Zen Japanese Izakaya

Very authentic japanese food, deserves to be seen by more people.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I came back after a few years of break and I regret I didn’t come sooner :)
This bento is delicious with the Japanese style hamburger as the main feature. The eggplant shigiyaki was hot enough but didn’t burn my mouth. You may not think this as a standard Japanese lunch, but it is very much so and I can’t find many restaurants who serves it, and who cooks it well. The Wagyu burger lunch with all the yummy side dishes for $19. That’s awesome!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My favorite sushi place in houston. Japanese owned and run. Amazing menu. Authentic. Fresh. Little gem

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very nice japanese restaurants and the flavor is balanced well and very unique

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Just come back after 6 years, the restaurant still stands and deliver the authentic taste of Japan! Outstanding jobs of the owner.

Not to mention, the price is reasonable.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Found this hidden gen off Shepherds just last Thursday, and today we are back for Mother’s Day lunch. Zen Japanese Izakaya has the best tasting rolls and freshest sashimi in Houston. The Japanese style decos are beautiful, service is excellent.
My husband loves the Otoro. They a little pricy, but so fresh and melt in the mouth.
I ordered sushi lunch special, Salmon & Salmon, Spicy Tuna. All are excellent.
We ordered two bento boxes for our 10 year old kids, they love it. So it’s great that we can bring the kids here even though they are not fun or sushi.
The food was beautifully presented too.
We will be back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Don’t let the outside appearance fool you! Zen Japanese Izakaya resides in an older strip of mostly vacant businesses on Shepard, but it is a diamond in the rough! Authentic Japanese cuisine awaits you inside with excellent service! I recommend you give it a try.

Excellent. Delicious.

[Only bad is you have to pay to park!]

They have a lot of high quality and lesser known fish cuts flown in from Japan. Everything tasted great. Their chawanmushi was prob one of the best I’ve ever had. It’s a cozy small atmosphere and the service was kinda lacking for me, my table didn’t get refills and the next table was getting their food out so fast vs mine, idk if each table is assigned a different staff member or what 🥲

The champong is delish!

Unagi hitsumabushi is delicious, sashimi are fresh, high quality with fair price, highly recommended!

The food was delicious!

I was disappointed with my experience. The food was underwhelming in both taste and quality, especially considering the high prices. Additionally, the service was lacking—our waiter was inattentive and slow, making the experience even less enjoyable. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this place based on my visit.

We stopped last night to try this restaurant and we loved the decor and the environment. We did not received our menus after 10 minutes later. We ordered and the drinks came quickly but the appetizers didn’t. We received our first appetizers but the second never arrived. We ordered our food and it was amazing. We ordered some sushi rolls and they never came either. We never got refills on our drinks, so we asked for the check and then the waiter said that our missing food was ready. We took it to go but I am not sure we will be back. Other people from other tables left because they were not given drinks and they sat for a long time as well. I hope they hire more than just 2 waiters because on a Friday night the place was packed.

I truly enjoyed my experience at this restaurant. The interior design is beautifully done, incorporating Japanese cultural elements that create a serene and authentic atmosphere. The sashimi was incredibly fresh, and the food presentation was impeccable, showcasing great attention to detail.

My only minor complaint is the portion sizes, but I understand the high operational costs in this area and the ever-increasing labor expenses. The staff’s passion and attentiveness, however, more than made up for it. It’s a fantastic spot for a special meal, and I would gladly return.