Houston, TXSushi

Chef Manabu Horiuchi's longtime Upper Kirby spot is known for precisely temperature-controlled nigiri and sashimi, served at a busy counter or in sunken booths. It also runs a full izakaya menu alongside the sushi program, so a table can move between raw fish and cooked small plates over one meal.

The Austin import's Montrose location covers a wide range, from a lively happy hour to a full omakase, with nigiri, rolls, and specialty preparations that shift with what is freshest that day. The room stays busy and works for both a casual drop-in and a longer sit-down dinner.

Chef Chris Kinjo's omakase-focused counter runs through 20-plus courses of nigiri over roughly three hours, one of the city's more serious sushi splurges since opening in the Museum District in 2014. The pacing is deliberate and the fish selection changes with what comes in that day.

Chef Manabu Horiuchi's upscale Montrose omakase room serves premium sashimi presented over ice with a crown of flowers, a step further into fine dining than his original Kata Robata. The plating is theatrical and the format leans toward a slow, celebratory dinner rather than a quick counter meal.

A hand roll specialist in The Heights run from a modest house, with a wraparound counter that puts diners close to the chefs. The menu leans into temaki like salmon and crab preparations rather than a traditional nigiri bar, making it a casual, focused stop built around hand rolls.