Situated among the many dining options within Downtown’s Bravery Chef Hall, Kokoro offers top-grade sushi in a fast-casual and fun environment. Helmed by Uchi veterans Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham, who also operate hand roll bar Handies Douzo, the menu touts fresh sushi and sashimi sourced from around the globe, plus chicken fat rice bowls and creative daily specials that keep Houstonians coming back for more.

This Austin import has found its place in Montrose, offering high-quality fish and standout dishes like the Instagram-worthy salmon over fire, 72-hour-marinated grilled Chilean seabass, and uni pasta dusted with truffle salt. Mix it up with the Japan Express, a daily changing menu of imported cuts of sushi and sashimi, or its daily happy hour, which features a five-piece nigiri platter — chef’s choice — for $20.

Koi opened a year ago and has become the go-to spot for Montrose residents looking for a solid sushi experience. The space is elegant yet inviting and sets the stage for a modern approach to traditional Japanese cuisine. The $60 Toyosu Sashimi Platter, a chef-curated selection of fish imported directly from Japan, is a worthy investment. Regulars also gravitate to the signature hand rolls, which are served in a plastic wrap that diners remove just before eating to experience the roll at its optimal freshness. Finish with arguably one of the best Carajillos in the city.

Uchi serves up neatly presented small plates and sushi that are packed with layers of honest flavor. Imaginative dishes abound, like the oak-grilled walu walu with candied citrus and ponzu or its big-eye tuna paired with watermelon and fish sauce. Vegetarian dishes are given just as much thought, with rolls filled with tempura avocado, sun-dried tomato, or Japanese eggplant and nori. If looking to take the thought out of the experience, opt for Uchi’s 15-seat omakase experience, Oheya, which is tucked in the back of the restaurant. If both are booked, consider visiting its sister restaurant, Uchiko, in Houston’s Post Oak Place, which serves a mixture of sushi and innovative dishes using smoke.

At Hando, saddle up to the counter and get your fill of hand rolls, small tapas-style appetizers, and robata. Sets are the way to go, offering three, four, or five different selections that include the spicy tuna hand roll — one of its simplest dishes that still packs a punch of heat. Its daily happy hour offers $7 house cocktails and a handful of $5 plates, including curry croquette and wasabi shumai. Grab a nightcap at the next-door speakeasy, Kanpai. A second larger location has opened in Spring Branch, which offers its own “hidden” bar.

Aka’s vast menu of affordable sushi, sashimi, and soju cocktails is reason enough to pay a visit, but dine on the weekend during the all-day happy hour and score a number of items like the tuna, salmon, and the yellowtail-packed Houston roll at a discount. The simple, clean space offers seating at the sushi counter and bar, in addition to its tables for bigger groups.

Modeled after a Japanese-listening sushi bar, this new River Oaks restaurant dishes out flavorful hand rolls and a curated playlist. Diners get a front-row seat of chefs assembling dishes, including sets of sashimi featuring seasonal fish or bluefin tuna, and an assortment of hand rolls, including a warm, buttery lobster hand roll with a dollop of seaweed hollandaise that some might recognize from its omakase restaurant Neo, and a maitake hand roll slathered in a brown butter emulsion. Pair the rolls with a bottle of sake or an inventive cocktail, including Japanese high balls, and finish with kakigori that’s hand-cranked into your bowl in plain sight. Visit on Sunday nights between 7 p.m. and midnight when the restaurant busts out the red lights and transitions to Bar Kira. The nighttime experience features a special menu of cocktails and bites, including lobster rolls on milk bread, wagyu beef curry, and smoked fish onigiri.

Helmed by chef Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi, Kata Robata is regarded as one of the finest destinations for sushi in the city, which is evident by its constantly packed lunch hours alone. The constantly changing menu spotlights fresh fish flown in from Japan multiple times throughout the week. For a thoroughly curated dining experience, there is the premium omakase meal, which allows guests to experience chef Hori’s hand-picked sushi selections. An unadorned but elegant dining room completes the picture. If you are looking to switch it up, visit its sister restaurant, Katami, which features sushi, a selection of expertly made hot dishes, including the highest quality wagyu beef in different preparations, and refreshing cocktails with the same emphasis on seasonal ingredients. The kakigori, made from ice imported from Japan, is also something special.

From the skilled team at Tobiuo Sushi Bar in Cinco Ranch, Money Cat brings creative sushi and Japanese dishes to Levy Park at Upper Kirby. Along with a full sushi program, the restaurant features whimsical, head-turning plates like the house-made bao imprinted with the Money Cat logo; the chutoro toast built on squid ink milk bread; and the colorful honey vanilla milk buns, served with cultured compound butter, smoked trout roe, and honey.

Don’t be fooled by its muted exterior. Oishii is a favorite among locals for its large and affordable menu of sushi, sashimi, and temaki. For twice the fun, visit during its famed BOGO happy hour when appetizers like agedashi tofu, gyoza, and traditional sushi rolls are buy-one, get-one-free. Procuring a glass (or two) from its beer and sake list rounds out the experience.

Sister to Atlas Restaurant Group’s Loch Bar and Marmo, this new buzzy restaurant in River Oaks is a welcomed addition to the city’s sushi scene. Diners can find an impressive sake selection to complement its menu of sushi rolls, platters of nigiri, the diner-favorite spicy tuna crispy rice, and inventive dishes. Start with the palate-cleansing flounder crudo, which is made with slivers of Hirame flown in straight from Japan, a delicate pear foam, rolls of tart plums, and an ume-truffle sauce. Then, dig into your favorite slices of sashimi before ending with a hot dish like Korean-style fried rice or the fall-of-the-bone short rib inspired by Houston barbecue joint, the Pit Room. The matcha tiramisu, which is layered with passionfruit, is a flavorful ending.

Tucked away in a Galleria office building with a mock entrance mimicking a comic book store, Hidden Omakase showcases nigiri and other innovative dishes with seasonal ingredients prepared by its newest chef Marcos Juarez. The 18-person chef’s counter is an intimate and interactive experience; with just two seatings a night, reservations can be hard to secure but are well worth the effort. When pressed for time, head to Norigami’s sister restaurant Sushi by Hidden in Rice Village. This speedy omakase restaurant delivers a lineup of 12 sushi dishes in 30 minutes for $60 for lunch and $75 for dinner.

With Tokyo-trained chef Yoshi Katsuyama, this Bellaire sushi restaurant is drawing in residents from all over Houston for its delicate assortments of nigiri, sashimi, and maki. Let the chef take you on a journey with Aya’s omakase experience for $159 per person and $85 for beverage pairing. Be sure to check out dishes like the bone marrow dripping in shoyu butter and the Ayaviche, a Japanese-style ceviche. Cap the night off with a sip from the drinks menu, which offers a selection of different sakes and inventive cocktails.

Veteran sushi chef Keeper Lin helms the kitchen at this family-friendly Sugar Land restaurant. The menu is vast, with an array of soups, salads, and dumplings available alongside sushi, sashimi, and hand rolls. No need to rearrange your schedule to make it to its happy hour — at Keeper’s, a happy hour menu listing discounted small plates, sushi rolls, sashimi, and more is offered all day, every day.

Katy residents don’t have to go far to experience high-quality sushi and inventive Japanese and Asian diasporic dishes. The small plates of hot and cold dishes run the gamut, from a 72-hour sous vide short rib to the sweet and spicy Chilly Chu, an assembly of medium fatty bluefin tuna, lemongrass shoyu, golden beets with Thai chili, and mango. The nine-course tasting menu for $120 features a variety of dishes that demonstrate the best of what Tobiuo has to offer.