinking something at Soto, the people running this sushi bar in Montrose will make sure you are. The Austin import Soto may be a sushi restaurant, but it seems to be more focused on saké. Regulars sit behind the bar knocking back bottles with the chefs, telling the staff about their personal lives—and so it goes with nearly everyone dining there. Enjoy your dinner long enough, and someone working there will get to know you and make sure you’re bought at least one nice bottle of some kind of alcohol, which can sometimes distract from the actual food. While the nigiri here is pretty good, it doesn’t have the same finesse as some other places around town. The modern restaurant is often half-empty, despite having a reasonable Happy Hour menu, and the sushi chefs are quiet and don’t often chat with guests, let alone take orders. As such, Soto is a great choice if other spots close by have a multi-hour wait, if you’re on a quest to drink a bunch of different sakés, or want a quiet spot to enjoy a few plates of nigiri.