hide and seek sushi

New sushi restaurant by Hidden Omakase opens in Rice Village with affordable, 30-minute meals

A new restaurant looks to expand the reputation of one of Houston’s most exclusive sushi restaurants. Sushi by Hidden opens this Monday, December 5 in Rice Village.

As its name implies, Sushi by Hidden is a new concept from Hidden Omakase owners Tuan and Thy Tran. The biggest differences between the two restaurants will be the speed and price of the meal offered. Where Hidden Omakase serves about 15 courses over the course of a couple hours for $175, Sushi by Hidden will offer 12 courses, usually individual pieces of nigiri, in a tidy 30 minutes at a less expensive price point of $60 per person.

Dishes could include Akami (lean bluefin tuna) with chili garlic and Fuji apple, Engawa (flounder fin) with finger lime and marinated ikura (salmon roe), or dry-aged fish. Customers will also have the opportunity to purchase upgrades and supplements that can still be served within the 30 minute time frame.

The restaurant will be led by chef Jimmy Kieu, who has been working alongside Hidden Omakase chef Nikki Vongthong. He and his team will guide diners through the experience and serve each piece individually.

Located in the former Cloud 10 Creamery/The Loop space (5216 Morningside Dr.), Sushi by Hidden will seat 10 guests at a time in an intimate, 1,200-square foot space. The owners worked with Blue Kite Building Group and interior designer Rodrigo “Kico” Tovar with rT3 on a space that includes a NFT art gallery.

For now, Sushi by Hidden will be BYOB will a $20 corkage fee for bottles 720-ml and larger. It opens daily for dinner at 5 pm with lunch service to follow in the weeks to come.

Photo by Jenn Duncan

Get 12 pieces of sushi for $60.

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temporarily closed

Car accident damages Michelin-recommended Houston sushi restaurant

Courtesy of Hidden Omakase

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One of Houston’s only Michelin-recommended sushi restaurants will be temporarily closed after a car drove into its dining room. The accident dealt extensive damage to Hidden Omakase, the Galleria-area tasting menu restaurant that serves more than a dozen courses.

Owner Tuan Tran tells CultureMap in an email that the car drove into the restaurant after being involved in a car accident on West Alabama St. Thankfully, no one was in the restaurant at the time, and both of the drivers involved in the accident only sustain minor injuries.

The restaurant posted a video to social media showing the car in the dining room. In the video, Hidden Omakase’s signature facade of Japanese comic books has been obliterated, and the entire seating area has been smashed.

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“At this time, the restaurant has sustained significant damage impacting the plumbing, electrical, and dining areas,” Tran writes in an email “The space will require extensive repairs and city inspections before reopening. A reopening timeline has not yet been determined.”

Plans for the restaurant’s employees are still being finalized. They could work temporarily at one of Tran’s other restaurants in the Hidden Group, which include both Sushi by Hidden, an expedited omakase-style restaurant in Rice Village, and Norigami, a sushi hand roll concept in West University Place. The group will soon open Kori, a sushi restaurant in the Heights.

Open since December 2020, Hidden Omakase is a 14-seat Japanese restaurant that serves two seatings per night. Since 2024, it has been led by executive chef Marcus Juarez.

In 2024, the Michelin Guide awarded it Recommended status, the only sushi restaurant in Houston to earn the prestigious designation. In 2025, the guide added Neo, another omakase concept, but that restaurant remains closed for renovations.

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