New York Times skewers 'bromakase' culture in Austin that Joe Rogan helped launch

Matthew Odam, Austin American-Statesman
Updated ·3 min read

If you've been to one of several exclusive sushi omakase restaurants in Austin over the last few years, you've noticed a trend: loud bros digging into sushi made with over-the-top ingredients, often prepared with fiery flair/flare in an act of conspicuous consumption.

The whole vibe, very much maximalist American, runs contrary to the more stoic and aesthetically austere roots of high-end sushi experiences in Japan.

(I've been calling the specific scene a "bromakase" since I first visited Sushi Bar ATX in 2021, though, unbeknownst to me, New York Times critic Pete Wells coined the term in print in 2020.)

I noted the pervasiveness of the bromakase experience in my recent review of the restrained and intentional Craft Omakase, which is decidedly NOT that.

The menu at Sushi Bar ATX in East Austin.
The menu at Sushi Bar ATX in East Austin.

The bromakase is not a culinary (entertainment, really) trend isolated to Austin. It started, as many trends do, in New York City, though Austin may be the ground floor for its current aesthetic.

'Bromakase' exploded after Joe Rogan visited Sushi Bar ATX in 2021

In this week's New York Times, restaurant reporter Brett Anderson does a deeply reported dive into the roots of the bromakase, the pushback against it and the general state of the modern American sushi world. Anderson, in an article headlined "Bromakase is the new Steakhouse," defines the moment of escape velocity of the trend to a Joe Rogan Instagram post after his visit to Sushi Bar ATX in 2021.

Rogan's post led to a mile-long reservation list, and Sushi Bar ATX owners deciding that what was originally intended as a pop-up would become a permanent restaurant, the existence of which would reverberate throughout the Austin scene and beyond.

“When it comes to Japanese cuisine, restraint is what you want to achieve,” Craft Omakase chef-owner Charlie Wang (center) told the New York Times.
“When it comes to Japanese cuisine, restraint is what you want to achieve,” Craft Omakase chef-owner Charlie Wang (center) told the New York Times.

Anderson's article charts the sale of Sushi Bar ATX and the move of its founding chef, Phillip Frankland Lee, to part ways and open his own brand of restaurants under the Sushi by Scratch moniker (Lee also operates Pasta Bar and NADC in Austin). Anderson points to Austin's Toshokan, whose sushi chef Saine Wong is a Sushi Bar ATX alumnus, as a descendant of the Rogan-fueled trend.

Anderson also mentions Craft Omakase, operated by a group of Uchiko veterans, as an example contrary to the trend, and points to the American-Statesman's glowing review of the restaurant overseen by chef-partner Charlie Wang.

Review: Craft Omakase is Austin's best sushi restaurant (where you can actually get a reservation)

(An aside: my favorite omakase in Austin, Tsuke Edomae, is also very much not an example of the bromakase, though it's easier to get into UT's Plan II than it is to snag one of the eight seats at chef Michael Che's tiny restaurant in Mueller.)

In one of the low-key most scathing lines of his piece, Anderson, in discussing the expansion and chainification of Sushi Bar ATX parent company Adept Hospitality, writes:

“Jonathan Husby, an Adept co-founder, said there’s plenty of room in the marketplace for traditional omakase and restaurants like Sushi Bar, where “you don’t have to be a die-hard fish lover to enjoy the menu.”

“We’ve never been private equity,” said Mr. Husby, whose company’s website address is adeptprivateequity.com. “We’re a traditional hospitality group.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin's 'bromakase' sushi culture aided by Joe Rogan skewered by NYT