Sake Lounge

I can categorically say that this is the worst sushi place I have ever been to. Ever. It was just really, really bad. You can stop reading the review right now if you want, it should be all the detail you need, but I’ll go on anyway.
I went here with a party for work, and was pretty excited. Despite having only been in Houston for a month, I was impressed with the sushi thus far. Sake lounge brought me right back to earth.
It was a large group, and we ordered at least 10 different kinds of sushi and everyone got a bite of each one. That being said, I can’t really rate each roll individually, because I never knew what I was eating. But all of them were bad. They were very ambitious, but all fell flat. Half of them were saturated in fruit sauces, while others were laden with tasteless fish.
I can say that the drink I had was pretty good. Oh yeah, it was a beer, so they don’t get any credit for that.
I don’t know what it is with me and Bayou Place, but it just never seems to work out. Next movie night, I am bringing a sack lunch.

I can forgive a lot when I go out to eat, but I just don’t see how this place continues to exist. Last night was the third time I’ve been to Sake over the last couple of years, and it will be the last. The location is wonderfully convenient when attending any performance in the Theatre District, but that would be the only point in its favor. The food was average. Nothing was particularly great, but it was not bad.
The main problem we’ve had with the restaurant consistently is the amount of time it takes to get out. Upon walking in the door at 6:15pm, the host/​manager asked if we were catching a show. We told him that, yes, we were in a hurry, and asked him if it would be a problem to be out in time for a 7:30 perfomance across the street. The place was not very busy and he assured us not to worry. While drinks were served quickly, our very simple dining orders did not even start arriving until 7pm. Even at that time, half of the food was missing which was a bit frustrating because they thought it was all there. Needless to say, we were struggling to get out of the restaurant. They were slow to bring the check even when asked, and we were running into the theatre at 7:35. Luckily, the performance had not begun. We had time to sit down and the curtain went up within seconds.
Since then and talking with other friends, this experience seems to be par for the course at Sake. With Cabo, Mingalone, Hunan and Azuma all within a block, I highly recommend choosing one of those for your pre-​theatre dinner.

We stopped here before a night at Bayou Place. Kinda disappointing. I know they were busy, but come on, 15 mins for drinks! The consensus at my table was that the sushi was average so not worth repeating. Maybe we’ll try Hard Rock Café next time since it’s sooo close!