Papercut's Secret Door in East Austin Now Leads to a 14-Seat Sushi Room Called Wasa

Wasa opens tonight behind papercut at 908 E 5th St. — a 14-seat, walk-in-only Japanese dining room accessible only by entering the East Austin cocktail bar and walking past it. According to ATX Things analysis of the opening announcement and papercut's own menu page, the room is run by three chefs with real Austin sushi pedigree, and it's already been operating quietly inside the bar for months before getting a name.

What is Wasa, and how do you actually get in?

There's no separate front door. Wasa sits behind papercut — the East Austin art-gallery cocktail bar at 908 E 5th St. #107 that picked up Esquire's Best Bars in America nod and an Austin Monthly Best New Bar title in the past year — and the only way in is to walk through papercut's own entrance, past the bar, to a 14-seat room in back. It's walk-in only. No reservations, no separate host stand, no way to book ahead.

That's by design. Papercut's own team describes Wasa as "intentionally designed to feel like a discovery," and the two concepts share a kitchen: Wasa's sushi, nigiri and hand rolls are also available to order at papercut's bar seats, so you don't strictly have to find the back room to eat the food — but finding it is the point.

Regulars already knew something was up. One recent review, from before Wasa had a name attached to it, put it this way:

"

Really cool craft cocktail bar with incredible sushi! Bartenders are obviously knowledgeable and passionate. I had the mexican appletini and the mai thai, both were incredible, as well as the otoro and kinmedai nigiri. The cocktails I had were balanced and stout, and the nigiri was the best I've ever had; the otoro was worth the splurge.

— one Google reviewer, on papercut

That's the tell: the sushi program has been running informally for a while. Tonight, September 18, it gets its own name, its own room, and its own hours.

Who's cooking — the three chefs behind the menu

Wasa's kitchen is led by Executive Chef Elvin Jin, who also runs Austin's Tatsumi. Jin has more than 15 years in the craft — he found sushi working in his family's restaurant in California's East Bay, then trained in Japan across sushi, tempura and yakitori before landing in Austin.

He's joined by Chef Martin Matias, who started his sushi career at 16 at Crystal Fish Sushi in Monterey, California, trained at Nobu Palo Alto, and has since worked the omakase counters at Neighborhood Sushi and Sushi | Bar Downtown ATX. Rounding out the kitchen is Chef Domonic Candy — an Indiana native with deep Austin roots whose résumé runs through Odd Duck, Paperboy, Dee Dee, Daruma and Tiny Diner, most recently as sous chef at Otoko under Yoshi Okai.

The bar side stays with Eddie Baty, one of papercut's own founders, who came up through Otoko and Prelude before opening papercut. It's a genuinely stacked lineup for a 14-seat room — the kind of chef pedigree that usually comes with a tasting-menu price tag, not a walk-in-only back room behind a cocktail bar.

What's actually on the menu

Wasa's menu is built in six sections, moving well past a standard sushi-only format:

That nigiri list is the real draw — true bluefin (hon maguro), otoro and Hokkaido scallop are the kind of sourcing that usually anchors a dedicated omakase counter, not a snack menu tucked behind a bar's back wall.

What locals should know

With today's high pushing toward 97°F, a dim, air-conditioned back room is a genuinely good place to disappear into on a September evening in Austin, Texas — this isn't a patio scene, and that's part of the appeal.

How to find it and plan your visit

Enter through papercut's front door at 908 E 5th St. #107 — there's no separate signage for Wasa from the street. Walk past the bar; the host will point you toward the back room if seats are open. If the room's full, you can still order Wasa's food at papercut's bar, which keeps its own separate (later) hours.

This is the same stretch of East Austin where Austin Oyster Co. opened its East Cesar Chavez raw bar earlier this year, part of what we've tracked as East Austin's broader 2026 restaurant renaissance. We first wrote about papercut's art-bar concept back in March — Wasa is the same address writing its next chapter.

FAQ

Do I need a reservation for Wasa in Austin? No. Wasa is walk-in only with no reservation system — enter through papercut and ask about seating in the back room. Arrive early on weekend nights, since it only seats 14.

Where exactly is Wasa located? Wasa is inside papercut at 908 E 5th St. #107, Austin, TX 78702, in East Austin. There's no separate street entrance; you walk through the bar to reach it.

What time does Wasa open? Wasa opens tonight, September 18, 2026. Ongoing hours are Wednesday–Thursday 5–11 PM, Friday–Saturday 5 PM–midnight, and Sunday 5–10 PM; it's closed Monday and Tuesday.

Can I order Wasa's food without finding the back room? Yes. Wasa's sushi, nigiri and hand rolls are also available at papercut's own bar seats, so the food is accessible even if the 14-seat room is full.

Who are the chefs at Wasa? Executive Chef Elvin Jin of Tatsumi leads the kitchen with Chef Martin Matias (Neighborhood Sushi, Sushi | Bar Downtown ATX) and Chef Domonic Candy (Otoko, Odd Duck). Papercut co-founder Eddie Baty runs the bar program.