Chronicle Critic Agrees DipDipDip Tatsu-Ya Is One of Austin’s Best New Restaurants

Chronicle critic Jessi Cape reviewed DipDipDip Tatsu-ya this week, and had nothing but praise for the shabu shabu restaurant. Eater Austin’s newly crowned restaurant of the year offers “an intense, full-sensory explosion of elevated dining,” per Cape, adding that the experience is made better due to “impeccable” service that is some of the best in the city.

Cape does advise newcomers to watch a video on shabu shabu before dining. While Statesman critic Matthew Odam had recommended the Baller omakase in his review earlier, Cape preferred the mid-level Tatsu-ya option for value, with the miso smokey broth.

In terms of the dips, Cape wrote that “you need” the queso-esque Keep Austin Dipping Sauce. Otherwise:

The bright and acidic citrus ponzu, one of two standard issues along with a rich and creamy sesame gomadare, is no question my preference. The San Cesareo truffle sukiyaki is topped with a 45-minute egg and warishita soy, and it’s so damn luxurious you’ll feel like you won a prize.

Like Odam, Cape expounded on the wagyu beef option, noting that the “ultimate care and consideration of ingredients” makes the restaurant special, and that, while cooking the meat, the color “ought to stay pretty pink, y’all.”

For the other food items, Cape preferred the raclette and mushroom pot pocket to the cheddar grits and sausage one, and called the blue crab and shrimp wontons “beyond decadent.” She also said the gyu maki (beef-wrapped foie gras) is “beyond decadent.”

For drinks, Cape enjoyed the Kaizen Whiskey and Basho cocktails, noting that the only non-alcoholic options are Topo Chico, Coke, and green tea. She loved the “wonderfully refreshing” dessert (a poached pear granita on her trip), and finished by saying DipDipDip is “without a doubt, one of Austin’s best restaurants.”

• Restaurant Review: Austin’s Best New Restaurant DipDipDip Tatsu-ya Reinvents Shabu Shabu [Chronicle]
• All Coverage of DipDipDip Tatsu-ya [EATX]