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    Introducing Blue Sushi

    New Heights sushi restaurant reels in sustainable catches and vegan eats

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 15, 2022 | 2:05 pm
    Sushi tastes better on a boat.
    Sushi tastes better on a boat.
    Courtesy of Blue Sushi Sake Grill

    Houston's newest sushi restaurant has debuted in the Heights. Blue Sushi Sake Grill has opened its doors in the M-K-T Heights mixed-use development (600 N Shepherd Dr., Suite 500)

    Part of the Omaha-based Flagship Restaurant Group, Blue Sushi serves an extensive selection of sushi (both nigiri and maki), sashimi, and prepared items that range from grilled items to hot and cold shareable plates. They can be paired with an extensive selection of wine, beer, sake, and cocktails.

    Open for lunch and dinner daily, the restaurant distinguishes itself from other sushi restaurants by participating in the Monterey Bay Aquarium: Seafood Watch program to ensure that all of the fish it serves has been responsibly caught and/or humanely raised. Menus provide sourcing information for all of the seafood items served at the restaurant.

    Those ingredients form the basis of a wide range of seafood-based dishes such as: Coconut Crab Soup with roasted corn, sweet potatoes, yellow curry, coconut milk, cilantro and chili oil; ceviche made with tilapia, white shrimp, lime juice, cucumber, cherry tomato, avocado, cilantro, sweet onion, jalapeño salsa, wonton crisps, togarashi, and chili oil; and nigiri and sashimi dishes such as the “Everything Smoked Salmon” (smoked salmon served on top of cream cheese stuffed rice tempura) and the Madai Chimichurri (red sea bream topped with cucumber, cherry tomato, aji rocoto, olive oil, marcona almonds, maldon sea salt, and chino chimichurri sauce).

    Blue Sushi also offers more than 18 vegan items including maki rolls and a selection of specialty nigiri such as seaweed caviar and Unami BBQ eggplant eel.

    Although Flagship Restaurant Group hails from Nebraska, it does have Houston ties. Co-founders Tony Gentile and Anthony Hitchcock, attended the University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership. Prior to founding Flagship with their business partners, Gentile and Hitchcock opened high-end Houston grocery store Central Market.

    “We are so excited to be part of the Houston community and M-K-T Heights family! We may have Blue Sushi Sake Grill locations in 17 other destinations around the country, but every location is equally special to our company, Flagship Restaurant Group,” CEO Nick Hogan said in a statement. “This opening is going to be especially poignant, as two of our co-owners met in Houston over 20 years ago and we have so much shared history in this city. We are passionate about sustainability and providing an impactful dining experience to our guests, so we are excited to be part of a destination that has the same passion we do for culinary, beverage and responsible sourcing practices.”

    Sushi tastes better on a boat.

    Blue Sushi Sake Grill sushi boat
    Courtesy of Blue Sushi Sake Grill
    Sushi tastes better on a boat.
    news-you-can-eatthe-heightsopenings
    news/restaurants-bars

    the pho will flow

    Growing Houston Vietnamese restaurant hustles into hot Katy neighborhood

    Eric Sandler
    May 13, 2026 | 3:30 pm
    Saigon Hustle Katy Cinco Ranch
    Courtesy of Saigon Hustle
    Saigon Hustle's new Cinco Ranch location is now open.

    A growing Houston Vietnamese restaurant has arrived in Katy. Saigon Hustle is now open in Cinco Ranch.

    Located at 23703 Cinco Ranch Blvd., the Houston area’s third Saigon Hustle began a quiet soft opening this Monday, May 11, and will celebrate its grand opening on Thursday, May 14. Like its siblings in Garden Oaks and Spring Branch, the restaurant will serve its familiar menu of banh mi, egg rolls, spring rolls, and rice dishes, as well as the pho that was added to the menu when Spring Branch opened in October 2024.

    Beverage options include both Vietnamese iced coffee and freshly-brewed jasmine teas.

    The Cinco Ranch location seats approximately 60 people. It also offers curbside pickup and delivery via third-party apps. Co-founder Sandy Nguyen said the restaurant had been looking at Cinco Ranch for awhile.

    “Our guests out here have been asking us to come to them, and it finally felt like the right moment to plant a flag in Katy,” Nguyen said in a statement. “We grew up in Houston, and bringing the food we love to a community we love is everything. This is more than a new address — it's a hometown moment for us.”

    As part of its continued growth, Saigon Hustle recently hired chef Justin Yoakum as its vice president of operations. Yoakum previously served as director of operations for Culinary Khancepts, the Houston restaurant group behind Liberty Kitchen, State Fare, Leo’s River Oaks, and others.

    “Justin has been wonderful,” Nguyen writes in an email. “He's been the leader we have been needing to further the next steps in our expansion. We are excited to have him. He's already proven to be such a great asset to the brand and brings a lot of energy!”

    Originally opened by Nguyen and her business partner Cassie Ghaffar, Saigon Hustle is now backed by Savory Fund, a Utah-based venture capital firm that’s invested in a diverse range of concepts including Austin-based, Detroit-style pizzeria Via 313; breakfast concept Hash Kitchen; and Pincho Burgers & Kebabs, a Miami-based restaurant with locations in Memorial City, Conroe, and Cypress. Savory has committed to helping it grow to as many as 40 units in Texas and the Midwest.

    To celebrate its grand opening, the Katy location will offer a number of promotions and giveaways, including:

    • Free banh mi for the first 100 customers on May 14.
    • A block party with a lion dance beginning at 6:30 on May 14.
    • Free Saigon Hustle for a year sweepstakes: All visitors to the location are eligible to win. See store or website for contest rules.
    • Buy-one-get-one-free Banh Mi: For customers who sign up for the Saigon Hustle Rewards loyalty program
    • Red envelopes: In a nod to the restaurant’s Vietnamese heritage, customers may receive a red envelope containing a discount, giveaway, or prize.

    “We wanted opening week to feel like a block party, not just a ribbon cutting. Free food, music,

    neighbors, and the team that's going to be feeding this community for years to come,” Ghaffar added. “From the lion dance to the red envelopes, every detail of opening week is a love letter to our culture and to Cinco Ranch.”

    Saigon Hustle Cinco Ranch is open daily from 11 am-11 pm.

    Saigon Hustle Katy Cinco Ranch

    Courtesy of Saigon Hustle

    Saigon Hustle's new Cinco Ranch location is now open.

    cinco ranchnews-you-can-eatopeningssaigon hustle
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