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Sasaki Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

MY REVIEW: As far as I know the ownership has not changed - is not the owner the Chinese/Taiwanese or Singaporean lady that has always been there? I have been eating here for at least 5 or 6 years now and have never been disappointed or failed to impress whomever i brought with me. And furthermore, I always order the Ramen and it is incredible. The sushi is the best.

I was taking Japanese language courses about 6 or so years ago and my teacher from Japan (he was acutally in the Japanese army during the occupation by U.S.) and was told by him that the was a great restaurant with the best sushi chef in town - and he was certainly correct.

Anyway, the food + service + ambiance is so great that it annoys me greatly to see even one negative review here - please ignore them as the are wrong.

NAME: khris777
SUBMITTED: 1/28/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: We have been going to Sasaki for more than a decade and never had a bad meal there. But ever since the change of ownership, we had been disappointed. First, it was the quality and variety of the bento boxes that suffered. It went from having plenty of food and authentic Japanese side dishes to just small portion of main protein and random side dishes, but we adapted by ordering sushi instead. (Thank goodness Toda San is still there).

We lost count of the time in the past year or two that we were served rice that was not freshly cooked. More than half of the time, the rice either was barely warm and/or had a very hard exterior and center (which usually indicated it has been previously refrigerated).

Then two weeks ago came the last straw. We visited during lunch and ordered a mixture of lunch bento boxes and sushi combination plates. The waitress who served us was relatively new to Sasaki (we love all the old waitstaff and they know us by sight) and the service was very unprofessional (forgot our drink orders three times, slow in serving us, very inattentive and did not know half of the items on the simple lunch menu). When our orders finally came, the rice was either undercooked or was from the previous business day. And the sushi rice was not seasoned at all. Given the price Sasaki charged for the food, we did not appreciate the fact that we had to endure eating leftover rice and having sashimi over plain steamed white rice that posed as sushi. It’s very sad for me to give Sasaki a bad review as it was our favorite restaurant. But we refuse to continue patronizing a Japanese restaurant that can’t even get the rice right.

NAME: a former frequent diner
SUBMITTED: 1/27/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/10
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I always love to compare Sasaki, to the ellite sushi of the world, just had sushi at o*kada in vegas , sasaki as always is better. go on wensday to Saturday for the fresh fish deliveries. The Japanese snapper is incredible. By the way Todo is a sushi artist by far the best place in town be prepared to wait. Only a fool would go elsewhere k*ubo sucks

NAME: Homan
SUBMITTED: 7/11/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: Thusday
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed my authentic sushi dinner made by a Master Sushi Chef, who has decades of experience. Lunch is quite nice and affordable. Dinner can get a little pricey, but well worth it (IMO).

The employees here are very friendly (and of course japanese). They always make me feel welcome. When I eat at Sasaki, I feel as if I'm actually in Japan because a good number of Sasaki's customers are also japanese. I especially like watching the Tokyo television programs displayed on their flat screen TVs.

NAME: ryfe
SUBMITTED: 5/24/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: May /2009
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!! this is possibly my most favorite place to go eat at.

Service: Very friendly, very family like. Everytime I walk in to this place you get a nice welcome with lots of smiles. This is very important to me.

Price: Between my wife and I our average bill comes out between $40 - $50.

Food: Excellent presentation and taste. Their fatty tuna sushi is the best in Houston. Tuna, Salmon, and Red Snapper are also very fresh and tasty. I dont normally like to dip my sushi in Soy sauce. There is a sushi called "Batera" sushi, its vinegar cured fish with rice (not in the menu and acquired taste), I highly recommend it. If you are not interested in the sushi two other items I would recommend would be Chicken curry or noodles.

VISIT THIS PLACE!!! if you are truly in to Japanese cuisine than you will not regret this place.

NAME: mitshee
SUBMITTED: 1/25/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/2009
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This was my first visit to Sasaki. Comparing this restaurant to the 5 others I've been to, it was by far the best. Being Naruto fans, we went in search of ramen to see what -authentic- ramen tastes like. It was incredible and the portion of noodles was generous. It came with a quarter of an egg, bamboo shoots, a slice of pork, and a something with a scallop flavor that was in the form of a small patty. It was seriously delicious; I only wish there were 2 of each of the toppings but that's just because I enjoyed it so much.

I also had sushi, not because I was hungry but because I really wanted to taste it here (and compare it to the other places I've been to). Sasaki has by far THE best tuna, salmon and unagi (eel) EVER. I don't dip my sushi into anything (soy sauce or whatever that stuff is) so the taste is JUST however it comes to the table. The tuna and salmon were fresh and cool and the rice ball underneath was warm with just a touch of wasabi. The eel, ohmygod, was the most amazing eel I've ever had; toasted just enough and sweet just enough. I liked it SO much that I ordered another round of the three, just because I wanted the taste of it. I definitely plan on going back.

I went based on the reviews here and they were right on. The place itself is small and cozy and the waitstaff was super nice. The food is simple and deliciously AMAZING. If you're considering sushi (or ramen) GO HERE.

NAME: R.
SUBMITTED: 12/17/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 12.16.08
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Sasaki is the Best Japanese Restaurant in Houston. I been to many japanese restaurants but I finally realized there is no other place like sasaki. The price is very reasonable and the sashimi are so fresh. Sometime they are very busy, but the food worth it to wait. If you like fast service and average food maybe you don't deserved to eat there. I like "sasaki dinner which is saba cooked with sake. Great price and portion. Did someone mentoion about hot green tea's price. ah $ 1.50 haha SO - i have not been to any restaurant charged less than $2.00 for lipton lced tea.

NAME: jill Q
SUBMITTED: 7/2/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 07/01/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Sasaki is my favorite for Japanese in Houston, and I should have done a write-up for it long ago. Sushi chef and wait staff are Japanese (with one exception?) as are a decent number of clientele. A Japanese menu is available upon request, which contains items not found on the English menu. The waitress will happily explain items for non-Japanese readers. I have always found service to be excellent, although sushi orders can be admittedly slow during busy periods. Pricier than a lot of sushi places, but worth it IMO.

The sushi here is more traditional, meaning bite-sized nigiri (not the Texas-sized pieces popular in Chinese-run joints) and no funky rolls. If you like your nigiri huge, go elsewhere as you will pay a substantial premium here for smaller pieces. No offense intended.

Aside from sushi, the cooked items are very good as well, tempura in particular. If you're feeling hungry, try the tempura dinner. I'm also a big fan of the udon. The gindara (I forget the full name) off the special menu is great. On the downside, I wasn't crazy about the ramen. For reference, I like the Hakata ramen at M*enchanko-Tei (NYC).

Minor note: a previous reviewer made a comment about charging for hot tea, with which I must disagree. Just about every time we have been to Sasaki (last few years), they charge ($1.50?) for ochya. Ah well.

NAME: jokah
SUBMITTED: 5/10/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/2008
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: We just made our first trip to Sasaki and we went based on the reviews here. We are not Japanese, although we have had some Japanese culinary training, and this is the most traditional restaurant that we've been to in Houston so far (22 restaurants). We received some of the to be expected first timer treatment at a place with this narrow of a niche, but it melted a bit after we visited directly and indirectly with the chef. Toda-san is skilled and on my next visit I will place my selections in his hands. Tonight I wanted to test them by getting standard offerings that any sushi joint needs to make well, like negihama and tako sunomono. These are simple dishes that anyone can present at a satisfactory level, but a true master will dazzle you with his mastery. The sunomono was the first dish presented and it was done so tako-less without explanation, but with anticipation of our response. This could easily have been a test of our worthiness or an oversight but you have to be patient enough to wait and see. The check came without tako and given the chef's gift of bigeye sashimi to my wife at the close of our meal it seems that we passed his test. He certainly passed ours. Sushi places can be very tricky. If you want to experience the real deal then this is the place, but if you are at the California or Rainbow roll level of sushi enjoyment this isn't the place for you.

NAME: sushibandit
SUBMITTED: 11/19/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I always feel welcome in this rather quaint place with a "mom and pop" tone. Ask for Sake, you choose the cup from a tray. Food is carefully prepared and nice quality. I've eaten in a booth or in the main room; always attentive. Parking can be tight, but it's a nice touch place.

NAME: cliff
SUBMITTED: 10/1/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/07
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: A Japanese friend in the hospitality business recommended Sasaki. It was EXCELLENT. Most authentic Japanese restaurant in Houston. Freshest sushi! For the best meal, sit at the sushi counter and ask for "omacase" (chef's choice). Toda-san serves up the best and most interesting selections of the day. Omacase costs a bit more but is always a treat.

NAME: Eatin' Out
SUBMITTED: 5/20/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: May 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: This is easily the best sushi I have had anywhere. Ever.

We had Unagi because of the rave reviews and it was truly delectable. It was so sweet and melt in your mouth tender with just the right amount of crispiness on the edges. We also had tuna sashimi that was so incredibly fresh and good! We asked the Itame (sushi chef) to make whatever he reccomends. he made something involving scallops and I dont know what else that was just delish. Then he surprised me with another slightly spicy piece. I dont know what it contained but it was just the right amount of spice, not burn your mouth hot but a plesent tingle. My husband had a bowl of the Ramen and he said it was the best ramen ever. This isnt the cup-o-noodles that you made in college, this is the real thing with fresh noodles, lean tender strips of pork and veggies, a golden broth, topped with the traditional boiled egg slice. He also chose to have the Naruto garnish (red and white spiraled fish cake) He said it was the best he's ever eaten and he doesnt normally even like pork. To drink we started with a couple small cups of cold sake, but with the meal we had green tea. Thier green tea is even the best I've had, with no bitterness at all. It arrives boiling hot, so beware and take your time! All in all it was possibly the best ethnic food experience I have had to date in houston. (I dont count mexican as ethnic lol) To you negative reviewers, im glad you didnt like it. Obviously you are too used to your americanized portions and accustomed to wolfing down your food like a ravenous hyena to enjoy the multi-sensory experience that is japanese food. Please stay away if you want large portions, california rolls, french fries and steak. This isnt the place for you. This is sushi for the purist. 10 stars!

NAME: Anconite
SUBMITTED: 1/21/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: Jan 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: As a Japanese person, I find this place refreshing. So many "Sushi" places are run by Korean or Chinese, which dont really understand all the nuances of serving and creating Japanese food, but want the FLASH of sushi popularity. Most americans dont read the difference- but if a waitress slamms a plate down on the table, you know she's not Japanese. Also green tea- a given with sushi. At "Sushi" places that dont serve it, dont have it, or charge you for it are phoneys.

Sasaki is real Japanese. Great food all around- great service and most of all authentic to Japanese cuisine.

NAME: v
SUBMITTED: 12/23/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This is a serious sushi bar. The quality of the sushi is far superior to what is offered in other Houston restaurants such as Sushi K*ing. What Sasaki lacks in trendiness, it makes up for in quality of food. The only problem is that as of now there is only one man making sushi so the wait can be long, and the sushi chef harried on a busy night.

NAME: foodpuritan
SUBMITTED: 12/11/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/10/05
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This was my third time eating at Sasaki. I am usually very picky about food, and I have to say: this was the best meal I have eaten ANYWHERE, Japanese or otherwise. It's always been good when we eat there, but this night it was simply fantastic. Toda (the sushi chef) made me some "special" treats. I asked what it was and he simply said, something special by me. It was a "boat" of salmon with Ikura (Salmon roe) inside the boat and an uncooked quail egg on the top. It was great, but so was everything else: Ama-ebi (sweet, raw shrimp), Maguro (tuna), Futo-Maki, Hamachi (yellowtail), Hotatagai (scallops), Sake (salmon) then they served us some plum ice cream at the end, but I was too full to finish that. It was good, though.

I don't understand why people say that they have gotten rude or bad service here. Maybe they have had a rough day or the employees have had a rotten day, I don't know. The only small (tiny) downside to this restaurant is the price, but as we all know you pay for what you get and what we got was great service, friendly, quiet atmosphere, a knowledgeable sushi chef and excellent food. Just try it and you'll see :)

NAME: Susie Q
SUBMITTED: 7/4/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 07/2005
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

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