Chi Japanese Cuisine

Overall experience- 2 out of 5 stars. Upon arrival, we stood at the hostess stand for about 3 or 4 minutes, looking around from SOME staff member to come and assist us. Not only was there no one at the hostess stand, there was no one at the bar, no one walking the floor, no one to be found. Finally a very bubbly ""hostess"" emerged from out of the bathroom and gave us seats. Though very friendly, the hostess who turned out to also be the waitress AND bartender seemed quite clueless. I am not sure if they were short staffed that day or are being cheap and not hiring enough staff to take care of their customers, but they were clearly stretching this young lady thin. I would have had pity for her if not for the fact that I saw her standing at the bar texting on her phone for like 5 minutes when we were ready to order. Mind you- she is the ONLY staff besides the man at the sushi bar for the floor, hostess stand and the drink bar. When she finally finished her text messaging, she took our orders. I have no problem with accents but that was an issue in itself, the language barrier between us and the hostess/bartender/waitress. After we order a few happy hour items, she came to take away our menus, which made no sense as happy hour still would last for about another 2 hours. The overall plus of this visit was the appetizers were delicious, cocktails were not bad though somewhat watered down in my opinion. The turn around as we waited for items was not bad at all. We loved the spring rolls and gyoza. It was the SUSHI that turned out to be an ultimate fail. The rice was dry and nearly hard, and the ingredients were not fresh. I could hardly taste it. My friend got the salmon and yellow tail sushi, I got shrimp and avocado. It was useless and I was thankful that it was only 4.50 for the roll. We then waited about a solid 30 minutes before we ever saw the waitress again, and almost walked because we couldn't find a soul to give us the check. When she finally arrived I asked for the check and a refill of water, as she had not touched either water glass the entire visit. She brought back the check and water glass, filled 3/4 of the way from the bottom. We paid out and took a trip to the bathroom, which was poorly maintained. The water pressure was so low, the toilets did not flush, and there was barely any water to wash our hands. This is a major health code violation in my restaurant experience, especially if that is an indication of how their water operates in the kitchen. Suffice it to say, I will not return to this restaurant. more

As you enter, you're in the ""bar"" area. I put that in quotes because the whole restaurant is open, and nothing separates the huge bar (smoking area) from the dining room. Even one or two people smoking makes the entire place smell like old cigarettes. We had decent service, and I was really impressed by both the presentation and the taste and quality of our food. Clearly the chef is well trained. But our whole meal we didn't smell the wonderful food because of the smoke that circulated around the entire place. This is a nice restaurant aside from that. But we left as soon as we were done just to get some fresh air. We would love to come back because the food is really great, but will not because the place smells so foul. more

This was truly a highlight experience!! Having lived in Japan for a year I can honestly say that Chi gets FIVE stars for their food, service, ambiance, quality and just all around ""feel good"" encounter! I had the Houston Roll and Thai Curry and both were superb. The presentation was remarkable and I looked on in awe while sitiing at the Sushi bar while the Sushi Chefs carefully created their masterpieces. My server was attentive, personable and unusually articulate...I will without hesitancy return and sing Chi's accolades to anyone that might question where to go for an awesome overall experience! Thanks! more

I've always pass by Chi Japanese Cuisine on my way to work, and have always wanted to drop in. I finally got the change for NYE with my girlfriend and friends. The food was terrific! This is not your typical sushi restaurant, the ambiance was great. The music was upbeat and the staff really helped ring in the New Years. My favorites were the Kappa Lump Crab and Chilean Sea Bass. I will definitely be back!! more

I travel extensively. Whenever I am in Houston and staying ne'er the woodlands, I make sure that I eat at least one meal here (sometimes 2!!) Great sushi, great food, great staff. A little confusing to get to when using a GPS. This is more an issue with the roads and the traffic flow around here. Very cool atmosphere. I dislike the smoking area in the facility but I quickly walk to the other side of the eatery and get seated for a fantastic specialty roll. YUMMMY You have to try this place.... more

Wow! My dad always taught me that if you wanted to eat in a library..... Go f'''n eat in a library.. It is patrons like yourself that lead to stale and old atmospheres in restaurants.. So next time you consider gracing an establishment with your presence think about this.. 1. The customer, when it comes to ambiance and decorating, is a guest in someones house. You don't go to a dinner party and complain about the lighting. And 2. when people look around in the restaurant, they don't want to see old, grumpy people sipping from soup cups.....Let me guess you are one of those narcassitic customers that when you walk into a place and its too cold.. you ask to turn the heat up.. not giving a damn about the other 50 people in the place that find it perfectly acceptable. as long as its comfortable in your world.. Its people like yourself that tv dinners were created.. and another thing... Chi has been in business for over four years . (average life span of a restaurant is 1 year) .. Whatever they are doing, they are doing it so right.. so they don't need your input.. or the 10 dollars you might spend there.. Believe it or not your business for the next 20 years won't put a dent in their toilet paper bill for the next week.. so thanks for opening up a place for me to sit .. since you won't be back... i like the view.. and for some reason.... I can't hear you complaining anymore... and I can finally hear the music...Ahhhhhh so nice... more

My friend and I have been going to Chi for a few years. We went yesterday and before being seated I asked if the music could be turned down as it was 5:30 p.m. and it sounded very loud, like a disco with techno music. The maître d said that usually the Manager?/Owner? wouldn't allow the lowering of music. I said to ask before he assigned us a table. He said that yes, he agreed to turn it down. We went to the table where the music had not been turned down and asked again to turn it down. This time, the bartender came over and said that he could not turn it down as the loud music was part of the ""theme"" of the bar/restaurant. We were the only ones in the restaurant and thought that this was very unreasonable. We left and said we would never return. more

Been going there for over 3 years and it's def my favorite sushi restaurant. The atmosphere is great, lounge place with great music and bar. Great hang out place!!! The service is good, the fresh sushi is awesome!!! love this place!! more

I took my family to Chi tonight, and we will never go back. The atmosphere is not family friendly. It is more like a night club that served sushi. Immediately as you enter the building you are in the bar area. You have to pass through the cigarette smoke to get to a table, and pass back through it to leave. What a lousy design. While eating we had to listen to trance music. I stopped listening to trance when I quit clubbing 15 years ago. The food was average at best. The fresh sushi I buy at Kroger is better. I was very disappointed. If you want to take your family out for sushi, and be in a class, family atmosphere, do not go to Chi. Pros: Price Cons: Atmosphere more

My husband & I used to eat here 2-3 times each month. I had noticed that the service was always bad (inattentive waiters) but the food was good. However, after this last experience we will not be going back. I bit down on several pieces of uncooked / undercooked rice in my sushi rolls. When I nicely informed our waitress that some of the rice was not cooked she started arguing in a raised voice that that couldn't be true. I replied that I was not wanting my bill to be changed; I simply thought that they should know so that the batch of rice could be thrown out. She continued to argue that I was making it up and that nothing was wrong! I am understanding of inattentive service or even something being wrong with my order but to argue and raise your voice to a customer is unacceptable! Pros: good ambiance & good sushi - sometimes Cons: horrible service more

I run other restaurants, so service is very important to me. We came in around an hour before they closed, we were sat at the sushi bar and was pretty much put on the back burner after that. Drinks took forever, we had to order from the sushi chef. Every time I asked for anything I just got a "" Really?"" look from the waitress. Maybe it was because she was in the middle of closing duties, I don't know, but I probably won't go back unless someone insists that we go there. The food was good though. Place looked fantastic, host was friendly, and was impressed with the menu. Pros: great sushi Cons: terrible service more

Had a great dining experience here over the weekend. I am not much of a sushi expert, so I was pleased to see that their menu had a large variety of sushi with detailed explanation. My friend and I shared the Volcano and Sopranos as appetizers and both were great. I was also pleaed to see they also had filling entrees available instead of just sushi. The teppanyaki is great and my friend loved her sea bass. The ambiance is hip and more like a lounge than a restaurant. There was ""club"" style music playing but it was not loud at all and very easy to hold a conversation. The wait staff is attentive but stays out of your way and is not in your face all the time. This is a place to go to enjoy food and conversation, I wouldn't go there if you are in a hurry. Great apple martinis as well! Pros: Great ambience and food variety Cons: Far away if you're not in The Woodlands more

Food is great and the atmosphere is awesome. This is a really great place to kick back and enjoy an adult beverage. That and Benny dances for you on request! Pros: Benny Cons: When there is no Benny more

I travel a lot and this is my favorite sushi anywhere.\r Cool atmosphere, good prices, especially happy hour 3-6 pm.\r The food is just excellent. Pros: Food, Ambience, Happy Hour both early night and at late night on weekends. Cons: Don't know. more

Ive eaten there twice in the last month and both times the experience was great. \r \r The servers are great, however they can be a bit slow at times. I think it was due to the volume of the restaurant.\r \r The atmosphere is nice, good music, nice decor and very clean!\r \r The house salad is great and its only $2\r The Lychee Martini made and garnished with fresh Lychee was the bomb! The Pineapple Mojitos are great too. The drink menu does not include prices, but they are very reasonably priced and mighty tasty. \r \r The sushi is made with only the freshest ingredients, very nice presentation.\r \r Last time I was there the Coconut Creme Brulee was by far the best Ive had yet. I hyped it all up to my friends then when it arrived it was not torched and not the right temp. I sent it back only for them to torch it again rather than remake it so it tasted like lighter fluid and the internal temp varied from cold, to warm to lukewarm. Needless to say I was very disappointed, after looking foward to having it again and telling my friends about it. \r \r Other than that, it was great. Its reasonable priced and better than most places in this area. Def WAY better and cleaner atmosphere than Tokoyohana more

We ate here recently, after attending the Gipsy Kings concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion. It was one of the few places open very late, and it looked like a fun, inventive restaurant pick. We both loved the food, and the ""Happy Hour"" late night reduced prices on sushi and tempura. We tried the vegetable tempura, which was sumptuous and plentiful. Then I opted for the ""Surf and Turf"" dinner, with filet mignon and lobster tail. It was absolutely delicious, cooked perfectly, and served on a square plate with a design of creative sauce swirls, freshly cooked asparagus and roasted potatoes. My fiancee had a dish called something like ""Beef Teriyaki Kobe"", served with japanese udon noodles, thinly sliced onions, green and red bell peppers, served in a very delicate sauce. She also gave it a thumbs up. But the best part of the dinner for her, was the Bananas Foster desert which she claimed was one of the best, top-two deserts she has had in Houston in the past two years; quite a bold statement, coming from her.\r The service was very attentive, and the waitress also happened to notice I was left-handed, always returning my tea glass to the left side of my plate when she filled my glass. The only thing I would change is the music. So many of the places on the North side of Houston try to be so trendy, by playing hip-hop, nouveau dance music while you eat, with Chi's following suit. It would be so much more relaxing and enjoyable if they would play authentic japanese music, giving the restaurant a more subdued, classy tone. Other than that, I would not change a thing. Great, creative japanese cooking (there is definately a top-notch chef in the kitchen), and very attentive service. Pros: Creative Japanese cuisine, new age Japanese decor Cons: Music too loud more

My favorite place to have sushi. Their prices are awesome, especially for happy hour and lunch. The service is good and the ambiance is incredible. Pros: Portions and presentation Cons: When they are busy the service is ok....just go and don't be in a hurry. more

I went on a Friday night and it was really packed. They have their happy hour late Friday too so that was good. It's really cool on the inside and a good spot to go on a date or with friends. The service was a little slow, but they were busy. We got the sushi off the happy hour menu along with some appetizers and drinks and they were all pretty good. Would definitely go back again and hope to try some stuff on the regular menu. Pros: Cool vibe, great happy hour, cool DJ Cons: Service a little slow more

As a graphic artist, I place a great deal of weight on food presentation in addition to all of the obvious other factors. Chi really surprised me, as I would expect a restaurant like this to only be found downtown. The Woodlands and Spring residents should really take advantage of this restaurant to make sure it stays in business. You really won't find many places that has this good of service, taste, and presentation this far north of downtown Houston. They also have great deals for happy hour, which explains why it tends to get packed. This is a great date restaurant with a classy vibe. My only negative would probably be their prices. Lunch specials aren't bad at around $10 a plate, but regular dinner prices are a bit steep... but you definitely get what you pay for. Great food, fantastic presentation, and a happy hour you don't want to miss! Pros: Food, Service, and Ambiance Cons: Price more

The rolls are great! A favorite is the Shaggy Dog roll, which can be made with white or brown rice.\r \r Also, the Teppanyaki steak is delicious! It came out fresh, served on a steaming skillet, with carmelized onions.\r \r The music creates a really great atmosphere. After 10:30pm on Saturday night, the DJ played club music, which was fun.\r \r This is definitely my favorite restaurant. Pros: Awesome music, delicious food, service Cons: location more