Went for Sunday dinner and was served by Yeana! Went with loved ones For an amazing SundayShe is an amazing server and made An amazing menu and experience for us! We tried a variety of items ranging from cold dishes, hot dishes, and sushi. Loved everything we ate! Some favorites include: - A5 Carpaccio: It is lightly seared with a little bit of truffle oil! Very rich and light at the same time! The flavors balance each other out very well - Scallop Mushroom Toban! It is very rich and flavorful. It came at the last course but absolutely worth it! And it could be made vegan as well! - Sushi Rolls/Nigiri: The truffle Suzuki and Poseidon are a must try! There is light rice on the role already, and with a variety of flavors they complement each other very well! Some of my favorite sushi's include the Foie Gras which is lightly seared and super rich! Akaushi is highly marbleized but def recommend! Finally I'm a sucker for the classics, I love a good hand roll so I enjoyed both spicy tuna and salmon! *** We did get a variety of other dishes that were just as delicious but these were some of the ones that jumped out at me from my memory! The ambience of the restaurant includes hand sanitizer available to gas. All staff wearing facemasks and gloves. They follow Covid rules. Very clean restaurant with beautiful presentation. Would definitely come back! read more

Food: Just OK. We had the tuna tar tar which was literally swimming in a wasabi mayo bath. There were barely any pieces of tuna. The ones that we had just looked like small scraps of tuna thrown on the plate and they hoped all the sauce would disguise the lackluster dish. The dish looked sad, really. The a5 carpaccio: really didn't have any "wow" factor. I'd compare this dish to a really hot date. Sounds dreamy, looks good, but the personality was totally lacking. I've had better A5 at other restaurants with more flavor. Hamaccio: This was really good! The presentation was really pretty.. taste was light and refreshing. Uni crusted king crab: This tasted sour, which was weird. King crab is usually salty and pairs well with uni, which is creamy. This looked like a good dish, but it was a huge disappointment. I didn't even eat mine and gave it to my boyfriend who scraped the "uni crust" off. Foie gras: We ordered two rounds of this. The first one was barely seared and served luke warm. This really hurt my feelings. Foie is supposed to be served HOT AND CRISPY.. not sad and soggy. After asking the server to make it extra crispy, the second round made up for it. Still, get it together people! Sushi pieces: Cleanly cut and presented well. The Sake Toro and O-toro were like butter! These were pretty much the highlight of the entire meal. Service: We opted to sit at the sushi bar because we were in a hurry and there was a wait for a table, which was fine. Usually, sushi chefs are more accommodating and friendly when we ask them for something; sauce, extra wasabi, etc.. but these guys seemed burdened by our questions. Now don't get me wrong, we don't expect a whole show or interaction the entire time, but simple things like a side of yuzu koshu or truffle oil should not have to be requested three times. They weren't very friendly at all. Our server Timmy, however, was amazing! He was attentive and made sure we were okay the entire time. Probably won't be returning. There are way better places with better food - Uchi, Kata. Kuu is no way near their level when it comes to presentation and quality. If you don't want to drive further into town for good sushi, Izakaya Wa is a hidden gem just down the street with really good food. Kuu, I'm disappointed in you. read more

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Great food, great service, great ambience. Wonderful evening spent at KUU, definitely recommend! read more

KUU Restaurant - Left: Rin Right: Truffle Suzuki - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Amazing sushi! Very fresh and flavorful. Also a great location with a very nice patio for outdoor seating. Loved my experience. read more

KUU Restaurant - Truffle Suzuki and Rin - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This was our first time at Kuu Restaurant. This was also a date night and our first time going out to a restaurant since the pandemic began. The food was wonderful and Julio, our sushi chef, really looked out for us. We highly recommend it and we look forward to going back again. read more

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This review is based on their happy hour menu only. It seems like their happy hour menu is different for every day of the week. The Thursday menu offers half off most of their signature rolls, so this might be the best time to try them. Went in with low expectations since Kuu was my second choice after Uchi, but I wasn't willing to drive to Uchi during rush hour. I was surprisingly impressed with their makimono (rolls). We ordered the Poseidon roll, Yui and the Takuma roll. Each roll was fresh, unique in flavor and didn't disappoint. I was most surprised with the Takuma roll. The slightly seared wagyu atop the takuma roll was melt in your mouth tender and perfectly seasoned. We also ordered a couple pieces of nigiri which were kind of mediocre, so I'd skip these next time. Service was quick and attentive and I would definitely come back for their HH rolls. No real complaints here. read more

KUU Restaurant - Shishito Peppers - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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One of the best high end sushi restaurant in Houston. Menu with great variety of fishes and other delicacies. If you sit at the sushi bar, Chef will likely to comp you some of their new small dishes. Lunch menu is awesome! very affordable and food is fresh make to order! not pre-made like other places. Must try: Foie Gras sweet Shrimp king salmon otoro spider rolls wagyu scallop read more

KUU Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

As a former hostess, I completely understand that a restaurant can be affected by the holidays especially Valentine's Day. Couples/Parties tend to stay longer at their table than we would hope for so we could continually sit more guests. With that all said, we had a reservation for Valentine's Day. We both walked up to the hostess stand to check in, two hostesses looking at their monitor to check us in...after a minute one of them asks us to confirm which name it's under. So we continued to stand there...after 4-5 minutes they both start sitting other couples around us. We were confused and asked "are we not getting sat?" Then they told us, "We already checked you in and there's a 30 minute wait for reservations." If we had not asked we would have not know that. The hostesses didn't acknowledge us after we told them the name the reservation was under. How would we have now all of that? She was pressing so many buttons on the screen, we thought she was still looking for our name. Basically, these hostesses were way over stressed about they overbooking/over sitting they don't know how to acknowledge their guests. Kindly inform of us what's happening instead of just acting as if we're not standing there in front of you waiting for a response. Other than that, the food was good. The food wasn't a long wait compared to what the server quoted us. Overall other than the hostesses, we still had a good night but if you're a hostess, you're the first and last people the guests sees. You need to make a great impression as soon as the guests walk in because depending how that interaction goes can immediately affect how the guests will feel about the restaurant and unfortunately for them, that was the case for us. It wasn't a great experience from the beginning and it has affected how we felt about the restaurant overall. We both agreed to never dine here again. Food was good but not good enough compared to the experience we had with the two hostesses. read more

Fish here is very fresh! I'm more of a nigiri/sashimi type of person but Kuu has some really great rolls. The nigiri we had was solid but not spectacular. We had the poseidon, truffle suzuki, and the hama yuzu rolls. They are packed with lots of flavor and fresh fishes. Did not order any hot dishes so no opinion on those. Will definitely come back to try that next time. read more

KUU Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Been to kuu 2 times since covid started and a few times in the pass. Kuu has a beautiful atmosphere and setting. Sat at the sushi bar twice since covid and had great attentive and friendly service. 1 time was with a lady with glasses and the other time gentlemen. Cold sashimi appetizers were great with unique flavor and marinade to them. The sushi pieces itself were fresh and portion size was descent. The only thing I wish for was the foi gra to be dressed but it's all good. I respect all the decisions any chef would make on any dish or fish. The Poseidon roll is awesome. My girl and I could probably devour 3 of them easily. The hot dishes are great as well. Forgot what the dish was called but it was a rice dish served in a hot stone bowl. All in all kuu has always been great. read more

Great food, enjoyed the live music the evening I was there as well! Our server made some great recommendations!

I had never heard of Bug "KUU" until today. The decor is cute and they have a wonderful outdoor patio area. Our waiter was nice but slightly odd. We asked to do the chefs tasting (like they offer at Uchi) and his response was "it's $100 per person" ...ummm ok, thanks? He then proceeded to offer us the $45 HRW menu instead ; which we declined. The food was okay but they lost 3 stars for the bug that ran across my plate. (See video) We informed our waiter who then sent the manager over to apologize and ask us what can he do to make things right. "I don't know Ben what is your protocol for when bugs run across your customers plate?" He then offered us a brownie dessert that tasted worse then the bug lol. (No I did not eat the bug but at this point I should've) Overall nooooo I will not be returning. And to those of you comparing this place to Uchi please stop. This place isn't ready and Uchi is way better. read more

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There's nothing special or remarkable about this place. Feels like sushi at the mall. Drinks are mediocre and weak, and the sushi is for people who don't really like sushi - lots of ingredients, not much fish. Kuu a place worthy of skipping! read more

I'm so glad this bar/restaurant is still buzzing through this pandemic. I completely enjoyed my Suzuki Rolls and Lychee Martinis. Great service at the bar. Minor hiccup, but not the bartenders fault...Sushi bar prep. Overall loved the night and the impeccable violinist! read more

KUU Restaurant - Amazing! - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Came here on a Sunday with my girls and it was pretty dead so we didn't have an issue with poor customer service like some of the reviews stated. I didn't catch our waitresses name but she was attentive and very accommodating. For the most part, most of our dishes came out so fresh and tasted outstanding. The ambiance at Kuu was modern and chic. It was very spacious. They had a variety of different tables so smaller/larger groups could sit. The restaurant's cleanliness was 5/5. We ordered Lychi Martinis ans they were strong!! So yummmy! Food: -Kanpaccio (5/5): Omg so fresh! The slice of orange adds a nice zesty touch. It so refreshing. Great starter! -Hirataki (4.5): So Delicious! Loved the sauce that came with it. Very tasteful and fresh. -King Crab sunomono (3.5/5): Meh this wasn't my favorite dish but definitely if you want to try it, try it with the cucumber and crab together and make sure you dip it in the sauce! My friend suggested it with the lemon peel but it was too bitter for my taste. -Hamaccio (4/5): Mm delicious but the Parmesan cheese was a bit too thick for my tasting. -Foie Gras Sushi (5/5): Perfectly seared! Everything about this was 5/5! We had to order 2 orders of this! -Uni Sushi (4/5): Just your average basic uni. Fishy -Truffle Suzuki Roll (4/5): We wanted to see what the hype was about so we ordered 2 of these and I personally thought they were ok. Good but not great. -Poseidon Roll (4.5/5): I personally enjoyed this roll better than the Truffle roll. -Otori Sashimi (2/5): It was too fishy for us. We didn't enjoy this dish. But our waitress was accommodating and comped this dish for us! -Uni King Crab (1/5): I'm not sure about this dish. We barely touched it. To me it tasted awful.. there was a smell to it and I personally thought it smelt like vomit. Hate to say it because everything else was delicious. She also comped this dish. All in all everything else besides the last 2 dishes were incredible. Service was great! Will be returning and most definitely will recommend Kuu to sushi foodies! read more

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Tried this place for the first time, and went during HRW lunch. - First course had the salad: had a citrus vinaigrette, nothing special. - Second course was the sakana nabe: rice bowl with egg, rice, fish, still cooking in hot stone bowl, big portion for second course, best out of all courses. - Third course was the spider roll - good sized roll, crispy shrimp, preferred my friend's spicy salmon roll instead. - Fourth course was the "seasonal dessert", small portion of 1 cold churro cut into 3-4 small pieces and presented nicely on a plate with a smear of black sesame. One star up for the friendly and attentive waitress. My brother said HRW dinner was amazing, but this place isn't worth my far commute. read more

The aroma of this place is amazing! It smells like butter when you walk in like grilled butter and meat...yum Parking is pretty easy you don't have to valet which is nice. The drink and cocktails here have Yuzu and fresh citrus which is awesome Miso soup - 5 - Very flavorful broth Poseidon roll - 5 - Yuzu in it or something and scallop with a crunch Hot Rock - 5 - GET THIS look at the video and you won't be able to resist Kuu roll - 3 - had pears refreshing but not for me Dessert milk sorbet - # - honey yogurt and green tea mousse $9 read more

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This place is delicious, I highly recommend it. Check it out it's worth it. We love KUU read more

KUU Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Went to a nice dinner with friends and was not disappointed. Every roll we tried was amazing. I got the Rin and the pepper with spicy Mayo on top was excellent. The restaurant was a nicer place, would be a good date spot or special occasion restaurant. read more

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I found Kuu to not be worth the hype, unfortunately. I came for both happy hour and dinner and tried a variety of dishes including the octopus, a crudo, and 3 rolls, plus the miso soup. Unfortunately, I felt like the prices and quality of ingredients didn't completely match my expectations. For other sushi places in Houston you can get the same, if not better quality with more options and more inventive menu items for a far cheaper price. Kuu is fine for a once in a while Vite of sushi but I strongly believe there are better options out there for a fraction of the price. read more

It was my first time to KUU and there was quite the hype about it. Let's see if it lives up to the hype. Started with the spicy Edamame, wow! The smoky flavor that followed the amazing spice, was incredible. Followed with the Akaushi - buttery, melt in your mouth good. For my roll I had the Rin with no Serranos, it was DELICIOUS!! I will definitely be back!! Way to go KUU, you brought your A game and lived up to all that I had heard about you. read more

KUU Restaurant - Akaushi - Wagyu beef - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I was excited to try a new sushi restaurant and this place made my dreams come TRUE! Deliciousness in every bite, super fresh, and great service!! read more

One of the best Sushi joints in Houston. Impressive, beautiful and delicious menu items...

I love this place. We made a reservation for a Friday night, and the restaurant wasn't too busy. The atmosphere was great; it was clean, sleek, and very modern. When browsing the menu, I'm not ashamed to say it was difficult to understand in format and the unique fish names. Our server was a little busy so we had to ask him to explain the names to us. He was really helpful and apologized for being a little busier than normal that he gave us a free extra sashimi each. A few things that we had included different sashimi, the crispy duck, truffle sukuzi, kuu, and an incredible mushroom broth dish served in a clay pot. I would say everything was absolutely delicious. I really doubt you can go wrong with ordering anything at this restaurant. I'm surprised this place isn't always packed with an extensive wait list. I would definitely try this place before everyone hears about it and gets overwhelmingly busy. read more

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Definitely 'WOW' sushi. We started with one of the specials then ordered another special since the first one was so amazing. Each dish was beautifully prepared. We had one roll and a couple sushi pieces. I felt i was in a top nyc restaurant. Excellent service and outstanding sushi mixed with wonderful flavors. Complements to the chef. I will be back! read more

We came here with a large party and usually sushi restaurants are not able to accommodate big groups but Kuu did a great job with that. We ordered a lot of their rolls, the butternut squash soup, and the creamy shrimp tempura for appetizer. Everything was delicious. My favorite was the Rin and the June roll. My only concern was that the service was really slow. We ordered one round of sushi first and then we wanted more so we ordered 4 more rolls. The second round took more than 45 mins. The staff was very apologetic and the manager even gave us two of those rolls for free. So we will definitely come back. They even have live music playing in the evening so it's a nice atmosphere. read more

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This is a good review. We love Kuu. The sushi is as good as any in town, and the rolls are creative and delicious. The atmosphere and cocktails are awesome, and we really like several of the servers. The location and parking situation are a little atypical and have made it challenging for the restaurant to really get its footing in terms of full seatings at peak demand times. Which means good tables are available! but we worry about the long-term viability of the restaurant, which is really much better sushi than anything else in the area. The complaint is the electric violin player on Friday and Saturday nights. It's cheesy, too loud, and extremely repetitive. It is wholly incongruous with the cool, sleek vibe of the restaurant, which at other times plays an eclectic mix of rock and techno. The hope that they would fix this without comment is dead. read more

It's been a long while since my last visit to kuu; so I decided to celebrate my birthday dinner here. We made reservations and it wasn't very busy. Our server, Joelle, was very sweet and friendly. KUU T IN THE RAMU- don q cristal rum, hibiscus syrup, passion fruit sorbet, and lime This drink was very unique and it tasted great. I loved the sorbet. It added a nice refreshing sweetness to the drink. KUNSEITARO- smoked salmon, taro chips, asian pear, yuzu thyme, and golden raisins I loved the smokey salmon with the sweetness of the pear and the golden raisins. The taro chips were bland, but it had a nice crisp texture, which balances the smooth salmon. AKAUSHI - seared wagyu beef, yuzu kosho, green onion, and ponzu This was very disappointing because kuu used to make the best akaushi I've ever had. It used to be so tender, fresh, and slightly seared, but now it had a strange smell and was very chewy and tough. SAKE TORO- salmon belly, ikura, and yuzu kosho This restaurant is one of the few places that serve sake toro. I love salmon, especially when it's paired with something acidic such as yuzu kosho SUZUKI- striped bass, yuzu kosho, shiso, and ponzu Kuu has always served the freshest suzuki I've ever had and that hasn't changed. It's light and has a slight sweetness to it, which contrasts the citrus ponzu and fresh herbs. FOIE GRAS The foie gras here is still the best I've had. It's not only buttery and light, but it also just melts in your mouth. It's a decadent, rich flavor. HOTATE- chopped scallop, green onion, and golden tobiko The scallops are the perfect texture. It's not mushy and not overly chopped into small pieces. OTORO- tuna belly, scallion, and kazami wasabi The tuna was perfect. It was fresh, creamy, fatty, oily, and just downright full of goodness. WAGYU AND UNAGI- texas kobe, unagi, and peach kimchi emulsion This dish was flavorful. I liked the sweet and savory combo. The kobe was tender, unagi was fresh and sweet, and the emulsion was slightly acidic. MISO SOUP- miso broth, tofu, wakame, and green onion I liked the soup. It tasted fresh and it had plenty of tofu pieces. It wasn't bland, but it was light. RINGO NIKU- berkshire pork belly, hen of the wood, apple jam, cherry balsamic reduction, cauliflower, and tomato This dish is pretty heavy in flavors. The fatty pork belly tasted great with the sweet jam and balsamic reduction and I really liked the earthy mushrooms with the acidic tomatoes and crunchy cauliflower. TRUFFLE SUZUKI- hamachi, scallion, crunch, jalapeno, suzuki, golden tobiko, and truffle yuzu vinaigrette The hamachi and suzuki tasted fresh. All the textures and flavors were on point, fresh, acidic, sweet, crunchy, and lightly spicy. The only thing is that the truffle yuzu overwhelmed most of the flavors so most that you could taste was acidity. I would've preferred the subtle flavors to shine though. POSEIDON- chopped scallop, scallion, crunch, diced maguro, sake, and hamachi, truffle yuzu vinaigrette I love that you get 4 different fish in this roll. They're very fresh, but the same issue occurred here as in the other roll. The truffle yuzu overwhelmed the overall freshness of the roll and it was just too acidic. Also, the texture was all too mushy. DESSERTS I tried both desserts. The BROWNIE one was my favorite of the two. The presentation was beautiful and I loved the pungent black sesame flavor, which complemented well with the sweet ice cream. The 2nd dessert didn't sit well with me. I didn't like it at all. The flavors were nothing spectacular and I never want to eat it again. It was really tart and the flavors didn't meld well together. I still love dining here, but the quality isn't as good this time around. Service was great and food could be a bit better, but it was still a great dinner. read more

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I really like when you can see the waitress smiling even when she has on a mask. On my second visit, she recognized me and recommended that I not put soy sauce on certain rolls because the soy sauce was already part of the roll. We most enjoyed the Hamu Yuzu and June rolls. read more

I usually don't write up reviews, I've been up twice to this place and the quality of food was beyond delicious! Hands down to the chef! Service was perfect, basicly I didn't even need to look at the menu, Kelly M. Our bartender was amazing, his knowledge on craft Cocktails and food was on point. Tab was a little bit high but worth every dollar we spend. Definitely will comeback soon. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Houston. I always go there for a specific roll called the Yama Yuzu which is to die for! All plates have incredible taste and the service is good. read more

The location and ambience are nice, but the quality of the food and the service provided does not match. The gyozas were deep fried (??), a little burned and dry, the sushi rice was over cooked and mushy, the beer was not cold. We have had similar or even better food from our local H‑E‑B. The restaurant needs to hire professional service personnel. Our waitress was elusive, she would only come by to our table every 20 minutes or so, we even had to stand up and walk to the front desk to request service more than once. The Miso soups were ordered with the entrees but they were served at the end of our meal. The meal descriptions provided by the waitress were inaccurate. Used plates were not picked up on time. The table had large puddles of condensed water because no napkins or coasters were placed under our drinks. Overall, it is a experience not worth repeating. read more

Easy spot for lunch and quick service. The food I wouldn't say is the greatest but also not bad.

Been to KUU a few times since it opened. They have a great happy hour, with different specials during different days of the week. For example, one day is half off rolls, one day is reduced-price specific small plates, and other great deals. If you're able to go to the happy hour, I would highly recommend it. The restaurant itself is quite large, with ample seating and low lighting. I have tried the following dishes: Binco Carpaccio (albacore tuna, ginger, garlic, soy sauce) (4/5): Fresh tuna marinated in ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Very tasty. Kunseitaro (smoked salmon, taro chips, asian pear, yuzu thyme) (4.5/5): I'm a sucker for salmon and a sucker for taro chips, so this dish did not disappoint. Supposed to be eaten like a nacho. Seared Sea Scallop (scallop, 60° egg, inoki mushroom, house cured bacon, okra) (5/5): Amazing. I got this dish without bacon, but it was still so good. The egg was soft and cooked to perfection. Its richness complemented the scallop well. Miso Black Cod (yuzu miso black cod, rainbow carrots, carrot purée) (4/5): Very good cod. I love miso cod, and this did not disappoint. Shishito Pepper (mild shishito pepper, togarashi, bonito flakes) (3.5/5): Decent shishito peppers. Cooked well, with ample bonito flakes. A nice appetizer for the table. Creamy Rock Shrimp (rock shrimp tempura, kale chip, shishito pepper) (3.5/5): Standard rock shrimp tempura. I enjoyed it, but not special. Dancing Maki (4/5): Snow crab maki that was very good. Overall, I really like KUU. It is a bit expensive, but if you can make it for the happy hour, it's well worth the cost. I would say it is worth the drive out, and if you happen to be in the area, I would definitely try KUU. read more

Pretty little foods. The food is presented beautifully, creatively and is delicious, however after spending about $80 each which included one fancy cocktail and two Japanese beers (for each) which puts it approximately $50 each person spent on food, when we were done we looked at each other and said" who wants a burger"? 3 chicks and We were still hungry. read more

The wait staff here is quite friendly and helpful. The restaurant serves a wide variety of sashimi that cannot be found elsewhere. The whisky menu is comprehensive and reasonably priced. read more

KUU Restaurant - Oysters on half shell. - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Omg my new favorite restaurant. The truffle rice is so good and our favorite sushi roll was Rin. Everything was a delightful surprise.p

Evidently Restaurant Week freaked Kuu out. Restaurant is full and there are 3 servers in this place. Not prepared or professional. Sometimes, I think this is why businesses have to shut down. The food is good but management sucks. Houston Restaurant Week happens every year. Prepare. If this was my first visit, I would never return. The staff wants to take our plates away faster than they are brought to table. We had to ask for ginger and wasabi twice. As a regular customer, Kuu does not realize how much money they are not receiving from us because as slow as food comes out....we are not ordering more. We eat a lot of sushi but not tonight. I refuse to sit around here until 9:00 because restaurant was not prepared. Be careful. Nobu is coming to Galleria and you might be in danger after this. Couple next to us just told me to give KUU no stars. read more

Dropped in for a weekend lunch based on the reviews and pedigree (hello Nobu). I took a look through the menu and ordered a variety of nigiri and cooked dishes (Hamaccio, Miso Black Cod, and a host of nigiri). As much as I was trying to be open-minded, I have to admit that I had places like Nobu, Morimoto's and Uchi in mind as a comparison. I was hoping the experience would be similar, but I don't think Kuu quite lived up to the hype. Mind you - the food is still very good, but after dining there I can't place it up at that tier (although it has the potential). For instance, the Miso Black Code had great flavor, but the consistency was on the dry side evidencing a little too much time on heat. Likewise, there was some inconsistency on dressing for the dishes and nigiri - some having a little too much salt or yuzu and yet others being spot on for flavor. It's a pretty hefty price tag to command to be a little hit or miss. On bright note, service was helpful and courteous. I'll give it another go sometime - maybe it was just an off day. read more

Great food and service! It was a great experience for a coworker that had never had sushi before.