Soto
Order the salmon over fire and a few raw slices arrive with raspberry chili sauce, hung over a live flame at the table.1
Why go
The a la carte list is long, and the point of it is that every piece comes with its own garnish set: classic fatty tuna with pickled wasabi at one end, ora king salmon with miso, garlic scallion oil and lemon zest at the other.1 There are flashy hot and cold plates alongside the rolls and nigiri.1 The room is a strip mall on South Lamar, one block from Uchi and next door to the Alamo Drafthouse.1 Soto offers two omakases, standard at $175 and premium at $250.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: a la carte, and steer toward the garnish-driven nigiri, which is where the kitchen's ideas actually land.1
- Once: the salmon over fire, for the flame.1
- Avoid: the $250 premium omakase. McCrary's verdict is that it is not a bad omakase but that for the price you can do better in this city.1
What locals & experts say
- Nicolai McCrary, The Infatuation Austin, on the premium omakase:
Most of the pieces are good, but they rely on an abundance of caviar, foie gras, and uni to elevate otherwise unremarkable sushi. The garnishes are creative and the fish is undoubtedly high-quality, but they're paired with rice that doesn't quite hold up its end of the bargain.
1 - Same review, on the nigiri generally: the pieces here are on the small end, much as at Uchi.1
- Rated 7.6 by The Infatuation Austin, on-page 16 December 2025, scoped to 1100 S Lamar Ste 2115. The same desk rates Uchi 8.6.1
- And Jeff does not agree. His saved note reads "Sushi almost as good as uchi". The desk puts a full point between them. Both records stand.
Good to know
- Which door: 1100 S Lamar Blvd, Suite 2115. A separate restaurant called Soto trades in Cedar Park under its own permit; the review, the rating and the inspection record here are all the South Lamar room.2
- Hygiene: Austin Public Health scored the kitchen 85 on 19 February 2026, 93 on 5 September 2025, 79 on 24 June 2025, 91 on 11 September 2024, 83 on 29 January 2024 and 82 on 25 July 2023, on a scale where 70 is the failing line.2
- Timing: the Alamo Drafthouse is next door, which is the practical reason to book this one around a film.1
- Hours: never sourced.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Sushi almost as good as uchi"
Verdict
could-visit — A strip-mall sushi room a block down South Lamar from Uchi, with a long a la carte list where each piece arrives with its own garnish: fatty tuna with pickled wasabi, ora king salmon with miso, garlic scallion oil and lemon zest. The spectacle order is salmon over fire, raw slices with raspberry chili sauce hung over a live flame. The omakases run $175 and $250, and Nicolai McCrary writes that they lean on caviar, foie gras and uni over sushi that is otherwise unremarkable, on rice that does not hold up its end, and he rated it 7.6. Jeff's own note puts it almost level with Uchi; The Infatuation puts it a point below.