Azumi — Restaurant in Houston

I made a lunch reservation at Azumi almost three weeks in advance for Thursday, October 2nd. A few days before, I received a cancellation notice not by me, but from the restaurant. When I called to ask what happened, the manager told me my reservation had been canceled because they host a “Thursday Happy Hour” starting at 3 p.m., and sometimes people book lunch and stay through the afternoon.

That explanation was ridiculous. My reservation was squarely during lunch hours, well before happy hour even begins. I made it clear to her that I wasn’t coming for $2 drinks or social media hype I don’t care about the restaurant being “trendy.” I was coming for lunch, on my own, for my own personal purposes. But instead of listening, she doubled down with an attitude that felt completely dismissive and condescending.

She explained that because my reservation was for one person at the bar, they went ahead and canceled it. Excuse me? That’s not hospitality — that’s discrimination against solo diners. I dine alone frequently and often sit at the bar with my laptop when I have downtime between meetings or before my social events. Her tone made it clear she assumed my reservation wasn’t “worth keeping,” and that was honestly the most insulting part.

I was told the general manager would reach out the following Monday (October 6th). It never happened. After multiple calls and emails, they reinstated my reservation, but by then, I wanted nothing to do with the place. I ended up canceling it myself — not because I couldn’t go, but because I refused to give my money to a business that treats people like that.

What’s even more frustrating is that I usually stop next door at Le Colonial to pass time in the area, and this time, I decided to finally try Azumi instead. That decision was a mistake. Between the poor communication, the judgmental attitude, and the dismissive reasoning, I’ve never dealt with such unprofessionalism from a restaurant that supposedly prides itself on fine dining.

There are plenty of establishments that actually value every guest, not just groups or people chasing viral happy hours. Azumi clearly doesn’t understand what real...

My partner and I wanted to try this new restaurant. The overall experience we had exceeded our expectations. Azumi provided us with an unforgettable culinary experience, and it certainly delivers. From the moment you step in through the doors, you're greeted by an ambiance that seamlessly blends elegance with comfort. The soft Japanese inspire lighting and tasteful decor create an inviting atmosphere. Let's talk about the food – it's nothing short of amazing. What made our experience about the food was the way our extraordinary waitress, Jordyn, described it to us. Azumi provides the opportunity for the waiter and chef to design your dinner for you if you desire. And I tell you, take the risk because you won't regret it. The service began with Jordyn asking the basic questions of what food tastes we have, what we love, what we hate, and food allergies. She even asked us how hungry we were so she would know how much food he would bring to our table. Then the culinary festival began. A mix of different flavors, combinations of Japanese and Latin food surprised us dish by dish. I have to highlight that the service was flawless. Jordyn was knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive, ensuring that our glasses were never empty and that each course arrived promptly. The staff seemed genuinely passionate about the food and eager to share their enthusiasm with us, which only added to the overall experience. Our top dishes were: Crispy Rice Avocado, Scallop Tiradito, Brussels Sprout, Miso Black Cod, Kabosu Tart. In conclusion, Azumi is a restaurant I will bring friends and...

Azumi - where to start. I'll preface this review with the fact that we went around 3:15pm, and stayed probably until 5:30. So a shift change etc might have affected our experience. Drinks and food were very slow to arrive - sometimes 20mins to get a drink or a nigiri. PEI Oysters were lackluster with oddly wide variety - from size to shell. While mignonette was good, the pairing of pickled cucumbers was just weird - they would have overwhelmed the oysters. The vegetable tempura overall was good - except for kinoki mushrooms - who got the brilliant idea to take the most delicate mushroom, dip it into batter and deep fry it?? You just tasted oily batter and the only mushroom was the base stalk which was chewy and inedible. The sake nigiri was another miss - you had the thinnest slice of salmon sitting on a huge amount of dry and over seasoned rice - so much so we removed half the rice before eating and it didn't help. The hand roll was not only rice heavy but damp - if you serve hand roll soon after it is made you can bite cleanly into the nori - clearly this was not that - hard to bite into, lotsa over seasoned rice, and little fish. The only hit of the evening was the Branzino - at 29$ it's not cheap - but it's two good sized fillets with crispy skin, delicately placed on ponzu butter sauteed mushrooms and spinach - delicious - should serve with a spoon as it was difficult to pick little mushrooms with chopsticks. Table service was good, manager was attentive, but overall an...