Izakaya Launches Lunch Menu For Midtown

Since its opening in July, Houston newcomer Izakaya as become a Midtown favorite. Now, the Bayou City's first Japanese gastropub will be serving lunch, Monday through Friday, putting its signature stamp on the city's midday meal scene.

"With our proximity to downtown, we were getting a demand early so we wanted to offer both a quicker, yet quality meal as well as the option to come in for a lighter, more relaxed bite throughout the day," said executive chef Jean-Philippe Gaston about the lunch launch. "Being in Midtown, it's such a great neighborhood, we get a lot of locals looking for somewhere in the mid-afternoon who want a bit more than a fast casual stop."

Diners can expect a global touch on the menu, consistent with Izakaya's commitment to offer a foundation of Japanese and Japanese-inspired dishes, blending them with world flavors. The extensive lunch offerings include a meat ball sandwich with kimchi marinara and Houston Dairy Maids cheese on a French roll; a crispy katsu chicken wrap, done with house made teriyaki sauce; the yaknku don bowl of kobe beef, onions and mushrooms in an Asian sauce on a bed of rice and topped with an egg; and a Soba II noodle dish made with buckwheat noodles, udon broth and a side of wasabi and green onions.

There's also an extensive selection from the raw bar and the menu reflects the blending of Gaston's love affair with Japanese seafood and raw dishes, and executive chef Manabu Horiuchi's extensive and exquisite Japanese cuisine.