Genji — Restaurant in Houston

Genji has been here in Houston for the longest time and it used to be further down on Westheimer towards Galleria area. But from what I know is that the owner of that lot wanted to demolish the area (which is now a bank with drive thru) and kicked all the tenants out. I think it was a very good move for Genji as this square is known for the Japanese supermarket and it's good to see another Japanese establishment in this square again.

First, this location is much bigger than the original location, and the higher ceiling helps too as it feels much more roomier. The bar area is also much bigger and there's definitely more tables, seats, and private rooms for people to use. As always, the staff responsiveness depends on how busy the place is. Normally every weekend is very, very busy. There has been weekends I've been to where the place is not packed at all.

A lot of times my friends and I would get the private room because all you need to do is order enough monetary value of food and drink, you don't have the pay the room rental fee. When you have a group of good friends who does sake bomb and have late night food, it is definitely worth it. The food menu hasn't change and it's definitely worth the price. Especially this is the place where you can get your late night craving of omu-rice, egg omelette covered over Japanese style fried rice. Then of course, if you crave sushi, they do have good amount of rolls and nigiri.

Other food I would highly recommend is the beef tongue, sushi, and pretty much everything is good when it's late at night and good price for it. For one, this location is much closer to where I live which is a good thing for me, and it's much bigger and less ghetto feel like the previous location is also a plus. I can definitely come here every weekend but your throat can only sing so much before...

Used to visit this spot regularly in the past, years ago. It used to be popping. Ever since then I couldn’t forget the taste of nice salty guytan with beer. Last a few visits, guytan was bland, no salt, barely any taste. Asked the waitress to add some salt on guytan while it’s cooking, but the waitress kept arguing with me and not even considering how I want my guytan yo be done. I then asked if I could talk to the chef, she goes and talks to Genji (owner) who told me if I don’t want guytan to be made the way it is, I can go to another restaurant. I decided to s^ck it up and stayed, I had 2 plates of guytan, no salt at all, they provided me salt on a side but taste of guytan was ruined after adding salt on guytan afterwards. I ordered ramen, noodles were overcooked but the broth tasted amazing, waitresses don’t know how to put salt on a side of a cup, I had to do it myself, they have no lime juice, I had to squeeze it myself. My order of guytan was initially taken to another table, it sat there for a while and it was touched by customers sitting next to me, when they said that they never ordered guytan, the waitress took it to the kitchen, looped around and came to my table and served it to me!!! 8:30pm. I only had 1 napkin while I was squeezing limes into my cup for my beer, I had to wait to get their attention to get some service, while they all sat and watched baseball on TV!!! There was one waitress who was actually took a good care of me. Her name is Akane. She did a great job! The 2 other ladies and Genji himself was extremely rude, they avoided even looking at me and it wasn’t fair because I was nice, I was polite and quiet the...

Texas-sized Izakaya Culture at its most authentic. My love for this place is something I talk about years later. Prices, Food, Drinks, and Cheesecake Ice Cream are Chef's Kiss!

The luckiest night of my life was the night I found this place. The concept of restaurants for me is a giant kitchen, much like the one in your home, that I get to share with strangers. More contemporary restaurants feel hollow and temporary, but Genji feels like I walked into a friend's home kitchen. When I first walked in I was overcome with the smell of sushi preparation, you know it's about to be the best sushi you've ever had when this happens. When I opened the menu up the prices sealed the deal for me. Favorite Drinks: Tokyo Tea, and Cold Asahi XL to share. All of the appetizers are delicious and authentic to Izakaya culture. The dons are cozy and filling. Omurice perfect. Chicken and pork, perfect. Sushi, perfect. Grilled fishes, perfect. Udon, noodles, and broths, perfect. Vegetarian options, perfect. Try everything on the menu once. The atmosphere is amazing once karaoke starts, the staff brings the mic to you after you fill out your request, and there are private rooms for rent if public karaoke isn't your thing. Everyone there is always in a good mood. You can purchase a bottle of liquor and reserve it for the next time you visit. It feels like home away home. If you aren't up for a public visit the take-out is phenomenal. My mouth is watering from writing this review. My love for Genji runs deep, and I'm sure all who have the opportunity to...