Favorite sushi bar for sitting around?

[quote="Hyottoko"][quote="fishman"]Anyone have a favorite sushi bar for just hanging out? The chairs at most of these places are just plain uncomfortable........ :([/quote] [color=darkblue]It's not my favorite local sushiya, but I hafta mention that the little niche to the left as you enter [b]Ichiban[/b] (at the bar) is pretty cozy. As for favorite places, I must say that the price/quality ratio at [b]Benihana[/b] is very good, making it a regular dinner stop for us. [b]Master Frank[/b] is always friendly and happy to see regular customers, and the wait staff is very nice as well. [/color][/quote] Yeah, Frank's the bomb. I heard he's in Japan until April though.....

Mine would definitely have to be Pango's on Congress. Really intimate setting with amazing sushi, great music (trip hop, dnb, downtempo, jazz, etc) and a really good cha tea/bubble tea/coffee/bar selection. Great for kickin it with friends, a nice date, or just some great sushi.

[color=indigo] My favorite sushi places are Hakata and Origami for 3 reasons. 1) The quality is excellent and consistant. I've never had a bad meal at either place. 2) The cost is reasonable and not over priced like most places in Austin. 3) The atmosphere is fun, friendly and casual. At Pflugerville's Hakata, look for Chris, the owner. He is a friendly guy and is always attentive and talkative. On more than one occassion he's busted out some of his private stock Sake for me to try. He has specials on food and beer. We usually chat with him everytime we go in there and always have a fun time just hanging out with a beer or some sake afterwards. Chris or Sean, resident "crazy boy" sushi chef, are always experimenting with new menu items and will usually let customers taste test. Great place to hang out and listen to some old rock-n-roll, try new foods, and have some great sake. At Round Rock's Origami, look for Tim. Tim's family runs the restaurant and Tim is always behind the sushi bar. (George is always around too. Hi George!) There is always a crowd around the bar and people will often wait for an open seat at the bar rather than take an available table. Tim is great and will chat with you about anything and everything. Fun guy! He also does the Sushi classes at Austin's Central Market. We generally go to Origami for all our special occassions such as birthdays and anniversaries. Great service and attention, good conversation, good food. As a born and bred Austinite, I've been to a lot of Sushi places over the years. I don't care to go to the big, trendy, expensive restaurants anymore where they tend to herd you in and out like cattle and little personal service touches. At both Hakata and Origami, the staff knows who we are, what we like, and about our lives and families. It's like visiting with old friends. Best regards, Marissa E. [/color]

[quote="Chris"]Mine would definitely have to be Pango's on Congress. Really intimate setting .[/quote] lol

Umi has a great bar for just hanging out. (Not the sushi bar, but the liquor bar). Not to mention you can get some really good sushi at the same time.

[quote="fishman"]... The chairs at most of these places are just plain uncomfortable........ :([/quote] the most comfortable chair ive ever eaten sushi in are the chairs at the bar of Uchi. NOT the sushi bar but the bar bar. you have to get there when they open, because you cant eat at the bar when its busy. and you got to be a small group. 4 people may not cut it. have you seen theyre bar? its so tiny. only 5 or 6 chairs. the bartenders are always friendly and very knowledgable on the food. and the best part about going early is that you get great deals on happy hour drinks & food! $2 for a glass of cold sake rocks!