KUU Restaurant

Kuu, the one and only high-​end Japanese restaurant I’ve came to dine more than 2x (because I love Japanese food more than anything). Nothing in this place can make me feel disappointed whenever I left .
I absolutely impressed by how KUU always have an outstanding food presentation on the plate, beautiful and VERY creative. I’m a person who loves to try new things so I always remembered to tell myself to order something new to try. Wait a minute, except that Truffle Suzuki roll, I noticed none of the sushi rolls I’ve tried can beat that one. It’s best of the best. Also, remember to order Madai Tiradito & Kanpaccio, these are above beyond. Desserts here are also very unique so you should give them a try as well.
Definitely will come back again until I have nothing new to try on the menu.

I came here with my family and had one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a while. We don’t eat sushi too much so when we saw the menu we were pretty perplexed by the complex selections! This is a tapa style restaurant so everything is to share so I thought that was really cool since we got to try lots of dishes. You can just tell that they didn’t take any shortcuts on the quality of the food and the ingredients. Our server was named Hugh and he went above and beyond, he went through the entire menu with us, but we still weren’t sure what to get so we just let him decide our entire meal, and he did NOT disappoint. I was very impressed with how he treated my grandma, who’s very old and has lots of questions about stuff, she wanted her own meal so he was patient enough to go through the menu with her again, personally, and help pick out something for her and then frequently checked in with her to see if she was enjoying what she had, she was so happy with how nice he was which made me really happy. The staff will also explain every dish as it comes out too which is really cool.
Some of my favorite items were the sashimi sampler box from Japan, the seared scallops, the chili shrimp, the kanpaccio, and the truffle suzuki roll. The sashimi box was one of their specials that day and they had just received the fish that morning, I’d never heard of any of those fish before or knew anything about them, but I now know that they taste delicious!
Kuu is definitely on the expensive side but you don’t feel guilty at all spending so much with how amazing the quality of the food and service is, think of it as treating yo self!

We loved KUU! From the service to the sushi rolls, this place rocks. Great for groups and parties — they put you in an adjoining room. Our server was named Hi and he rolled with the punches our entire meal. We are not an easy group to deal with so I was really impressed with how the staff flexed to our needs with ease. My favorite roll was the Rin and I also loved the Poseidon roll. Vegetarians are in luck because there is also an AMAZING mushroom dish that I’m definitely going back for.
Parking is available in the adjacent garage or with the valet. Tough to find a solid sushi experience in Houston, but I would definitely recommend KUU.
One last tip: happy hour is from 4:30−7 so be sure to take advantage!

For date night, we decided on sushi and found KUU through Unilocal.In the Memorial City area, it was easy to find and had plenty of parking nearby. We started with some garlic roasted edamame, which was amazing. Just the right amount of garlic and salt to whet our appetites and compliment our cocktails. I had their version of an old fashioned, I cannot recall the name, but it was great. We had the truffle, spicy tuna, and shrimp tempura rolls. All were very tasty and melted in your mouth just like the pieces of sushi we had. Being our first time there the manager even served us the kanpaccio, which was amazing as well. All in all a great place that I highly recommend!

This is now my new favorite restaurant. Forget Uchi! Everything was delicious. I seldom write reviews… but this place impressed me enough for me to do so. The waiter was attentive and knowledgeable. Going here was an experience. The waiter described the restaurant as Japanese tapas. Indeed it was. Every plate was amazing and unique.

This place reminds of UCHI. Gastronomical Dishes. Tapas style. The executive chef, Adison Lee is phenomenal. His creations are beyond any typical chef’s ability. I enjoyed everything I ordered. Seared foie gras, fresh uni, pork belly, crispy duck, dessert… Try the cigar smoked whisky «the one that got away». You may not like it, but it’s an experience with whiskey that u may not be able to try just anywhere else. Very modern décor yet sophisticated. It was raining when I came, but I would definitely return to hang out in the patio. What can I say? I’m and outdoorsy kind of gal.

Ok so the food was not horrible but wasn’t outstanding either. This place is a solid 3 Star (max). Nothing was mind blowing or say I would want to come back for. Check average around $ 150 for couple.
We order the following items:
Salmon sashimi: 4 stars
Sear Salmon Belly: 3 stars (dont recommend)
Creamy Rock Shrimp: 1 Stars (flavorless)
Hamaccio YellowTail: 2 Stars (dont recommend)
Kobe Hot Rocks: 4 Stars
Poseidon roll: 4 Stars (best dish)
Kuu roll: 3 Stars (Look better than taste)
FYI (drinks are on the weaker side. Barely taste alcohol)

Great décor and good sushi options. I loved the Foie Gras as well as the Uni sushi. Adding quail egg to the Uni makes the piece almost look like artwork. Great spot for date night. My date loved their lychee martini.
My only complaint is that some of their menu seems slightly over priced for what it is.

Absolutely delicious! Flavorful, dynamic and beautiful unique dishes full of bold spices and fresh ingredients.
Everything is made from scratch and handled with delicate care. A variety of raw and cooked sushi and rolls.
I can’t wait to go back. John was an amazing waiter and truly exceeded expectations

KUU was a pleasant surprise for us after visiting a friend recovering at Memorial Herman at the Memorial City Medical Center. They are literally about 25 yards from garage 5.
Yet none of these are reason enough to go. Go for the amazing food, the presentation, the adult but still family friendly environment. After the food, bonus points for the humble and efficient team of employees that take care of you.
I went in one day for wifi and a beverage. I go back for fine dining, a decent wine list and the excellent service.

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.

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 Unilocal.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!

Other Unilocal 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.

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

I can’t even begin to tell you guys how much I love this place!
I came here to celebrate my birthday with my friends. One of them recommended it to me because she knew how much I love sushi.
The restaurant had a very lovely modern, upscale, clean interior décor. It’s a perfect place for dinner.
We didn’t make any reservations but the wait was not long. My friends and I found ourselves some seats at the bar and ordered a few cocktails to help pass the time.
As we were seated, our waitress started to explain a few things about the menu which was extremely helpful! Everything looked so good we almost ordered… all of it.
I can easily say that everything tasted amazing. There was nothing that was just «ok.»
We started off with the Soft Shell Crab Tempura (Softshell crab tempura, roasted tomato, guacamole) and to us it was the perfect dish to start off our dinner.
I would have to say that the ingredient that sold this dish was the guacamole because it blended so well with the crab tempura.
Our second dish was the Sake Crudo. This was my favorite dish out of the night!
Sake Crudo is salmon served with assorted fruits that had been pickled overnight. Basically… it melted in my mouth and I could have died happy on the spot. Another great thing about this dish was that it was extremely refreshing! You can’t get bored at this restaurant because it seems that everything they serve is so unique!
Our third, fourth and fifth dish was the Salmon Sashimi, Wagyu Unagi (Texas kobe unagi fruit kimchi emulsion), and the Kuu Makimono (Asian pear yuzu kosh avocado tuna lobster claw meat edamame purée) They were all very delicious! I recommend all of them! The usual sushi restaurants that I’m use to doesn’t mix their fish with meat or fruits so each bite made me smile.
We ended dinner with the Poseidon Makimono and I loved this roll because it was very flavorful.
Since this was my birthday dinner I was treated with dessert on the house which was beautiful and delicious at the same time! (please look at the photo I don’t remember what it was called)
Everything was amazing from the ambiance of the restaurant, to the awesome service and of course the mouthwatering food. I will definitely come back!

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!

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

Setup: late bday gift to a friend
The good: FOOD! Fresh and delicious, beautifully plated, thoroughly explained. Specialty cocktails have difficult names, but are very tasty.
The bad: price? I suppose this is to be expected.
Observations: sometimes a robata rock will come out and fills the entire dining room with a smoky haze that takes a while to dissipate. Free parking in garage.
Overall recommendation: a very strong option for upscale sushi, especially in an area lacking in this department.

EDIT: Not the best sushi I’ve ever had anymore. Good quality sushi and great service.
Overall best sushi I’ve ever had. Every slice of sashimi, fresh and beautifully arranged. Excellent, personable service and fun seating options with high-​end ambiance (think ultra-​lounge without the music).
I generally don’t enjoy Sushi. Sashimi is all prepared the same but you pay an arm and a leg for often times a game of freshness routlette. The rolls all start to taste the same with the wasabi mayo, unagi sauce, and the slight tartness from the sushi rice. These flavors overpower the subtle flavors of fresh fish (or hide old fish). But Kuu managed some very fancy cohesive flavors (read the menu for yourself).
I was skeptical of Kuu, restaurants in high traffic areas generally don’t maintain a high level of consistency or service; they know they’ll have traffic regardless. But I was pleasantly surprised. They seated us at a hybrid traditional sit on the floor but it was carpeted with little wooden seats to lean our backs against (see the photos on the website). Our server was friendly and quick to take our orders.
Creamy Rock Shrimp aka Popcorn Shrimp: 5 of 5. If you want high-​end popcorn shrimp, this was great. We ordered this for the kids. It was warm, not heavy or greasy tasting (but fills you up easily) and slightly glazed.
Kuu Roll: 4 of 5. So many flavors come together in this. Asian pear, yuzu kosho, edamame purée, avocado, lobster claw meat. Theres a slight refreshing flavor of the asian pear and yuzu that I’ve never quite experienced before.
Truffle Suzuki: 3 of 5. Yellowtail with Jalapeño is my favorite. The truffle vinaigrette somewhat overpower the others but not by much. I think this is more of a personal preference.
Poseidon: 3 of 5. Again, truffle vinaigrette somewhat overpower the other flavors.
Yui: 3 of 5. Wasabi Aioli and lime overpower somewhat the pepper salmon
If you can imagine how it should taste in your mouth reading the ingredients, its prepared perfectly with those flavors.

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!