Koto japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

My children are ages 8 and 10. This is the only restaurant we can all agree on. The staff knows my kids and are always very friendly to us. The hostess hugs my daughter as soon as she walks in the door. This is the beauty of a small, neighborhood restaurant, a rarity in west Houston. We usually order the Bentos. The sushi is just ok. The chicken terriaki and beef terriaki are cooked to perfection - slightly crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. My daughter compares all miso soups to Koto Miso Soup. My daughter loves the side salad. I love the seaweed salad. The decor has been a nice introduction to Japanese culture for the kids. And they love the Koi Pond! - undoubtadly the source of the smell others have complained about, but we don't notice. We know better than to do on a Friday or Saturday night (we avoid all restaurants on those nights). We usually go during the week and get excellent service. more

First time eating sushi...my friend met me there and knew exactly what to order and it was THE SURPRISE OF MY LIFE!!!!...I loved it....My fav was the Josh W Roll....I was a sceptic before, but now am a lovah of sushi.. Pros: Josh W Roll the best!!!!!!! more

My wife and I are regulars that visit about once a month. Granted the place is not the ""best"" tasting, but still tastes very good, I highly recommend eating here. Although, yes, I agree with the odor that other reviewers are mentioning, to me it's not that bad and it's not always stinky. A meal/dinner for two would average around $30, else where you will expect to pay at least double or more. Staff can be pretty busy at times on Fri/Sat nights and service is sometimes slow, but we can tolerate it since WE KNOW THAT CAN BE COMMON during peak hours. We just have to get their attention that we need something or the bill and they'll promptly get it for us. For apps, we usually get the Age Tofu and Volcano roll. I usually get 5 orders of sake (salmon) sushi, and a spider hand roll. My wife would usually get a large Dragon roll or Yaki Udon. All in all, if you can get past the hit/miss odor and busy staff (on peak hours), you should be able to appreciate the place. By the way, for 5+ years that I've been to this place, their prices have never gone up and taste in food has been consistantly great. Oh, try out the chili ""Sriracha"" on your food, you have to ask for it. It's a staple for Asians. For us, this place is great. For a better experience, go during the work week so it's not too crowded and busy and judge for yourself. Please note: I think they may be closed on Mondays. Pros: very cheap Prices, variety in Sushi and cooked dishes, good tasting food, friendly staff Cons: sometimes smelly and slow service (during peak hours/nites) more

This is by far my favorite restaurant in Houston. When I first moved to Houston 3 years ago, my family had introduced me here, to Kotos Sushi. They say they've been going there for years, and since my first day, I've been going here every time Im in the mood for sushi. I've been to miyako's, Ra, Rice Village, etc. but overall, Kotos taste is not cheap, ""cool"", or sophisticated. It's simply downhome. Even the ambience and atmosphere, along with the waitstaff make me feel more at home. Cant forget to mention, their sushi is far superior to all those ""scene"" sushi spots out there in houston. Love it, my family loves it, my friends love it. Truly ""a diamond in the dust"". Pros: $ Cheap(even the fatty tuna!), Taste of Japan, Great Sushi! Cons: Hidden, Plaza-ish small. more

I live in GA and due to work I travel to Houston about 1 or 2 times a year and the last time I came to KOTO was about nine months ago, when I walked into this place I thought it look different from what I remember so I asked the waitress and she said that a new owner took over this place and did a remodeling and added new varieties to the menu so I decided to try their new sushi called ""Spicy Angel"" and boy, it was delicious so I praised the chef who happens to be the new owner came and greeted me, a very nice, young man named Derek, I was even convincing him to open another KOTO in GA. I truly enjoyed my visit to KOTO, the place looks awesome, the food is heavenly, friendly service and if I live in Houston I would definitely eat here everyday!!! Hopefully someday I can relocate here but as of now I will eat here whenever I am in town... Pros: Everything! Cons: None! more

I am a devoted sushi lover and a friend highly recommended this place to me, and I definitely came to the right place!! This cozy and beautifully decorated Japanese restaurant is not only clean, the atmosphere is great, food is superb, friendly staff and the price is very reasonable!!! I am so addicted to this sushi place that I visit them at least 3 times a week and everybody knows my name :-) I highly recommend this place for anyone who seriously enjoy and appreciate excellent Japanese food. Their house special roll: Josh W roll is sooo delicious that you have to go there and try it yourself and I know you will agree with me! I can go on and on about how great this place is but you should definitely go and try it yourself! Pros: Great ambiance, great food, great value!! more

I have been looking for new places to eat sushi and thought I would try Koto. I wish I hadn't. First of all there is an odor when you walk into the place. The carpeted floors are so dirty it's a crime. Then there was the service. I had to wait forever for my appetizer (Shrimp tempura) and it came after my sushi, but they claimed that the oil wasn't hot..hmmm I got my rock & roll sushi roll BEFORE the tempura and it's made with Shrimp tempura. Now here's the best part...the rice on the roll was cold, sticky and crunchy I just couldn't eat it. The dipping sauce for the tempura was awful. I don't want to know what it was, but it had an almost sour taste that I put aside immediately. Do not waste your time going to this place. That was the worst experience I have ever had and it will take me a while to eat sushi again. Pros: None that I found Cons: Where do I begin, lack of cleanliness, food was awful, bad service. more

Its fresh - its filling. For e..g TWO pieces of Red Snapper - $2 TWO pieces of Maguro (Tuna) - $2.50.. That's a really good price. And decent sized sushi - not the microscopic ones you have to strain to see. Pros: Great value - fresh sushi for a reasonable price Cons: ambience is average - place is small - not good for large parties more

After reading several great reviews I decided to this place out, I was highly disappointed. As soon as I opened the door, a nauseating smell met me at the door. I should have turned around then but decided to give the place a chance. No doubt, the staff was extremely friendly but the food was gross. Pros: Nice friendly staff Cons: horrible food more

HIGHLY Recommended! What a wonderfully intimate setting. We absolutely love this place! The prices are awesome, the service is prompt and courteous, and the sushi is impecably fresh. The tastes of this restaurant are comparable to other fine dining and higher priced japanese restaurants. Pros: EVERYTHING Cons: nothing more

We passed this place one day and decided to give it a try. To our surprise we received a free Koto T-shirt after the meal because that date was its second anniversary. That was nice but possible free T-shirt was not the reason we kept on going back ever since. Excellent sushi and cheap prices were! You'll find excellent sushi in some other restaurants, but I'll bet that you won't find one with comparable menu prices. The place was empty when we first tried on its second anniversary. Now it is packed on Friday nights. more

Have been a regular customer for years Consistancy is hard to find in restaurant. Koto provide a well above average food quailty, fast service, and attentive staff with cheap price. Most of restaurants I went to cannot stand up with the same level with Koto. That is why it keep me coming back again and again... more

I've been going to Koto now for 7 years, they have had the same main waitress and sushi chef this entire time as well, MAYBE EVEN LONGER!!! I introduced my husband to this wonderful place and we go there every week. We love love love that they have inexpensive food. Which means...WE GET TO EAT MORE!!! YAY! The one thing that is bothersome is whether or not they have UNI, or sea urchin if you've never tried it you should...but be forewarned it's not for everybody. lol. oh, and they need more DESSERT!! BRING back the Green tea mochi ice cream!!! Pros: Easy parking, great ambience~they have a coy fish pond in the front, GREAT SUSHI~for cheap Cons: Not enough choices for dessert. WAH! ^_^ more

Koto is pretty cheap, AND the quality of their sushi is good. If you order sashimi, they give you thick cuts which are big for the price you are paying. The rest of their food is average. Sometimes they are understaffed and there is a bit of a wait. Other than that, I would recommend trying this restaurant! Pros: good sushi, cheap pricing Cons: sometimes slow more

The service is freindly, the atmosphere is real, the food is good and the place is clean. They were a little skimpy with the wasabi but I asked for more and they brought me more. The place is nice and place the go, not big and glitzy Pros: Good prices, Freindly, Original Cons: Small, No Coors (Beer) more

We had the worst experience we have ever had at this restaurant. We waited an hour for our food, and all we got was 2 pieces of salmon. After we asked about our food not coming, the waitress said it would be another 20 minutes. We got up to pay for the little that we had received so we could leave, and when we complained, the waitress and sushi chef became extremely rude. They said the service was slow because they had a large dinner party, and told us to stop arguing with them. We are never going back, and I advice others to not go there either. Cons: Long wait, Rude servers, Mediocre food more

Koto offers $1 sushi and $2 rolls depending on selection. I like the atmosphere of the restaurant but there are much better places than this. The wait staff is really nice, especially Seiko. The sushi and sashimi can be a hit or a miss. I can tell it is really fresh one day and the next day it is not. There's also one sushi chef and it seems like he gets overwhelmed very fast when the restaurant gets busy. This place definitely gives a great value but I think I would rather go to a place that gives me fresh sushi every time. more

The food is always good, and it is a great value; however, the service is hit or miss. Pros: good food, inexpensive, quick seating Cons: inconsistant service more

....is what the waitresses need. I've never been treated or ignored in such a way that they do over there at Koto. It's a real shame because the food at the price they sell it for is very good but I will never, EVER go back because of the faces and snide comments those women servers make at you. They will, hopefully, soon figure out that a restaurant in America CANNOT only survive on having good food for cheap. Pros: good food, very inexpensive Cons: SERVICE, WAITRESSES, SERVICE more

I frequent KOTO 2-3 times a week, and I am always impressed with quality and value. I have been a avid sushi eater for about 14 years, and truly believe this is one of the best in Houston. If you have never had sushi or good sushi you may want to try the tex-mex version of Japanese food.........Miyako's. If you want the real stuff, fresh, and at a reasonable price try Koto. If you know what your doing you won't be dissapointed. more