Tare sushi chef opening casual concept, Konbini, in East Austin

The chef behind one of the best sushi restaurants in town is bringing his edible art closer to the heart of town.

Chef Michael Carranza, whose Tare is secreted away in an office building in far North Austin, plans to open late-night sushi concept Konbini behind cocktail bar and art gallery Papercut, in a complex at 908 E. Fifth St., just east of I-35, in August.

South Texas native Carranza, a veteran of Uchi, created one of Austin’s most unexpected gems in Tare (#16 in the Statesman’s 2024 Dining Guide), by tastefully and creatively adding personal narrative to his sushi, elevating, not overwhelming, the bites.

He will be departing from Tare’s omakase model with the new a la carte sushi bar that he is operating in partnership with Danielle Martinez (Tare’s pastry chef) and the team at Papercut. The sexy bar-gallery was recently named a finalist for best new cocktail bar in the country by the distinguished Tales of the Cocktail foundation.

A series of pop-up dinners will preview Konbini

The menu at Konbini (which means “convenience store” in Japan, though it’s unclear if the name will have any literal correlation) will include nigiri, sashimi and crudo that will highlight some South Texas inspiration. The food menu will be served in conjunction with a specialty cocktail, sake and Japanese whisky menu from the Papercut team. Tare will continue to operate in the ramp up to Konbini and following the opening.

Possible menu items at Konbini include dry-aged kanpachi with mesquite honey and charred scallion, lightly seared chu toro with smoked temari and Texas pecan oil, and seared A5 wagyu with soy and pecan oil glaze.

Konbini will be located in a separate space behind Papercut. Guests will have to make their way through the bar to reach the small, hidden restaurant. Carranza is planning pop-ups throughout the summer to preview the concept that will open to the public for dinner and late-night in August. Those dinners will be teased on Tare and Konbini's Instagram pages (@tareuastin and @konbiniatx).