A pair of Austin chefs known for intimate, garden-set omakase dinners are preparing to open their first brick-and-mortar.
Foodie & Tina, the husband-and-wife project from Becca Seiler and Spencer Brown, is set to open this summer at 2153 South Lamar Blvd. The 800-square-foot takeaway sushi counter will serve omakase boxes and rice bowls to go, while a small standing bar offers hand rolls directly from chef to guest.
The core format revolves around omakase boxes with 10 pieces of nigiri and a chef’s choice roll, along with chirashi and kaisendon bowls and a vegetarian option. At the hand roll bar, standing guests will receive made-to-order rolls finished with ingredients like Texas persimmon miso or wasabi butter. Everything else is designed to travel.
At the center of the operation is a supply chain that relies on domestic sourcing and small-scale fishing practices. Much of the seafood will also be processed using ike jime, a Japanese harvesting technique intended to reduce stress on the fish and preserve texture and flavor.
The result is a menu that shifts daily based on availability. Gulf fish from Texas waters will anchor the offerings when possible, supplemented by catches from the East and West coasts, and more selectively, imports from Japan. Familiar options like tuna and salmon may appear, but the menu is just as likely to highlight domestic substitutes alongside lesser-known varieties of snapper and grouper.
Shelves will stock prepared goods like tomato jam from the couple’s garden, a mushroom- and seed-based furikake and condiments such as toasted nori salsa macha.
Both owners bring experience from across Austin’s sushi and farm-to-table scenes. Brown has worked at Komé, Uchiko, Uroko and Este, where he focused on fish butchery. Seiler comes from a farming background and has worked at Lenoir, grounding the project’s produce-driven side.
Foodie & Tina is expected to open this summer and will operate daily from late morning through early evening, targeting lunch and early dinner crowds. The couple plans to continue hosting their more elaborate garden omakase dinners on a monthly basis.