K\u014db\u014d takes over the original location of Uncle Nicky\u2019s, which closed<\/a> in April. Before that, the space housed longtime gelato shop Dolce Vita, where the McElroys remember stopping as kids.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d been wanting to work with Moto for a while and wanted to do something that both honored and fit the unique space,\u201d Wade McElroy said in the restaurant announcement. \u201cBeyond that, we wanted to jive with the neighborhood. Hyde Park is incredible and has great options whether it\u2019s Italian, Mexican, pizza or pastries, but there\u2019s no great sushi in the neighborhood so we felt that K\u014db\u014d would be a natural fit.\u201d<\/p>\n Seto spent nearly eight years with Soto, where he served as head chef and helped open the Austin and Houston locations. A native of Nagoya, Japan, he began working in restaurants at 18 and has spent much of his career behind sushi counters.<\/p>\n After returning to Austin earlier this year, Seto met Wade McElroy and began discussing ways to work together. K\u014db\u014d will give the chef a smaller, more personal setting for the kind of food he has been developing throughout his career.<\/p>\n The menu will center on nigiri and sashimi using fish sourced from Tokyo\u2019s Toyosu Market<\/a>. Seto will finish the fish with yakumi,<\/a> or toppings and condiments, and offer maki rolls, temaki hand rolls, and a selection of small kitchen dishes.<\/p>\n The goal is not a formal omakase-only destination. The team describes K\u014db\u014d as a restaurant suited for a quick dinner, date night, or special occasion. Its beverage program will focus on sake and natural wine.<\/p>\n \u201cI draw inspiration from flavors and techniques from all over, but I always want to keep the fish and simplicity at the center of the dish,\u201d Seto said. \u201cI studied architecture before I became a chef, and I think that still influences the way I approach sushi \u2014 each dish is almost like designing a work of art.\u201d<\/p>\n The name K\u014db\u014d means \u201cworkshop\u201d in Japanese, reflecting the team\u2019s idea of a place where the work is continually being refined.<\/p>\n For Ryan and Wade McElroy, the location carries its own history. Hyde Park was part of their childhood Austin, from gelato runs at Dolce Vita to birthday meals at Asti.<\/p>\n \u201cWade and I grew up in Austin and have been coming to the Hyde Park neighborhood since the \u201990s, getting gelato at Dolce Vita, or celebrating birthdays at Asti,\u201d Ryan McElroy said. \u201cWhen the opportunity came along to take over from Uncle Nicky\u2019s, we jumped at it.\u201d<\/p>\n K\u014db\u014d has not announced an opening date or hours. Updates will be posted at sushikobo.com<\/a> and @SushiKoboATX<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Hyde](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/hyde-park-kobo.jpg\")