The Best Sushi Near Bar-A-BBQ, by the Record
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Rank 1. Kuu
Modern Sushi
The chef trained under Nobu Matsuhisa, and the menu reflects it: modern Japanese fine dining where sashimi and nigiri share space with contemporary technique and a few ideas that nudge the tradition sideways. The room is polished and the patio offers an escape from it. It's the kind of place where people dress up a little without being told to, which says something about the neighborhood's ambitions.
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Rank 2. Himari
Sushi
A sushi restaurant just outside the Heights where the bar seats fill up with people who already know what they're ordering. The menu moves from cold sashimi plates through specialty maki and into nigiri and tempura, so there's room to graze or commit to a full spread. The patio exists for the handful of Houston evenings cool enough to justify it, which locals treat as a minor holiday.
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Rank 3. Izakaya-Wa
Japanese
Izakaya-style dining in Memorial Village means shareable skewers, cold Kirin, and a sushi menu that does most of the heavy lifting. The gyu kushiyaki, beef tenderloin on a stick, and the Cowboy Roll, seared beef with avocado and eel sauce, give you a sense of the register: Japanese comfort food leaning playful. The crowd fills in after work and doesn't rush out. A second location exists in River Oaks, though the menus differ.
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Rank 4. Sasaki
Sushi
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Rank 5. Uptown Sushi
Japanese fusion Sushi
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Rank 6. 5Kinokawa
Sushi
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Rank 7. Teppay
Japanese
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Rank 8. Miyako
Sushi