Sushi and Japanese food in Bellaire

Inside the city

Aya Sushi, at 5407 Bellaire Blvd., Suite A, describes itself as a sushi and omakase restaurant, with a la carte dining as well. Its site mentions a salmon belly nigiri with yuzu kosho and a fried ebi shrimp dish, and says it runs a cocktail program and keeps one of the largest sake lists in America, which is the restaurant's own claim. Aya posts its hours as closed Mondays, dinner only from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and on Sunday, and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. plus dinner until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Samurai Japanese Steak & Sushi, at 5317 Bissonnet St., is the other one, a Japanese steakhouse with hibachi-style entertainment and, in its own words, fresh sushi. Its website gives no dish names, so call or look at a current menu before you promise anyone a particular dish. The restaurant's listing shows lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with later hours on weekends.

Just past the line

Hibachi King Houston, at 5427 Bissonnet St., carries a Houston address but sits about a mile from City Hall. It is listed as a Japanese restaurant, and we could not read its website, so the category and the hours are all we have. The listing shows 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. most days, later on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Yoshi Sushi & Ramen, at 4050 Bellaire Blvd., is a sushi bar and ramen house. Its website talks about fresh nigiri, signature rolls with names such as Houston, Texas, Cowboy and Dinosaur, and ramen from the kitchen, along with teriyaki bento boxes, karaage bowls and rice bowls. The site lists it open daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Akiko Sushi & Bar - Meyerland Plaza, at 728 Meyerland Plaza Mall, is the sushi choice if you are already shopping at Meyerland Plaza. Its website did not load for us, so we describe the category only. The listing shows 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Poke Inn, at 4848 Beechnut St., is the lighter choice. It is listed as a poke restaurant, and its listing shows the same hours every day, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Around Richmond Avenue and the Southwest Freeway

Go a little farther, about two miles, and the choices multiply along Richmond Avenue. Sushi Wabi, at 3953 Richmond Ave., is a sushi restaurant whose listing shows it open from midday to evening every day, closing at 9 p.m. except on Friday and Saturday, when it closes at 10. Yokushi Robata, at 3837 Richmond Ave., is the odd one out here. Its website calls it a Japanese yakitori restaurant serving Tokyo-style skewers, every part of the chicken on bamboo, and its listing shows it closed on Mondays.

A sushi bar that seats you on a slow Tuesday is a different restaurant from the same sushi bar on a Saturday night.

Aburi Sushi, at 3800 Southwest Fwy., Suite 104, specializes in flame-seared sushi, according to its website, which also mentions premium nigiri and sashimi, signature rolls, Japanese-inspired kitchen dishes and an omakase box. Its listing shows lunch and dinner on weekdays, dinner on Saturday, and closed on Sunday.

Nobu Houston, at 5115 Westheimer Rd., is the big-night option. It is listed as a Japanese restaurant, and its listing shows dinner only, from 5 p.m., every day of the week.

What the words mean on the menu

Omakase means you leave the choices to the chef, and it is worth asking whether a restaurant offers it at the bar, at a table or not at all. Hibachi means a flat iron grill, usually at a table, where the cooking is part of the evening. Yakitori is skewered chicken grilled over heat, and poke is a bowl of marinated raw fish over rice. Ramen is a noodle soup, and Yoshi serves it next to the sushi, which helps when one person at the table does not want raw fish at all.

Aya describes itself as a sushi and omakase restaurant with a cocktail program and a large sake list, and Samurai describes itself as a steakhouse with hibachi-style entertainment. Those two descriptions, more than any menu, tell you which one fits the night.

How to choose

A sushi bar that seats you on a slow Tuesday is a different restaurant from the same sushi bar on a Saturday night. If the evening matters, choose by the clock rather than by the name, and call ahead. Aya and Yokushi Robata are closed on Mondays, which makes Monday the night for Samurai or Hibachi King.

For a quick lunch, Yoshi and Poke Inn open at 11 a.m. every day. For a long dinner, Aya and Samurai are the two you can reach without leaving Bellaire.

Before you go

- Aya Sushi is closed on Mondays, and on Tuesdays through Thursdays it serves dinner only, so plan lunch elsewhere. - Samurai Japanese Steak & Sushi gives no dish names on its website, so call ahead if you are planning around a particular dish. - Hibachi King Houston and Yoshi Sushi & Ramen have Houston addresses, not Bellaire ones, even though both are about a mile from City Hall. - Yokushi Robata, at 3837 Richmond Ave., is closed on Mondays according to its listing. - Hours change, so check a restaurant's own site or call before you make the drive.

Sources

- Aya Sushi: https://ayasushi.com - Samurai Japanese Steak & Sushi: https://samuraisteakandsushi.net - Yoshi Sushi & Ramen: https://yoshihouston.com - Aburi Sushi: https://aburihtx.com - Yokushi Robata: https://www.yokushirobata.com - HERE Bellaire places file, open restaurant listings and hours (Hibachi King Houston, Akiko Sushi & Bar - Meyerland Plaza, Poke Inn, Sushi Wabi, Nobu Houston) - U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Bellaire city, Texas: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bellairecitytexas/PST045224

En español

Bellaire tiene dos restaurantes japoneses dentro de la ciudad: Aya Sushi, en 5407 Bellaire Blvd., Suite A, y Samurai Japanese Steak & Sushi, en 5317 Bissonnet St. Aya ofrece sushi y omakase, y según su sitio cierra los lunes. Samurai es un restaurante estilo hibachi con sushi fresco. A menos de tres millas hay más opciones: Yoshi Sushi & Ramen, en 4050 Bellaire Blvd.; Akiko Sushi & Bar, en Meyerland Plaza; Poke Inn, en 4848 Beechnut St.; y, sobre Richmond Avenue, Sushi Wabi y Yokushi Robata, un restaurante de yakitori. Aburi Sushi, en la Southwest Freeway, se especializa en sushi sellado a la llama. Nobu Houston, en 5115 Westheimer Rd., abre solo para la cena. Algunos tienen dirección de Houston aunque queden cerca de Bellaire. Confirme los horarios antes de ir.