Zake Sushi Lounge

I have been going to Zake for years and I used to love it--- great vibe, really good happy hour prices for sushi. then, about a year ago, I notice it went downhill fast. I stood and waited at 2 pm for over 5 minutes to be seated in an empty restaurant. the BUSSER had to seat me, two waiters walked past me and didn't bother to seat me. My waiter was very rude to me, and my sushi was subpar. Pros: parking, location Cons: poor waitstaff, bad drinks, slow food more

1)Had reservations for a party of 15. Got there right at my reservation time and the hostess was stunned that we were there. She then told me we could not sit yet because our waiter doesnt get to work until 6:30..... Even though we had reservations AND there was only one person in the whole entire restaurant. 2) Bartender told us about happy hour, offered us different "shots" he could mix with different soda, juice, etc... 2 for 1. After drinkin it up on happy hour, oh no... not drinks only shots. He completely lied to us. It was not a misunderstanding, but a lie. 3)After we questioned it our table was ready. (Imagine that). Sat down enjoyed each others company... drank water since our happy hour tab was $118.00. 4) We were out at Mezzanine Lounge around the block so we decided to leave our truck. (Best not to drink and drive, right) Car got towed!!!! After inviting 16 friends out to come spend the evening with us, probably spending in excess of $500.00 at this hell hole with NO customers, they tow our car! AWESOME! DO NOT EVER IN YOUR LIFE GO HERE. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AMBIANCE, GOOD SUSHI (AT A HIGH PRICE) GO TO RA SUSHI. THESE PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE IS... OTHERWISE THEY WOULD HAVE MORE THAN 1 CUSTOMER ON A SATURDAY NIGHT!!! Pros: its nice on the inside Cons: terrible service, too expensive, terrible service more

1)Had reservations for a party of 15. Got there right at my reservation time and the hostess was stunned that we were there. She then told me we could not sit yet because our waiter doesnt get to work until 6:30..... Even though we had reservations AND there was only one person in the whole entire restaurant. 2) Bartender told us about happy hour, offered us different ""shots"" he could mix with different soda, juice, etc... 2 for 1. After drinkin it up on happy hour, oh no... not drinks only shots. He completely lied to us. It was not a misunderstanding, but a lie. 3)After we questioned it our table was ready. (Imagine that). Sat down enjoyed each others company... drank water since our happy hour tab was $118.00. 4) We were out at Mezzanine Lounge around the block so we decided to leave our truck. (Best not to drink and drive, right) Car got towed!!!! After inviting 16 friends out to come spend the evening with us, probably spending in excess of $500.00 at this hell hole with NO customers, they tow our car! AWESOME! DO NOT EVER IN YOUR LIFE GO HERE. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AMBIANCE, GOOD SUSHI (AT A HIGH PRICE) GO TO RA SUSHI. THESE PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE IS... OTHERWISE THEY WOULD HAVE MORE THAN 1 CUSTOMER ON A SATURDAY NIGHT!!! Pros: its nice on the inside Cons: terrible service, too expensive, terrible service more

I went to Zake for lunch and specifically ordered from the lunch menu because I only had an hour for lunch. After 45 min no sushi I asked the waitress to check on my order she said it would be 2 minutes, then they only brought out only one of the 2 same orders for sushi. Another 15 minutes the second order came out for my lunch guest, I asked for the manager and asked her what the issue was with the delay it was not like they had to cook our food and there were only about 5 other tables other than us for lunch. She had the audacity to tell me some sushi plates take longer then others, I looked at my plate and there were 6 pieces of sashimi 6 pieces of sushi and I was like "please think about what you said". She apologized and said she will take care of this. I got my $28 lunch bill and saw that she only took off $2.80, wow. Needless to say I will not be coming back, there are way to many good sushi places in Houston to endure that kind of service. Pros: Inside the loop, dj Fri & Sat nights Cons: Horrible service more

I went to Zake for lunch and specifically ordered from the lunch menu because I only had an hour for lunch. After 45 min no sushi I asked the waitress to check on my order she said it would be 2 minutes, then they only brought out only one of the 2 same orders for sushi. Another 15 minutes the second order came out for my lunch guest, I asked for the manager and asked her what the issue was with the delay it was not like they had to cook our food and there were only about 5 other tables other than us for lunch. She had the audacity to tell me some sushi plates take longer then others, I looked at my plate and there were 6 pieces of sashimi 6 pieces of sushi and I was like ""please think about what you said"". She apologized and said she will take care of this. I got my $28 lunch bill and saw that she only took off $2.80, wow. Needless to say I will not be coming back, there are way to many good sushi places in Houston to endure that kind of service. Pros: Inside the loop, dj Fri & Sat nights Cons: Horrible service more

Zake is my new favorite sushi place. I've eaten here a few times but there are other sushi places closer to me so I forget that Zake exists sometimes. My fiancee and I were in the neighborhood looking for a place to eat. I saw Zake and I thought he might like to try a different sushi place to compare with other sushi places we've been to (Uptown Sushi, Ra, and Miyako). Zake isn't has cheap as Miyako's sushi happy hours but I think the quality of the sushi is better. And Zake's atmosphere is much more laid-back but still cool and modern Asian compared to Uptown Sushi's uppity (snobby) ""place to be seen"" atmosphere. Pros: sushi quality & selection, service, ambience Cons: not close enough to where I live more

Zake is my new favorite sushi place. I've eaten here a few times but there are other sushi places closer to me so I forget that Zake exists sometimes. My fiancee and I were in the neighborhood looking for a place to eat. I saw Zake and I thought he might like to try a different sushi place to compare with other sushi places we've been to (Uptown Sushi, Ra, and Miyako). Zake isn't has cheap as Miyako's sushi happy hours but I think the quality of the sushi is better. And Zake's atmosphere is much more laid-back but still cool and modern Asian compared to Uptown Sushi's uppity (snobby) "place to be seen" atmosphere. Anyway, on to the food which is the more important part of a dining experience. The sushi was very fresh and nice portions of fish. The fresh salmon sushi melted in the mouth. We tried the Sky Diver roll which had soft-shelled crab and eel drizzled with a creamy spicy sauce and it was delicious. We also had the Sea Dragon roll which had lobster, shrimp, and avocado also drizzled with a creamy spicy sauce and it was delicious too although not as memorable as the Sky Diver roll. Our waiter (John I think) was awesome. He was very attentive and I could tell he genuinely cared that we were happy with our dining experience, always looking over to see if we needed anything and checking in with us to make sure everything was good. He made us a special sauce to dip our sushi in, made from ponzu sauce mixed with sriracha sauce. After we tasted it with our sushi, it was so yummy and tangy that the poor soy sauce got ignored. We finished all our sushi and left feeling very satisfied. I haven't had a bad experience at Zake so far but this last time has converted me to a Zake fan! Pros: sushi quality & selection, service, ambience Cons: not close enough to where I live more

Two items in particular bumped what would have been a sold 4-4.5 rating down below 4 for me. See below. Rolls: Spicy Tuna Roll: Usually one of my favories on any menu, this was disappointing. It was surprisingly bland with little if any detectable spice. Crispy Shrimp Roll: Excellent, possibly the best thing on the menu California Roll: Standard california roll, but exceptionally delicious. I had this both days and it was consistant on both visits. Sushi: Tuna (Ahi): Very good, and I usually dont care for Ahi. Exceptionally fresh tasting. salman (Sake): Very good. Exceptionally fresh tasting. Clams: Average, nothing to brag about but not bad either. Octapus (Tako): Average to above average. Saltwater Eel (Anago): A bit fisy. Average to below average. Freshwater Eel (Unagi): Pretty darn good. I had 6 pieces across 2 visits. Shrimp (Ebi): A bit bland, but honestly what do you expect from Ebi? Squid (Ika): very flavorful topping, perhaps garlic? Very good and i normally dont care for Ika. Oddly, the sushi did not have a dab of wasabi between the rice and fish as most sushi does. That was a bit of a surprise, but I just added the desired amount of wasabi myself. Miso soup: I've had better but this was pretty good. I would give it a try. Could have used more miso for my taste but certainly tasty. Salad: This salad came with the soup on the lunch menu. It was pretty much a disaster. It was standard iceberg lettuce in overly large chunks with what must have been a mistake for dressing. It was an odd sweet / vinegar dressing with chunks in it. I'm used to standard Japanese dressings and salads and generally them. This was not your standard fair. I actually declined the salad all-together the 2nd visit. They need to re-think this. Pricing: Average to slightly below average compared to surrounding resturants. Lunch specials with very good portions from $12 including soup and salad. Pros: Great Crunchy Shrimp Roll & California Roll, Fast service for me. Cons: Horrible salad and bland Spicy Tuna Roll more

Two items in particular bumped what would have been a sold 4-4.5 rating down below 4 for me. See below. Pros: Great Crunchy Shrimp Roll & California Roll, Fast service for me. Cons: Horrible salad and bland Spicy Tuna Roll more

The food is decent, but overpriced and the customer service is just awful. Consistently awful, I'm not talking just once or twice. Who are they hiring? Pros: Decent sushi. Close to downtown offices. Cons: What;s that smell, and how long until I get my check???? more

The food is decent, but overpriced and the customer service is just awful. Consistently awful, I'm not talking just once or twice. Who are they hiring? Pros: Decent sushi. Close to downtown offices. Cons: What;s that smell, and how long until I get my check???? more

They're better at their rolls and non-sushi foods, all of which were fantastic when we visited. The actual sushi was dry with dried-out rice, and looked like it had been prepared way ahead of time. The cooked hibachi chicken is fantastic, though; so are their soups and their (cooked) sushi rolls. Pros: good cooked foods, nice ambiance Cons: sushi was merely average more

They're better at their rolls and non-sushi foods, all of which were fantastic when we visited. The actual sushi was dry with dried-out rice, and looked like it had been prepared way ahead of time. The cooked hibachi chicken is fantastic, though; so are their soups and their (cooked) sushi rolls. Pros: good cooked foods, nice ambiance Cons: sushi was merely average more

I have been Zake about 6 times, I love this place so much!!!!!!!! Pros: Creative menu, the freshest ingredients, valueable prices, Great social spot, friendly more

I have been Zake about 6 times, I love this place so much!!!!!!!! Their service and food is getting better then what I though. It is a place where you can get traditional sushi along with innovative and creative sushi dishes. Now, they have lunch award stamps for all lunch customers. If you have 6 stamps, you will get one free lunch special. It is sweet!!!!!!!!!!!! I will keep coming back to Zake not only for that but also my servers and managers are friendly and awesome! Pros: Creative menu, the freshest ingredients, valueable prices, Great social spot, friendly more

had been there dozens of times with my friends, either after work or weekend to chill out. they really have great atomsphere and awsome drinks. loving the services and food there, but of course on weekend would take a little time to get the sushi we cant wait for, thats only becuz they are always packed on fridays and saturdays. i guess all of these people go there becuz it's a great place to be. the music used to be loud on fridays but now had been tuned down a lot. makes the place even better. definitely will bring more friends to visit Pros: atomsphere, drinks, food more

had been there dozens of times with my friends, either after work or weekend to chill out. they really have great atomsphere and awsome drinks. loving the services and food there, but of course on weekend would take a little time to get the sushi we cant wait for, thats only becuz they are always packed on fridays and saturdays. i guess all of these people go there becuz it's a great place to be. the music used to be loud on fridays but now had been tuned down a lot. makes the place even better. definitely will bring more friends to visit Pros: atomsphere, drinks, food more

The few times that I visited Zake, I sat at the bar and had food and drinks with a few friends. We received our first round of drinks..no problem. There were 3 bartenders working, and we sat there for literally 20 mins trying to get them to bring us another drink because all of our glasses had been empty for some time. Finally I got angry and shouted out at the little asain flamming you know what, and he looked at me as if I was being an annoyance and ingored me. Another customer was standing behind my chair trying to get a drink as well and we just sat there in amazement how crappy thier service was for such a beautiful establishment, had a whole 10 min conversation. Great location, Great DJ's, whoever owns it needs to find new management desperately. Pros: Atmosphere, Music (Fridays) Cons: The staff, management, service, etc. more

The few times that I visited Zake, I sat at the bar and had food and drinks with a few friends. We received our first round of drinks..no problem. There were 3 bartenders working, and we sat there for literally 20 mins trying to get them to bring us another drink because all of our glasses had been empty for some time. Finally I got angry and shouted out at the little asain flamming you know what, and he looked at me as if I was being an annoyance and ingored me. Another customer was standing behind my chair trying to get a drink as well and we just sat there in amazement how crappy thier service was for such a beautiful establishment, had a whole 10 min conversation. Great location, Great DJ's, whoever owns it needs to find new management desperately. Pros: Atmosphere, Music (Fridays) Cons: The staff, management, service, etc. more

OK- Here is the Deal. This is good sushi with some kind of techno-japanese atmosphere. The drinks are tasty, but sometimes it seems like the music is stuck on the same three chords. Be careful not to drink too much because the repetitve boinging sounds will give you a head ache. If you want to feel like a bouncing ball, its a great place. The happy hour menu has a lot of cooked food on it, which can be nice for a change. It's ok to check out, but don't tell them Big Tex sent you ( Gotta keep my rep!) Pros: Good Service, Good Consistency, A little romantic Cons: Boingy techno music - techo is ok, but don't get too boingy more