Izakaya Wa is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Houston! I usually go to the River Oaks location…read morebut decided to try the Memorial one this time. I came for lunch on a Saturday and it was super busy so the service was a bit slow. It took a while for our water and for our server to come and take our order. I ordered the Lunch Special Nigiri Sushi and Noodle Set and got 6 pieces of salmon nigiri with udon noodle soup. The salmon nigiri was fresh and buttery and so delicious! The serving size of the udon was a lot bigger than I anticipated so I feel like I got my money's worth. I definitely recommend coming for the lunch specials since they're good value.

This restaurant used to be our go-to sushi spot, but after today's experience, it will be our last…read morevisit. We initially came to dine in, but upon arrival our young daughter fell asleep. After being seated, I informed the waiter that I would place a to-go order instead. About 20 minutes later, our food was ready. At that point, our daughter woke up, so we hoped to continue dining in as originally planned. I politely asked the waiter if we could finish our meal there. We didn't expect him to continue serving us--we simply wanted to sit and eat the food we had ordered. I had already tipped him on the to-go order. His response was blunt and shocking: "No, you have to leave. The table was given to someone else for a 7:30 reservation." There was no attempt to find a solution or offer an alternative--just a direct order to leave. This was a Thursday night, the restaurant was not busy, and there were outdoor tables and other seating available. We felt incredibly insulted by the attitude. When we spoke to the manager, he simply repeated that the table was reserved and backed up the waiter, without suggesting another table or even asking us to wait for the next available one, until we brought up the point that he could have asked if we have an option to wait for the next table?? Then the manager went ok do you want to have another table just because we asked. What stood out most wasn't the reservation issue, but the complete lack of hospitality, flexibility, or basic courtesy. This experience spoke volumes about the customer service here, and unfortunately, it's the reason we won't be returning.

Had an amazing experience at KUU Restaurant! Brought my fiancé here for her birthday and the food…read morewas honestly incredible, super flavorful and not a single bad dish on the table. We tried the hot rock beef, garlic edamame, the Gyu, and the Umi, and everything was fresh, well-balanced, and beautifully presented. The brownie mikatzuki dessert was also the perfect way to end the meal. Their cocktails were great as well and paired really nicely with the food. The ambiance is artsy, upscale, and trendy without feeling overly pretentious, which made the whole experience even better. You can definitely tell they put a lot of care into both the food and overall atmosphere. Service was a little bit slow but nothing too bad. Our waitress was super kind and helpful, this was our second time here and the service was a little slow last time too, so just be prepared for that. I had also mentioned it was her birthday and they didn't really seem to care about it, perhaps they were just too busy and we weren't really looking for anything we were just excited. Would highly recommend checking this place out if you're looking for elevated Japanese cuisine in Houston that's actually good! Definitely a spot we'll be coming back to.

A good place for a night out with the girls, Had a 630…read morereservation so I was a bit quiet, but after seven people started piling in on a Saturday. It was pretty empty for a Saturday since it was cold out The sushi was fresh! I had the umi roll- loved the avocado and fresh fish on top. Lychee tini was strongggg Parking in free garage.

I love coming here for dinner when it's getting late. The prices are great, and the food is always…read morefresh. They're friendly and get you in quickly. It's a cozy spot to hang out with friends and family and enjoy some delicious Japanese food.

My coworkers and I came here for an after dinner and private karaoke room after a long day at work…read more It was my first time having karaoke. It was quite interesting. We had to download an app and it will send whatever music you wanted to sing to the TV. They also had a covering on the mics. Sadly one of our mics wasn't working. There's also a camera in the room in case something happens. I liked how we can turn on a light to signal a staff member that we need some assistance. We ordered a variety of snacks . All the fries stuff was evenly coated, and well done. The noodles were more like food fillers. I would skip the takoyaki next time. The room definitely gives an 80s vibe and a bit dingy. You can tell that this place has been here for a long time. If you're not into karaoke, they do have a main dining area. There's free parking out front .

Small space, hard to get attention from staff for help, small pieces of sushi and thin tiny…read morepieces of fish on for over priced sushi. The food did taste good but the negatives of whole experience doesn't make me want to go back. Better sushi in surrounding area to not need to go back.

Cute little family owned place on Memorial between Wilcrest / Kirkwood. Not a lot of seating -…read morequaint and cozy. HIGHLY recommend the calamari!! DELISH!! Shared a few rolls - asparagus roll and crab meat roll! And definitely try the Flaming Volcano...it comes to your table on fire!

This has been on my to try list for the longest time and I'm glad I finally got to try it. Secured…read morea reservation for 11:30, right as the restaurant opened. They let us in early so we didn't have to stand out in the cold. The restaurant is small and quiet, with the sushi bar in the middle, where it's easy to see everything is made. We opted for the sashimi special, the takoyaki, the 4 season roll, and the gyu suji. The sashimi special was delicious, great cuts, nice and tender. The 4 season roll was also great, with good cuts of fish, not too fishy. The takoyaki was perfectly crispy with a good filling and just the right amount of octopus. We accidentally let the gyu suji sit out too long so it got cold and gelatinous, but they were super nice about reheating it for us. It ended up not being for me, beef tendon is just a bit too cartilaginous for me. Overall, a great experience! Will definitely need to be back!

Had their Valentine's Day omakase and loved the whole experience…read more - Omakase is in a separate, clean, intimate room from the regular dining area - Escorted to our seats + warm hand towel to start - Servers were very attentive - Chef was locked in, super cool watching everything being prepared right in front of us Favorite bites: - Cherry stone clam soup (clay pot) - Don't know how, but the clams were in the shape of fish & were big, broth was super flavorful. 9/10 - Hon maguro - First piece and they did NOT skimp on the fish. Lightly dressed, amazing texture. 9/10 - Uni - Very high quality, no weird aftertaste, super vibrant. 9.5/10 - Wagyu sushi - Melted in my mouth. So rich and tender. 10/10 - Fatty tuna - STAR of the show. Literally melts, would order a whole plate of this if I could. 10/10 - Monaka (pastry w/ red bean, mochi, and matcha cream) - Not too sweet, perfect texture combo to end the meal. 10/10 Overall: such a well-executed omakase with high-quality fish and great service. Definitely a special occasion spot

Hanamii martini is the best!! Also tried roppongi hills…read morewhich was also yummy drink..drink. but after trying hanami Martini can't turn back. Also had spicy edamame Baked mussels Spicy tuna temaki yummy Xo scallop temaki

Black garlic ramen 4/5 Deep umami mushroom broth. Noodles…read morenot as springy as id like but aolid bowl of ramen never the less. Takoyaki 4/5 Decent size octopus and flavor was muce and chewy exterior. Beefyaki rice 4/5 More on the sweeter side. Nice sweet soysayce flavor. I'd order it again! Many dishes to try from and nice ambiance! Great for outings for friends and dates.

Overall the flavor and atmosphere was good! However compared to similar barbecue places, it would…read morehave to default to preference because in my opinion there's a lot of more affordable places in Houston. Inside were tables with grills spread between 4 people of seating. There were both booths and tables. Everything was wooden and Japanese aesthetic inspired. You can control the grill flame with the knob next to your table, and it's completely self-serve they give you a couple tongs but otherwise you're all good to go. We ordered the meat lovers platter for 2 and it was more than enough food for 2 people. It came with rice, miso soup, a chicken, short rib, beef, edamame and a salad. This was a solid deal for 2 ($72 per person and $36 each). For two this price is reasonable, and more than enough food. Not included in this price, but offered at the restaurant are various options of soju, Sapporo beer and lychee cocktails. However, my only issue was that the other half of our party wanted to do AYCE. The AYCE starts at $45 and then goes up to $80. You have 90 minutes to eat this and they put up a wall between you and your party. For the cuts and meat, i doubt you'll get your money's worth unless you're willing to eat a lot,. This issue too is that the structure of the restaurant doesn't have a few hoods like other barbecue places. So it gets very hot inside as well as the smell of barbecue gets all over you. The parking situation is fine and there's probably around 50 people worth of seating inside.

I gave it a two cuz the waiter sergio was awesome and the food was good but the damn place was so…read morehot. Everything looks outdated. This restaurant needs a huge renovation cuz it just looks depressing and sad. I'd rather go to the one near willowbrook mall. That one looks so nice. I feel bad for all the workers minus the ones in front since it stays cool in the front but towards the back it's burning hot. Can't even think straight please do better there was two male waiters there and they were both awesome Who ever owns this place needs to be ashamed of themselves for allowing working to overheat while working. It's crazy

First time here and I really enjoyed it. The wagyu boneless short rib was delicious and definitely…read moreworth trying. Highly recommend!

Jay was an amazing server and was great at explaining the menu. No wait time even though the place…read morewas very popular online. I had an amazing time here. Great experience five star most definitely

I had an awesome experience at RA Sushi thanks to our bartender. From the moment we sat down, he…read morewas attentive, professional, and had great energy. He knew the menu inside and out, gave solid recommendations, and made sure our drinks were perfectly made and never empty. What really stood out was his customer service -- he balanced being friendly and personable while still staying efficient during a busy shift. You can tell he takes pride in what he does and genuinely cares about the guest experience. If you're sitting at the bar, definitely ask for him. He elevated the whole vibe of the night. RA Sushi is lucky to have him! THANK YOU Brendan

Service slow, distracted, and aloof. No second drinks offered, food not brought out together but…read morein stages which made the dinner unorganized and not enjoyable. Restaurant ok but could improve cleanliness. Hostess was nice and helpful, took care of our request efficiently and quickly. Food ok but not experience not worth the price. Way better Sushi options around.