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17 Must-try Houston Sushi Spots

Japanese cuisine is especially receptive to creative innovation and culinary artistry. You can find traditional sushi and sashimi restaurants with the highest quality fish and wagyu beef flown directly from Japan. You can also find modern fusion Japanese restaurants that incorporate Texas’ southwestern spicy flavors and seasonal vegetables into ramen, sushi rolls, and robata grills.

mouth watering serving of fresh sushi at a restaurant in Houston

Whether you are looking for a traditional Japanese dining experience, a fast-paced, casual sushi bar with sake, or a modern Japanese fusion kitchen with an edgy vibe, sushi restaurants in Houston, Texas, are sure to have what you are looking for.


Aka Sushi

2390 W Alabama St, Houston, TX 77098
Phone: (713) 807-7875
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Located in the classy River Oaks neighborhood, Aka Sushi offers creative, imaginative, and delicious sushi along with a lively and welcoming atmosphere. They have especially great happy hours during the week and on weekends where you can order cocktails and dishes for a fraction of their price. That said, Aka Sushi prides itself on its affordability and accessibility to guests of all wallet sizes.

We recommend their shoyu tamago or slow-braised soy eggs and their mango crab hoppers that are essentially tropical Japanese style crab cakes with a cream cheese and crab mixture lightly fried with scallions, mango puree, and sugar powder on top. 

Tip: since it’s not the largest restaurant, you may want to make a reservation to ensure you get a table.


Kata Robata

3600 Kirby Dr suite h, Houston, TX 77098
Phone: (713) 526-8858
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Located right on Kirby Drive, a street famous for its eclectic and decades-old restaurant favorites, Kata Robata is a high-end sushi bistro spearheaded by one of the most renowned and decorated Japanese Chefs in Houston, four-time James Beard Award nominee Manabu Horiuchi. The son of a chef himself, Horiuchi grew up cooking and entered one of Japan’s most prestigious culinary schools, graduating with honors and working as head chef for the Japanese consulate in Houston before opening Kata Robata.

You might expect a minimalistic menu when you see the sleek, sophisticated decor, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Kata Robata’s menu is incredibly extensive, covering all the famous Japanese dishes and many Texas twists on classic sushi recipes. We recommend trying the Longhorn Roll with fried shrimp, freshwater eel, avocado, spicy mayo, tobiko, and unagi sauce.


Kuu

947 Gessner Rd, Houston, TX 77024
Phone: (713) 461-1688
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Kuu translates roughly to “the art of eating,” a fitting title for this highly aesthetic restaurant. Not only is the plating an exquisite work of culinary art, but the service is outstanding, and the atmosphere and architecture of the restaurant are also equally stunning. There is live instrumental music most nights to further enhance your dining experience. 

Kuu is open for lunch, dinner, and brunch. You can dine in, order take-out, or request delivery, so you never have to go without your favorite Kuu dish. We love their butternut squash miso soup with butternut bro, marshmallow, micro shiso, and king crab and the seared whole scallop with smoked sea salt and shiso as sashimi or nigiri.


MF Sushi

1401 Binz St #100, Houston, TX 77004
Phone: (713) 637-4587 
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If you are looking for an authentic Japanese dining experience, then MF Sushi is an excellent choice. Not only can you dine western style at a table, ordering your selection of sushi and sashimi (which are totally different by the way) from their excellent menu, but you can also opt to try their Omakase experience. 

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Omakase is a dining experience in which the chef chooses your meal, delivering the dishes he executes best and showcasing the seasonal ingredients that are the freshest at the time of your visit. The multi-course meal is a must-try for foodies seeking a unique dining experience.

If you decide to dine with their regular menu, we recommend the Robata grilled Duck breast marinated with miso yaki and topped with scallions. 


Nobu

5115 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77056
Phone: (832) 987-2599
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Perhaps the most famous sushi restaurant worldwide, Nobu now has locations in the U.S, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, and Pacific Asian countries. Nobu has also evolved into a monopoly of hospitality as there are now various Nobu Hotels. Houston’s Nobu is in the famous Galleria shopping and dining complex and is a chic, modern, and airy space to enjoy some of the best sushi on the planet.

We recommend trying their tempura roll and the yellowtail, tuna and jalapeno rolls. If you want red meat, they offer the best quality Wagyu beef cooked in your choice of four different cooking styles: flambe, Yakimono, Ishiyaki, or Tataki.


Roka Akor

2929 Weslayan St, Houston, TX 77027
Phone: (713) 622-1777
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Another River Oaks neighborhood high-end restaurant Roka Akor is a Steak, Seafood, and Sushi Bistro that encourages family-style dining with larger dishes meant to be shared. Roka Akor is essentially a Japanese take on an American Steak and Seafood house, offering large cuts of prime Wagyu beef and full seafood plates in addition to smaller sushi plates. 

You can also enjoy a high-end lounge atmosphere with a lively open dining room, at the center of which is a large Robata-style grill and exposed kitchen where you can see your meal being cooked. Since it is a steakhouse, we recommend the prime NY strip with miso garlic compound butter. 


Uchi

904 Westheimer Rd Suite A, Houston, TX 77006
Phone: (713) 522-4808
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A treasured Austin transplant, Uchi hails as one of the best sushi restaurants in the nation. 

Owner and head chef Tyson Cole has studied in Japan, New York, and Austin under world-renowned sushi masters and has won the James Beard award for his innovative culinary genius. Houston’s Uchi restaurant is located inside a historic home known as the Felix space, giving it a homey yet sophisticated atmosphere.

Everything on Uchi’s menu is a revelation. You can find everything from traditional fare to fusion dishes. They have the best fried brussels sprouts on earth, and their Hamachi nabe with yellowtail, koshikari rice, tentsuyu, and egg yolk is the epitome of flavor perfection.


Izakaya Wa

Multiple Locations
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Izakaya Wa currently has two locations; one in the famous River Oaks neighborhood and the other in the green and wooded Memorial neighborhood. Izakaya Wa is one of the few casual and economically accessible sushi restaurants with culinary excellence and authentic execution to boot.

The menu primarily features sushi, but you can also order tapas and skewers. We recommend trying their gourmet Curry rice, a Japanese specialty with Mugi Fiji pork katsu curry. They also offer sushi combos with 8 or 12 ingredient options and sashimi combos with 3 or 5 ingredient options.

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Nippon Japanese Restaurant

4464 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
Phone: (713) 523-3939
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Nippon is the Japanese word for Japan, and Nippon Japanese Restaurant is one of Houston’s oldest sushi restaurants. Hokkaido native Naomitsu Yoshida opened Nippon Japanese restaurant in 1986 in the quirky and cool Montrose neighborhood, and it continues to be a Houston favorite. Dine in for lunch or dinner to soak up the unique atmosphere.

We recommend trying one of their ample hotpots, our favorite being the Sukiyaki hotpot with ribeye beef, tofu, yam noodles, cabbage, shitake mushroom, and sprouts in sweet soy broth. Also, Nippon offers vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian dishes.


Oishii

3764 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77046
Phone: (713) 621-8628
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Located near Greenway Plaza, Oishii is a family-owned, casual sushi restaurant with friendly staff and budget-friendly menu items. Their menu is highly eclectic and provides the best value for the lowest price. Most of their rolls come with six pieces for $3 or less.

They also have a special roll menu with delicious combinations. We recommend the Sumo Maki with smoked salmon, cream cheese, shrimp tempura, and jalapeno roll fried tempura style and topped with fish egg. Oishii also offers a range of alcoholic beverages to round out your meal, including sake.


Soma Sushi

4820 Washington Ave, Houston, TX 77007
Phone: (713) 861-2726
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Located close to the border of Memorial, Heights, and Montrose neighborhoods, Soma Sushi is a traditional sushi restaurant that strives to serve the most authentically prepared Japanese dishes in Houston. It’s the ideal blend of upscale and casual, modern and traditional. 

Their sushi and cooked meats are excellent, but the dish to get at Soma is ramen. We recommend either the Texas Ramen with pork and chicken broth in a shoyu base with pork belly, corn, green onions, spinach, wakame, cilantro, chili thread, and egg, or the Spicy Miso ramen in a miso base with fried pork belly, habanero menma, egg, and chili powder.


Tobiuo Sushi & Bar

23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd Suite H130, Katy, TX 77494
Phone: (281) 394-7156
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Japanese for flying fish, Tobiuo is a metaphor for the Sushi restaurant and bar’s creativity and authenticity that places it soaring above the sea of Houston’s sushi competitors. Located in Katy, one of Houston’s oldest and largest suburbs, Tobiuo Sushi & Bar is worthy of a visit even if you live inside the loop.

Their plating is so artistic that they’re certain to become elegant culinary fodder for Instagram stories. Try the miso butter scallops with miso butter bechamel, maitake mushroom, and yuzu kosho soy, or the seared Chilean sea bass with pine nut puree, garlic butter, Romanesco, and cuttlefish ink.


Hando

518 W 11th St Suite 500, Houston, TX 77008
Phone: (713) 393-7425
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Located in downtown Houston, Hando is a casual, fast-paced sushi bar that is as popular with dine-in guests as with take-out fare. They have different menus for dine-in and take-out, their take-out offerings beautifully packaged in colorful bento boxes. Still, a dine-in experience is intimate and entertaining as you see sushi prepared in front of you while you sit at the bar, much like the sushi bars in Tokyo.

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Their menu follows the restaurant’s contemporary theme with a selection that is simple and delicious. To sample their best items, we recommend a sushi roll set that comes with five pieces: blue crab, fried oyster, shrimp katsu, spicy tuna, and yellowtail.


Shun

2802 S Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77098
Phone: (832) 409-5888
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Shun Japanese Kitchen is a fun and urban-inspired Japanese fusion restaurant and social lounge whose owner and chef, Naoki Yoshida, is the son of beloved Nippon Restaurant’s owner and chef Naomitsu Yoshida. Chef Naoki traveled back to his father’s native Hokkaido to learn the art of sushi-making, then traveled around the U.S. for decades as chef and collaborator for countless high-end Japanese restaurants. 

Shun’s awesome menu provides unique Japanese takes on various cultural dishes. For instance, the Uni Pasta is a take on pasta carbonara with uni, black truffle, ikura, bacon, ao Nuri, and parmesan cheese. Our favorite menu items are the miso baby back ribs with crunchy rice and pickled watermelon rind and the traditional Okonomiyaki Japanese savory pancakes with bacon, corn, egg, bonito flakes, tonkatsu sauce, and aioli. 


Sushi Miyagi

10600 Bellaire Blvd Houston, TX 77072
Phone: (281) 933-9112

Located in the family-friendly neighborhood of Bellaire, Sushi Miyagi is a humble yet authentic Japanese restaurant owned and run by a married couple. The husband serves as chef, a craft he’s practiced for more than 30 years. Meanwhile, the wife is in charge of hospitality and delivering the ultimate guest experience. 

The welcoming atmosphere and delicious sushi have made Sushi Miyagi a neighborhood favorite. Sushi Miyagi is open for lunch service only, but you can pick up traditional Japanese dishes and Americanized meals. You may want to sample the vegetarian inari, avocado maki, and Idaho maki combo for a truly delectable lunch.


The Blue Fish

5820 Washington Ave, Houston, TX 77007
Phone: (713) 862-3474
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The Blue Fish has been serving the highest quality sushi and sashimi for over 20 years, expanding as a successful sushi chain with multiple locations in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The Houston restaurant is modern and flashy, catering to a young professional crowd.

Operating under executive sushi chef Tian Lin, the entire team follows the philosophy “Quality, Hospitality. Innovation.” This mantra echoes through the service and menu, which features flavorful and equally flashy-looking sushi and sashimi. Try the rainbow roll with snow crab, avocado, and cucumber topped with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, shrimp, and avocado, or the Japanese fried chicken. 


Uptown Sushi

1131-14 Uptown Park Blvd, Houston, TX 77056
Phone: (713) 871-1200
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Located just south of Houston’s beautiful Memorial Park in a freshly renovated building. Uptown Sushi offers a casual and affordable dine-in experience or the option to take your meal to-go. You can choose from a wonderful selection of sushi rolls, nigiri, and sashimi. Additionally, Uptown Sushi has one of the best happy hours in the Galleria district. 

Their Philadelphia roll with smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, and sesame seeds is rich and decadent. They also have an excellent vegetarian sushi selection, our favorite of which is the Spicy Nasu Roll with avocado, green bean tempura, kaiware, and serrano peppers, topped with grilled eggplants, drizzled with spicy sauce.


Is there a restaurant you think should be added to the list? Comment below and let us know!

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Written by Brian Nagele

Brian attended West Virginia University, then started his career in the IT industry before following his passion for marketing and hospitality. He has over 20 years experience in the restaurant and bar industry.

As a former restaurant owner, he knows about running a food business and loves to eat and enjoy cocktails on a regular basis. He constantly travels to new cities tasting and reviewing the most popular spots.

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