Rickshaw

Went by Today — CLOSED!

Awesome Unagi (water eel) and the summer rolls w/​mango are the best. Was impressed last time we went the hostess remembered us (had been about a month in between) Good drinks and atmosphere.

Zagat reviewed, it proudly says upon entering. The décor is modern and trendy, food was good, albeit majorly overpriced, but, ultimately, I’m not sure if it’s quite Zagat deserving. Happy hour is probably the only time I would come back.
We started with house salads and shared the Miso Bass and a variety of sushi and rolls. The Hot Geisha (salmon tempura topped with mussels roll) was the only memorable one, and a unique combo of seafood I had never tried before. Highlight: we finished with the Chai Spice Cheesecake and the Coconut Walnut Brownie, both decadently delicious! Service was nothing special.
The Bambu Lounge is pretty hip but classy and nice for a post-​dinner, pre-​coital drink on the weekends. The crowd is chic, attractive 30s professionals. Honestly, I eat a good amount of sushi and wasn’t blown away by anything here. But it seems like a good staple for weekday happy hour to get your Asian fusion fix.

«Ok ladies and gentleman keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle and scream if you wanna go faster. Coming up we’ve got the phattest baseline from DJ Scooter but here’s Tiesto with Summer Sun… ooh-​wa, ooh-​wa». Ok, I made that up, it never happened, but damn this place is jumping, I mean I thought this was a restaurant but all I needed was a «smiley» t-​shirt and a set of white gloves and I would of been bouncing away to the choons blaring out from the DJ box in this place.
I seem to always be griping about sushi joints pumping away the beats but honestly I don’t mind it all that much, here however was a bit thumping but I went on a Friday night and can imagine it would get you in the mood for going out and «giving it big licks» as they say.
Now they do a mix of foods here, I believe seafood and possibly Indian but I only had one thing on my mind when coming here, the sushi, so all the other menus were discarded. Not much to be said really, again like most sushi places I’ve visited here the food was good, nothing spectacular. It all came out nicely prepared and certainly gave the impression of being fresh. Our waiter knew his stuff and made some pretty good recommendations on what to have. I was satisfied to say the least.
I thought this place looks quite nice from the inside, very trendy and complimented with the decent enough meal means I like this joint but it still does not bowl me aware and warrant an extra star. Not exactly cheap but I didn’t need to take a second mortgage out to take care of the bill.
Our man spinning his wheels of steel kind of takes centre stage in this venue however, having a laugh, let’s do another half! Ooh-​wa, ooh-​wa!

Hello! I am back from my Unilocal-​hiatus with a rant. I don’t usually give out bad ratings unless restaurants have really piss poor service.
My friends and I used to frequent Rickshaw’s during happy hour on Fridays after a long week of work. There sakes would be bombed, sushi devoured, and funny stories told. We usually spend a good deal of money here and would be considered regulars. Due to Hurricane Ike, money mismanagement (thanks Mr. Dow Jones & NYSE), and lack of wanting to get drunk… I had not visited Rickshaws for 6 months. I wish I had not come back.
Our chummy manager was nowhere in sight. But the (new?) owner had come to roost. A group of my friends (8 of 15) had arrived there at 6pm with the place barren as Sarah of Bible-​lore. We told them we had a group of 15 people and the host agreed to sit us. After about 15 minutes of waiting we were wondering what was taking so long because it does not take long to put a few tables together. The owner then comes along and told us that Rickshaw’s would not be able to accomodate a party of 15 (since the party was incomplete or blah blah). So we decided to sit 8 of us first and the rest of the party can pull up chairs or sit elsewhere. It takes them another 10 minutes to put two tables together.
As we were sitting down, 3 more of our party arrives and proceeds to sit down in the table next to ours. The owner accosts them and says you aren’t allowed to sit there and will have to wait in the lobby. We are confused as we see a tumbleweed float by in the empty restaurant.
After 45 minutes of frustration and hunger pains, my friend says «F this» and gets up to leave and the owner yells «YEAH F THIS!» It dawns on us why the restaurant has less patrons than it did in the past.
We all proceed to the nearest exit.
Don’t think we will be going back any time soon.
Oh. The sushi ok. We went there because it was cheaper but the prices have also gone up. FAIL.
Parking is also hard to find. There is Valet service.
Normally I would give Rickshaw’s 4 stars. But one bad experience can leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

I was more amazed at the waiter’s capability to memorize all the menu specials and ingredients than anything else. The food was decent — I had their «house specialty» goma chicken with vegetable rolls. The chicken was bland but the rolls were pretty good. And they serve their food on modern, almost dramatic plateware, which is pretty darn cool. The ambiance is modern, sleek and very comfortable. So you’ll do well here if you’re looking for a place for a cheap lunch in a nice environment.

Not too far for me to travel to from my mud hut in the sticks and once you get here it is close to Taco Milagro and some other wonderful venues.
Great ambience and chill atmosphere and décor was a real talking point. Good for a twosome or large groups.
The girl who waited on me impressed me with her knowledge of the menu and between us we managed to work out a real sampler setup which was balanced and tasty. I like it when your waiter guides you through your choices like that.
I would have really liked to have listed what we tried but I didn’t keep the bill and by the time I left I had not only sampled the food but also the Cocktail list so, wipeout!
Get out before they bring the dessert menu. It is impossible to ignore and everything on it is worth having. How do I know? We managed to get another sampler setup!
Is this the only place that has a Cocktail called «Pornstar»? Tickled me so much I had to drink three. Taxi!

The food here is immensely good. The beef carpaccio appetizer is full of flavor with the sauce and the lemons and the dumplings are delicious. The beef egg rolls weren’t fantastic, but at least I had the Kung Pao Chicken coming shortly after it.
This sounds like a lot for one dude, but don’t worry, I had help.
I would definitely give this place a 5 were it not for a few hiccups…
First, I don’t think I can bitch any more violently about valet parking in strip centers. It is obnoxious. Especially when just as you are about to pull into a space, the jerk valet runs up and tosses a cone in your path.
Secondly, when I ordered the beef carpaccio I didn’t expect to have to answer the question «how would you like it cooked?» The first time I was asked that I thought I was being Punk’d. After I realized that wasn’t the case, I asked for it… you know… carpaccio. Well, this didn’t take. So then she said, «would you like it medium-​well or well done». Again, I thought this was a test. I said… cautiously… as rare as you are allowed… Totally bizarre.
Thirdly, the place is totally nutty with the volume of their music. They could cut it 95% and I still wouldn’t be able to hear my fork drop to the ground.

I have to say I loved the halloween decorations they have all over the restaurant! I really loved the two skeletons reading at the front table! The place was pretty clean and the food was ok. I had sushi, which was good. my friend had shrimp tempura. but it wasnt so good. We also had some Taro chips, those were really good. The shrimp dumplings were great! we had some kind of chicken spring rolls, and I must say: I didnt like them! (to be honest). The watermelon mojito seemed to be lacking some flavor. My experience wasnt unpleasant, and I actually had a good time with my friends. I have to say, they played what a wonderful world by Louis Armstrong and I am still singing that song today! Maybe there was something in the dumplings?! I would go there again, but now I know what NOT to order! :)

I stopped in yesterday and was a little disappointed that their menu has changed, I reallllly wanted their mini filet mignon appetizer, but they dont have it any more, so I was a little whined for a bit about it then tried the steak sashimi which was yummy but still not what I really wanted. Their mojitos and miso still rock out loud…

I just love it here. My favorite things about the place:
1. The lunch specials are great
2. The miso soup is huge and awesome
3. The drinks are great
4. The vibe is cool without having to go to RA (chain food sushi)
5. The rolls are delicious ESPECIALLY the buffalo chicken roll. It sounds weird, but it’s awesome. TRY IT!

There’s much better sushi to be found in Houston, for much better prices and with much better service. Simple as that.
Rickshaw tries too hard to be a trendy, «pan Asian» bistro and misses the mark. They need to focus on either Japanese, Chinese or Indian cuisine instead of throwing all three haphazardly into the mix. Perhaps then, they could focus their extra energies on training their staff to be friendly, knowledgable and service-​oriented.
Our waitress was almost impossble to locate the last time I was there, and the restaurant only had three other tables that night. She was completely tuned out the entire time and never once came by to check on us. Our food was delivered by a runner and that’s the last we saw of her until we waved her down to finally get our check, at which point we were rudely told that they don’t split checks. This isn’t true, as the manager came and pointed out, but that’s the only time we saw him all night either.
Their sushi is good, but the prices are exorbitant considering the stark coldness of the restaurant (atmosphere and ambience is important if you’re going to charge high prices) and the unprofessional service. Their sake selection is also quite limited to very high-​end bottles and incredibly poor low-​end selections with nothing decent in between. This last meal marked the fifth time I’ve eaten there — with the same results each time — and also marked my last.

So I had not been to Rickshaw in quite a while, however I remember having liked their sushi from my previous visits. My cousin and I went this past Saturday night; we were looking for a place to just have a drink and a bite to eat before going out. It worked out perfect.
I had their mango mojito an LOVED it. We each ordered a roll and were happy with the quality and taste of the sushi. The manager even came by our table to check on us. I even liked where we were seated as it gave us a good view to people watch.
I prefer this place next to RA sushi, as their service and quality of food is much better. Needless to say, it was a good place to start our night out in the town.

Evidently they’re under new management which is (in my opinion) provided some great changes. The quality of sushi is still there, which is great. What really impressed me with the major improvements in service from the staff. The owner even came by each table to check on us – one my favorite things in a restaurant.
The food was good. And it tasted even better since they have a reverse happy hour and it was cheap. I will say that I still find it hilarious that they ask how cooked we want our beef sashimi. The first time, the waitress didn’t seem to know that it is served rare. The second time, the waitress still asked but kinda with a smile on her face making us realize that they probably get a lot of requests for cooked sashimi. Awesome. All I can say is that I’m glad I’m not a waitress there since I’d probably just yell at the customer for ruining a perfectly delicious dish by cooking it. :)
On the weekends (including Thursdays), they have a DJ. Seeing as how I’m an old fart, it annoyed me more than anything, but I know that normal 20-​something population would really enjoy it. The lack of star really comes down to the annoying parking situation. Sharing a lot with CVS and Chuy’s is just not fun and even though they have complimentary valet, it is just frustrating.
While this isn’t the best sushi in town, it is pretty good and very affordable during their happy hour.

Food here is pretty decent… I recommend going during happy hour as several of the specialty rolls are about 5 – 6 bucks each, and the curry tofu appetizer is suprisingly delightful and super cheap at $ 3.
Oh and parking kinda sucks as the valet + Chuys + CVS 30 min only parking next door takes up a huge chunk of the parking lot.

we almost gave up on dining at rickshaw because we couldn’t find a place to park at 7pm on a wednesday. finally, after circling the two lots surrounding the restaurant, i decided to call them and ask if they were super busy, because we didn’t have time to wait for a table. we were driving back to austin after we ate. when i called, they said they weren’t busy and the full parking lots were most likely for chuy’s. i didn’t even know chuy’s had opened up outside of austin, but apparently it’s very popular. anyway, since we didn’t want to valet (which is an option at rickshaw and i understand why) we parked across westheimer down a side street.
my husband wasn’t hungry so he had a drink. they had all kinds of interesting cocktail creations. i was excited they offered a sake flight and after the flight, i ended up purchasing a bottle of one of the sakes i tried.
i wasn’t starving, but didn’t want to get hungry a couple of hours down the road. so, i had gomae sushi and a wonderful plate of hamachi with ponzu sauce and jalapenos! yum! it was tasty.
overall we had a great dining experience. a few obnoxiously loud ladies with cackling conversations and laughs nearly drove me nuts, but our chill wait person, jessica, made up for it. she did not pressure us to order more or make us feel like we’d wasted her time for just popping in for a quick bite. she knew her sake and was just a cool person without pretension. she made us some killer espresso shot drinks for the ride back to austin. thanks, jessica!

What a wonderful «little» sushi restaurant. Okay… not that little and the inside décor is not what you would expect by looking at it from the outside of the strip mall.
Me and two girls went here for lunch. I had sushi recently, but the girls hadn’t in awhile and were craving it. Place was pretty empty at 1PM, but I’m guessing it’s busier at dinner. They have their menu, a lunch «business mans» special, and their sushi/​roll menu. We stuck to the sushi menu. I just have to say that their Special Roll menu is CRAZY in a good way. Some great combinations of fish and flavor. The table ordered a handful and shared. Here’s a good tip: if you’re dragging someone along who just HATES sushi, get them the «Buffalo Roll». It’s chicken (no fish), some avocado, maybe something else, then it’s tempura fried and topped with a buffalo type sauce and comes with a side of wasabi ranch and carrots/​celery. Honestly… tastes nothing like sushi. You can’t even taste the seaweed!
Among other delicious fish rolls, they have a delicious firecracker roll and even a tandori inspired roll. Ridiculous…
The ambiance is nice too… solid plates, silverware, and glasses. A nice interior décor which is great for a night out with friends or for a date. The server was very helpful when we asked for suggestions and the service was great.
Honestly…the only reason I take one star away is because the spicy tuna roll seemed kind of bland and nothing can top Sushi Deli 2 in San Diego (which I gave my 5 star approval). Otherwise, pretty damn good sushi here in Texas!

What happened to this place? it used to be tres busy. I went there for Happy Hour one Friday and stayed until 8:30pm and there were only 5 tables total.
I love the food, it’s never faltered. The specialty rolls (Hot geisha & Big Buddha) and entrée dishes are excellent. I always thought the décor was ok– nothing special to basic black. They’ve started playing hip hop– I thought it was supposed to be loungy and trendy… fun place to meet friends for dinner or drinks.

rickshaw is one of those trendy sushi restaurants where the food and menu is good but the service can be spotty. the hostess was a bit clueless, but the waitresses are better. the tuna tataki is the best appetizer.
other dishes:
lettuce wraps: pretty good, ideal for sharing
tamari snapper entrée: smelled a bit fishy, wouldn’t recommend
deezy roll: tasty spicy tuna roll
rickshaw crunch: good hamachi roll with tuna and avocado
hot geisha: salmon tempura with mussels, gross — avoid
big buddha: good soft shell crab roll
dragon roll: eel, avocado and other stuff, recommended

This is really random, but they have the best veggie sushi in all of Houston. The drinks are great too, so it’s hard to lose.
Make a reservation and save yourself the aggravation of waiting forever. Though that would mean more time for the tasty drinks…