Soto

I happen to be around and came here to dine myself. It was absolutely perfect! Every plate had a different taste and they started your sushi with refreshing ones to the more stronger flavors. I got the premium omakase and it consisted of 18 courses that made me super full but just wanted more! Everything was just super fresh and the dessert was a foie gras chocolate ~ super good pairing and their cocktails are on point ! The service is a little on the slower end to let you enjoy your food and the hosts were really nice so that really made up for it. They sat you down and ask if you had any dietary restrictions and moved on their way to create lovely dishes! Inside the venue is nice with gorgeous chic decor and I sat at the bar for a nice experience and I love how I can see the chef do their magic! i would definitely come back again ~

This place is now the bar that all sushi establishments are judged against for me.We've eaten here at least four or five times, and each time, the experience was perfect. Each member of the staff is pro-level in service, communication, and general awesomeness. The ambiance is very modern and clean. Sitting at the bar is a treat, watching the chef work his magic. Speaking of magic, the Omakase is worth every penny. We have had it every time we've been to Soto, and every time, we think there's no way we will be as impressed as we were the time prior, but they keep raising the bar each time. They know we've been in before, so the chef always does new things and challenges himself to be more and more creative. The quality of all the ingredients is impeccable. The tastes are delicate, varied, and nuanced. The melding of textures and flavors are like a symphony of delicious magic. Sometimes, the magic includes smells which alter the taste and heighten the experience.If anyone asks me what the best sushi in Houston is, I will always say, "Soto." It's not just amazing: it's an event you'll always remember for all the right reasons.

Soto was a gem of a find for me and will become my go to sushi restaurant in Houston. I was in the midtown area and was advised by a friend to check it out so we got here at around 8:30 on a Wednesday. The parking lot is small and they do have valet but they work for tips so that wasn't too bad. We walked in, got seated immediately in the back corner (at my request). The restaurant had lambent lighting which was perfect and the atmosphere was just right. Our waiter came over and provided us with a vegan/vegetarian menu. We got several bites for the table such as the lightly Battered Served w/Tentsuyu and vegetable tempura as an appetizer, Chili Yasai and Kinoko Truffle for our rolls. Everything was fresh and came out relatively timely with the exception of the Chili Yasai. That took a while to come to the table. Everything was good, and the desserts topped it off for me. The passionfruit tart is a must have!!! I enjoyed the experience and our waiter was excellent. Shoutout to him for also pronouncing my last name right upon first try :)

Ambiance was very luxurious. Dark and not loud music made it perfect for a date night. Service was top-notch. Honestly, it's the best service I've had in a long time. More impressive was their quality of omakase. It was worth every penny considering the quality of fish, meat, and meal in general. It is 18 courses! Flavors were complex and well harmonized. That being said, I personally felt greased out toward the end because all these high-quality fish and wagyu were very fatty, but I hear that's what omakase is all about - expensive stuff, lol. I would 100% recommend to others and come back myself to try their other dishes.

Top notch, 10/10!Soto is truly an exceptional experience. I was so caught up in how delicious everything was, I didn't manage to snap a photo of all the incredible dishes. This review includes photos from a couple different visits (trust me... you'll go back more than once!). We spoke with our server and shared our sushi likes/dislikes. They crafted a series of recommendations for us and hit it out of the park each time. We also selected a few items that caught our interest. Drinks are divine, service is impeccable, and the sushi quality is superb. Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a sushi fine dining experience. Looking forward to visiting again!

Wow. Just wow. Absolutely stunning. I have to say this has to be one of the top dining experiences I've had in Houston...and I'm a native Houstonian. Big thanks to Zain R. for giving me this recommendation for a date night.Our reservation was for 7:30pm on a Saturday night. While other sushi restaurants inside the loop were completely booked weeks in advance, Soto surprisingly had an open schedule and this makes me think they fly under the radar, because this was surely a gem.I'm generally not a fan of valet parking but this place has complimentary valet that was quick and seamless. Given that it's right off Westheimer near the Montrose area, this is to be expected.I ordered us the regular omakase experience, which is 18 courses for $150 per person. They also have a premium omakase for $250 per person, but the regular was excellent for us omakase first-timers. Upon Zain's recommendation, we sat at the sushi bar, which was totally the right call. The chefs interacted with us and chatted it up as they prepared our courses. As we watched them prepare some of the dishes, we'd nosily ask what they were making and the chefs happily explained the dishes and even some background too. Shoutout to the head chef, Chef Moto, for being so cool and making our experience so great! And the chef di-rectly in front of us, Chef Ben, was really fun and being in his early 20's, mastered the art of sushi.The regular omakase featured a wide variety of dishes, from sushi to wagyu steak to tempura. Some of their signature dishes were included on this, like the salmon over fire, lobster tempura pops, and chocolate foie gras. My favorite of the omakase was the salmon over fire - basically raw salmon filets placed over a mini spit for cooking atop a plated fire! Super unique and a fabulous presentation, definitely went on my Instagram. In addition to the omakase, we ordered a few extra dishes off the menu - because it was a popular daily special, chef's recommendation, or we were tempted seeing it at a nearby table. Among these were the nodoguro nigiri, ikura guncan, and toro yukke. The ikura guncan is salmon roe topped with salmon - the salmon roe reminded me of popping boba. The toro yukke was a salmon tartare - very similar to French beef tartare, but salmon, and topped with an egg yolk. This one was the true winner of the night out of all the dishes I tried. The flavors were so complex and took my tastebuds through so many profiles - salty, savory, and hint of sweetness. Just wow. Our server Cindy was excellent from start to finish. She attended to us from the time we sat down, bringing us hot hand towels, to the time we left, constantly coming by and checking on us, refilling our wine and making sure we were content. She thoroughly explained every dish she brought out to us, and was knowledgeable about some of the dishes we saw at other tables and were curious to know more about. While refilling my water at one point, Cindy accidentally over poured, but was super apologetic for the mess and made it up to us with Japanese whiskey shots. With this kind of treat, I almost wished she spilled more water! For drinks, we ordered a bottle of Loveblock sauvignon blanc. While looking through the wine menu, we were conflicted between the Loveblock or the Duckhorn sauv blancs. Cindy offered to bring us a sample of each, which I totally did not expect. But it definitely helped us decide on the Loveblock, which was the lighter of the two and we thought would pair better with the sushi, which it totally did. Additional extra touches we totally did not expect. I indicated on the OpenTable reservation that we were here for a date night. After all of our courses? They brought out a cake birthday dessert for us - not sure if it had anything to do with the reservation, or if they were just being totally nice. The owner, Chef Andy, also came out to the counter later and chatted it up with us. He was super knowledgeable but humble - I never would've guessed he was the el jefe around here! After talking to us, he offered us another Japanese whiskey shot, which he took with us too. And upon my partner mentioning he likes gin, Chef Andy brought around a Japanese gin that he poured a sample of. Free shots - what a vibe!Again, just wow. This was over a week ago and we are both still left awestruck from this experience. I'm hooked on omakase now - knowing how great of an experience we had here at Soto, I just want to keep coming back since I know the menu changes, but also know that Houston has so much more to offer in the omakase world. It will be a tough call for next time whether we want to come back or branch out. But one thing I know for sure is that we'll be back sooner than later because their happy hour menu looks awesome. Thank you to Chefs Moto, Ben, and Andy for an unbeatable date night experience we are still talking about today!

This place has a really impressive happy hour menu! We ordered exclusively from the happy hour menu and were thoroughly pleased with the quality. The sushi tacos were so good we ordered another. I really liked the different pairings when it came to flavors like the fruit salsa on the sushi taco or the citrusy flavor of the madai. It's a different take on the traditional flavors. We also got the chefs special (5 piece nigiri sampler), tuna with truffles, chili hamachi, and green tea tiramisu. The tiramisu was decent as there was too much cream to cake ratio. I was a bit disappointed I could try any cooked dishes since their gas turned off when I went. Service was great. Our server consistently checked up on us and her recommendations were spot on!

What a FUN experience!! The top chef was so fun and nice! Loved how he explained everything to us and gives us that private chef experience. I love the truffle risotto it was so yummmm! All the sushi was delicious and melted in my mouth. I was pleasantly surprised about the mochi oreo ice cream because i'm not a fan but it was yummy! I also really liked that they ask you about any food sensitives and then recommend things based on that . All the staff were very helpful and kind . I sat with a date at the sushi bar and would definitely recommend! I will say the ambiance isn't amazing but the food makes up for it .

I used to say I don't like sushi.What I should have been saying was... I haven't had the right sushi blow me away!I am officially a sushi convert.The restaurant itself was not overwhelming. Quiet, chic, balanced space in a nonsuspecting building on Westheimer. It has its own parking lot, that was a plus. When we arrived for lunch we were led to the bar. Food, I'm going to do the best I can to describe but honestly we just point and called out different dishes that sounded good and went through at least 15 different dishes.Everything was spectacular!! From the crispy rice with the mash on top to the fried tempura shrimp that popped in your mouth! Gosh, I'm drooling thinking about it.We watched the chef make every single item with care and it was very interesting. The fish was fresh, the flavors were popping... the only downside was the dishes came out very slow. Took over an hour to dine, but I see why... we bolused the chef with orders and he made each one meticulously in front of our eyes!You really can't go wrong with any of the selection, I hate that I can't describe further but we ate in cloud nine. Check out my photos for descriptions!I will be back! At a point I put my phone up, stopped taking pictures and just enjoyed my meal. Yummy!

We came out to celebrate a birthday in style. I had never been here, and she had never enjoyed an omakase before. In looking around, and listening to some friend's suggestion, Soto was the best bang for my buck at this price point. I had intended to reserve a bar seat, but apparently bungled that attempt. Even so, they were able to find us a corner spot to post up at the and watch the action. I am truly grateful for that, thank you! It really is a fun experience to see how the pro's make the magic work. The chef's are masters of their craft. I highly suggest the bar-side if you want a show with your meal. The experience is worth it. Parking is valet. Just do it, it's worth it. The vibe is light, and upscale. Definitely a go-to for dates, anniversaries and special things. The staff were very quick, snagging plates in between courses. We had a variety of folks delivering food and telling us about each dish. We selected the 18 course Omakase at $150/person. They do have a higher tier option; it has 5 more courses I believe. Our courses consisted of (excuse inaccuracies, hard to hear some items):- Shima Uni w/ Yuzu Foam- Thinly Sliced Flounder- Murotsu Oyster In Ponzu Sauce with Cucumber and Watermelon- Lobster Tempura w/ Sweet Mustard and Edible Flowers- Smoked Aburi Hamachi- Roasted Salmon Belly- Sea Bream- Golden Eye Snapper- Akami- Chutoro- Otoro - Yellowtail- Butterfish Brushed with Miso- Hotate Scallop- Scottish Salmon w/ House Made Potato Chips & Aioli- Beef Wagyu over clay cooking pot- Chocolate Fois Gras & 12 year aged Sake- Tomago Sponge Cake (Birthday)I could eat this every day and die blissfully ignorant of the rest of the world's cuisine. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to die that way and must continue to forage accordingly. We liked everything. Items we both melted for: Smoked Aburi Hamachi, Butterfish, Otoro, Scottish Salmon, and I finally got her to eat the Murotsu Oyster and she loved it. She was unable to partake in the dessert items on the menu, so the chef made an off the menu tamago sponge cake. We really enjoyed that. -The service is impeccable, the food was amazing, and the night was absolutely wonderful. Watching the food being prepared was a fun experience. I will be back, I highly recommend if you're a fan of sushi, omakase, and good food.