Uchi Houston

★★★★☆ 4.4 (2465) • $$$$

"Where's all my foodie sistas?Lemme see y'all put away dem rolls, mistasHey sista, go sista, soul sista, foodie sistaHey sista, go sista, soul sista, let's go sistaFree valet at Montrose Collective down on Grant RoadParkin' your stuff on the streetThey said, "Hello, hey there, you gonna give Uchi a go?"Oh, uh huhUchi, Uchi, ya-ya, da-da (hey, hey, hey)Uchi, Uchi, ya-ya, here (here)Wagyu tartare on yuca, ya-ya (ohh, yeah)Kinoko nabe with gyutoro(What-what? What-what?)Ooh, ohVoulez-vous manger avec moi, ce soir?Voulez-vous manger avec moi?Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahWe sat in a cozy booth while they chef'd it up We drank all that satsume sakeGrilled aroma swirling in the air when we started to freak, yeahUchi, Uchi, ya-ya, da-da (da, da , da)Uchi, Uchi, ya-ya, here (ooh, yeah, yeah)Smoked hamachi on yuca, ya-ya (yeah, yeah)Oyster pear with migonette Voulez-vous manger avec moi, ce soir?(Ce soir, what, what, what?)Voulez-vous manger avec moi? OohYeah, yeah, uhWe come through with the money and them loosened pantsLet em know we 'bout order straight out the gate (uh)We are self proclaimed foodies, some mistake us for influencersI'm sayin', "Why have only one thing when I can have it all?"Disagree? Well, that you, I ain't sorry Keep these dishes coming out, it's a partyTurn on the flash, taking pics from our phonesThree hungry chicks from out of townHey sistas, foodie sistas, we better get that fried milk though, sistasWe drink sake straight from the wooden boxBy the bottle, the meaning of expensive tasteIf you wanna Uchi, Uchi, ya-ya (c'mon)Sakana yaki (what?)Hamachi, chili with orange supremesGimme one more bite, c'mon nowUchi, Uchi, ya-ya, da-da (da-da, yeah)Uchi, Uchi, ya-ya, here (ooh)Juicy chicken karaage (ohh), ya-ya (oh)Happy Hour 4-6 everyday ohhh ya-yaaaaVoulez-vous manger avec moi, ce soir? (Ce soir)Voulez-vous manger avec moi? (All my foodie sistas, yeah)Voulez-vous manger avec moi, ce soir? (Ce soir)Voulez-vous manger avec moi, ohh (c'mon, uh)-Sailor out"

Oishii

★★★★☆ 4 (1651)

"Came back again to eat lunch since I was in the area and it did not disappoint. Fast service with great tasting food. Spent only $30 for 3 orders (9 piece sushi, bento box, and a dynamite roll). Wish this restaurant was closer to me!"

Aka Sushi House

★★★★☆ 3.9 (1432) • $$

"While I appreciate that Aka Sushi House is popular with the community, I feel the review hype and subsequent set of experiences have been somewhat of a letdown. I fully recognize that this isn't a place to be seen as the de facto authentic sushi restaurant in Houston; which has a scene that is more attributed to the watered-down palate while charging semi-high prices for what feels like average food.It's busy here on a nightly basis. I've experienced super long waits for takeout and as a patron in house. The narrow interior means the seating arrangement can be tight and eavesdropping on convos is normal thing when it's a full house. Most of the time it's semi-big groups, date nights, and solo diners at the bar. The latter is probably the way to go.Service has been really slow in my experience. Whether it's the 45 minute takeout wait or the equally long wait while sitting in house, I think the fact they serve drinks here helps with the slow output. I think a big part of this is due to understaffing, but that's an industry wide problem at this point.Food wise, I expected more out of the various nigiri, hand rolls, and overall makeup of what I've ordered. Nigiri really varied between $4-8 for every couple of pieces, which is not a problem if the quality is there but I found it to be subpar. For the hamachi and sake sashimi, it was a little sad that at $27 nabbed us around 6 slices, which were sort of thin and underwhelming. The handrolls and 6 piece rolls were much of the same and that in itself is somewhat disappointing.Of course, no Japanese restaurant is devoid of offering exclusive sushi on their menus, so I've had some of their noodle dishes as well. The yaki-soba felt like a standard noodle dish and their ramen was surprisingly solid. While I don't think their don bowls are worth going out of the way for, but the smoked salmon egg roll was a fun choice.While I'm not rushing to come back anytime soon, I'm hopeful that my experiences here will be better going forward"

Keeper's Japanese Restaurant & Bar

★★★★☆ 4.1 (941) • $$

"12 years after my original review and this place is more popular than ever! Had a dinner in the private room on a Thursday during the holidays and the rest of the place was PACKED. Food is still solid, staff is friendly, restaurant is clean. Keep up the good work!"

Sushi Miyagi

★★★★☆ 4.4 (656)

"This is such a cute, hole in the wall, mom and pop shop located in a strip mall in Chinatown. You need to come here early to line up as the place is small with only a couple of tables. I came on a random weekday at 11:45am and there was a line of 6 people already there. Ambiance: I love all the charming Japanese decor. Super casual place, run only by a Japanese husband and wife. The wife is fast, so be ready and quick with your order! She is super attentive and efficient!What we ordered:- Isabe Age: this fish cake tempura was crisp and tasty- Oshinko: the pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to all the fish and rice - Chirashi Lunch: the fish was fresh and cut thickly, was definitely more filling than I thought it would be - Unaju Lunch: this broiled eel dish was my favorite! Definitely get this if you enjoy eel!- Assorted Maki: we got the crispy spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, and dragon and all were good! Each maki is big enough that you need to eat it in 2 bites. I liked this dish the least, it was too much rice for me. Overall, this place is extremely well run and the food is tasty! Come early, know what you want, and come hungry!"

Roka Akor - Houston

★★★★☆ 4.4 (591) • $$$

"I've passed by here a bunch so decided to try it for happy hour. We were pleasantly surprised to learn they extended their happy hour to 6:30. I had the Roka fashion and asked for no ice and a lemon wedge and it was perfect. My friend got lychee martinis and enjoyed them. We tried a few things on the happy hour menu and the assorted sashimi tacos and dumplings were awesome. The hamachi Serrano roll was good as well. The burger is a STEAL at $9 for the mini burger and fries. We very easily spent $100 but definitely worth the price for 4-5 items (food/drink) per person. Service was great though the marketer manager awkwardly stopped by and told us how to book the private room lol. Parking: complimentary valet right in front. If you pull further down it's a diffenrt valet for the apartments and they will act very confused."

Osaka Japanese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (700) • $$

"This place was quiet an experience, not like any other sushi joint that I have been too. The service was great though I'll give them that. The place is very expensive for sushi, we did get 3 complimentary dishes, but being that we only got 4 rolls and the tab was $70 I am not sure if those dish where complimentary All in all the food was great and I would definitely be back !! Nice experience!"

Taizzi Sushi - Katy

★★★★☆ 4.4 (429) • $$$

"Despite the cramped seating, limited parking, and prices at the time (#1), I managed to come away loving the experience because the food was good and the service was beyond excellent. The latter is all the reason I plan on putting Taizzi Katy on my list of AYCE sushi go-tos.It's not much to look at. The interior is a bit on the smaller side and can probably comfortably fit 20 people. Whether it's the small'ish group tables in the front or the smaller 2 tops in the back, it can feel somewhat cramped. There are also seats by the bar, but given all the items I tend to order, the table is best.The menu is so rich with options that it's a fun adventure just choosing things from the menu. I appreciate that they've labeled each of their items based on whether it's raw, spicy, and even if it will take extra time. Coupled by the fact it's a picture menu, along with the "preferred cut" for sushi and sashimi of thin / medium / thick is unheard of to me. Even the rolls have a breakdown of the interior, exterior, and whether or not there is sauce on each one. I'm so impressed.There's been so many rolls (#2) that only a handful (#3) truly stand out. I loved the::: Elvin (shrimp, tempura, crab, cucumber, topped with salmon, tuna):: Final Destination (soft shell crab, spicy crab, asparagus, topped with tuna and salmon) :: SpamHolic (spam, eel sauce):: Mistake (mixed fish with spicy mayo, eel sauce):: SalmonAss (salmon, crabmeat, cream cheese, avocado, topped with salmon with spicy mayo, eel sauce)I was also a fan of my nigiri and thought my favorite pieces were the fatty salmon, yellowtail, salmon egg, and scallop. For all sashimi, I prefer the thick cut and love ordering a bunch at once. The fish isn't going to be mind blowing quality wise, but for an AYCE spot, it is definitely a big thumbs up.There's a lot to appreciate with their hot foods as well. I think their sushi towers are fun on the food porn front and the grilled collars (yellowtail, salmon) are fabulous. No one talks about their "monkey brains" or baked mussels enough, so I recommend it all for any one who wants something cooked. It's also important to note that soda is included with the AYCE deal.Service wise, they hit it out of the park. Our waitress was attentive, polite, and went out of her way to ensure they subbed right items for allergies at our table. She was also accommodating my party every step of the way. At the end she didn't hassle us to leave, but was so kind from start to finish. I know Taizzi takes their customer service seriously and for that I'm extremely grateful. I can't wait for my next visit.___________(#1) During my first time here, it was three different levels of pricing, which became sort of confusing. It's now just a straight $36 for everything.(#2) I'll never remember all of their names(#3) Unintentional pun"

Miyako

★★★★☆ 3.6 (622) • $$

"AWESOME! This is one of my new fav sushi places in town. My 6 year old son and I love to eat sushi and some places just don't care about kids. They were so nice and really accommodating. Great staff and experience. I will go back many times!"

Cafe 101

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (769) • $$

"Cafe 101 was very nice. My first time there to dine. Met a Client there for lunch and was pleasantly pleased. Server was good. It was a slow time just after lunch so we got all the attention. I got this awesome Watermelon Mango drink. It was so refreshing. The food is good. My chicken was over fried and a little tough to chew but not too bad. The Ambiance is nice."

Ninja Japanese Cuisine

★★★★☆ 4.3 (399) • $$

Rakuu

★★★★☆ 4.2 (404) • $$

"Amazing food and service, the place is clean the food is delicious, they actually have a large variety of Asian food from chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and sushi very reasonable price as well"

Ishin Udon

★★★★☆ 4.2 (394) • $$

"With the recent cold front, my girlfriend and I were really craving a warm bowl of soup. She mentioned wanting to go to Ishin and I had never had authentic Udon so we decided to head over for dinner.There are a lot of good-looking, busy restaurants in this strip so it was a little challenging to find parking, but we eventually found a spot far down from the door. The lighting, decor, and overall ambiance of the restaurant were overall very warm and cozy. It seemed relatively busy and while the place was relatively full we were seated immediately and the wait staff were very friendly throughout our time there.Since this was my first time having udon, it took me a second to look through the menu because everything looked and sounded amazing. Eventually, we decided to start off with the takoyaki which came out hot and was delicious. The filling had the perfect ratio of octopus to sauce. Next, we ordered our main courses, she had the sukiyaki udon and I had the kitsune udon but I wanted some sort of meat so I got a side order of chashu. The broth in both of the soups was incredibly flavorful and rich and just what we were looking for. We finished the meal off with the banana tempura which was the perfect way to end the the meal.Even though this was my first time trying Udon Ishin made a very good first impression on me and although it seems very authentic I think the menu, staff, and atmosphere make this a very approachable spot for anyone to try. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Ishin and I am excited to return and try a few more of their dishes in the near future!"

Asahi Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.1 (411) • $$

"This is a hidden gem I just found and I'm loving it. I've been twice this week. The rolls are so fresh and not fishy at all and the prices are amazing. First time I sat inside and was originally not so sure but then convinced. Rolls are kind of small but I mean they are like $6-11 dollars so you can't even complain. Second time I ordered online for pick up and one of the things I worry about is getting sushi Togo and it's not as fresh by the time you get them home. This was not the case and they tasted just as good on the couch. We got about 5 rolls and 2 orders of gyoza for $60. Can't beat that."

Taizzi Sushi - Memorial

★★★★☆ 4.4 (351) • $$$

"Have been here a few times and .. great experience every time. Went for early dinner and didn't disappoint. Friendly team, all offerings were fresh, flavorful, consistent and ....so many options to pick from and try."

Yokohamaya

★★★★☆ 4.4 (346) • $$

"Hidden sushi restaurant right off of 290! Last minute decision to try this and happy we did. Portions are huge and everything was tasty."

Sushi Wabi

★★★★☆ 3.7 (467) • $$

"Had lunch here and the sushi was delicious! I like my sushi pretty simple, but I wanted something different so I went with the Houston roll. Very good - it came with tuna, salmon, white fish, avocado and masago. I must say that the slices are very big, so it was somewhat cumbersome for me to eat them because they are more like two bites of food instead of one like traditional sushi. Flavors were delicious though! I also got another roll - tuna avocado. This didn't disappoint either. The sushi is affordably priced which is much appreciated. My friend had the Mt. Fuji Volcano and the Flying Octupus. The Mt. Fuji Volcano came in on fire and the Flying Octupus had a bear design. Definitely fun menu options! We really enjoyed our time here and the staff was super friendly! Highly recommend trying this place if you like sushi :)"

Sushi Hana

★★★★☆ 4.2 (361)

"Stopped by here for lunch on a random weekday to catch up with a friend and was pleasantly surprised. I will caveat that during this round, I only ate cooked sushi because I'm currently pregnant, so my review isn't quite whole. I did appreciate that they had a special of 5 cooked rolls for $35 which is great for someone with my condition. I didn't have to scrutinize which rolls I could eat and which I had to pass this time. We also tried the Hana special, and the 2 orders was way more than enough for 2 people, especially for lunch. The food was pretty standard, pricing was decent, and service was pretty quick. I did like that they did have some fatty tuna nigiri or sashimi that you could order. My friend said it was pretty delicious, so I'll have to take her word on it. It can get pretty crowded during lunchtime, so I would suggest getting there early to grab a table. Even with the lunch crowd though, service was still quick and friendly."

Shabu Squared

★★★★★ 4.5 (314) • $$$

"I have to take back my previous words immediately. This place was SO good. I'm not sure why my first visit was not great, but this time, Shabu Squared knocked it out of the park for me. Our super helpful waiter might have had something to do with it; he was extremely knowledgeable and came by frequently to check in on us and even taught us how to eat each meat with each sauce. I would even say this is better than another shabu spot with a very similar name...The meat quality was insane, and the veggie platter is so worth it! We ordered two meats and a veggie platter and it was more than enough food for three people. The broth was also really delicious this time, and I kept drinking it on its own. The establishment is super clean, and our bill wasn't too expensive. I can't wait to come back here again, and I'm really glad I visited to change my previous opinion."

Tsukiji Fusion Sushi - Katy

★★★★☆ 4.3 (340) • $$

Ohayo Sushi

★★★★☆ 3.9 (411) • $$

"I'll just say it once - all you can eat!Okay, it's scary. Sushi doesn't seem like something that could possibly be good as 'all you can eat', but I shouldn't have worried.I focused on sashimi dinners and sashimi appetizers. That's how I (don't) roll. Get it? Anyway, I was impressed! I had not one complaint about the food. It was very good. Turnaround time could have been better, but I get it. Each item takes time to prepare, as I don't believe everything is sitting in the back ready to serve. Orders can be too diverse for that model to work well.I felt that items I ordered were prepared when ordered and everything was good. I could have stayed for hours! I do apologize. I had several courses and I'm not sure what was what. But trust me, as a person who absolutely loves sashimi, I was impressed. Any place that does sashimi well is doing things right.And dessert! Well, the deliciousness continued through this final course. We'll be back to Texas in May and I want to go here again!Oh, the only reason I didn't give five stars is well... while it's really, really good, it's not extraordinary."

Aki Steak & Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.1 (369) • $$

Rising Sun Sushi & Fusion Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (372) • $$

"Disappointed in the food. It did taste fresh. Would not come back for anything sushi. The sunomono salad was a huge disappointment as well."

Miyazaki

★★★★☆ 4.3 (316)

"Maybe it's because I ordered take out and had it 30-45 minutes afterwards. I was thrown off by the boxed used for take out as in used to seeing sushi to go boxes - flat and clear lids. This was not environmentally friendly but anyways to move into the food. The rice to filling ratio was off. There should be less rice. The rice itself was overcooked with too much water resulting in a mushy taste. The eel sauce wasn't too die for per usual. The salmon was funky. I can't explain why. It had such an off taste. My sushi craving was not fulfilled. I guess this is another reason to fly back to Japan for another round of fish. With that being said, I understand it's hard to compare my frequent sushi adventures in Japan to a sushi shop in the US but I found some really good local not fancy sushi shops in all neighborhoods of nyc so it's doable. Unfortunately, I really do hate to write bad reviews because I am a big supporter of mom and pop shops but I finally decided to give sushi a shot in Texas and had a disappointing experience.Glad to know others had a better experience."

Hando

★★★★☆ 4.1 (344) • $$

"It was my first time coming in, and I came strickely for the handrolls.You walk in and wait to be seated at the hostess stand. You also pay-out at the end at the hostess stand. It's set up like a typical sushi counter. The servers were really pushing for guests to order their cocktails, which they said they are known for. But I came to eat. Maybe I would come back during their daily special time-frame 3p to 6p (happy hour).After getting some info from their server, I ordered.HR special Tsukemono - great start and full of flavor. My only critique is that they should add actual fish to it. It would be a standout.4 pack HR 1- Spicy tuna, it was fine. HR 2 Salmon- the quality of it was great, so this was a great bite, nice and fatty.HR 3 Blue Crab- my fav of the set. Loads of fresh crab, yuzo tobiko, and cilantro adds just what it needs to make it feel complete. HR Oyster- it was fine. I hear the HR Ocean trout is yum, if I'm in the area, may come back!"

Nobu Houston

★★★★☆ 3.5 (472) • $$$$

"Full disclosure that I've only previously heard about Nobu due to its popularity with celebrities. I was apprehensive about the hype since the Yelp rating was only 3 stars, but I came here this past weekend for a birthday dinner, so I was willing to give it a shot and hope for the best. We were fortunate enough to try the Omakase custom experience ($195 per person if you're wondering), and it did not disappoint in the least. There were 9 courses, starting with several fresh raw fish dishes, then tuna and wagyu tacos, progressing to popular dishes like their miso black cod, wagyu and crab surf and turf, and finishing with an assortment of sushi rolls. I cannot say I had a bad dish. There were some chewy pieces of wagyu in the wagyu tacos, but everything else was fantastic and left me wanting more. The stand-outs for me were the miso black cod, the wagyu and crab, and the king crab roll. These all had really great flavor combinations, and I can understand the buzz around these dishes. Least favorite was the uni--I've never had it before to compare the experience, but the flavor just didn't do it for me. Our service was decent--they could have probably stopped by a little more often, but maybe I am used to Uchiko where they're very attentive and engaging. Would I come back? Definitely, but it won't be soon enough."

Edojin Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.3 (307) • $$

"Spicy edamame, is spicy with lots of spicy yummy flavors. I had three hand rolls. AlaskaSpicy mango shrimpCrunch- my favorite !"

Jellyfish

★★★★★ 4.6 (260) • $$

"Great lunch specials during the week. Very friendly service, FRESH ingredients. Clean, light and bright inside. Definitely will come back! Highly recommend to fellow sushi lovers."

Ginza Sushi

★★★★★ 4.5 (250) • $$

"My favorite sushi place in the area. I stop here for lunch regularly. David is my favorite sushi chef and a friendly owner."

Koto Japanese Restaurant & Bar

★★★★☆ 3.8 (340) • $$

"This place is amazing. Fresh and wondrous selection... Apple the server is joyful, warm, and welcoming. The Joshua Roll was the hero of the day, followed by the tremendous tuna nachos. Every item tastes great and matches the menu! The miso soup is piping hot, and delicious! This place receives my absolute highest recommendation!!"

Aka Japanese Cuisine

★★★★☆ 3.9 (319) • $$

Krazy Katsu & Udon

★★★★★ 4.5 (235) • $$

"Perfect for: quick-and-easy-datesGet the Katsu+Udon/Curry set, it's sooo worth it! The katsu is fried up perfectly. Perfectly crispy, still moist inside, and not overwhelming. Comes with salad and macaroni (which is really really good). Plenty of variety so switch between foods so you don't tire of the same bite. I got the curry, which went well with the rice. It is slightly on the saltier side, so I'd recommend getting more rice or at least saving some katsu to balance it.Prices are very fair, so this makes Krazy Katsu a krazy good deal!"

Matsu

★★★★☆ 4.2 (269) • $$

"I had the pleasure of dining here with a friend of mine for lunch in mid July. Sushi is a common delight for us both and she mentioned this was a favorite of hers when she's in the area.They do have sushi rolls not on the menu which is what we ordered. There's the Bunny Roll (salmon, tuna, avocado, tobiko, cilantro) and the General (??) Roll (Imitation crab, shrimp tempura, green onion), both of which are large and filling and tasty. We also ordered salmon and yellowfin sashimi, both served chilled since we needed some sort of raw fish for the rolls. While I've had better sashimi elsewhere, the taste was there. Service was quick and sufficient and the sushi came out pretty quickly for a place that was 3/4ths full on a Thursday just before noon.The place has a favorable happy hour according to some people; I think it's still the $1 sushi/sashimi + BOGO appetizer which is a deal you can't say no to. I assume it still goes from 2:30 PM to close which is more favorable than other happy hours.There's plenty of parking and it's in a strip mall in Energy Corridor so more fit for the suburbia crowd. While it's not a spot I would go out of my way for, I'm down to grab sushi here, open to HH, and perhaps make a takeout order should I pass through this neck of the woods."

Oba Japanese Cuisine

★★★★★ 4.5 (233) • $$

"Sushi was fresh and delicious. The restaurant is small but the staff is very friendly. They make some really good rolls."

Kirin II Japanese Seafood Buffet

★★★★☆ 3.5 (363)

"Great food, Great service keeps me returning., Need I write more to post the review??"