Kubo's Sushi Bar & Grill

(713) 528-7878

2414 University Blvd (Morningside Drive)
Houston, TX 77005 29.715076 -95.415153

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhoods: University Place, South Central

kubos-sushi.com

Years in business

Established in 2001

Hours:

Mon-Thu 11:30am-10pm

Fri 11:30am-11:00pm

Sat 12pm-10:30pm

Sun 12pm-9pm

Price:

$$

Last updated 10.19.11

Category:

Bars & Clubs, Restaurants, Bars & Pubs

Payment Methods:

American Express, Cash, Diners Club, Discover, Visa, MasterCard

Bar & Pub Special Features:

Happy Hour

Restaurant Special Features:

Family-Friendly Dining, Private Rooms, Lunch Spot, Date Spot, Outdoor Dining, Group Dining, Happy Hour

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

Japanese, Sushi

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Kubo's Sushi Bar & Grill

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Up on the second floor, Kubo's manages to remove itself from the noise and bustle of the shops and dining spots in the Rice Village Arcade. Decidedly untrendy, the open and uncluttered dining room focuses on creating a welcoming environment with a focus on the food. Simple tables and a large curved sushi bar are interspersed with area devotees and Japanese businessmen. Staff is well-versed on the menu. – – The Food – Expect a traditional Japanese menu with a few well-chosen Americanized sushi house favorites. Starters include the spicy tuna mushroom and…

Editor's Tips

Save Money:
Happy Hour offers special prices on appetizers and drinks 4pm to 7pm on Tuesday to Saturday and 4pm to 9pm on Sunday. Also, try one of the rotating bi-monthly seafood specials any night you like.
Know Before You Go:
Frequent diners can earn vouchers for free food.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The location is nice, the restaurant decor is stylish but without pretention, the service is prompt and pleasant, but above all, the food is really top notch.”
  2. “Great atmosphere, great sushi, nice service.”
  3. “Good food, polite but not over attentive wait staff, nice atmosphere.”
  4. “Service isn't the best, but the food is great, and the atmosphere is nice as well.”
  5. “The atmosphere is really nice, and our waiter was one of the best i've ever had.”
  6. “The food and the ambiance were great, but the best part was my waitress, Saori.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “For our friend's birthday, they brought out a wonderful tray of ice creams, enough for everyone to share.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “would definitely sit at the sushi bar where you can ask the sushi chef what is fresh.”
  2. “The green tea is very good.”
  3. “They also have a great happy hour, food and drinks.”
  4. “Every time I sit at kubo's sushi bar I watch in horror as american customers order more exotic, hardcore Japanese sushi and then complain or ask to return certain fish just because they smell a stronger smell.”
food quality
87.69000053405762% positive
  1. “Then, a few years, I visited Hawaii and Southern California and experienced good sushi for the first time.”
  2. “My guess is that he ate the more strong tasting fish first, then foolishly thinking he had bad fish, judged the tuna, seabass etc as also not good.”
  3. “At that time, if the fish didn't smell bad, it was considered good sushi.”
  4. “This is a great place for sushi.”
  5. “had salmon sushi and white tuna, and the salmon was fresh as expected, but the tuna was gross.”
  6. “It is overpiced, I had the worst service, they forgot our food, and gave us the wrong order.”
  7. “The sashimi was particularly fresh and satisfying.”
  8. “The location is nice, the restaurant decor is stylish but without pretention, the service is prompt and pleasant, but above all, the food is really top notch.”
  9. “The service was nice and fast and the sushi tasted fresh.”
  10. “Great food and good price”
  11. “The food was not all that great.”
  12. “food was ok, better than most houston area restaurants but the fish wasnt fresh enough and the service was horrible.”
  13. “read the user reviews and decided to try this place out and see for myself if it was the best sushi, I was slightly disappointed.”
  14. “The quality of the sushi was great and the pieces were big and fresh.”
  15. “The sushi appears to be very fresh and the taste of the spicy salmon and tuna rolls is good.”
  16. “Good food, but they overrate themselves”
  17. “If you like Sushi and Japanese food, you must go to Kubo's.”
  18. “Kubo's consitantly serves oversized fresh sushi and tasty rolls.”
  19. “wasn't disappointed per se; but I certainly don't get how anyone could say this is the best or even one of the best sushi places in Houston.”
  20. “have been to many sushi restaurants and I must to say that Kobo's is the best!”
  21. “really do recommend this place if you're partial to a bit of Japanese food.”
  22. “sushi is fresh and presented well.”
  23. “Everything from the greeting, to the service to the presentation of the food was absolutely incredible.”
  24. “My husband and I love sushi so we've tried almost every sushi joint in the city.”
  25. “Every time I sit at kubo's sushi bar I watch in horror as american customers order more exotic, hardcore Japanese sushi and then complain or ask to return certain fish just because they smell a stronger smell.”
  26. “mediocre sushi”
  27. “think everyone likes sushi king but i feel sushi king is overrated kubo's is the best in houston that I've been to”
  28. “Good food”
  29. “Consistently the best sushi and sashimi in Houston, we tried tons of others.”
  30. “If you love traditional sushi and can enjoy the care and quality that goes into each piece.”
  31. “Fantastic food!”
  32. “Good food, polite but not over attentive wait staff, nice atmosphere.”
  33. “this is the place to be to eat the freshest fish and authentic japanese cuisine.”
  34. “would definitely sit at the sushi bar where you can ask the sushi chef what is fresh.”
  35. “At its best weekday nights when the sushi gang are under less pressure.”
  36. “Kubo's is the closest thing you'll get to good sushi in Houston.”
  37. “The sushi was good, but the Philly Roll was horrible.”
  38. “We moved here recently from San Francisco and were really missing good sushi.”
  39. “Kubo's is definately the best sushi restaurant in houston.”
  40. “This by far tops my list of good sushi places in Houston.”
  41. “If you aren't in a hurry and want great sushi go to Kubo.”
  42. “This place is one of my favorite place to go for good time and good food!”
  43. “Damn good sushi”
  44. “Japanese love stronger smelling fish and every time I see an american notice a strong fishy smell they think it's bad.”
  45. “great sushi”
  46. “Kubo has excellent sushi.”
  47. “The best sushi in houston”
  48. “don't kow what some of these people are going on about with their 2 ratings, but the food we had a few weeks ago was great.”
  49. “Nice Ambiance, Good service - - not so great food.”
  50. “The food is good, the sushi is fresh, and the rolls are great for even the biggest sushi-phobes, but there are many restaurants that offer a wider variety of traditional and fusion Japanese foods.”
  51. “Service isn't the best, but the food is great, and the atmosphere is nice as well.”
  52. “Kubo's sushi was mediocre at best.”
  53. “great sushi.”
  54. “love this place, the fish is freash, the price is great!”
  55. “While there are many good sushi restaurants in Houston, Kubo remains our favorite because it offers more traditionally prepared Japanese dishes.”
  56. “They also have a great happy hour, food and drinks.”
  57. “offers seasonal food items monthly, and they show the creativity and the good taste of the restaurant.”
  58. “Great atmosphere, great sushi, nice service.”
  59. “My husband, a novice, ordered a non-sushi meal off the menu, and as picky as he usually is, he was completely happy and loved his meal.”
  60. “Best nights to go are Tues., Wed., or Thurs. night when the fish are the freshest.”
  61. “The food and the ambiance were great, but the best part was my waitress, Saori.”
  62. “Sadly to say, the food was not so good.”
  63. “The fish I had that night was not fresh and it just tasted horrible.”
  64. “have to say that was the best sushi experience I have had in a while.”
  65. “this place is one of the hidden treasures of rice village with there great prices and always delicious food.”
menu variety
88.88999938964844% positive
  1. “The food is good, the sushi is fresh, and the rolls are great for even the biggest sushi-phobes, but there are many restaurants that offer a wider variety of traditional and fusion Japanese foods.”
  2. “Their big ploy is that it's run by Japanese people, when the big thing that they should be concentrating on is the menu.”
  3. “With such an expensive menu, you would think that the service would be somewhat decent, but that was untrue.”
  4. “If you're looking for traditional Japanese foods and a wide variety, there are many other places that offer more extensive menus.”
  5. “The menu is pretty small even with monthly specials, so it's not really a place to be if you plan on being a regular unless you like repetition in life.”
  6. “My husband, a novice, ordered a non-sushi meal off the menu, and as picky as he usually is, he was completely happy and loved his meal.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “This is a great place for sushi.”
  2. “was seated promptly and had great service because the restaurant was half-empty.”
  3. “Kubo's is definately the best sushi restaurant in houston.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “Every time I sit at kubo's sushi bar I watch in horror as american customers order more exotic, hardcore Japanese sushi and then complain or ask to return certain fish just because they smell a stronger smell.”
service
69.43999767303467% positive
  1. “It is overpiced, I had the worst service, they forgot our food, and gave us the wrong order.”
  2. “The service was nice and fast and the sushi tasted fresh.”
  3. “The service is the most inconsistent quality of the restaurant; you never know if it is going to excellent or just average.”
  4. “Prompt and polite customer service!”
  5. “Service is almost always perfect, the staff is cool.”
  6. “Their big ploy is that it's run by Japanese people, when the big thing that they should be concentrating on is the menu.”
  7. “food was ok, better than most houston area restaurants but the fish wasnt fresh enough and the service was horrible.”
  8. “was seated promptly and had great service because the restaurant was half-empty.”
  9. “The service was terrible.”
  10. “I've been to great Japanese restaurants that were run by non-Japanese, because face it, it's all going to be cooked by locally hired kitchen staff anyway, so the ownership is a pretty moot selling point.”
  11. “With such an expensive menu, you would think that the service would be somewhat decent, but that was untrue.”
  12. “Of course, all the people at the table said "Look to the stupid Bytch, what is this, is it restaurant or what”
  13. “I've always found Kubo's staff to be a little inferior but tonight's (Saturday) seating service was TERRIBLE.”
  14. “Some of my friends were going to clash the waitress, I could stop them with big difficulty.”
  15. “The service was friendly albeit a bit slow (took a long time to get waited on even though we were there for a late lunch with no crowd).”
  16. “Great atmosphere, great sushi, nice service.”
  17. “Our service was impeccable.”
  18. “The food and the ambiance were great, but the best part was my waitress, Saori.”
  19. “But the service was just, literally, HORRIBLE.”
  20. “They were really going to create problems by shouting at the stupid waitress (an of course actually they would be right for that).”
  21. “The service is always slow.”
  22. “don't kow what some of these people are going on about with their 2 ratings, but the food we had a few weeks ago was great.”
  23. “Everything from the greeting, to the service to the presentation of the food was absolutely incredible.”
  24. “The service is extremely slow and the waitress can be arrogant.”
  25. “However, I have never had horrible service.”
  26. “Nice Ambiance, Good service - - not so great food.”
  27. “The atmosphere is really nice, and our waiter was one of the best i've ever had.”
  28. “The waitstaff and hostesses are super friendly and very attentive to all your needs.”
  29. “The location is nice, the restaurant decor is stylish but without pretention, the service is prompt and pleasant, but above all, the food is really top notch.”
  30. “Good food, polite but not over attentive wait staff, nice atmosphere.”
value
76.1899995803833% positive
  1. “recommend this place for almost any occasion, but due to very reasonable prices, it worth visiting anytime.”
  2. “also felt the prices were completely reasonable.”
  3. “this place is one of the hidden treasures of rice village with there great prices and always delicious food.”
  4. “think this place is overpriced.”
  5. “love this place, the fish is freash, the price is great!”
  6. “Great food and good price”
  7. “With such an expensive menu, you would think that the service would be somewhat decent, but that was untrue.”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “The service is extremely slow and the waitress can be arrogant.”
  2. “The service was friendly albeit a bit slow (took a long time to get waited on even though we were there for a late lunch with no crowd).”
  3. “The service is always slow.”
  4. “Service can be a bit slow when they are full but it's tolerable.”
  5. “Great quick lunch bento boxes, and sumptuous leisurely dinners.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/25/11

Very Disappointed

by Am64

Will never go back. The place seemed okay when I walked in for lunch (although there was hardly anyone there). When tried to order 2 plates of sake nigiri (salmon) and maguro nigiri (tuna), the waitress stopped me and told me there was a special tuna (toro) and suggested I get it. I accepted. It was two pieces of tuna. When saw the bill it was $16.00 for the toro. It wasn't so much the price that made me angry - I was thoroughly disappointed at the way they tricked me into ordering a sorely overpriced item. My experience with sushi: I lived in Japan for 2 years.

Mediocre food quality, disappointing business practice. I'll never go back to a Kubo's again.

1 Star Rating: Poor

02/01/11

If you like HEB quality sashimi - this place is for you. ICK

by GlobalFoodie85

I have officially found the WORST Japanese/sushi restaurant in Houston. This restaurant was recommended to me for the ramen…which was just so so. In addition to the below par ramen (thin broth, 2 sad slices of pork, half an egg), we ordered the Omakase (chef’s choice sashimi) for $38. Trust me [who has been to Japan multiple times and half of the sushi restaurants in Houston], this was PATHETIC, FOUL, smelly fish. For $38, we got about 10 pieces of ordinary seafood (tuna, yellow fin, salmon, shrimp,…). My poor friend who ate each piece whole was not able to spit it all out in time to send it all back. I however, sent back half of our things because they tasted really bad. I told our waiter that everything tasted funky and the manager came over and tried to convince us of its freshness. He could have talked till he was blue in the face but it wasn’t going to save the meal because the sashimi was NASTY, CHUNKY, and CHEWEY! After the manager came over twice and AGGRESSIVELY tried to offer us more disgusting fish to replace the disgusting fish we sent back, we asked for our bill and they only took off 20%.

Horrified that they didn’t try to make up for the failed meal with a dessert or a bigger discount LIKE EVERY DECENT RESTAURANT IN HOUSTON (although I have only once sent something back at a sushi restaurant for being served the wrong dish and they made up for it beyond expectations – yea Raku!!!), I asked our sweet waitress to see if the manager would reconsider the insulting $7 discount. He then came over and debated with me over how much fish we consumed. At that point, I didn’t want to explain that my friend didn’t feel comfortable spitting it in her napkin and that I ate half pieces of half of what we were served.

Bottom line: This was a huge waste of our time, money, and patience. There are too many great sushi restaurants in Houston to deal with bad management and off fish. Don’t do this to yourself and/or loved ones.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/27/10

Gotta Love Their Sushi

by RobertKillough54

Great food. Great people. Great atmosphere. What more can I say?

Went during happy hour so it was a little packed but overall it was a great experience. Will be going this weekend with the family, I just hope the kids will like it.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/27/10

Houston's Best Sushi!!

by angiefar

Had dinner at Kubo's today and WOW!! Their sushi was TO DIE FOR!!! Excellent, fresh, great atmosphere! On top of all of this they have happy hour from 4-7pm. Can't wait to go back! You MUST experience this for yourself.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/18/09

cool place for sushi

by JamieC1

only been there once but would go there again. i think everyone likes sushi king but i feel sushi king is overrated kubo's is the best in houston that I've been to

  • Pros: best place in houston for sushi
  • Cons: no cons

The Details on Kubo's Sushi Bar & Grill

Place Categories:

  • good traditional sushi
  • great japanese food
  • nice customer service
  • horrible seating service
  • great date place
  • great prices
  • nice atmosphere
  • good taste
  • bad fish
  • great sushi quality
  • never bad sushi experience
  • great happy hour
  • great shrimp tempura rolls
  • particularly fresh sashimi
  • good drink specials
  • very attentive waitstaff
  • mediocre sushi
  • very attentive hostesses
  • love kubo
  • expensive menu
  • loosely wrapped specialty rolls
  • good sushi places
  • not recommend restaurant
  • great japanese restaurant
  • cool wait staff
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