Shokunin ATX
Nearly every piece of nigiri is dry-aged, comes two to an order, and runs about US$5 to US$8 a piece.1
Why go
Nicolai McCrary's argument for this counter is the fish. This is the streamlined version of the loaded nigiri at its sister restaurant, Sushi by Scratch. The dry-aged fish does the work against heavily seasoned rice that is cooked properly and keeps a little bite. Around that sit warm plates: chawanmushi with a housemade soy sauce, baked mussels under small briny masago.1 The format is the other half. It bills itself as retro, which means 1990s punk on the speakers and a paper ticket you fill in with a pencil.1
Order this / avoid
- Nigiri, and keep ordering it. Then the baked mussels, two to an order and worth hogging both, and the chawanmushi to share. The seared albacore in ponzu under crispy fried onions is the simple one that works.1
- Avoid: the handrolls. Generous and crisply wrapped, and McCrary reports bites overloaded with badly distributed wasabi on more than one visit. The sukiyaki is tasty and awkward, seared wagyu over an egg yolk and rice with no bowl to eat it from.1
What locals & experts say
- Nicolai McCrary, The Infatuation, January 2026, rated 8.3:
Every piece has incredible texture, rich, buttery, and practically shimmering in its own personal spotlight.
1 - It sits on The Infatuation's Hit List of new Austin restaurants, which is the outlet's running list of the rooms it thinks are worth getting to first.1
Good to know
- Price: McCrary puts the a la carte in line with other Austin sushi counters.1
- Hygiene: Austin Public Health has published no inspection for this kitchen. It opened in 2025 and nothing has been published since. An absence is not a pass.2
- Getting there: 1009 E 6th St, at the bottom of an apartment building.1
Verdict
should-visit — There are no reservations at all. Join the waitlist before you leave the house and take a weeknight, when Nicolai McCrary says the counter is rarely slammed. If you want the whole thing, the omakase is US$250 and you still walk in for it.