The Dojo Announces Its Grand Opening Festival – The Dojo Matsuri

Austin, TX (September 3, 2013) – The Dojo, a new Japanese sake bar and izakaya in Austin, today announced their Grand Opening – The Dojo Matsuri will be held on Saturday, September 14 at 8:00 p.m. at their location at 9070 Research Blvd., Suite 305. The event is open to the public. The party will feature an amateur teppan cook-off, blind sake tastings, origami, music, food and more.

The Dojo is bringing traditional Japanese izakaya fare to Austin. Izakaya serve small, shared plates, ordered slowly over the course of the evening. Food served in izakaya is the common, everyday food of the people in Japan. An izakaya provides a comfortable place for groups of friends to spend an entire evening of eating, drinking and having great conversation. Unlike other restaurants, customers are encouraged to stay for long periods of time without ever feeling rushed.

“I am so excited to share the simplicity of an izakaya with Austin,” said Moto Seto, Executive Chef of The Dojo. “The Dojo is a really affordable place where I want to have friends come to eat and hang out on a regular basis. This is what izakaya is about.”

The Dojo will stay open late night in true izakaya fashion, serving a full menu until close. Featured dishes include Japanese fried chicken (chicken kara-age), shichirin (meats or vegetables grilled at your tables), and okoge ankake (seafood or vegetables in a soy broth over crispy rice). The Dojo also serves a variety of vegan dishes, including crispy tofu avocado salad and vegan ramen.

Ramen has fast become a fixture in Austin and The Dojo is proud to offer its own unique style of noodles for Austinites to enjoy with a vegan and chashu (pork) option. The broth, seasonings and toppings are all made entirely from scratch, using fresh ingredients in house by the Ramen Ninja.

"I just want to make people happy," said Mike Elliott, the Ramen Ninja. "I enjoy making ramen for everyone."

The Dojo has one of the best sake lists in town with house-infused sake, fresh sake cocktails and premium and house sake offerings. The idea is to offer sake for everyone from beginners to sake sensei. The bar also serves shochu, Japanese whiskey and traditional Japanese cocktails like grapefruit sour and cassis oolong. The Asahi beer on draft is imported straight from Japan.

The Dojo will regularly play classic Japanese films silently in the background, as well as hold genre film nights, including anime. There is plenty of space to hold large parties, events or holiday celebrations in the dining room, private lounge or private dining room.

“First it was sushi. And then came ramen. Now, the sake bar and izakaya concept are becoming the next big thing to make it in the States,” said Ken Macias, General Manager of The Dojo. “The other big cities have them already, but it hasn’t hit Austin yet. After living in Japan and visiting izakaya regularly, we’re really excited to introduce the concept here.”

The Dojo invites Austin to celebrate at their Dojo Matsuri – Grand Opening Festival on Saturday, September 14 from 8 p.m. until late. Entry will be a $5 donation, with proceeds going to the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. The festival will hold the amateur Dojo Kumite Teppan Cook-off, origami, sake carafe painting, music, sake tasting, food and more. For more details, visit here: http://dojomatsuri.eventbrite.com. If you are interested in entering the amateur cook-off, visit here: http://dojokumite.eventbrite.com.

The Dojo is a sake bar and Japanese izakaya restaurant open until late night in Austin, Texas. Offering small plates of Japanese food, ramen, sake cocktails and a full bar. We encourage customers to take their time, order slow, eat slow, drink slow, and enjoy the company of their friends and family. For more details visit our site, http://dojoatx.com.
Press Contact: Ken Macias, ken@dojoatx.com, 512-458-3900.

The Dojo
9070 Research Blvd., #305
Austin, TX 78757
512-458-3900
Contact: Ken Macias

This release was published on openPR.