Uchi Houston

Uchi is always phenomenal. As a sushi lover, this is my favorite spot in Houston, although I usually only come here for very special occasions. The food is out of this world but so is the price point

Until recently, I didn't realize that a vegetarian could dine at Uchi and leave very satisfied. There is a sizeable vegetarian menu with a variety of options that I had previously completely ignored. A few weeks ago, for religious reasons, I couldn't have any meat (including fish) so I decided to give the vegetarian menu a try. This review is for all my vegetarians out there.

Nigiri - The avocado and tomato nigiri are a must!
Hot tastings - Kinoko nabe - this seasonal mushroom dish wasn't my favorite, but I can see the appeal
Tempura -the Japanese pumpkin is definitely the best. The flesh of the Japanese pumpkin is more firm compared to the western pumpkin and similar to a sweet potato in texture.
Brussel sprouts- 10/10!! All I can say is that if my mom had made brussel sprouts like this when I was growing up, I would have always eaten my vegetables
Dessert- the fried milk has always been a favorite but the banana cake is a new favorite :)

This was my first experience at Uchi. There has been a lot of hype around it, so I was excited to try.

First, the service is great! The waiters take you through the menu, and give great suggestions for first timers.

I was taken a back when they didn't serve spirits, and that it was mainly tapas.

We ordered many items from the menu to try out. Some were good and some were really good.

In all, I thought Uchi was a little over hyped and mainly a stop along the way to dinner. The ambiance was very intimate. It looks like a great date night spot.

Ratings:
Hot rock: 9/10
Brussels sprouts: 9/10
Spicy crunchy tuna: 7/10
Zero Sen: 10/10
Hama chili: 6/10
Pork belly: 7/10
Karaage: 8/10
Fried milk: 7/10

Best sushi in Houston! The chefs are so talented and very friendly. I love all the choices the chef gave for omakase, but if you sit at the bar be careful--they kept feeding us just because we said we weren't full and the bill was crazy! But it was so yummy so no regrets ‍

The fried milk really surprised me, I'm not a deserts type person usually but it was so unique and delicious. My other favorites were the mushroom nigiri that was cooked so well it tasted like meat, and an off-the-menu octopus dish the chef gave us.

Where's all my foodie sistas?
Lemme see y'all put away dem rolls, mistas
Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, foodie sista
Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, let's go sista

Free valet at Montrose Collective down on Grant Road
Parkin' your stuff on the street
They said, "Hello, hey there, you gonna give Uchi a go?"
Oh, uh huh

Uchi, 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, oh

Voulez-vous manger avec moi, ce soir?
Voulez-vous manger avec moi?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

We sat in a cozy booth while they chef'd it up
We drank all that satsume sake
Grilled aroma swirling in the air when we started to freak, yeah

Uchi, 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? Ooh

Yeah, yeah, uh
We come through with the money and them loosened pants
Let em know we 'bout order straight out the gate (uh)
We are self proclaimed foodies, some mistake us for influencers
I'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 party
Turn on the flash, taking pics from our phones
Three hungry chicks from out of town
Hey sistas, foodie sistas, we better get that fried milk though, sistas
We drink sake straight from the wooden box
By the bottle, the meaning of expensive taste
If you wanna Uchi, Uchi, ya-ya (c'mon)
Sakana yaki (what?)
Hamachi, chili with orange supremes
Gimme one more bite, c'mon now

Uchi, 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-yaaaa

Voulez-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

this place is absolutely delicious it is one and a lifetime place to go! it's very yummy . i like how they tell you how to eat the sushi the right way. The service is amazing and the ambiance is romantic. heheh the drinks are yummy and the dessert is unique. definitely go!

Uchi, you have my heart. Every so often I revisit for HH, the updated menu selection never failed to impress me. Sitting at the sushi bar and interact with the chef is always a pleasure. The HH nigiri offered were bluenose, fatty salmon, glazed tuna, and chopped scallop. Kanpachi Crudo, Shima Aji Crudo, and Maguro Nashi were so refreshing and they were so distinctive from one another. Finishing the meal with one of my favorite soft shell crab maki, beautifully charred Nasu nigiri and Yuzu Avocado nigiri to prep the palate for Uchi's delicious Yuzu Lime Pie. Jamie was exceptional with all the recommendation and made our Saturday afternoon so delightful.

I'm sadden to write this review. I've seen rave reviews about this place. Decided to try something new for special birthday dinner and was so disappointed. Should have stuck with my go to place Ume! Much much better.

Let's start with the bad. Service started off very slow. No drinks for a while. Then most memorable issue was the wagyu. We all know the price of wagyu is high and with that price is normally the best tasting meat you've ever had. Not the case here. It was seared so much it was burnt. Taste of actual unappealing char. When mentioned to the waiter, he just shrugged and nothing was done about it.

Many other nigiri I ate was just plain ole nigiri. Nothing special about it.

The best thing I ate was the hama chili.

Over $500 later I was so dissatisfied with this meal. No free dessert for my bday.

Parking is also a huge hassle. We waited in a line outside for about 30mins to get our car out of valet because it is shared with 5 other restaurants in this street corner. If we could get it claimed by valet earlier that would have been great.

There is WAY better sushi in Houston, especially for the price.

Would not recommend.

Uchi is by far one of the best sushi spots you can find in Houston, Texas. The sushi was absolutely phenomenal.

We had close to one of everything, and each dish was better than the last. I'm not the biggest sashimi fan (I prefer the rolls and other dishes), but even that was incredible.

I was with someone who had never been to Uchi before, and she was blown away by how amazing everything was.

We dined in on New Year's Eve, and the servers and staff were incredibly professional and courteous to us, especially to the one who was dining here for the first time. Despite it being New Year's Eve, the ambiance and atmosphere were relaxed and comforting.

I definitely will be back here soon.

If you get a chance to try Uchi in Houston, definitely make the time to do so.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I came with a group of five people on a Saturday night around 5 PM for dinner. Because we had made reservations before hand we were taken to our seats in a booth area right away. We settled for the omakase which meant they just keep bringing out different dishes for you to try. They give you a good collection of items to try out. Quality of the fish and seafood was very good. Some dishes were misses and had questionable combinations but there were some that were surprisingly nice. I enjoyed their simple makis rolls. Pretty good fusion restaurant.

Me and my wife visited Uchi for our anniversary and were absolutely pleased by the amazing quality of service and the elevated food experience provided. We got the omakase which was "10" courses but turned out to be 10 with 2 desserts for a total of 12 dishes. Everything was absolutely spectacular. Ambiance was amazing and friendly. Would totally recommend this place for any special occasions!