Austin's Little Nishi serves up food-trailer sushi
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Sushi rolls and fried chicken at Little Nishi. Photo: Asher Price/Axios
The terms "food trailer" and "sushi" don't obviously belong together, but the marriage is very much a happy one at newcomer Little Nishi.
What's happening: I stopped by the spot, in the little food trailer park on South First, across the street from El Mercado, to grab their bites.
Among the highlights: A beautiful hama toro roll ($9), presented like the sushi equivalent of a flower bouquet — filled with yellowtail belly, avocado, cilantro, crispy shallots and rice — and a chicken kara-age ($7) with an oh-my-god-that's-good wasabi-honey dipping sauce.
Six-word review: Loveliness can emerge from food trucks.
Pro tip: If you're feeling nostalgic for that Kyoto childhood you never had, order the jiggly, flanlike, pre-packaged Japanese Hapi pudding ($3) for dessert.
What they're saying: Joel Taylor was working at a sushi bar in northern California a dozen years ago when a friend asked him if he would help him move to Austin.
- Taylor had just broken up with a girlfriend and was looking for a change, he tells Axios.
- "I did some research on Austin and found out what a great food city it is — and had a great sushi scene," he said.
Of note: Nishi, a nickname bestowed on Taylor, means West, a reference to his California roots.
He worked at Roll On Sushi Diner on Burnet, then worked his way up the sushi line at Komé before becoming a chef at the vaunted Uroko, on Springdale Road.
- "I actually wanted to open a restaurant first, but I realized you've got to have tons more financing. With a trailer, the costs are very lucrative for a startup business, with very low overhead. And if it's just me, myself, I can keep maximum control of the quality and details of the food."
If you go: At 1311 S. First St.; open 2-8pm on Wednesdays, 2-9pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 1-8pm on Sundays.