The sashimi course at Kappo Kappo comes with dry-aged kanpachi, umenori sauce and a seasonal oyster.
Ana Gutierrez / Austin American-Statesman
Some restaurants announce themselves with fireworks. Kappo Kappo prefers a bow. The new, 25-seat dining room tucked inside the Austin Proper Hotel on West Second Street doesn’t shout for your attention; it earns it slowly, course by course, knife stroke by knife stroke, until you realize you’ve stopped talking and started paying attention.
This is the latest creation from Japanese chefs and twin brothers Haru and Gohei Kishi, one of whom trained in France. What they’re doing at Kappo Kappo is about intention: an 11-course tasting menu shaped by the market, the mood and whatever knives they feel like using that day.
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The space: a room built for watching
Kappo Kappo seats 25 inside the Austin Proper Hotel.
Ana Gutierrez / Austin American-Statesman
Kappo Kappo is dim in the way good dining rooms used to be — not Instagram dark, but enough to make you lean in. The counter is the spine of the room, a stage where cooks move with the synchronized calm of people who know exactly where the seaweed is, where the knives live, where the next bowl of broth is coming from.
Twenty-five seats total. Wooden accents. A room meant for focus, not flash. It keeps you locked into the work happening inches away: the slicing, the brushing, the torching and the plating.
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The vibe: reverent, but not precious
A5 Wagyu comes inside a Parmesan crust in the gougere and topped with caviar.
Ana Gutierrez / Austin American-Statesman
Walk in, and the whole staff greets you with a “welcome” in Japanese, a quick chorus that feels a bit like theater. The soundtrack swings from Khruangbin to U.S. Girls, a wink that keeps the room from drifting into stiffness.
This isn’t the sterile quiet of high-end omakase. People eat fast. Too fast. There’s always someone like me, still chewing while everyone else has already surrendered their plates. The chefs laugh with guests. They joke about “keeping Austin weird” when the rice under the wagyu isn’t the usual white, but a broth-bathed version more suited to a city that appreciates differences.
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The Menu: an 11-course story with Japanese bones and French fingerprints
Kappo Kappo serves seasonal bites. Pictured here: wagyu croquette, black cod miso, Texas grapefruit terrine, salmon mi-cuit and snow crab sunomono.
Ana Gutierrez / Austin American-Statesman
The chefs call it kappo style — “cut and cook.” Everything happens right in front of you. No promises of what comes next. You follow their rhythm. Two hours is the expected run time. No substitutions. No dietary accommodations. The kitchen plays the menu straight, and you either opt in or don’t.
During a hosted preview, there were two types of bluefin, cut clean and served with pickled wasabi stem in a secret sauce that adds crunch and a subtle heat. The black cod, marinated for three days, stands out even when it arrives alongside a plate of other, equally thoughtful bites.The salmon mi-cuit looks almost raw but is cooked gently, the French way. It could be mistaken for the slice of grapefruit terrine served on the same plate.
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There’s a steamy wagyu croquette. A roll of finely chopped radish, cucumber, and green apple — a palate-cleansing surprise between wagyu bites. And then, suddenly, you’re in France: wagyu beef cheek cooked in red wine jus, topped with potato foam and potato skin. Courses finish with three desserts.
The Price: $$$
Rosewood Ranch striploin with A5 ribeye is accompanied by carrot purée and other seasonal flavors.
Ana Gutierrez / Austin American-Statesman
The omakase costs $195 per person, plus a 20% service charge and tax. It’s not cheap, but it’s honest. You’re paying for time, craft and a seat close enough to see the steam rise off the wagyu.
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Kappo Kappo doesn’t try to reinvent Austin dining. It asks you to meet the chefs where they are: present, precise and unbothered by the noise outside the walls of the restaurant. The chefs cook. You watch. You eat. The night unfolds exactly as it should, one deliberate course at a time.
Dining and Cooking