(713) 526-5294

309 Gray St
Houston, TX 77002 29.7523 -95.3772

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Neighborhoods: Midtown, South Central

THEFISHHOUSTON.COM

Hours:

Monday To Wednesday From 11:00 AM To 11:00 PM Thursday To Friday From 11:00 AM To 12:00 AM Saturday From 12:00 PM To 12:00 AM Sunday From 12:00 PM To 11:00 PM

Price:

$$

Last updated 10.19.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Late Night Dining, People Watching, Business Dining, Date Spot, Dine At The Bar, Bar Scene

Cuisine:

Japanese, Asian, Seafood, Sushi

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About Fish

Featured Review

Joshua Hinsdale

Contributor

The Scene – At this hip neighborhood sushi spot, it's mostly hipsters from Midtown lofts and sushi seekers tired of the same downtown haunts. Red lights cast a serene glow on the dark walls, lending a conspiratorial vibe to the intimate tables and booths. Service is casual and chatty. – – The Food – The Fish goes beyond traditional sushi-bar fare with an assortment of cooked and non-fish Asian fusion items. Miso with clams and miso and avocado make for great starters. Katsu mushrooms are served piping-hot with a crispy-fried crust surrounding a shrimp and mushroom…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
The Fish doesn't take reservations, so expect a wait, particularly if you want a coveted window booth.
Save Time:
For faster service, sit at the sushi bar.
What to Drink:
The raspberry hot sake makes for a nice winter warmer.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. The Fish has been a favorite place of mine for its location and great food.
  2. fabulous cocktails and atmosphere.
  3. Great ambiance and most of all excellent sushi!
  4. Atmosphere is the fun part and everything else is as good as any Sushi/Sashimi pad in town.
  5. The atmosphere is also particularly pleasing.
  6. look for good value, good food, and ambience when dining.
  7. The food was great and so was the atmosphere.
  8. This resturant has the best Silver Cod, The best wine and atmosphere, I have been there a few times and love it, everyone should at least vist this resturant at least once.
  9. This is a great date place or a fun place to go with a group of people.
  10. it's a trendy place with pretty contemporary decor.
  11. Great atmosphere but not for a family.
  12. Friendly service coupled with great ambience and food that is out of this world, owners Michael and Danny take you to a new level of uber-greatness with their extraordinary people behind the bars (sushi and regular).
  13. Maybe the romantic lighting is confusing the chef?
  14. Great atmosphere, and very good service.
  15. Red walls give a sultry atmosphere, great place for a date.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. the lobster-cream cheese puff is good as well, but it's pretty rich.
  2. And the banana tempura dessert is heavenly.
  3. Food quality was superb, and we even tried desserts.
drinks
80.0% positive
  1. Their sushi is so so, but their cocktails, atmoshpere, and crowd is always great.
  2. water was not refilled, and drinks were slow.
  3. fabulous cocktails and atmosphere.
  4. Needless to say, we decided not to order any food and just had our one round of drinks before promptly leaving.
  5. This resturant has the best Silver Cod, The best wine and atmosphere, I have been there a few times and love it, everyone should at least vist this resturant at least once.
food quality
75.98999977111816% positive
  1. Needless to say, we decided not to order any food and just had our one round of drinks before promptly leaving.
  2. would recommend this place to sushi-lovers who don't mind a restaurant crammed with beautiful people AND which also serves great-tasting food.
  3. You've got to love a sushi place called simply "The Fish
  4. The sushi is overpriced and sub-par -- just slightly below average on its best night.
  5. have sampled sushi all over the U.S. and Asia, it is my favorite meal!
  6. The wait can be long on weekends and the food sometimes is slow late on friday or saturday night.
  7. My husband and I love sushi, we have been to Japan several times because of his business.
  8. Good sushi, great music and lots of spying!
  9. look for good value, good food, and ambience when dining.
  10. Fine service, bad food
  11. When you go to a Sushi restaurant, you expect good quality Fish, when you go to a HOT Sushi restaurant, You expect supperior quality fish, well I am sorry to say that the TORRO(Fatty Tuna) Sashimi was the worst I have ever had, chewy, and not consistant.
  12. If you want great sushi, skip Fish altogether and head to Osaka just a couple of miles away.
  13. Delectable food and first rate friendly service have got me to become a regular here.
  14. can think of many other places that have great, fresh sushi at the same price or CHEAPER!
  15. am not a sushi person, and I really like this place.
  16. The sashimi was fresh but a little skimpy.
  17. ... The sushi is always fresh and fabulous, while the service sometimes leaves something to be desired.
  18. Their sushi is so so, but their cocktails, atmoshpere, and crowd is always great.
  19. Everyone was very happy with their selections and raved about the food in general.
  20. Great sushi and a cool setting that makes you feel like you're not in Houston.
  21. The food was great and so was the atmosphere.
  22. recently moved to Houston and had heard that this place was a little pricey but man would I pay for this sushi.
  23. but the actual fish is poor quality and the dishes and rolls compromise appetizing tastes for creativity.
  24. the food was terrible and overpriced.
  25. The lush, red glow in the room made me look younger, always a welcome thing, and the rolls and sashimi were fresh and properly made.
  26. the food was mediocre at best, and the waitress treated us with open contempt.
  27. Good sushi place for non-sushi lovers
  28. The staff is friendly and the food is always excellent.
  29. The sushi is fabulous.
  30. The portions are also smaller than any other sushi place that I've been to, and yet this place is by far the most expensive sushi restaurant that I've ever encountered.
  31. love the sushi here.
  32. great, fresh fish!
  33. The wait staff is pretentious and unhelpful, the food is very average and the prices are outrageous.
  34. The food is decent, though nothing exceptional.
  35. Blowfish is a great place to people watch and have exceptional sushi.
  36. With so many sushi places around town there is no reason to pay for overpriced food and poor service.
  37. love their sushi, but the service terrible.
  38. Friendly service coupled with great ambience and food that is out of this world, owners Michael and Danny take you to a new level of uber-greatness with their extraordinary people behind the bars (sushi and regular).
  39. The rolls are all big on fish, and don't fill you up with too much rice.
  40. Great food, extremely horrible service
  41. best sushi
  42. The sushi is ok and rolls were creative.
  43. Great ambiance and most of all excellent sushi!
  44. The Fish has been a favorite place of mine for its location and great food.
  45. Their rolls are really creative and the sushi is great quality.
  46. could eat sushi pretty much anywhere, it's my absolute favorite food.
  47. would definitely recommend Osaka over The Fish as far as service, value for money and quality of sushi.
  48. Like I said, I have always felt like their sushi wasn't as fresh as it could be.
  49. loved the food and the place!
  50. The speciality sushi rolls are wonderful, once you get them.
  51. have yet to meet a sushi fan that recommends the sushi at The Fish.
  52. My two favs are the fatty tuna and fresh water eal (sashimi).
  53. The waitstaff was very friendly, and my food was served promptly.
  54. To the restaurant: You are a great sushi restaurant, and I would much rather support your business than chain sushi restaurants, but you need to improve your service to keep your clientel loyal.
  55. The fish is very fresh.
  56. The food combinations are interesting but quite tasty and I just love the Asian-inspired decorating.
  57. Houston has lots of great seafood restaurants, this is NOT one of them!
  58. And I can tolerate the mediocre food at Cyclone Anaya's and Farrago, but Fish really pushes my limits.
  59. It was the best sushi I've had so far in Houston.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. service was great, he supplied us with everything we needed and was more than knowledgeable about the menu.
  2. Everyone was very happy with their selections and raved about the food in general.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. Blowfish is a great place to people watch and have exceptional sushi.
  2. This is my favorite Sushi restaurant in Houston.
  3. To the restaurant: You are a great sushi restaurant, and I would much rather support your business than chain sushi restaurants, but you need to improve your service to keep your clientel loyal.
  4. This is a great date place or a fun place to go with a group of people.
  5. good place to go early in the evening before hitting the town and taking a little stroll to the tasting room.
  6. Red walls give a sultry atmosphere, great place for a date.
return potential
25.0% positive
  1. Unfortunately because of the bad service, my boyfriend refuses to come back here.
  2. have been to this restaurant on three separate occassions and have never had a good experience (I don't plant to be back for a fourth).
  3. It is a shame I can't come back here again because the last two times I have been here with my boyfriend we have had horrible service.
  4. loved this place so much that I have been there twice in the past week, and I am planning to go back tomorrow.
service
55.56000232696533% positive
  1. Great atmosphere, and very good service.
  2. The crow seemed to be young and rich which is why this place is great to people watch.
  3. However, I would NOT recommend it, as the service is extremely horrible.
  4. The wait staff is pretentious and unhelpful, the food is very average and the prices are outrageous.
  5. Delectable food and first rate friendly service have got me to become a regular here.
  6. It is interesting to me how they can find such bad service people in such a great city.
  7. To the restaurant: You are a great sushi restaurant, and I would much rather support your business than chain sushi restaurants, but you need to improve your service to keep your clientel loyal.
  8. their weekend special roll was amazing, but don't count on it being there, server said it was just for the weekend.
  9. Blowfish is a great place to people watch and have exceptional sushi.
  10. would recommend this place to sushi-lovers who don't mind a restaurant crammed with beautiful people AND which also serves great-tasting food.
  11. The service is sometimes poor - one time, they served my starter about 15 minutes before my companion's starter arrived, not having the sense to hold mine back till both were ready.
  12. The service is horrendous and the overall attitude of the staff is pretentious and uninviting.
  13. It is a shame I can't come back here again because the last two times I have been here with my boyfriend we have had horrible service.
  14. The waitstaff was very friendly, and my food was served promptly.
  15. Friendly service coupled with great ambience and food that is out of this world, owners Michael and Danny take you to a new level of uber-greatness with their extraordinary people behind the bars (sushi and regular).
  16. Great food, extremely horrible service
  17. The staff is friendly and the food is always excellent.
  18. The service was awful.
  19. The service is downright awful.
  20. had to complain to the manager (something I almost never do) and the manager was even more rude than the servers.
  21. the food was mediocre at best, and the waitress treated us with open contempt.
  22. Fine service, bad food
  23. Please do something about your poor service.
  24. Unfortunately because of the bad service, my boyfriend refuses to come back here.
  25. eat here frequently and have never had bad service, even when it is packed on the weekends.
  26. The service was excellent and discreet and we had a great time!
  27. service was great, he supplied us with everything we needed and was more than knowledgeable about the menu.
  28. This is a great date place or a fun place to go with a group of people.
  29. ... The sushi is always fresh and fabulous, while the service sometimes leaves something to be desired.
  30. The service is a bit slow but who cares when you're out with your friends drinking and talking?
  31. That said, it is great people watching down there!
  32. would definitely recommend Osaka over The Fish as far as service, value for money and quality of sushi.
  33. love their sushi, but the service terrible.
  34. is the way i will call their great service.
  35. With so many sushi places around town there is no reason to pay for overpriced food and poor service.
  36. The service was decent.
value
40.0% positive
  1. the food was terrible and overpriced.
  2. The sushi is overpriced and sub-par -- just slightly below average on its best night.
  3. The portions are also smaller than any other sushi place that I've been to, and yet this place is by far the most expensive sushi restaurant that I've ever encountered.
  4. can think of many other places that have great, fresh sushi at the same price or CHEAPER!
  5. recently moved to Houston and had heard that this place was a little pricey but man would I pay for this sushi.
  6. The wait staff is pretentious and unhelpful, the food is very average and the prices are outrageous.
  7. would definitely recommend Osaka over The Fish as far as service, value for money and quality of sushi.
  8. The lunch portions are huge!
  9. With so many sushi places around town there is no reason to pay for overpriced food and poor service.
  10. look for good value, good food, and ambience when dining.
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. water was not refilled, and drinks were slow.
  2. The service is sometimes poor - one time, they served my starter about 15 minutes before my companion's starter arrived, not having the sense to hold mine back till both were ready.
  3. The wait can be long on weekends and the food sometimes is slow late on friday or saturday night.
  4. The service is a bit slow but who cares when you're out with your friends drinking and talking?
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/03/11

Yummy!

by hamilk01

Went early-ish on a Saturday - before the big dinner crowd. Sushi was really great! My husband especially enjoyed the lickety split roll.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/22/10

Impressed with Sashimi

by meichang

Last night I ordered the sashimi sampler, some sort of roll and chicken udon noodles.

The sashimi sample was served on a bed of ice and the fish was extremely fresh. The sushi was ok, there were 8 small pieces. The soup base of the udon noodle was like soy sauce + water + a little seasoning.

I have to say the sashimi was superb. Hope they keep up the quality.

  • Pros: Fresh fish
  • Cons: Service
1 Star Rating: Poor

08/10/09

Terrible Service, Blah Food

by dqweasd

This place is always packed, I assume because of the location. There is no other reason to eat here. The wait staff is pretentious and unhelpful, the food is very average and the prices are outrageous. There are so many better places to get sushi in town (Aka and Oishi come immediately to mind) that there is really no reason to waste time (you will have to wait for a table most nights) and/or money on this garbage.

  • Pros: Location
  • Cons: Service, Food, Price
1 Star Rating: Poor

11/29/08

Couldn't Believe It!!!

by SamIam4

This is a true story!! I've eaten at Fish several times and was not terribly impressed nor was I terribly disappointed. However, a few days ago a friend of mine took me up there to meet some of her friends for dinner and drinks. We arrived a little late and ordered drinks (her friends had already eaten). We were sitting there chatting when my friend suddenly looks down in horror and pushes away from the table. When I looked down to see what the problem was, I saw a giant R0ACH crawling across the edge of the table in front of her! One of her friends quickly scooped it up in a napkin and took it to show the manager. As if that wasn't bad enough, while he was up showing our new friend to the manager, ANOTHER one ran across the exact same spot on the table and we all stood up. When he returned we asked if he was sure he had the first visitor in the napkin when he left and he assured us he did. So this was definitely a second attempt of invasion by the insect community on our meal. Needless to say, we decided not to order any food and just had our one round of drinks before promptly leaving. I will NOT be dining at this restaurant again!

  • Cons: Apparent insect infestation!
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/30/08

Great drinks...HORRIABLE sushi

by luckyblond

I have sampled sushi all over the U.S. and Asia, it is my favorite meal! The Fish does not do sushi...fabulous cocktails and atmosphere...but the actual fish is poor quality and the dishes and rolls compromise appetizing tastes for creativity. Though even the most simple and traditional menu options tasted off. Was it an off night? I doubt it. I have yet to meet a sushi fan that recommends the sushi at The Fish. Maybe the romantic lighting is confusing the chef?

  • Pros: Fabulous cocktails and ambience
  • Cons: Worse sushi ever

The Details on Fish

Place Categories:

  • bad service
  • great food
  • love fresh sushi
  • great date place
  • not consistant sashimi
  • really creative speciality sushi rolls
  • particularly pleasing atmosphere
  • not as fresh sushi
  • very fresh quality fish
  • definitely recommend food quality
  • favorite sushi restaurant
  • bad overall experience
  • definitely recommend value
  • beautiful people
  • pretentious overall attitude
  • not recommend place
  • pretty rich lobstercream cheese puff
  • great ambience
  • love sushi place
  • always great cocktails
  • great seafood restaurants
  • worst fish
  • even more rude manager
  • huge lunch portions
  • unhelpful wait staff

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