Kubo's Sushi Bar and Grill ZAGAT rated traditional yet creative Japanese cuisine, late Friday dining, plus reliable catering w/ memorable presentation Hours: See Profile   2414 University Blvd Houston TX 77005 713.528.7878 Profile Description: Japanese-owned and operated, Kubo’s Sushi Bar & Grill has received consistent high honors for its creative and fresh hot and cold authentic Japanese cuisine. Executive Chef Manabu (“Hori”) Horiuchi and Sous Chef Yu Suzuki flex their imaginative culinary muscles by creating highly anticipated bi-monthly specials. Nestled on the 2nd floor of the Village Arcade in Rice Village and Zagat rated as Houston's top Japanese restaurant, Kubo's is nationally acclaimed.   Add Review PROFILE   Website  Menu MY REVIEW: Kubo's is by far my favorite sushi restaurant in Houston. The entrees are wonderful and always filling (I suggest the Japanese Curried Pork, my favorite, or the Shrimp Tempura). The miso dressing on the house salad is divine. I have been here with several friends (a large party, about nine of us) and we were seated promptly, though we did not have reservations. The waitstaff was very courteous and attentive. They attended to us without disturbing our meal. I received the same attention when I have returned with my boyfriend. Kubo's is also not too hard on the pocketbook as sushi goes. The atmosphere is a little dark, but retains some romantic ambiance with their use of tea lights. I highly suggest the Kobe roll. It was, for lack of a better word, amazing. I will be returning several times and suggest anyone looking for an exquisite sushi dining experience to come here. NAME: Ellison'sOrange SUBMITTED: 3/28/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: We dined for Valentine's day with Kubo and had a wonderful experience. The food was great. The house sake was really good, but more importantly our waiter, Lawrence was outstanding! He was so personable and attentive to us. We will definitely come back....soon! NAME: amylrowe SUBMITTED: 2/18/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: We went with a large group and definitely thought the food was very well prepared, and the sushi quite nice. However, the service was slow, the atomosphere womb-like, geriatric, dark, and oppressive. It makes me nervous when I can't see my food. Won't go back. NAME: emma SUBMITTED: 10/28/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: September 07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Housed on the 2nd story of a 2-story strip mall, the restaurant seemed clean and reasonably attractive with the unfortunate inclusion of a massive bar and TV's. Service was fast and efficient. Food was ok but little more. Prices seemed high. We are looking for a good sushi place. Guess we will keep looking. NAME: Peter SUBMITTED: 9/19/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Love this place. It's fairly quiet and has great food. Especially love the miso soup - which is surprisingly filling and inexpensive. NAME: dine_out_way_too_much SUBMITTED: 8/3/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: It has been sometime since we've been back. The restaurant has a special menu just for Japanese reading customers. The food has always been great. The service is slow and evens out the balance. Happy hour specials are decent pricing. NAME: hcmpguy SUBMITTED: 7/19/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: January/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Ambiance was nice. Food was good. I had the Shrimp Tempura and my husband had Chicken Teriyaki. Both dishes were very good. Service hmmmmmmm, well lets just say we were not attended to as often as we needed. Waitress never came to refill our drinks someone else did except we were finished with the meal by that time. Enough about that though. I am sure they are usually attentive to most patrons. My husband and I may visit again. NAME: Love2Eat SUBMITTED: 1/15/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: jan/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I tried one of the monthly specials this week. It was Kobe beef tartare on a patty of rice drizzled with an amazing sauce. Very creative and very good. Best sushi and Japanese in town hands down. NAME: MarkD SUBMITTED: 12/1/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/06 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: I have dined at fabulous places in Tokyo, and nothing here can match that. However, Kubo's is the closest I've found in Houston. Very fresh, interesting twists on the cuisine, and still pretty reasonable on the wallet. Try the wasabe dumplings for an appetizer. No matter what you order, though, you can't go wrong. NAME: MSR SUBMITTED: 8/25/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: August 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I hate to add my thoughts for fear of bringing more folks to my favorite place, but some of the reviews leave what I think is a false impression. If you like Mexico inspired sushi rolls, most places can do a good job. The importance of the quality of ingredients is much less important for these applications. However, if you are drawn to truly fine sushi/sashimi with only the best ingredients, then this is your place. Kubo's is one of only 5 out of 80 Japanese restaurants in Houston that are actually Japanese owned. To this add two sushi chefs, Hori and Suzuki, trained in Japan and you have the demanding staff that knows how to obtain and prepare the best sushi in Houston. I noticed the posts about uni and you should know that on my last few visits, there has been no uni. The reason is simple--unlike most sushi bars, Kubo's will not serve sub-par food. If you can't get the best, they don't get it at all. Go let Hori take you on a tour of Japan and see what you have been missing, or go to one of the other places and leave my spot at the bar empty. NAME: MarkD SUBMITTED: 8/11/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/06 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Seeing Japanese diners at the bar is a good sign. Seeing more Japanese diners coming out of private dining rooms and at the alcohol bar is also a good sign. Kubo's even attracts other notable Houston chefs from other Zagat rated restaurants (Kubo's Zagat 2006!). You can't miss. The food is amazing. If you want real Japanese food in Houston, go. If you want a bunch of silly named rolls there are plenty of Chinese and Vietnamese joints in town. Kubo's continues to raise the bar on entree and sushi cuisine in Houston. Check the website for monthly specials, and they sponsor many cultural events for diners. NAME: ZZ SUBMITTED: 5/3/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/28/06 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: My husband & I enjoy dining at Kubo's. This is THE PLACE in Houston to eat the freshest sushi prepared by skilled Japanese sushi chefs. We love authentic Japanese food (enjoy both raw & cooked dishes), and we have eaten at many establishments in the US and overseas including Japan's T*sujiki fish market (meeting place to bid for live tuna & other fresh catch of the day). I can tell you this place has it all. Go on Friday & Saturday nights. They have specials for the night. Last weekend we had raw oysters, abalone, and monk fish liver for specials. Yum... NAME: picky eater SUBMITTED: 10/17/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: October/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Kubos is one of my favorite places to dine out in Houston. The black angus wrapped asparagus is one of the most satisfying appetizers EVER and I absolutely love the miso dressing on the house salad. Very tasty salmon entree and wonderful tempura. I do not get to visit as much now since I moved out of town ... I have never had a bad experience here and encourage folks (as a previous reviewer wrote) to come and see for themselves. NAME: Favorite Japanese SUBMITTED: 8/23/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/20/2005 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: This is specifically in response to uni-lover's review. Old uni does not turn dark, but rather it turns 'muddy' and starts to liquefy, solid uni is fresh uni. Darker orange uni is generally indicative of uni that originated in Japan (or perhaps, in Maine), rather than in the waters off of Southern California (which is more golden in colour). There was a long discussion on this recently in the usenet news group alt.food.sushi. It seems that Southern California has been over-fished for sushi-grade uni, and it is much more difficult to get from there, so some sushi chefs are bringing uni in from Japan or Maine (Maine may have ceased to be a source with the red tide reports). I recall several weeks back, the chef at Kubo's (Hori) did have Japanese uni, which was darker orange, and which was smaller in size. It tasted subtly different from the typical uni - richer, deeper, slightly more briny and less sweet in taste. I enjoyed the difference, but see how others might find the difference to be less enjoyable. NAME: Sushi fan SUBMITTED: 6/4/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: Yesterday FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: A truly great restaurant. I have been to all of the "top rated" Japanese restaurants in town and this one is the best. We had reservations although they were probably unnecessary on Wednesday. Service was quick, pleasant and appropriate. The food was superb. May is scallop month and we had all the scallop appetizers and the entree. They were unique and excellent. I also had a variety of sushi all of which was fresh and delicious. I recommend Kubo's to anyone interested in an upscale meal. Of note, is a how hard it is to read these reviews and get a feel for any restaurant. People's opinions and experiences vary as much as their taste. I have had a lot of lousy meals at "fancy and highly" rated here in Houston and other cities. All I can say is that Kubo's was head and shoulders above most dining experiences. Highly recommended. NAME: Bibliomaven SUBMITTED: 5/12/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: May, 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I really like going to this restaurant and bring all my friends and family. My recent visit was on Wednesday morning and everyone gave me very good service. When I walked into the door I was greeted and was placed at a booth. The server brought out the food very quickly and answered all of the my questions politely. The restaurant seems very callm. I recoommend couples to come and eat more often.. The food are great. It taste fresh and the Display will make you crave for more. The dessert this month was free. It was some good ice cream. I will come back for more. NAME: LB SUBMITTED: 4/24/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: April 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: This used to be my favorite sushi place until recently. It seems that the sushi is not consistently fresh anymore, especially on my last visit. The salmon sashimi tasted as if it had been sitting out too long. It had that dried-out texture, same with my uni which had a suspiciously too dark orange color. The rest of my sushis were just average. After 3 disappointing visits, I'm sorry to say that we won't be going back. NAME: Uni-Lover SUBMITTED: 4/16/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/13/05 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: The best sushi restaurant I have eaten at! I started eating sushi here and have tried other restaurants but none can compare to Kubo's. The food is excellent and never leaves you with a bad fishy after taste. The prices are reasonable compared to other restaurants and their not so good food. Two people can eat for about $50. That includes alcoholic beverages, some rolls (2/3) and some individual pieces of sushi. The waitstaff is curtious and prompt. The place has a great ambiance and is in a great location for some bar hopping. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to eat great sushi. NAME: Anonymous SUBMITTED: 3/4/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: As part of my birthday celebration we went here for dinner. We went just after work so we beat the dinner crowd. An unexpected advantage was the happy hour specials that go on until 7:00 pm. There's a selected menu of dishes at $4 or $5 and reasonably priced drinks. We worked our way through the list trying each dish at least once. We especially liked the Spicy Tuna Mushrooms ($4) and the Seared Peppercorn Tuna Sashimi ($5). When we progressed to dinner it was a Vegetable Tempura with a Seaweed Salad. The service was attentive and food delivery was paced to accommodate our "lingering" mood. When we left the placed will filled with a few people waiting. Even with a couple of drinks each, numerous courses of appetizers, and a generous tip we got out for under $100. Free parking in the garage made it even more reasonable. We'll be back for the Happy Hour in the future. NAME: Pete Romfh SUBMITTED: 2/22/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: Feb. 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: One word. Authentic. The exec chef graduated from the legendary Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka. Check the website every month for the specials, as they change with season. I graduated from an abbreviated Japanese culinary school after having been a chef for a few years, and the one time my wife and I dined here (New to Houston) the food was devine. Try their saba miso-ni, saba battera-zushi, or dobin mushi. Sushi and sashimi are always a sure bet. It's fun for me to look at their authentic specials as they were part of my own course work. Service was fine, bar was busy, food was the best. Best Japanese in Houston -Zagat 2005, and considered one of the best 8 in sushi in the US. Go.....don't listen to anybody. Find out for yourself. NAME: Dutchomatic SUBMITTED: 2/11/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/04 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I haven't had a bad experience, taste or service related, in this restaurant although it does get very crowded on weekend nights. My partner and I often go during lunch for the specials, much cheaper than when we go for dinner. The sushi is very fresh. For an appetizer, we recommend the wasabi shumai. Delightful little things, but quite pricey. Eating these is like a religious experience. Other favorites are the spicy tuna roll, caterpillar roll, west u roll, and anything with eel. The restaurant is clean, nothing dodgy about this place. I can only imagine that the bad reviews about the food are more influenced by the service, which is unfortunate because their sushi is really quite good. NAME: Leigha SUBMITTED: 1/15/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: Jan 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: If anyone told you that you couldn't bring kids to a fine dining Japanese Restaurant, he has not been to Kubo's. My family and I have been there 3 times in the last month, once in the afternoon and twice in the evening and we've had good, consistent meals and great service everytime! I have a 1 year old boy and a 4 year old girl and they're both your typical kids who can't keep still. I did not get the rolling of the eyes I normally do when I take my kids to such places and the waitstaff was very attentive and patient. I didn't know how big the portions were the first time and was happy that because of our waiter's suggestions, we did not have any leftovers like we normally do. We all enjoyed the meal! The softshell crab appetizer was extremely good!The california rolls were plump and tasty. The chicken teriyaki was a sizable portion and so was the gindara which was velvety smooth. I loved the gindara but it was a little too "fishy" for my husband. Maybe a little more grilling would remove the ocean smell from it. The shrimp tempura had just the right crispness. It was not at all oily. Even the miso soup was full of tofu and veggies! My daughter loved it! The place was a little too dark for my taste, though. I had to get the candle closer to read the menu. There's always a sizable crowd at night and we had to wait a few minutes to get in. We were always served by Japanese staff from the hostess to the manager so we were confident that the dishes would be authentic Japanese. We were not disappointed! We plan to return soon and maybe try the sushi bar without the kids, this time. For three adults and two kids, we spent a little over $60 with tip but no wine. Great deal! This is definitely a must for families on a budget but who appreciate fine Japanese food. No longer must you limit yourselves to fastfoods! NAME: Kat2514 SUBMITTED: 7/15/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: We went here on the recommendation of friends and we loved it. The food was VERY good, the Sake was even better. The rolls, sushi and sashimi were all very fresh and delicious. To be honest I did not notice the service because we were enjoying our food and conversation so much. The atmosphere is modern and low-key. I have been to many restaraunts around the world and I would definitely recomend Kubo's for a lovely night out. NAME: gumnut SUBMITTED: 5/25/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: February 2003 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: For Quality Sushi not quantity is the place to go in Houston. Compare to NY/LA still under 1 level mostly because of geographic location. Anyway, Best nights are on Wed. & Thurs. for the freshest fish & the crowds compare to Fri./Sat. Do sit at the sushi bar for the Chef's recommendation. They will tell you what is good & fresh for the day. Sushi Rolls well.. just sushi rolls.. I don't eat them.. so I don't know. Good enough sake list. NAME: Sushi Freak SUBMITTED: 4/19/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/2004 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: I went to Kubo's for lunch with one of my girl friend, I think from a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it 7 1/2. The sushi itself was very cheap, and moderate roll size. I would not say it's one of the best sushi I'd ever eaten, but it was good. The service was not quite that good, I went on an empty day and the waitress was nowhere to be found. The mood of the restaurant was quite pretentous, dim lighted, but cheap factory manufacture furniture that probably is uses by 200 other asian restaurants out there. But the bill was only like $40 for the two of us, $20 for each person, and I ordered like 20 pieces. So I would recommend you to stop by for lunch or brunch. It's not worth it waiting for a table at dinner time. NAME: chphongo SUBMITTED: 11/21/2003   LAST VISIT WAS: Nov/03 FREQUENCY: Visited once More reviews If you don't agree with these comments, agree with them or have additional comments, click here to Add Your Review. Restaurant Owners & Managers Curious about your Activity and Ranking on b4-u-eat? Want to Create or Update your Free Profile Page? Click here to Login. ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY