Koi — Restaurant in Houston

With all the flashy bars and restaurants in Montrose beckoning you to come inside, you'll almost miss the minimalist architecture that houses some damn good cocktails and sushi.

Getting There/Parking: Slow down when you know you're approaching, or you'll miss it! The parking lot is very small and holds maybe 4 cars, but there are available spots on the street adjacent to the restaurant.

Vibe/Atmosphere/ Service: Calming, warm, welcoming. We were warmly greeted upon opening the door by the manager and the sushi bar. There were a variety of seating options, including the sushi bar, tables, and booths. Our server was very kind and walked us through the menu, and answered any questions we had. She checked on us intermittently throughout our meal. The sushi chef and manager also stopped by our table to check on our experience. Everyone was very knowledgeable and passionate about the restaurant and what they serve.

Food and Drink: We ordered a sampling of different items off the menu from the different categories:

Hot tasting: Enoki Butter - There's a reason why this dish is offered at so many sushi restaurants, you just can't beat the savory, umami combination of enoki mushrooms drowning in a sauce or broth made of butter, miso, and soy. Koi's rendition was excellent, presented in a way that reminded us of a bowl of comforting noodles and rich, fragrant broth, which we did not waste a single drop of. Taramiso Apple- Miso marinated and grilled black cod nestled in a cored out apple for flavor, fragrance, and super cute and creative presentation. The cod was buttery, flaky and very tender.

Sushi/Handrolls: Handroll Tasting- Our tasting came with 5 handrolls (1)Salmon + Ikura, (2) Negitoro (3) Akami Zuke (4) A5 Wagyu + Foie Gras, and (5) Uni+ Ikura + Caviar. Going from the lighter salmon and ikura to the uni, ikura and caviar (lightest to richest in texture and complexity of flavor), each bite was delicious and I enjoyed this tasting very much. Give this a try and see what your favorites were! I really enjoyed the negitoro and the uni ikura caviar. The protein/filling to rice ratio was excellent; they are quite generous with the protein. The nori was covered in a plastic wrapper so that you could enjoy this tasting at your pace, and each handroll would have that optimal light and crisp bite of the nori, every time.

Sushi Bar Special: Toyosu Sashimi Platter - A beautiful assortment of sashimi made with fish flown straight from Toyosu market in Japan. What a treat! This was very good, a great example of varying textures and flavors from different kinds of fish. Pro tip: eat the shiso leaves and radishes/veggies that come with the sashimi for an extra layer of wonderful texture and flavor

Dessert: Crème Brulee- the delicious combination of Yuzu custard, light coconut cream, and strawberries were the perfect summer dessert to end our meal.

Drinks: Not only does Koi dish out beautiful and delicious food, but their cocktail program is quite excellent; with alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. The Kukumber Refresher mocktail had a combination of lemon, cucumber and kiwi - which I had never seen in similar cocktails before. This added a great note of sweetness to the drink and was, as the name implies, refreshing.

My friend had the house gin and tonic which was also delicious, and I ordered a cocktail that had a combination of strawberry, yuzu and cherry blossom that was very good- creamy, sweet (but not too sweet) and all of the flavors worked very well together.

Overall, Koi is a wonderful restaurant that will become a to-go spot for delicious sushi and cocktails for years to come. They have a great happy hour menu that I'm hoping to try very soon. Put Koi on your list of "to try"...

NEVER COME TO THIS PLACE.

If you’re a fan of poor service, this place will be an unforgettable experience—one of the worst you’ll ever encounter.

Here's the undeniable truth: We came for dinner tonight and ordered some alcoholic drinks. I have a severe allergy to cinnamon, which I noted when making my reservation.

First, the drink menu didn’t list cinnamon as an ingredient. We were told by the server that they switched to a new menu two weeks ago but failed to mention that cinnamon had been added as a garnish. By the time I realized the drink contained cinnamon, I was already experiencing allergic reactions. After double-checking, the server confirmed the presence of cinnamon and called over the manager.

What followed was the most RIDICULOUS explanation I’ve ever heard in my life. The manager said they recently updated their ingredients but hadn’t had time to revise the menu yet. I totally understand that updating the drink menu could be time-consuming and costly and also cinnamon is not a common allergen which is unworthy for this restaurant because in this two weeks nobody died of it.

The manager then said, "It took us a long time to come up with this menu. I will take the drink from you and waive this drink from the bill." I understand the need for you as a manager to defend your team and your reputation, but this was not the time for it. I was already experiencing severe allergic reactions due to your team's negligence and lack of professionalism. Boasting about your team’s menu development process while I’m suffering was insensitive. I respect your effort and sincerely suggest that another occasion would be better for discussing your menu’s brilliance, preferably find someone else who are more receptive to applause.

Finally, the manager apologized, saying, “I apologize for the miscommunication between us.” As a foreigner, I found this offensive. I had clearly noted my allergy in the reservation profile. If the staff doesn’t read these notes, why have the option to include them? Either read and respect what your customers write, or be upfront: “We do not review reservation notes; please inform us in person at the front desk.” That would be the only way for me to accept your apology and perhaps write this review more positively and friendly.

Overall, I didn’t feel that I received a genuine apology. Instead, I felt the issue was dismissed as a minor, forgivable mistake. The blame was subtly shifted onto me due to “miscommunication.” I only regret for choosing you for this Black Friday dinner and late thanks giving gift for giving me this extraordinary SPECIAL and UNIQUE experience to mark my...

In short: creative and imaginative plates make this fairly-priced Montrose joint a great breath of fresh air.

After driving by a few times, I finally stopped in for a weeknight dinner. The menu was lit up with flamboyant offerings, striking a good balance between small plates and sushi.

The small plates were fantastic and unique. There was the “Taramiso Apple” (a marinated black cod served INSIDE an apple), the “Crunchy Tori” (a kind of Japanese-inspired cordon bleu), and elegant yet tasty hand rolls.

The sushi offerings were simple, which complemented the more superfluous small plates well. The Toyosu Platter was well-selected, with delicious Japanese fish that aren’t usually at the forefront of the American palate.

The rolls are also grand and fairly-sized, and it could be argued that one could make a meal out of these diverse rolls themselves.

One peculiarity I did notice however, was that the menu as a whole seemed a bit pretentious. Simply put, having uni + caviar hand rolls, or A5 wagyu beef steaks, simply isn’t necessary and detracts from the rest of the offerings. A certain level of commitment is necessary to stand upon these ultra-luxury ingredients, and it would be better suited for Koi to focus on their strengths (i.e. the small dishes and Japanese-local sushi).

This is a bit nitpicky, but I did notice that the restaurant felt quite segmented. Especially at a place like this, where so much imagination is being put into the composition and presentation of each dish, I would’ve appreciated a bit more connectivity between the diner and the back-of-house.

In all, though, Koi serves fairly-priced cold and hot plates which you won’t find anywhere else. A good spot to try if you’re able to sift through the more money grab-y dishes and/or you have a craving for fresh...