AUSTIN, Texas — On a corner along Airport Boulevard in Austin's North Loop neighborhood, Komé Sushi Kitchen has spent the past 15 years serving customers who come for more than what's on the plate.
“Even though we cook seriously and then we try to make sure that every dish is great, but the food is a very small portion of like what we do here. It’s about like between, you know, connections with the people and then sharing the cultures,†co-owner Kayo Asazu said.
Komé is owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo Také and Kayo Asazu. Over the years, Také Asazu said he has watched families grow up at the restaurant.
“I have some customers who’s serving like three generations, the grandparents and parents and the kids, and the kids was like, when I start serving the food here, the kids wasn’t born yet. But like now kids grown up like six years old, seven years old, 10 years old,†he said.
Komé has specialized in the art of preparing and sharing sushi with Austin audiences for 15 years. (Photo: CBS Austin)
Regulars include Rob Moshein, who said he has been coming to Komé for 15 years.
“When I saw it opened, I went in and sat down at the sushi bar, and Také-san was behind the counter, and he said, ‘What would you like?’ And I went, ‘Omakase,’ and he smiled and was like, this guy gets it. And I’ve been coming in every week ever since,†Moshein said.
Kayo Asazu said she has watched Airport Boulevard change over the years.
“Oh my God, it’s changed so much. I think we are the one of the like first one to be here and settle and open like the eatery. After that, it’s becoming more like a restaurant row right now. So, it’s been fun,†she said.
She said the neighborhood itself has helped shape the restaurant.
“I like this section of the town is like mix of everything. Like the people who’s been here forever. We also live in this neighborhood,†she said. “And it makes us feel like very, in a good way, challenging to come up with a different menu, come up with a different style to entertain them.â€
Outside shot of the Komé sign. (Photo: CBS Austin)
As Austin embraced Japanese culture, Kayo Asazu said Komé's menu evolved alongside its customers.
“The people here are very adventurous in adopting, so they really enjoy, you know, trying new stuff and learning new things. So we really appreciate that,†she said.
The Asazus visited Austin as international students years ago to learn English and loved it. After briefly living in New Orleans, they moved back to Austin, “because we still loved Austin.” It was during school however that they discovered that restaurants is what they wanted to do.
“We started realizing that people are looking to learn different cultures. And so that experience made us feel like, okay, let’s work at the restaurant, let’s serve, let’s cook,” said Kayo.
The goal of Komé is to provide a real and authentic Japanese feel while also feeling like home for its customers. That includes some of the art and pieces displayed throughout the restaurant. (Photo: CBS Austin)
Moshein said the restaurant fits the city.
“They’ve just fit in because Austin is progressive and developed enough to respond,†he said.
Kayo Asazu said that openness gave the owners confidence to share more traditional food and customs.
“That really definitely gave us a comfort to change more stuff,†she said. “As we’re seeing people like, you know, craving more culture, like what’s the authentic? What’s the traditional? What do you do in Japan? Like, is this how you eat in Japan? And it’s really like comforting us. Okay, we have more. We can expose more for you.â€
Také Asazu highlighted donburi dishes available at lunchtime, including chirashi and magurozuke.
“Something that’s my favorite, which is the donburi style. This is only available during lunchtime at the Kome,†he said. “The tuna over the rice, and also the sashimi over the rice. We call it chirashi and magurozuke. It's very authentic.â€
A finalized dish from Komé Sushi Chef and co-owner Také. (Photo: CBS Austin)
He described components used in the bowls and sushi, including “hamachi, the yellowtail,†“cured mackerel,†and “unagi, the barbecue eel,†along with ingredients such as daikon radish and shiso, “the Japanese overleaf.â€
When asked about the precision of the cuts, Také Asazu said, “This is like a Japanese knife. So, the most important thing in the fish is the size and the freshness.†He added, “For example, not just like slicing things. I make the angle a little bit. So, you can see that it looks more fun, the angle. So, that’s kind of the secret for slicing the sashimi piece.â€
Moshein said the atmosphere is part of what keeps him coming back.
“The vibe is like going to a relative’s house and just relaxed and comfortable, and they know what they’re doing, so I just let them do it,†he said. He also described what he looks for in restaurants, “I don’t like going to hip and trendy places. I like going to real, authentic places where the food is good, the people are nice, and they treat you well and give you something good to eat.â€
Before Komé became a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Kayo Asazu said the couple started at a farmer's market in Sunset Valley, selling bento boxes from a small table each Saturday because “financially it was really challenging to have a brick and mortar at the beginning.â€
The goal of Komé is to provide a real and authentic Japanese feel while also feeling like home for its customers. That includes some of the art and pieces displayed throughout the restaurant. (Photo: CBS Austin)
As customers asked where they could get the food during the week, she said the demand led them to their first food truck.
“We really want to have a place that we can open every day. And at that time, you know, the food truck was getting really popular here in Austin around 20, you know, 2010,†she said. “So we are running two trucks and we saved enough money to lease our old location just down the street on Airport Boulevard to open Komé back in 2011.â€
Kayo Asazu said opening that first restaurant came with challenges, and the community helped them build it.
“At that time, we didn’t have enough financial to hire architect or engineers or anybody. So we basically ask anybody has a day off or a few hours off, come gather at the restaurant and then lift the tile off and put the drywall and then paint the wall. And then we did everything ourselves. That was a quiet experience, but that’s the first restaurant Komé in 2011,†she said.
She said the business later expanded and then contracted during the pandemic.
“Right before COVID, we had a six locations and then COVID hit,†she said. “And then we kind of shrunk down to four locations. And then some of the property went to, our lease was over. So we decided to close.â€
The Asazus closed Ni-Komé Sushi & Ramen and Daruma Ramen in 2020. In 2023, they closed Sa-Ten’s second location on Airport Boulevard.
Kayo Asazu said neighborhood support was key during the pandemic.
“Community support was really big, especially, you know, people in this neighborhood, they’re super supportive,†she said. “So it was a big part of for us to going through the COVID.â€
The goal of Komé is to provide a real and authentic Japanese feel while also feeling like home for its customers. That includes some of the art and pieces displayed throughout the restaurant. (Photo: CBS Austin)
Asazu said they had never done takeout before at Komé until the pandemic forced them to, but the support is what gave them the courage at Komé to keep going. And now in 2026, Komé prepares to re-open Daruma Ramen.
“I feel like this is very exciting to reopen Daruma Ramen and cater to the community. And I hope they feel the same way,” said Kayo.
For newcomers, Kayo Asazu recommended starting with lunch.
“Sushi lunch is the one way for you to go if you haven’t tried many Japanese before,†she said. Také Asazu described the option, “It’s a five piece sushi, the nigiri, ara-kara, and choose the one roll, your choice.â€
Looking ahead, Kayo Asazu said she is focused on day-to-day work rather than long-term predictions.
“To be honest, never know. We go with the flow. I like to kind of like not having a big dream or anything, but just go with the flow and seeing people,†she said. “You never know tomorrow in a good way for me. Like I’m like, you know, surprise me what’s happened tomorrow. And I might open five more restaurants or maybe not opening any, I don’t know. But it’s just we focus every day.â€
Be sure to check out the ATX Eats YouTube page for more videos and behind-the-scenes looks at Komé.
