Kubo’s Sushi Bar & Grill

Not surprised this place is closed. Came here a number of times since I used to live in the area, and the service was always terrible. I remember liking it the first time I came years back, but then the service and, more importantly, the food, got worse with every visit. Long waits when the restaurant was nowhere near full, inattentive servers, and meals for a table coming out at completely different times. I can ignore sub-​par service for excellent sushi or a bargain price, but lately Kubo’s had neither. Probably no point in posting a review now that it’s closed, but there are so many great sushi places in Houston that I’m not upset that this one has gone under.

Kubo’s closes. Wow and not a surprise. Chef Manabu Horiuchi was the executive chef, which served very satisfying traditional Japanese dishes. He was brought by Mr. Masami Takemoto, consulate general of Japan to Houston, as his chef and then move to Kubo’s now at Kata Robata.
Kubo’s has gone through different chefs; some were bad and good. But, the quality went down dramatically for the past several months.
History of Japanse Restaurants in Houston is complex, the lead Sushi restaurant to use be Fuji, 23 years ago. The executive chef was Uotani-​san, how passed away due to cancer (RIP). Uotani-​san worked at different sushi places, such as Teppay, Kurumaya, etc. But, he could never really get a chance to enhance his actual skill after he left Fuji.
For the past several yeas, Houston lacks a flagship Japanese restaurant. There are many good Japanese but not five stars.
So the question is which restaurant is going to be the flagship traditional Japanese food only retardant. I am not talking about fusion, like Uchi. Uchi is superb but not classic. Kata-​robata is excellent, but it is hard to say that it is very traditional. These restaurants all deserve their effort to introduce good Japanese to Houston but what we need is a reliable, high-​quality transitional Japanese restaurant, which Houston lacks. Why? In the end, the high quality five-​star traditional Japanese food will bring a fierce competition and further improve the culinary world.

Experienced some frustration in trying to reach them for Valentine’s Day — phone went unanswered twice at 11:35 am, «mailbox full». messaged the manager via here (above), and he responded apologetically.
So last we night we decided to give them another shot, and they reminded me why I had been so pleased until their changes last summer.
We had soft shell crab tempura, uni shooters, salmon samplers, Kubo rolls and more all at happy hour, and the chefs have gotten their groove back. Service was good as always, and the manager was working the room (though he did not touch our table). They’re good to go again, if you were once of those who had to kick them to the curb six months ago, like us.

After visiting Aka sushi house to compare the two, I would definitely say that Kubos is a much better restaurant for sushi. Kubos uses less rice and more fish than aka. The sushi is also more fresh for sure. If you’re questioning where to try sushi in the area, I certainly recommend this restaurant!

The management is extremely friendly. They checked up on us which I really appreciate. Staff was also friendly and the SUSHI WAS DELICIOUS! I love their Super Kubo’s Roll and California Roll. Everything tasted fresh too! 2Thumbs up!

The food was delicious and I’d rate 4 stars. Service was deplorable and deserves 1 star. Our server was 466/​Le. It’s clear he doesn’t like being a waiter.

First time here for lunch with co-​workers. My close colleague suggested we try out the place for the diverse menu and prompt service. Having so many options in the Rice village, I was curious to know what awaited those like myself with a taste for Asian cuisine. Sorry, but Pei Wei is not a place I will ever visit for lunch!
I was impressed by the courteous waitstaff and the manager, Tony. We had great service and recommendations for all of our tastes were adequately met.
I will definitely revisit when my cousin, Haruto, visits from Japan next month! He will love this place!

I love Kubo’s! Been coming here for years, for a while they had a new menu that was disappointing but they’ve added back some of their old menu items and I’m happy with them again! I recommend the nigiri, miso soup, deluxe bento, kubo’s bento, chirashi, miso gindara, and the veggie croquettes!

Coming from out of town on business, I was craving sushi and good reviews led me here. I was so disappointed! I ordered takeout — and the hostess seemed confused like this was not a take-​out kind of place. She gave me a menu and I ordered according to the Unilocal pictures and also pictures on their sushi menu: pepper salmon, rainbow spider roll, and seaweed salad.
The rainbow spider roll was grey and soggy and the fish on top was very thin and skimpy. Peppered salmon was fine — but not amazing. The seaweed salad was about 2 bites.
I uploaded pictures — might as well get grocery store sushi.

Visited this restaurant on a whim. Had heard alot about it from a few friends but wanted to see for myself it was worth all the noise. From the moment I walked in to the moment I left, all I can saw is that all the good stuff I heard — was an Understatement. It was almost TOO good.
For starters, Bop was wonderful. He was so polite, knowledgable and attentive to everything my sister and I needed. We barely had to ask for anything the whole night. We ordered the crunchy eel rolls to start off — something simple, we weren’t expecting a whole lot. But the presentation and that eel sauce really surprised us! Everything tasted so fresh and we loved it. After that, I had the salmon sashimi (spelling?) rolls and my sister had some ramen. First of all I just want to say that usually, I steer away from raw fish. Just the thought of it freaks me out… but Bop said it was the best thing out there and so far nothing he told us was wrong so I figured why not? Boy. Oh. Boy. I need to meet that sushi chef. It was INCREDIBLE. It had a perfect texture and tasted very clean. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is trying sushi for the first time to start with that. I got my sister to try one and she agreed that it was great, but stuck to her ramen anyway (; I tasted the ramen too and of course it was delicious.
Overall, our experience at Kubo’s was fantastic. Everything was perfect and the good words were true! Thank you all, especially the servers and chefs for making our night out so great!

This place has become one of my favorite sushi places in the Houston area. The fish is always fresh and reasonably priced, and the staff is super friendly — especially the sushi chef, Andy. He’s really accommodating when it comes to adjusting sushi orders (I wanted salmon on top of one of my rolls!).
If you’re feeling adventurous, I recommend the waygu, which is the raw beef. I’m also a huge fan of many of the sushi rolls, such as the Lobster Roll (who doesn’t love lobster?!). When it comes to menu items, the chefs at Kubo’s cook their Katsu don to perfection keeping the pork light but moist.
When it comes to drinks, I recommend the Yuzudrop Martini, sweet but strong.
I come here often casually but it also can be a cute date spot BC of it’s interior.

The first thing I really like about this place is that it is located at the heart of Rice Village. It’s also interesting because it’s on the second floor of the plaza and has free parking garages behind it. Being on the second floor gives it a different atmosphere that is secluded from the bustling shopping of Rice Village.
When I first walked into this restaurant, there was so many awards and recognitions hanging on the wall, excessive amount, so I just thought that this place had to be among the better sushi restaurants in Houston. The interior of the restaurant is pretty modern and darker in lightening. The restaurant atmosphere is very peaceful. It’s definitely a place anyone can go to for casual dining, business dining, or even happy hour dining.
I didn’t know what I wanted to order because for the most part, sushi restaurants are similar in a region. My server came to greet me at my table after I was sat down, his name was Bop. I asked Bop what he would recommend for my colleague and I to start with and what our main entrée should be. Bop recommended we ordered the Rock Shrimp and King Crab Salad for appetizer. It was amazing, light and refreshing. I then asked Bop again what we should have for our main entrée and Bop asked us if we wanted something filling but light or something that will fill us up until we’re bloated, and I told him light. he suggested to us the Sashimi B and the Nigiri B. Once again, our server gave us another outstanding recommendation. As compliment, Bop delivered us our tampura ice cream as he dropped off our check at our table and let us know whenever we’re ready.
Overall, it was a really good dine in experience, good food, good atmosphere, and good staff. Keep up the good work Kubo’s, I would definitely come back again! Hope the next time I come, there’ll be more awards !!

I LOVE KUBO’S!!! I always stop by for a quick lunch before heading back to class. This place serves top of the line sushi and service!
The first time I went here was with my friend Cindy, I didn’t even know there was a sushi Restaurant so close to where we worked! It’s located on the second floor of the Rice village shopping plaza!
First thing I’ve notice about Kubo’s is how clean and organized this restaurant seem to be.
It’s pretty dark inside but I like that it’s dark because Sushi taste better in a more relaxed and quiet setting. We were sat by our waiter Bop, who was extremely hospitable and HILARIOUS! Even if the food didn’t taste good, I’d still go back because of the service! However, the food was equally as delicious as the meal!
At times when my favorite waiter wasn’t there, I would sit by the sushi bar and the sushi chef Andy would serve us. OMG he is an amazing and very knowledgeable. He got me to try uni, which I was skeptical about but end up LOVING! He is also very engaging to the customers sitting at the bar. Sometimes he would go out of his way to make you an «off the menu» item!
I’ve tried most of their rolls, however my favorite would have to be the Lobster and Kubo’s roll.
Overall, The seafood is always fresh, the food is always amazing, and the staff is always so accommodating! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend!

A decent spot for sushi and other Japanese food items. The gyudon and curry tonkatsudon were the best items to get here. Their drinks are just ok. I ordered their lycheetini, which was kind of watered down. The restaurant itself is quite deceiving. It looks small from the outside, but it is quite deep on the inside. It’s a little musty in here, like they just wiped the whole restaurant with a used dish rag. I think they need to fix this part. Otherwise, not a bad place to eat dinner after work or with some friends. You can also do some shopping beforehand in the rice village shopping center to get your appetite going.

The location may be a little difficult to find if you’re not familiar with Rice Village. Kubos is located on the second floor, near Jason’s Deli.
We came for happy hour and tried the soft shell crab tempura, katsu curry, and crunch eel roll. The food is really filling– portion sizes are big. I’ll come back for the curry and roll, but not going to get the soft shell crab again. It had no crunch and was a little oil-​soggy. Overall, Kubos is a nice place to go. Happy Hour was a little quiet so you’ll be able to hear if you’re on a date or something.

#HRW with an old coworker friend. Not impressed by this restaurant. I’ve been here before and the food blew me away, but that was maybe 2 or 3 yrs ago. Not the case this time. I think there are new owners? Or a new chef?
Ordered the Sashimi appetizer, Yakitori (grilled chicken leg) second course, the nigiri assortment entrée, and the yuzu rare cheesecake dessert.
Miso soup and edamame were too salty. The chicken leg had some bone and tendons I had to pick out. And the cheesecake was not tasty at all. The fish was fresh and delicious, but I thought the fish slices on the sushi were a little too thin, but the fish to rice ratio was about right.
The waiter didn’t deliver our wine order until we asked for it and we were already finishing our second course. Service was spotty. And when he collected our dishes he spilled some soy sauce on the table and did not clean it up.
Won’t be coming back again.

Decent, and very large sushi restaurant in Rice Village! We stuck with pretty traditional rolls in an effort to save some money that night, and we liked some rolls more than usual and some less. I wasn’t a huge fan of their spicy tuna roll or their Philadelphia roll (couldn’t even detect the salmon — should call it a cream cheese roll), but I LOVED their yellowtail roll. I’d love to make it during happy hour, but that’s just not possible during the week. Service was good. Large restaurant — so it could definitely accommodate large groups! Parking is pretty rough — Rice Village… we parked in the garage, and they’ll validate for two hours.

The staff were friendly and service was good. It has a comfortable ambience, and was very family friendly that night, as several families were there with small children, who for the most part were well behaved.
The food, however, was nothing spectacular. The sushi was good, but I’ve had better. The curried pork was awfully sweet for curry — tasted more like ginger-​pork.
Overall, okay place, but there are better: Qin Dynasty, or Kata Robata come to mind. About the same price, just better food.

I love kubos! This place is located in rice village, is reasonably priced and has a kick ass happy hour. All they’re sushi is quality and tasty. They have the best calamari Ive ever tasted its so tender. This is my sushi SPOT!

Came in for Sunday Happy Hour. I wasn’t impressed with the selection so we just ordered off the menu.
We sat at the sushi bar, so out service there was fantastic, quick and friendly. Our server… Was not to be found. We got in about an hour before they closed so maybe he was trying to get some back work done… I get it, don’t let the service suffer.
Nice ambiance, always have unique sashimi items that my boyfriend loves to try. It’s not terribly overpriced, but it’s not terribly good either. Decent and convenient in Rice Village.
We used to really like this place but have not been impressed lately. May have to try out some new places.

Service was really slow, despite an almost empty restaurant and abundance of staff. Several employees were sitting in a corner on their iPhones. Granted, they may have been on break, but they shouldn’t all clock out at the same time, especially when there are customers waiting to order.
We had the White Tuna Tataki, Natto Roll, and Salmon Sampler. The fish was good, but I’ve had better.

So I finally got to check this place out. I bookmarked it a while back and just finally getting around to going. I’m trying to check out all of the restaurants in my area.
I like the place. It’s located in Rice Village Arcade right above Express on the second level. When dining in the restaurant they do validate your parking while dining. So you can eat and shop and not have to worry about paying for garage parking. We went on a Thursday evening, so we didn’t really have a hard time finding parking out front.
The place was not very extravagant? But it was definitely modern. It gave me that sushi Japanese feel. It was cute.
I like the spot. I hear the happy hour is pretty good. So I’ll probably check it out, and try a couple of other items in the menu as well.

Although they have a great location, this popular sushi restaurant serves mostly just average food. It’s located on the 2^nd floor of the plaza next to Bombay brasserie.
They have lunch specials on weekends, so that’s an added bonus and happy hour daily from 4 – 7 but I happened to come at an odd hour on my most recent visit. Their udon noodles and ramen are pretty good, along with the A5 wagyu sushi if they have it when you come. Although it’s seared, it still melts in your mouth. The Hamachi lover is a bit of a disappointment since the jalapeño Hamachi nigiri comes served with a green vegetable leaf under the fish and throws off the taste. The spicy yellowtail roll was nothing special. The sashimi on the plate was really the best part. The ribeye cut roll was alright, but the meat was overcooked.
Parking is sometimes difficult of course, but if you are patient or lucky that’s your best bet.

Wife and I ate here on a Friday evening, hoping for a new impressive sushi spot, but came out with a mixed review of pros and cons.
Interior is modern but a dated modern, if that makes any sense. Track lighting, slick lacquered surfaces, red and black color theme, etc. We opted for the sushi bar to get a more authentic focused sushi meal. The bar sits in the far corner making an L around the sushi chefs and gives a good show to diners sitting there. Con would be that half of that L is right by the bathroom doors which is the last thing I want on my mind when eating raw fish…
Service was prompt and friendly but we did unfortunately get a newer server who had a hard time hearing our orders, forgetting things and disappearing for periods of time that left us craning our necks. He was very apologetic though and we knew he was trying his best so not much of a problem.
The sushi was middle of the road for what we ordered. Some of the fish had bad cuts, and the rolls were good but nothing exceptional popped out at us. We did however notice that if you order certain plates you get an amazing level of presentation. Unfortunately, that doesn’t carry across to all their plates and that was a real let down for us. We came excited based on Unilocal pictures of some things and didn’t realize if you just ordered a couple appetizers, a few rolls and some nigiri, you essentially just ordered the no frills meal.
Do your homework and figure out what the special pretty plates are, otherwise, prepare for yet another average sushi night out.

Average «Japanese» restaurant, not much to say. Not very authentic, but not bad at the same time.
Tried their sushi and ramen, sushi was good and ramen was just an ok — the broth was way too salty and I couldn’t finish the bowl since the ramen became super salty after it soaked up the broth…
If you’re not picky and just want to find something «Japanese», this place is ok.