Hikari

UPDATE: During our latest visit on July 22, 2023, the cuisine was quite underwhelming and much worse than expected. The sashimi didn't even taste the same anymore. While it would be rash to pass judgement because of this, at the very least, it shows that Hikari has all the same problems as Asakusa in Fort Wayne: A place that can be good, but is wildly inconsistent.As such, I have to knock this place down to the tier of "below expectations".---------- ORIGINAL REVIEW ----------Cheap and good sushi in HOUSTON? No freaking way!So I used an UberEats promo to get myself an Avobomb and a sashimi combination on the affordable, fully expecting suburb-class sushi. After all, this summer's been hell on the sweats, and I really needed some cold food to cool my tongue.And lo and behold they actually brought me the gouda cheesefish (what I call good hamachi). The only other place I've been to in the U.S. that has gouda cheesefish is Sushi Ukai in the great Chicagoland.Now, is it the best sashimi I've ever tasted? Heck no. I'd be kidding myself to suggest that it's in the same class as Sushi Ukai or Sushi Hokkaido Sachi in Saigon. But the fact that it's even close is already quite commendable, considering how this set is like $2.25 per piece, UberEats sale notwithstanding. Each piece is also cut quite long and thin: Big, yet easy to digest, unlike the usual blocks of coldwater wrapped in protein fibers that so often adorn the prime real estate of American strip malls.You see, a good piece of fish should have its own unique, distinctly defined flavor. One may think that raw fish would taste like freshwater for the most part, which is true in any place named "Sakura" or "Fuji". However, in actuality: salmon should taste soft and creamy, tuna bold and savory, escolar smooth and buttery, octopus fresh and chewy, albacore sharp and sardinish, tai (red snapper) like nothing at all, and hamachi (yellowtail) for some reason tastes like gouda cheese. All of which describe the sashimi set at Hikari perfectly. A light down the infinite highway of Houston, indeed. ("Hikari" means light, by the way.)Oh, and uh, the avocado bomb is good too, I guess. It's one of those American-style over-engineered and deep-fried appetizers that I enjoy in a vacuum, but would rather not write much about.TL;DR Pretty good feesh.

I don't know what took us so long to try this place. It is in a little corner of an unassuming shopping strip in front of Home Depot. We have ordered door dash and eaten there. We usually order an omakase for the adults and a udon for our kid. Omakase is pictured below and is just a deconstructed bento box- main meal, edamame, miso soup, tempura veggies and purple rice. It is a reasonable price for all the food (~$13-15). The udon has a good amount of noodles and the one we ordered had an anchovy broth. It was good. Service is really attentive and kind. Restaurant is small, painted with Japanese images with dim lighting. Nothing fancy, but a nice little restaurant to grab Japanese food.

I've only eaten here once, but I would go back for more sushi. This is primarily a sushi bar, though they do have other Japanese dishes such as ramen. My advice would be to skip the ramen here - I think Jinya and Tamashi have better ramen - but the sushi is quite good.

The food is yummy and the staff is very smiley and friendly. Despite coming in a bit late they were very kind to us and did not rush us out. It's super cute and calm inside. It was a pleasant dinner for my party of three. Thank you Hikari!

Mediocre food at a higher price. Would not go again. Service was fast but not great. My water was not refilled once and we asked for two to-go boxes but only got 1 and the lady kept trying to throw the left over piece of sushi away which can be understandable if we had not asked for two boxes.

Right by the house. Love everything about this place. A hidden gem. Get the shaggy dog roll. You're welcome in advance

Have been going here for 10+ years Always great service, food, and ambiance You don't have to be there during lunch to get their lunch specials. I'd recommend going with that or the seafood bowl. Can't recommend this place enough

Surprisingly lovely, intimate, beautiful atmosphere for looking so bland on the outside! My husband and I went on a date here, and we spent 2 hours here enjoying the food and drinks and talking, it felt so relaxing and intimate. Lovely experience, will be coming back for sure.

This place is amazing! My boyfriend and I come here very often for our date nights! The ambience is romantic and lovely and the service is great! We usually order a large bottle of sake and I always order the tuna mango roll. Definitely give this place a try if you love good sushi.

This is my go to place for Japanese food. It is small, quiet and reasonably priced. Their sushi selection is big and the fish is always fresh. The bento boxes are really good and offer large portions.