Seven Sushi & Robata, which opened last month in Houston, is the third concept from restaurateurs Grace and Leo Xia. The couple covers a lot of ground and multiple cuisines, with Leo serving as the chef and Grace overseeing the beverage programs across all their restaurants.
They started with Chinese spot Duck N Bao in 2021. Known for its Peking duck and handmade xiao long bao, it now has three locations around Houston. The duo followed that up with the Seoul-inspired, all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue spot Hongdae 33 in 2023.
Seven Sushi & Robata opened November 20 at Dun Huang Plaza on Bellaire Boulevard, a bustling stretch of Houston’s Chinatown, and just around the corner from Hongdae 33.
The 4,000-square-foot space seats 160 guests and features traditional Japanese and Chinese architectural elements, along with some contemporary touches. There are warm wood tones, stone tilework, and brass accents, and Shoji-style latticework wraps the walls and ceiling.
The menu features a large selection of all-you-can-eat sushi and robata items.
The restaurant offers full-service lunch and dinner, and stays open until midnight for late-night dining. The menu features a large selection of made-to-order, all-you-can-eat sushi and robata items, plus soups, salads, and starters.
Guests choose from two price levels, both running over a two-hour time limit. For $37, diners can order an unlimited amount of core menu items, including select nigiri and rolls, robata skewers such as teriyaki chicken thigh, miso beef, pork belly, and vegetables, and hot and cold appetizers, like chicken karaage and salmon crudo.
For $57, diners get the same core menu items, plus premium options like bluefin tuna, scallops, and salmon belly from the sushi side, and Korean short rib, Hawaiian ribeye, and Cajun or garlic-butter shrimp from the grill.
There are two price levels: $37 for the core menu, and $57 for additional premium items.
Additional premium add-ons are also available and priced per piece, including toro, sweet shrimp, salmon roe, hamachi collar, and miso Chilean sea bass.
There’s a full bar serving beer, wine, sake, and classic cocktails, plus a selection of original cocktails and shots created by Grace. One example is the Kimono Racer, which features gin, yuzu, balsamic, and lemon.
“Chinatown on Bellaire is one of the most exciting dining destinations, and because we already have another restaurant in the plaza, it’s easy to manage both,” said Grace Xia. “There aren’t many all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants in the area, and with so many offices nearby, we wanted to offer something fresh and approachable for lunch or dinner.”
The full bar serves cocktails like the Kimono Racer, made with gin, yuzu, balsamic, and lemon.
If nearby Hongdae 33 has an overflow crowd, the team there can suggest that guests visit Seven for robata, so they can still get their all-you-can-eat barbecue fix.
“I feel really good about this one,” said Grace. “The design is very different from Hongdae’s, but like all our restaurants, we’re sourcing fresh, high-quality ingredients at a fair price. We want everyone to enjoy good food at a reasonable value.”
