Top Roe

My husband and I decided to finally give Top Roe a try and we loved it! We used to frequent this spot on our way upstairs to club Summit. When we entered, I almost did not recognize the space from the dark and sexy ambiance. As soon as we checked in with the lovely hostess, we were shown to our seats at the hand roll bar where we were greeted by Gage, who was awesome by the way!I did not realize that the Izakaya has a slightly different menu from the hand roll bar and as we watched items come out, we were able to request some of them.We started with the miso soup where I added lobster and black truffles...yum! The kaki furai-fried oysters and the chips with blue crab and guac were both so good. We also tried both the scallop and lobster hand rolls that were equally delish. However, the clear winner of the night was the tuna steak that was delivered to us on top of hot coals. The sauces and seasonings that accompanied the dish were perfect! By the time we left, we were stuffed.We had a great time and the space provided us with the opportunity to chat with other patrons without the music being too loud. Top Roe definitely has the vibe that we have become accustomed to in Austin and I am looking forward to going back and trying their Izakaya.

Pro Tip: Make a reservation ahead of time, and for the Hand Roll bar. The $45 tasting menu is a savings, compared to a-la-carte. We started off in the bar, as we arrived earlier to our reservation. The Bartender is respectfully friendly, and clearly enjoys getting crafty and experimenting with different ingredients. We were surprised with two very delicious cocktails. Hand roll ingredients were well enjoyed, as well! Flavors meshed well together. The fish was tender and melted in your mouth. A downside is that the reservations are set for 30 minutes and move really quick. While I understand it's best to eat the hand roll sooner rather than later, to preserve the crunchy texture, some space in between hand rolls could be greatly appreciated. Myself and my guest felt very rushed, which made it hard to fully enjoy the experience. I'd like to experience other hand roll places before returning. I could see myself returning, however, in hopes that the experience is not rushed.

Top Roe is a place that you might want to try if you've seen it online, but is a skip unless you are looking for sushi quickly at a trendy place the day of.The service here ranges from bad to okay at times. Although my server was nice, the people making your food are uncommunicative in a weird way. It's odd to claim to be omakase when in reality it's just a fixed menu/prix fixe. There is no explanation, origin, story, etc. that I normally enjoy with a real omakase that you "put your trust" in. This is just a sushi spot that has the same bundles (omakase has been way too generalized in the past 3-5 years now that I can't completely fault them for it, but this place is literally centered around Japanese food... this is just a restaurant with sushi bar seating). And if you're making handrolls, AKA a food that is mostly covered in an outer material that mainly hides what differentiates the rolls, then please actually SAY what the roll is as you put it down, not just set it and forget it. My partner and I found it so odd that some of them would set it down and not speak, some would say the roll, and others would whisper it quieter than the music and not look at you. So awkward!Not only that, but one of my partner's rolls that wasn't supposed to be spicy (we shared the same choice of handroll sets) was spicy! I genuinely believe one of the chefs mistaken an ingredient for a spicy ingredient and mixed them up. Total bummer. I wouldn't have clocked that if we didn't have the same order considering they hardly even tell you anything about the food, but after trying an incredibly spicy bite that I didn't have (and considering +1 more spicy option than me), there's no doubt.The rolls are not bad, but I've had better for cheaper a bit more down south that's just as trendy (feel free to see my reviews to know which one, that place is AMAZING and low-key). The prices here are more expensive than what they should be, their miso is lackluster, the service is poor, accidentally touched gum under the bar, bad parking, just a lot to improve on here.Do not come here expecting a true omakase experience in Austin. Come here if you want to blow more money on food that you can get better and cheaper somewhere else but probably won't because you don't want to drive after a few drinks the next street over.I will give kudos because I think the space is very pretty and the bathrooms are amazing.

What to do in Austin on a rainy day date while the kiddos are still in school? Enter Top Roe.As you walk in the ambiance is dark and mysterious. It's a quaint little spot with only sushi bar seating open during lunch. All the better for closeness and conversation if you're doing date style dining.One thing to note, they have a requirement that each person had to order a minimum of 3 hand rolls. Can easily be done and eaten of course - but just nice to know ahead of time you have to commit to at least 3 each (same rule applies even if you're ordering appetizers).For sure a unique little spot to check out when you're looking for an intimate counter service style sushi roll experience.

The place has a dark, romantic ambiance and i arrived at 5PM on a Friday, they had incense burning. The staff were wonderful. While waiting for my friend at the FoxTrot Bar, I ordered The Last Word, and it completely made my night--if you know, you know. The bar staff truly know their craft.I had reservations for the handroll bar. Once you order, the rolls are made to order and served quickly. However, I've had better seaweed at handroll spots in Houston and Vegas--it wasn't as crispy here, so I had to tear it with my teeth, causing the rice and fish to fall out. That's never been an issue elsewhere.Our chef also made the rolls a bit too fast. I ordered three rolls à la carte, and my friend ordered six. She felt rushed, eating them back-to-back even after asking for the pace to slow down. Since you can't let the rolls sit (the rice makes the seaweed soggy), it would be nice to have a way to signal, "Okay, I'm ready for my next roll!" That said, the rolls themselves were flavorful, and the fish was fresh. The uni was my favorite. I also tried the American wagyu, but it wasn't as buttery as other wagyu I've had, and I found myself working to bite into it with my teeth. For handrolls in this area, the pricing is reasonable. I plan to return to explore the izakaya section of the restaurant. A note on parking: it's street parking around the area, which can be a challenge.

Ambiance was mellow, but very pretty and nice inside. I also went early on a Sunday after the holidays. So I understand that it was a bit more quiet while I was there. Servers were attentive and explained things very well. Food wise: Cucumber salad: 5/5 - not pictured but very delicious starterTuna Sashimi: 5/5 - in a soy sauce glaze or something. Top few bites.Handrolls: chef Selection:Crab handroll - 5/5. Best for sureCrunchy tuna - delicious. 4.5/5 Spicy salmon - 4.5/5 Negitoro - 3.5/5 totally would eat it again, but the other 3 were just a lot better. Shrimp Tempure - 1/5. Not very good tbh. Way too much rice. Kinda dry, felt like there should be a sauce.Matcha Creme Dessert - 10/5. Amazing. My wife said it was one of the top bites of the night. (I also thought it was very good)

Top Roe is a 3.5 star rating for me. My friends and I came here for dinner, and parking was absolutely abysmal. Of course, that's expected for a restaurant that's downtown, but I walked in after paying $10 for parking after driving in circles for 20 minutes, so that already wasn't a great start to my meal. If I'm being objective, I do think there's some things they need to work on in terms of service. We ordered four things at the start of our meal, and the simplest item took them forever to bring out -- hamachi. We had to remind our server, and only then was it brought out. We also weirdly waited a very long time for our check at the end of the night despite being one of the last parties in the restaurant. Overall, I really enjoyed the food. They keep the menu simple, and quality of ingredients is high. I love that they don't try to overcomplicate classic dishes, and you get to enjoy how simple and clean every plate's taste is. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the rolls, hamachi sashimi, salmon sashimi, and the wagyu hot plate. I will note that the temperature of the sashimi is way too low. I don't typically have sensitive teeth, but I was wincing with every bite because of how cold the fish was. Portion sizes could be adjusted because my friends and I paid nearly $80 each, and I definitely walked out hungry. I get full pretty fast, and I also didn't feel like I had that many pieces to feel like a $80 price was worth it.

I think this place is a solid 3.5 stars and because I can only choose 3 or 4 stars on my review, I tried my best to find reasons to bring it up to 4 stars but I want to stick to being honest with my review.First off, the service level here is impeccable. They are fast, efficient and very attentive. The vibe is very cozy and upscale and the music is a chill sort of jazzy lofi feel and it's very comfortable to eat there. Sitting inside, you'd forget the noisy hustle and bustle of Austin downtown outside the door.Next on to the food:Fried Oyster:These are not your typical hefty round nicely filled fried oysters that I'm used to. These are smaller, flat portions with much smaller oyster inside. The batter is crunchy and it tastes good but I wish the oyster pieces were bigger or at least put more oysters into one piece. It's pricey to me for the portion size at $11 for this dish.First handroll I tried is the salmon roll. A couple of bites in and I noticed that there's just mostly rice, avocado and just the smallest portion of tiny pieces of cubed Salmon. Every bite I took, I felt that there was much more to be desired. I honestly barely tasted any fish. At $8 for this roll, I definitely feel like I paid too much for this one.Scallop Roll:Also very tiny pieces and small portion. Every bite I took I feel like I can barely taste the scallop. The seasoning of this dish comes with some tangy gingery taste that is off putting and in my opinion too overpowering of a flavor that covers any taste from the scarce amount of scallop that's in the roll.Skipping on to my favorites:Uni Roll:Market price for this is $18 for one roll. The sea urchin is from Santa Barbara so I know it's going to taste delicious. They definitely did not skimp on the portion size for this one. I found this roll to be the most satisfying of all.Blue Crab Roll:Oh I love the crab taste on this roll. Good portion size and tastes delicious and fresh!Finally I was set to pay the bill and they showed me the machine tips set to 22%, 25% and 30%.... at lunchtime....I really love the service and interior design but the small portions and high prices with the slap of 22% minimum tip at lunchtime made me an unhappy customer.

I'm surprised there aren't any reviews for this place yet! I visited during their first week of opening because I'm a big sushi fan and was curious about the hype around the hand roll trend.The restaurant is small and intimate, with only 12 seats, and everything is prepared right in front of you. I was told they're planning to expand, which will be great as it gains popularity.The menu offers a variety of sets, ranging from lighter snack options to more filling meals. I chose the smaller snack set to get a feel for the flavors, and everything I tried was delicious. The salmon and tuna hand rolls were the highlights for me. I also tried the matcha beer, but personally, I found the matcha flavor too strong for my taste.Service was excellent and attentive without being rushed, which can be a tricky balance for such a small space. I'm excited to return, especially once the cocktail bar.

The handrolls are some of the best in Austin, and especially center downtown area, with the blue crab being my favorite!The scallop sashimi and tuna filet are out of this world DELICIOUS.I will be coming back.