The wait for Nobu has almost come to an end. The global sushi powerhouse announced that it will begin accepting reservations at 10 am on Tuesday, May 22, for dinner service beginning June 1.
That’s right. The almost two-year wait for Nobu ends in less than two weeks.
Updated renderings give future patrons some idea of what they can expect from the 280-seat, 10,000-square-foot space in Galleria VI. Building materials include Japanese-inspired fabrics, Italian flooring and “floating white oak beams,” according to a press release.
The second-story restaurant will be accessible by a private elevator or staircase. Floor-to-ceiling windows should provide lots of light, and a number of private dining rooms should provide plenty of space for celebrations and corporate events. Those seeking a more intimate experience may consider the 12-seat sushi bar.
All of that design provides the setting for the restaurant’s intricate culinary creations. In addition to Nobu classics like black cod with miso and yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno, the Houston location will also feature some unique dishes such as the Sakura Smoking Pot. The dish features Japanese A5 wagyu beef that's grilled and then placed in a clay dome with burning cherry blossom wood that flavors the meat. Global sourcing means that executive chef Carl Murray and executive sushi chef Eiji Saito expect to utilize spiny lobsters, live softshell crabs, and Santa Barbara spot prawns in off-the-menu specials.
Houston has several high-quality sushi options, but Nobu’s global cachet gives it an elevated status. As chef and TV host Andrew Zimmern explained to the Eater Upsell podcast in 2016, Nobu achieves a level of quality and consistency that’s almost unheard of for a restaurant with over 30 locations around the world.
I happen to be a big fan of the food in those restaurants. Very reliable. And when I’m traveling, if you’ve just crawled out of a jungle and eaten nothing but green plantains and fried wild bushmeat for eight or nine days and you’re flying through London on an overnight, you rush to get Chinese food or Japanese food, which is what your body craves, what you haven’t had for a long time. And so I’ve had the opportunity, over the course of a two-week period, once, I ate at Nobu in Hawaii, because a friend of mine wanted to go there for their birthday, Nobu in London, Nobu in New York, and Nobu in L.A. In a two-week period, completely not of my own planning, but it just worked out that way. And I ordered some different things, but some same things everywhere there, and they’re exactly the same.
Nobu's arrival is only the latest step in The Galleria's transformation into a dining destination. Over the last year, the additions of elevated dim sum restaurant Yauatcha and Mediterranean-inspired Fig & Olive have given the mall two globally-renown culinary brands. Later this year, they'll be joined by Blanco Tacos & Tequila, a Mexican concept from North Italian owner Fox Restaurant Concepts, and Musaafer by The Spice Route Company, a potentially game-changing Indian restaurant.
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Nobu Houston, 5115 Westheimer Rd.; Open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 6 pm to 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday from 6 pm to 11 pm. Bar and lounge opens at 5 pm every day. For reservations, call 832-987-2599 or visit the website.
Bar area.
