Uchiko is the official name of Uchi II, the second incarnation of Austin’s hottest sushi spot, Uchi ( Voted #1 restaurant in Austin by the 2008 Zagat Survey and the 2008 Fearless Critics Guide). When I tweeted a couple of months ago about the new location (“between 38th & 45th on Lamar”), I think I personally caused a Fail Whale with the number of @ replies it garnered. Now I’m excited to share all the details I have:
Uchiko is loosely translated to mean “child of Uchi.” It will open over a year from now, in the Spring/Summer of 2010. Uchiko will occupy a portion of the space at 4200 N. Lamar. Finding the right spot within a neighborhood was important to Chef/Owner Tyson Cole, which is part of what took so long to get a second location going. This epicenter of several bustling central Austin neighborhoods presented a nice fit.
Cole says, “Uchiko will be Uchi in a new light. Identical to Uchi in almost every way, the new space will focus on a few changes that we would like to offer to our customers, but with the same incredible food and service.” One of those changes is that Uchiko will be divided into two separate rooms. The first will be a dining room for walk-in customers and the second room will be reservation-only seating–but both will offer the same full Uchi menu and bar seating.
“We have had long wait times at Uchi since we opened in 2003,” says business partner Daryl Kunik. “The timing was right to open a new location that allows us to serve more customers and meet the demand for reservations.” Michael Hsu, Uchi’s architect, will transform Uchiko’s space as well.
Looks like it’s a sushi day. Until next summer, go eat at Kenobi in the Arboretum for $2 rolls, or hit up Koi at the Triangle for a free drink this week…