I can't say enough about Chef Lee, kitchen staff, the wait staff, bar staff and management team at KUU. I had my third date at KUU and last night had my engagement dinner there with the same beautiful lady. Emily managed the entire event for us and Christine tended to our party's every need. The food was perfect and the event was flawless. Thank you so much KUU for the great memories already received and for those to come. read more

Hot Rock was delicious! Could have been double the serving for the price ($20 for 6 pieces) but still good. Had the Hot n Spicy roll and June roll as well which was 3/5 - not bad but not great...the sauce on top of both tasted the same honestly... Ambience was so great outside and the inside is beautiful as well! Service was a little slow (not sure if it's because we sat outside) but there was only one other table outside and about five inside.. Still an overall great eating experience! Would recommended for a good date night. read more

KUU Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food came out pretty much room temp. Orders wrong. Definitely not as good as they used to be.

A block away from Westin Memorial; Kuu was recommended to me by the hotel staff, and I was glad they did. Popular sushi spot; the evening I spent here (January 2022) Kuu extended "happy hour sushi" through till close, so I ordered from the appetizer menu. Everything was terrific, beautifully plated and prepared well. I enjoyed a mix of chicken and fish dishes including calamari and smoked salmon - loved all of it. Normally I only order cold sipping sake (usually better quality) but it was freezing out and so paired everything with a carafe of warm sake - perfect. Enjoy. read more

I come to this place when I crave good quality sushi. Recently however how disappointing. It is not the same quality sushi they used to serve and even the "art" of the dish was very rough. This is not how you want your dish to be served in an upscale restaurant. You can tell ppl who are working in the kitchen are not as skilled as whomever it used to be that used to prepare food or they don't put much effort anymore. The place no longer lives up to its reputation. The place seemed unorganized, waiters seemed clumsy, orders took forever. I felt like the management was lacking. I wanted to feel relaxed here but it was rather annoying. read more

This is a tapas restaurant in a cramped little serving area. This is not worth a visit.

I went here the first time on Valentine's Day. It was very busy so the service was slow but I understand why so that's not the reason for my 3 star review. The food wasn't bad but it wasn't the best. It didn't really have a taste. Just tasted bland. I wouldn't go back. I would rather go to another spot for sushi. read more

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Adam J... Whoever you are ... You need to gtfo. Don't ruin someone's reputation by creating an account on yelp just to bash them. If you didn't know, KUU soft opening was on Sunday. They are still preparing for their grand opening. Now, if you want to review a restaurant. You have to specific... The dishes I ordered was The Wagyu beef, pretty is delicious. It's like the Japanese version of BBQ beef. The Kimchi Emulsion has a sweet tangy flavor to it. Although I'm not a sweet person. It's tasty regardless. I also got the Jasmine apple martini. Overall service was good and I'll come back again for their grand opening. read more

It was a dark and misty autumn night, and the warmth of the wall fire place invited us in from the cold. Unfortunately, the ambiance of the bar area was a lost just a few feet away in the over-lit dining area. The prerequisite long sushi counter along the back was uninviting given the four sushi chefs mulling around bored behind it. Despite the fact that the place was almost empty, the friendly hostess tried to seat us in one of the worst tables--you know the ones by the terminal/water/cutlery stations. Hmmm. A pet peeve of mine. This one had the added issue of bright fluorescent outdoor lights glaring in the window. The service started out well, our server taking the time to educate us about the unusual menu and make suggestions. My French 75 and hubby's martini were nice, though we were never offered another round. KUU's menu reflects the growing popularity of unusual fusion-style tapas bites that are as small in size as they are big on taste and price. Though a bit less expensive than Kata Robata or Uchi, the portions seemed smaller too. Hubby's Tuna Tar Tar was a disappointment with a few kibbles of tuna floating in a sauce with sprinklings of golden raisons. Truly, if there was more than a tablespoon of tuna in the entire bowl I'd be surprised. After ordering the Butternut Squash Miso soup, I was disappointed to later be told they were out. Given the empty dining room, if made fresh that day, who had eaten it all? Tasty was the teaspoon-sized foie gras over rice bites that arrived much later. Seared to buttery perfection, I could have eaten this all night though I'd prefer it over toast, or even alone, versus tied to a chunk of rice. I ordered two of these after the waiter warned it was small and knew we would be sharing. I also ordered one of the pork belly bites. Instead they wrongly reversed this and brought 2 pork belly and only one foie gras. I corrected this and they took back our plate to remove one of the porks and then brought back just the lone foie. Given their mistake, would it have been too expensive for them to just leave the mistaken extra bite of pork? No matter, the pork had the tensile texture of dehydrated fruit. Truly awful. We sent it back. The waiter suggested we order something else which I took to mean the pork wasn't going to get any better. He suggested a Wagu ribeye bite which we requested medium rare. My Madai Izikura arrived which was a few tasty slices of yellow tail in a garlicky broth and scallions I think. A long service gap resulted as we waited for our next course of Parmesan Uminaru, compliments of the friendly manager who had come by to chat. It was a very tasty dish of raw ocean trout in a tasty vinegar/garlic type broth sprinkled with a Jalapeño puree and topped with shaved parmesan cheese. The Chili Prawn dish arrived with the 3 large shrimp served in full shell, head and all. Yuck! Who wants to decapitate and pick up and peel shrimp covered in sticky red chili glaze? Irritated by the lazy service issues, I felt the waiter should have warned us. No hot towels or wipes were offered after. I took a bite my hubby gallantly peeled for me, and it was rubbery and overcooked. 45 minutes in and I'm feeling the gin hit me with almost no food to offset it. Good thing they hadn't offered another round! There's no bread here to nibble away the looong wait. Another gap ended with the arrival of my Poseidon Role of tuna, salmon, yellowtale, cilantro flakes, topped with crunchy scallion chips and a mild (too mild) truffle yuzu vinaigrette. While very tasty, it needed some kind of sauce to compliment it as the typical soy was not a good companion. When the Wagu ribeye bite finally arrived, the tablespoon-sized portion was 95% tough fat over rice. I tried to chew it in vain, finally spitting it out in a drink napkin and placing it back on the plate. The waiter arrived to ask us if we 'loved the fabulous ribeye?' When I told him, indeed no, he did not respond. It was like he had heard it all so often he now tuned it out. No apology at all. Irritated by his indifference throughout the night, we opted to skip desert though still a bit hungry. All in all, if this restaurant hopes to jump beyond pretension to become a chain as they obviously do, the rough edges must be addressed. There is great promise here, but apathetic follow through. Even the manager never came back to our table to apologize, though the waiter brought us our check with the offending items removed. The Blue Fish on Washington has much better service, food, pricing and ambiance and is still my favorite, followed by MichiRu. read more

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About time Houston acquired a new Japanese restaurant! I was super excited to dine at Kuu after hearing such great things about it! Came in for a late dinner service at around 9PM with four other people and we were seated promptly by the warm hostess. Service: Super modern fancy schmancy place (as expected), but I'm not going to lie, the place wasn't even busy and our waitress wasn't very attentive to us. I'd give service an overall rating of 3. She came when she needed to but that was about it. Bathrooms are epic and clean! Food: I've been to Uchi, Uchico and even the famous over-the-top Urasawa in LA. I know how things are supposed to taste etc. This is why I don't eat subpar or grocery store sushi for that very reason! (Yes I am aware this is tapas style - more to that in a minute) We all started off with the Creamy Rock Shrimp. It was great. Perfectly battered and fried to perfection and tossed in this awesome sauce that had a little bit of a kick to it. Definitely try this, it is not overly spicy or burn like whatsoever. It's great! We had 2 orders. As for the crispy duck....... Eh. I've definitely had better. You can find better in china town. I would skip this, you're not missing anything. Save the $20 because 4 small cubes of it was not worth it. (Ok, I complained a little bit, but come on, it's duck and I was hungry) Shrimp tempura was EXCELLENT!!! Definitely get this. Ponzu sauce was on point. We also had two orders of this. Japanese breakfast was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think I've ever seen wine reduction executed so well and correctly on pork belly! The pickled quail egg and yolk also added to the flavor. The biscuit was like the cherry on top. So perfect. Had two orders of this too. Hot rock beef aka akaushi beef on a hot stone. Ok, this was probably my favorite part of the night! I've never seen meat cooked literally on a hot rock (like literally one rock people) surrounded by a bed of anhydrous sea salt. Like what?? It was such an awesome surprise!!! This dish came with garlic butter, ponzu, and seasonings on the side. Melt in your mouth goodness. Wouldn't order the second time around though to be honest, knowing that it's $20 and only BARELY sufficient to feed two people, I blame Gyu kaku's Kobe beef short rib. Takuma roll: consists of asparagus, portobello mushroom, avocado and raw wagyu ribeye on top. It was good but not great. This was though thoroughly enjoyed and shared by everyone. (8 pieces) Dessert: Warm ginger cake, caramel glaze and green tea ice cream. So fluffy and wholesome, one of the best cakes I've had in my life! (Saying a lot, cuz I'm a cake junkie) There's another chef's special dessert that we tried, forgot the name but it was a cheesecake with strawberry puree and mascarpone on top. Wasn't as great as the warm ginger cake but still good. Wouldn't order it again though. Value/Summary: this is definitely a date night kind of place (bring out them red bottoms ladies), wouldn't come with four other people again because of the known portion sizing, I know it's supposed to be served tapas style but some of these dishes seemed like they were more like SUPER bite sized party appetizers. The bill of course as expected was pretty steep but I have to say, this place isn't quite uchi status sadly, but it's uchi pricing. There needs to be more originality. At the end of the day it felt very basic for the price that they were charging per a bite (quite literally, think about it, $7 for a cube of duck? Wut.) I'd have to think hard about returning because I really like Chama Gaúcha and Gyu kaku and uchi. I'd rather blow $200 at those places. The value simply wasn't all there. (Not a cheap alternative to uchi) Overall 4 star rating solely on some of the spectacular dishes. Brand new place so I'll give service some slack (3) but I'd kick it up a notch if I was their manager. Staff training is crucial. There is serious competition out there! read more

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Had an amazing lunch for my birthday today. Tracy was an amazing waitress and made fabulous recommendations for people who had no idea what we wanted. Every bite was amazing. My favorite was prob the yellowtail sashimi that had jalepenos and sliced grapes. The scallops with okra and egg were soooo good. Also thought the Kuu signature roll was so unique with the lobster claw, yellow tail and pear (can't remember what else was in it but every bite was sooooo good. This is going to be one of my new favorite go to restaurants. I'm so excited to find you read more

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Swanky restaurant! I like the interior and the area in general. Very appreciative of ample parking space in the adjacent garage. The patio looks like it would be perfect during nice weather. Service was very friendly, quick, and attentive. Prices are definitely on the high side but much more moderate during happy hour. This is a review for the happy hour, which in addition to the regular happy hour menu, has special deals every day. On Tuesday when I went, there is 50% off select hot dishes, like the popular wagyu and unagi ($9, normally $18). I saw many pictures of this dish on Yelp. Although it's only like 3-4 bites, the flavors complement each other well. Another dish that I was eyeing is the seared scallops (also $9) which comes with a 60 degree egg and you use the yolk as a sauce. This sounds and looks phenomenal, I'll definitely have to try it when I come back. Other happy hour dishes I tried: I sampled 3 different maki's ($7 each) from my friends: the dancing, the hot n spicy, and the shrimp one. The dancing maki (6 pieces) which has snow crab was my favorite. The bincho carpaccio which is albacore tuna with ginger garlic soy was surprisingly tasty. It only comes with 4 pieces for $6 but worth it. We also got a complimentary kunseitaro dish from the kitchen which is smoked salmon on taro chips. This was also very good. All in all, very pleased. Will upload a pic of the HH menu and daily happy hour specials for your convenience! Enjoy! read more

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Best sushi on the west side. I'd say this is comparable to Uchi. While there are classic things like tuna and salmon nigiri, you'll really win if you try some of the fusion items. (I actually hate the word fusion, but it's appropriate here.) Pro tip: Try something different, like mushroom nigiri. read more

I really enjoyed this restaurant. The ambience is really nice. The decor is sleek and modern. The host and servers were really nice. I came for happy hour with 6 guests and had made a reservation. They all enjoyed the service and their meal. I ordered the garlic edaname, spider roll and chili prawns. Everything we had was delicious. I had 2 glasses of Cabernet on special at happy hour for $5 dollars. I will be back! read more

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first time here and the server knew what she was doing. she explained the menu thoroughly which really helped. they also have omakase starting $100. the inside is cozy and i liked the interior design. the bathroom felt like a hotel bathroom. bar was to the left and middle is the regular seating (you can also sit with shoes off - traditional asian style), and back with rooms. i came here as soon as it opened, 4:40pm for dinner and it was pretty quiet on a weekday. For the drink, went with their special k - berry vodka, which i really liked, not too strong but still tasty. they have some good list of cocktails, i want to try them next time. for sushi, i went with poseidon, you don't really need soy sauce for this since the sauce is already there miso soup was not the miso soup i expected, it was on a sweeter side, not sure why. parking is complimentary valet. read more

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I've been waiting for KUU to open for sometime! I was really glad when I saw a "nice" japanese concept coming to this side of town. I cannot venture to Uchi or Kata everyday and you can tell that this restaurant is competing in that genre (rather than the traditional rolls and fish sushi houses in Houston). The restaurant was still "soft-open" mode, but it was still bustling and had a good crowd for a Saturday night. My girlfriends and I headed over to the bar to try out a few dishes and sip delicious cocktails. The dishes I did try were flavored well. Portioned fine. Good solid unique food. The head bartender was extremely friendly and asked for feedback due to the newness of the restaurant. We definitely had no complaints in the food or drink department. He made one MEAN YUMMY lychee martini. I almost never drink martinis and I had 3 of them! (hehe) Loved it and can't wait to return. Welcome to the neighborhood, KUU! read more

My new favorite place for sushi! Kinda pricey but I'd pay it for amazingggg sushi. Whenever I go, there's usually no wait. Maybe because I go on the weekdays at around 8-8:30. I like to sit at the sushi bar and talk to their sushi chefs who are awesome! I've tried the creamy shrimp which was pretty good. I LOVE the sake toro or just sake was good too. The chopped scallop is good, but I like the sake more. The kuu roll was delicious! It has a sweet crunch to it. The Poseidon roll also has a kick to it that makes it really good. The dish that has scallop with bacon and egg is delicious! Must try. The last time I went, I got this dish that had watermelon in it and it's got me craving more. I can't wait to go back. read more

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I was visiting my Dad in Houston and wanted to treat him out to a nice dinner give him a dining experience that he would enjoy. Thrillist had recommended it as one of the best new restaurants of Houston and I thought I'd give it a shot. The ambiance and decor of the restaurant was chic, trendy and the fireplace in the walls was a nice touch. It wasn't too crowded and not loud -- major plus for my dad. The food was really disappointing, major points for creativity but thought the execution needed some fine tuning -- maybe because it's new, the chefs are still tweaking? The portions are REALLY small! I'm absolutely fine with paying top dollar for an awesome piece of foie and leaving the restaurant feeling satisfied and surprised... sadly that wasn't the case at Kuu. My dad and I went to get Ramen after Kuu. The run down: - really wanted to try the uni crusted king crab but they didn't have uni - also wanted uni sushi but they didn't have uni - special kanpaccio with scallop -- great presentation but thought it was lacking in flavor, though I liked the seaweed puree on the plate - butternut squash miso soup -- way too sweet for my taste, wished it was more balanced out - foie gras sushi -- I LOVE foie gras but thought it wasn't crispy enough and didn't have a decadent melt in your mouth texture - duck sushi -- duck seemed overcooked to me and also didn't have much flavor - mackeral sushi -- I liked this but wasn't anything special - hamachi sushi -- good, but not great, thought it wasn't that fresh - wagyu and unagi -- this was the best tasting dish of the dinner. beautiful presentation but the expected a stronger flavor of beef and eel. this was 3 -4 bites! very small bites. overall: interesting menu but expected a much better experience based on the reviews and the price. Sorry yelpers... I have to disagree on this one. read more

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Overall experience was pretty good. We tried the 9 courses for $120 per person. All the dishes had very creative designs, the sauce was on top, and all the dishes are really fresh. Their Chilean sea bass was really good and they had a fruity sashimi dish was the bomb! read more

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Other Yelp reviews compare Kuu to Uchi, but Kuu is no Uchi. While the food was actually very good, Kuu's service and general experience wasn't quite up to Uchi standards. For example, I feel like Uchi puts a lot of thought into the order and experience of your meal and plans out the order of your tapas. On the other hand, I felt like Kuu just brought out whatever was ready, whenever it was ready from the kitchen: all of our hot food came out at one time (after a long wait) and then another big gap until our sushi came out. Another thing--we found a piece of plastic cellophane on one of our sushi rolls. The manager was super nice and took care of that, and I understand things happen--but I've never had that happen at any other nice sushi restaurant. In any event, I really liked the poseidon roll and the truffle suzuki roll--both were very good, and I loved the crunchiness on the inside of the rolls. The crab hot dish was also very tasty (I'd recommend), but the fish and brussels sprouts one was just so-so. read more

Kuu was amazingggg! From the moment you walk in with the dim lighting, upbeat music and friendly staff, you immediately feel welcome! My server was Robby. He was very informative and explained the entire menu for me, which helped because it was several pages long. The best things I tried were the hammacio, which has thinly sliced yellowtail, the a5 wagyu hot rock, and the Toyusu Box selection. The toyusu box was their fresh fish selection and it came in a box with 2 pieces each on ice. I'm also a vodka drinker so I tried their version of the Moscow mule called Osaka mule which has sake in it. Soooo good. read more

Came here on a Friday evening with a reservation (8:30p). I arrived, checked in, and was sat immediately. I looked around and noticed my wife and I were the fifth table. I had my water refilled twice and after a total of 15-20 minutes of watching the staff walk by and tend to other tables, but us, my wife and I decide to leave. Before I left, I requested the manager to just bring this to his attention (I didn't go "Becky" on him). Mr. Raymond came out and listened, apologized, and that was it. The restaurant cancelled my reservation on the open table app the next morning, which made me believe they did that so I would not leave a review. Maybe it was my luck. There were plenty of wait staff. read more

I'm ready to put KUU up on the pedestal with Uchi and Kata Robata as the best Japanese restaurants in Houston after my first visit. Similar to the other heavyweights, KUU is upscale Japanese. The restaurant is located in Memorial City close to the mall in the same shopping center as Vallone's, Garbanzo's, etc. The interior is modern and trendy with an awesome-looking red fish made of bright lights on the way to the bathroom. Dishes, other than sushi, are tapas style just as you would find at Uchi. The happy hour is pretty robust and has some really good deals on both food and drinks. We were served a complementary tapa which was ahi tuna with pistachios, avocado, Asian pear, and a sauce on a taro chip. Really nice of KUU to hook us up! I then with with the chicken karaage (basically fried chicken nuggets) served with Japanese pickles and the creamy rock shrimp. Both dishes were fantastic. The shrimp is bathed in a sweet and creamy sauce and it really reminded me of bang bang shrimp from Bonefish grill. Sorry to compare an upscale Japanese dish to a chain's most famous dish but hey I'm sorry I'm not sorry. read more

I've been here a good amount of times and I think its pretty good. Everything is always freshly made and usually the service is on point. The last time I came he forgot 3 of our scallop orders on top of our appetizer and it took awhile to get the tab. (Surprisingly) The pricing on the food is pretty expensive for their portion, my go to sushi is usually Kata Robata, but honestly each sushi place has their own particular dish that I love so I wouldn't complain so much. For the dinner we had recently: --Foie Gras - (5/5) It was 9 dollars a piece which is super crazy but it's worth a try. It comes as a nigiri piece, very soft, buttery and it just melts in your mouth. The rice underneath was falling apart on each of our sushi pieces though (not sure what was up with that) --Akaushi - (4/5) Seared wagyu beef that was pretty tender and had this citrus to it. Pretty tasty but AGAIN the rice fell apart! --Wagyu & Unagi - (2/5) This was okay, my friend thought this was something she had before and said it was super good (it was the wrong dish!) The unagi tasted like ca kho to (vietnamese claypot catfish) with this sweet tomato, a piece of tough wagyu, and some sort of yellowish cream. I'd pass on this. --Poseidon Roll - (5/5) ALWAYS, ALWAYS a must to get when I come here! Tuna, salmon, AND yellowtail WITH truffle!? My lord! The fresh tasting roll just melts right in your mouth. My eyes light up every time I take a bite. --Rin Roll - (4/5) First time trying this roll and it wasn't as basic as I thought it would be. The shrimp tempura is super crunchy and it just tastes more than basic, pretty phenomenal. I usually don't like cream cheese in my rolls, but it went well with the roll. Ive had a few other things that weren't on the menu because they change it so often and they were super good. Sad that I can't order the things I really enjoyed from here. The wagyu sushi piece I've had here before was soooooo delicious! They also had this amazing eggplant appetizer before and who usually even likes eggplant?! It was the bomb dot com. Sometimes I feel like its a hit or miss here, but I mean I'd still come because of the poseidon roll. Lol read more

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Always receive great food and service. Great for date night, happy hour or friendly gathering. Never packed which is something I enjoy.

This place tries really hard to be the next Uchi, but I'm just not feeling it. Maybe I ordered the wrong menu items? I honestly don't know...but given how pricey it is, I'm not sure if I want to take that risk again. From the appetizer section, we ordered the striped bass and scallop tiradito. It came with 4 small pieces. In my opinion, it was quite bland. For the entree, we shared the Yui and Hama Yuzu. Of the two, the hama yuzu was my favorite because it was more flavorful. The Yui was also quite flavorless except for the couple of pieces that had the lime in it. Lime isn't expensive; I didn't quite understand why it wasn't in all the pieces, but whatever. read more

KUU Restaurant - Striped bass and scallops - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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For valentine's this year, instead of booking a place on the actual day we celebrated the night before. I tend to go this route because booking at the actual day has you set on a fixed menu and it's usually super crowded. We opted for the less busy friday night this year. We usually eat at Uchi for special occasions as it is one of me and my gf's favorites. This year I had heard some amazing things about KUU and I was willing to change it up. First off, they get a + for having reservations on relatively late notice. But at the same time that kind of scared me. We circled a bit before being able to find this place. It's in a small strip center across from the mall and kind of hidden by the hospital. I would not have found this place unless I was really looking for it. Which is cool for a potential hidden gem. We were also lucky to find parking right in front of it, but not really sure where people are supposed to mark, so that was a negative. Once inside, we were greeted and sat quickly. Our waitress was very nice and throughout the night was great. Now onto the food and prices. The prices themselves are slightly discounted from Uchi but not enough for the dropoff in quality. The plating was beautiful and I get what they are trying to accomplish. My gf got the Cheesecake Martini, it was sweet but not overwhelming where it tastes like cough syrup. However, they did fill it to the brim and it spilled on the table, which was a little wobbly. I enjoy trying to give you good value but there's no point if that amount is going to get spilled anyways. We ordered a wide variety of dishes including the Soft Shell Crab, Butternut squash miso soup, Tuna Tartare, Wagyu Flat Iron, Saba Shio, Kuu Roll, and Truffle Suzuki Roll. Everything was OK, but nothing amazing. I did notice that they use two main sauces. They are flavorful but the dishes got really redundant and not memorable. The best tasting dish of the night was the butternut squash soup. I did not taste any miso though. A little bit more protein would have been nice though. Overall, the place is OK, thus the 3 stars. My expectations were so elevated due to all the Uchi comparisons. If you just came in with a blank space, it could easily be a 4 star, especially if you had never been to Uchi. The dining experience was great, the decorated wall in the back is beautiful. The mood lighting is intimate but not overly dark as some steakhouses tend to be. read more

**Review is based on Happy Hour items** Brian our server/bartender was awesome and the ambience of the place was great but the food was honestly just....okay. With how much they were charging and what they were offering just didn't exactly make it feel like it was really worth it. We came in knowing this was a tapas-ish place but still didn't leave extremely satisfied with the food. Gin Blossom + ginger simple syrup (HH $6) - The drink was yummy and not overpowering. If you're a gin fan like my friend, you'll definitely enjoy this cocktail 100%! Very unique drink. HH Ika Karaage ($7) - We got this one grilled instead of fried since it's supposedly more spicy that way. It was good but I've had this flavor somewhere before and it just wasn't exactly..memorable nor did anything stick out where I would quite call it amazing. HH Fish and Chips ($6) - The jalapeno dressing for this was yummy but the fish itself left more to be desired. Brian explained to us that they literally pound the fish into a crisp so we knew what to expect but if they didn't tell me that, I would've thought it was just fried batter. The taro chips that came with this was good though. HH Creamy Rock Shrimp ($6) - This is probably the only one where I felt as if you were getting a good deal for the price. It came garnished with kale chips and a deep fried shiso pepper. The shrimp came fried perfectly and not chewy at all. I would definitely recommend this one out of all that we tried. Uni & Sake Toro (Underbelly of Salmon Sashimi) - Well here's the best part of all. Our server Brian told us what came in fresh that day and we went for it. Their sashimi is super fresh and delicious. They make their soy sauce in house (we don't use soy sauce) which is pretty cool and their wasabi is strong. Would I return...? Probably not cause their competition is just at another level. Their service is wonderful from beginning to end, the place is clean and welcoming, but I feel like the flavors could just be a little more elevated. Thank you Brian for being a wonderful bartender and server during our meal! read more

KUU Restaurant - Happy Hour Creamy Rock Shrimp - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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We came to try Kuu on a week night last week. I didn't have high expecations for this place but was pretty excited to try because A) it's a new japanese restaurant B) the ratings seem to be pretty positive. I have read reviews of people mentioning Uchi and comparing the two. and right away, I knew it isn't good to be expecting it to wow me like Uchi did. So I went in with an open mind and tried not to expect much. The ambience is trendy and modern. It wasn't very busy at all on the night we went. The service was attentive and warm. I do have to say that the particular server we had seemed a bit too young and inexperienced for a restaurant like this. The ambience and vibe of Kuu is pretty upscale and nice. Our server was a bubbly college student who offered just a little bit too much of her opinion. but she was a nice girl and i guess it just made our dining experience as bit confusing. like dining at a fancy place and having someone's little sister who tells you she cant afford food like this to tell you what to order. On to the food, I really enjoyed the Wagyu and Unagi entree. It's probably the only thing I'd order again. It had really textures and complemented each other really well. I didn't particularly care for the rolls we ordered. We ordered 3 hot entrees and 3 rolls. I believe we got the Wagyu Unagi, Saba Shio with Brussel Sprouts, Sakana Nabe, Kuu, June, and Poseidon Rolls. Only the Wagyu was really impressive. I wouldn't have compared this place to Uchi if it wasn't for the Sakana Nabe entree which was the copycat version of the Hamachi Nabe from Uchi. Unless this is some traditional japanese dish I wasn't aware of, but I always thought Uchi's menu is creative and japanese inspired. Anyway, since Kuu's menu brought on this comparison by itself. from that point on, I did some comparison of the two places. If you are a big fan of Uchi like me, you will be disappointed by Kuu. I didn't really feel like their food was worth the price, if I wanted to pay 100+ for dinner for two. Uchi would have been far more satisfying and delicious. and offers a lot more variety. If I wanted sushi rolls and mediocre japanese food, there are options for half that price that taste similar. It's unlikely I'll visit Kuu again. read more

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Very disappointed. The service was fine, but the food didn't live up to the hype. Supposedly, the quality of the food is on par with Uchi. I tried the Nasu and the Madai and found both wanting. The bartender recommended a roll as 'the best' which was nothing more than scraped spicy tuna with rice and smoked salmon on top. Not my favorite. So while I appreciate the hype, I'll save my money for other places. read more

KUU Restaurant - Scraped spicy tuna... g.ross. - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

We've been regulars here for the past 3 years and it's become our go to date night spot. Everything from nigiri to maki is as fresh as when they first opened. Service has remained excellent, ask for Kelli or Traci. Everyone is friendly and professional. Management is now led by Raymond and Peter, and of course star chef Addison Lee. We love this place we bring friends here all the time. Pro tip: their lunch menu is super reasonable and the service is quick. read more

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We celebrated my husband belated birthday. Truly an amazing dinner but a very special thank you to Kelly for making the cinnamon rolls and caramel sauce. Thank you so much KUU (Addison, Ricky, Martin, Evie, Kelly, Elorie, and the KUU Team). You make our dining experience so special! read more

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We came for my uncle's birthday and was very pleased with the food, service and ambiance. The menu takes a little getting used to in order to navigate, but with just a bit of guidance (which they are happy to give), you're on your way. Here's what we had: LOVED Seared Scallop - my favorite. Scallops perfectly prepared, then the crunch of the mini okra and mushrooms. Delish. Truffle Suzuki Roll - loved the complex flavor. No soy needed! Shishito Peppers - a great appetizer to share Butternut Miso Soup - so unique and quite tasty! REALLY TASTY Kuu Roll - the surprising fresh taste of the citrus and pear was nice Berkshire Pork - a very nice flavor and well prepared Tuna Lobster w/ Lotus Chips - this was a birthday surprise and I'm so glad they brought it out. I wouldn't have ordered it, but the presentation was wonderful and the flavors were very fun There was nothing that we had off the menu that wasn't good. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone. read more

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In a word......Meh. I, for one, hate Tapas restaurants. So I was disappointed from the start when I learned that this Japanese restaurant wasn't what I thought. So we ordered a few dishes. Expensive mediocrity is the best description. Tiny portions for $15-25. The Maguro sashimi was delicious, however. But $15.5 for 4 tiny pieces? Come on. All in all, not that great. Won't be returning. The stomach cramps and extended bathroom visit were an unwelcomed bonus. read more

KUU Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

My experience at KUU was simply perfect. We randomly came in after shopping at Memorial City Mall to refuel. The hirataki was one of my favorite starting dishes. It was like a perfect bite of heaven. Our waiter Terrence also recommended the Hamaccio which was an interesting concept and all paired very well. I enjoyed the Parmesan cheese and pickled grapes. I also discovered my new favorite drink the VS Apple Martini it is very applelicious! The apple crisp on top was my favorite. I will definitely be coming back! read more

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Second time here after over half a year. I made the mistake of not making reservations due to my previous experience when it was first opened. Business has picked up dramatically, but the sushi bar was still open and service was still spectacular. My server was named John and he was very attentive. Sashimi: can't complain. Fresh tasting. Cold. Hearty pieces. Kanpaccio: (5/5) My only complaint: why couldn't there be more!!! Very fresh flavors with the citrus and the chili was not overpowering. Always have been a fan of the citrusy/spicy combo Poseidon: (4/5) apparently the restaurant's most popular item. I can see why but it did not wow me. The vinaigrette did not overpower the fish, like most sauces tend to do Yui: (3/5) not a fan of the lime wasabi aioli and pepper tuna mix. Didn't think that paired well for my taste because of the strong pepper flavor. Chef's special: 4/5 hamachi, yellow bell pepper, oranges, tomatoes, micro greens. Good balance of flavors. I could have done without the tomatoes but it was a special so :)!!! Would I come back? Yes. Second time already read more

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Made a reservation for a party of 10 this past saturday for a joint birthday dinner with friends. There is parking aplenty around the area, a garage, parking lots around the building itself and valet in the front. The restaurant itself is very clean and beautifully moody. We got there a little early but they seated whoever was there at a table nearby until our table was ready. We all ordered cocktails to pass the time. The table was set up next to the fire with a bar stool table top set up that easily accommodated the party. Service: our waiter was terrance and he was thorough in giving both ends of the table a full run down of the menu and suggestions. Throughout the night we never once had to ask for refills as the wait staff here was always on the ball. Plates were cleared once they were finished and food came out relatively quickly. No complaints here! For appetizers we had edamame, which let's be honest, is the easiest appetizer alive. You really can't mess it up. Shrimp Tempura and the Hot Rock beef. I know others had some other appetizers but I really can't attest to what they ate... Everything was good. The Hot Rock comes with a little plate with togarashi, salt and ponzu sauce so you can flavor your akaushi beef to your taste. I dipped mine in the truffle oil that accompanied one of my rolls. Dinner: I had the Poseidon roll (chopped scallop, scallion crunch, diced tuna, salmon, and yellowtail, gold tobiko, micro cilantro, truffle yuzu vinaigrette), the Truffle Suzuki (yellowtail, scallion crunch, jalapeno, striped bass, yuzu koshō, gold tobiko, truffle yuzu vinaigrette) and a small assortment of Sushi (King Salmon, Hamachi, and Tuna) . The rolls were all really good. Flavorful, fresh sushi. My friends all enjoyed their rolls as well. Dessert: The chefs at KUU graciously brought out desserts on the house for us! We tried their rice pudding and a chocolate dessert. Beautifully plated and there was definitely different textures throughout both. The Rice Pudding was thick and had a caramelized sugar crust, much like a creme brulee. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, (I actually hate it..) but I gave the dessert a try anyways. Very light and airy, but decadent. I didn't hate it surprisingly. Drinks: We all ordered various cocktails and a few of the guys had the Hitachino beers. I ordered a Green Tea cocktail which was deliciously refreshing. Not bitter like you might image. Also had sips of the 75, which was a little too sweet for my taste, but everyone liked their drinks. read more

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Came here for a date night and the food was just amazing! Service was excellent and they were really attentive to us! Definitely recommend this place for date night l! ;) read more

Great location with high quality food :). Loved the lunch menu and it's various selections

Was less than impressed. High prices and not the best sush. The foi gras was over done, the pork belly was meh. The June roll so so. The suZuki roll was amazing and the edamame was amazing. Not sure if I'd go back. If prefer uchi. read more