Tomodachi Sushi
Order off the specials board of fish flown in from Hawaii and Japan, not off the printed card.1
Why go
Raphael Brion rated it 8.2 for The Infatuation in January 2023, noted that the place has been on Parmer Lane for over sixteen years, and gave one clear instruction: the best thing to do here is order anything and everything off of the specials board of fish, flown in from all over, including Hawaii and Japan.
1 That is a buying decision more than a cooking one. A board rather than a card means the counter is working with what actually arrived that week, which is why it is worth reading before the menu.1
Order this / avoid
- Whatever is on the specials board, in quantity. That is Brion's own advice.1
- Avoid: trying to book or order online.1
What locals & experts say
- Raphael Brion, The Infatuation Austin, January 2023, 8.2 out of 10:
the best thing to do here is order anything and everything off of the specials board of fish, flown in from all over, including Hawaii and Japan.
1 - He is fair to the rolls too, which carry names like Who's ur Daddy? and Sex on the Beach and which he says are actually pretty good.1
Good to know
- Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday, and one long service on Saturday, per the venue's own site.2
- Hygiene: Austin Public Health scores the kitchen 88, inspected 19 March 2026, listed as
Tomodachi
at 4101 West Parmer Lane suite E. The reading before it was 86 in September 2025. Austin runs a 100-point demerit scale where higher is better and 70 is the failing line, so nothing here is a finding. Two inspections is the whole file for a restaurant trading more than sixteen years. That says when the permit was issued and nothing about the kitchen.3 - Price: not published anywhere I can read.
- Getting there: West Parmer Lane, suite E, north Austin.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Steve rec". A recommendation from someone he knows, and who Steve is was never written down.
Verdict
should-visit — You book by telephone and you order takeout the same way, so the phone is the whole system here.