Restaurants / Openings

Montrose’s New Sushi Restaurant Proves to be Much More — Soto is a Unicorn and Already One of Houston’s Best

Austin Chef Andy Chen's Quiet Move Into the Bayou City is More Than Worth the Wait

BY

Houston is not short on sushi restaurants, but Soto is something very different. The new Japanese restaurant from Austin chef Andy Chen in Montrose almost belongs in a category all of its own. This is not any other sushi place.

Soto is something of a unicorn.

Step inside its large space on Westheimer Road — one that makes social distancing pretty stress free, even in the age of the delta variant — and this quickly becomes apparent. Soto’s menu is full of things you will not find at almost any other restaurant that touts itself as a sushi spot. This includes a grilled Chilean sea bass, two ounces of A5 Wagyu for $78, an entire hon maguro (bluefin tuna) flight and cherry trout sashimi.

Soto even has chocolate foie gras.

Yes, Chen is having fun here. And Houston foodies are the beneficiaries. The Chilean sea bass and cherry trout sashimi are two of the single best things I’ve eaten all year.

The grilled sea bass is marinated for 72 hours in sweet miso sauce with scallions and it puts the typical rote hot dishes you find at many sushi restaurants (miso black cod anyone?) to shame. And I like miso black cod, particularly Kata Robata’s standout version. Soto’s Chilean sea bass is just that good.

Set your Easter Table with Bering's

Swipe
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
  • Bering's Gift's Easter 2024
Soto flies in some of its speciality fish from Tokyo.
Soto is not just a sushi restaurant.

The cherry trout is flown in from the Toyosu seafood market in Tokyo and is not always available. It is part of the Japan Express side of  the daily specials, which are almost as plentiful as the rest of Soto’s menu. If the cherry trout’s available when you visit, get it. These three pieces of sashimi are more than worth the $19.

Yes, a trip to Soto is likely to be a splurge meal. Like at most good sushi restaurants, your bill can add up quickly. And that’s without getting the $250, 18-course premium omakase tasting (there’s also a $150 omakase option). For enjoying a special night out — even if it’s just a Sunday — it is hard to beat Soto, though. Chen very quietly opened his Montrose restaurant in the space formerly occupied by the Bistecca steakhouse at 224 Westheimer early this summer without much staff to assist him.

Soto’s Hidden Power

The chef purposely avoided arriving with a torrent of attention — and coordinated PR pushes. But a recent visit makes it more than clear that Soto is ready for its closeup now. This is a restaurant that is already operating at a high level.

The staff is knowledgeable and quick with good suggestions like the hamachi apple and the smoked tuna tataki that go beyond the usual suspects. Yes, Soto’s salmon over fire makes for a dramatic presentation, but it’s not the best thing on the menu. And Soto’s wait staff does not push it like it is.

That is the sign of a restaurant that has confidence, one that is well run. Another? When we showed up and my wife expressed some reservations about the lack of outdoor seating, we were tucked away at a side table almost in a separate room. The fact that Soto was relatively uncrowded at the time (I tend to eat dinner later than most Houstonians) made that possible. But it also shows how this is a restaurant that aims to please whenever it can.

Yes, Soto is a unicorn. It offers nearly 60 dishes on its regular menu and close to another 20 with all the daily specials (including the fish flown in straight from Japan). It is also the rare “sushi” restaurant that actually gives more love to the standout sashimi. (Though my sushi crazed son loved all his rolls too.)

Chen’s waited a long time to enter the Houston market after his Austin success. This place is definitely worth the extra preparation.

Hop into Bering's this Easter for Egg-citing Finds!
Shop Berings
SHOP NOW

Curated Collection

Swipe
X
X