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egg and uni custard in a clay pot with a wooden spoon
Kata Robata’s uni chawanmushi
Julie Soefer

Where to Indulge in Houston’s Most Decadent Uni Dishes

Elevate sushi, pasta, and so much more with rich and briny sea urchin roe

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Kata Robata’s uni chawanmushi
| Julie Soefer

With its smooth, velvety texture, blazing orange color and robust oceanic flavor, sea urchin roe is considered by many to be a great delicacy. While its origin from a spiny sea urchin, peculiar looking at best, may paint a less than appetizing picture, the meat from within is rich and buttery, and a favorite on sushi bar menus everywhere.

The adventurous nature of Houston diners combined with the city’s diverse culinary landscape allows chefs to incorporate uni on their menus in sensational ways. Whether you want to slowly savor the pure flavor of sea urchin with a carefully constructed piece of nigiri, or pair it with a shot of booze for a quick and tasty thrill, use this map as a guide to scoring the best uni dishes in the city.

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KA Sushi

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The sushi menu at Ka is vast. From cut rolls to nigiri and sashimi, there is a broad spectrum of excellent seafood to sample, including fresh sea urchin. Here, guests have the option to enjoy its honest flavor or make things even more decadent with a truffle oil drizzle.

uni served in its shell on a bed of ice and topped with sliced radishes and greens
Uni is its shell at KA Sushi
KA Sushi/Facebook

Bludorn Restaurant

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Made-from-scratch pastas change with the seasons at Bludorn, but the uni spaghetti is already a menu staple. Made rich and velvety with fresh sea urchin, lumps of blue crab meat and butter, the dish is finished off with garlic chips and is available in two sizes. 

This top notch sushi house boasts a menu of fresh fish, sake and dynamic plates featuring seafood flown in from around the world, including two choices of sea urchin. Guests may satisfy stubborn cravings for the best uni in the world thanks to Hokkaido uni that’s flown in regularly from Japan. 

Da Marco

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Da Marco is known for its sophisticated take on Italian classics — from incorporating lobster with sweet corn ravioli to adding freshly shaved truffles atop cheesy pappardelle — but the uni-laden spaghetti takes creaminess to a whole new level. Here, sea urchin melts into a mouthwatering mess of long noodles, spiced up with a smattering of red chilies.

Behold (literally) an interesting combination of textures within the OMG handroll at Shun. Layered with uni, scallop and salmon roe, or ikura, the dish is an explosion of flavors in each hand-held bite. Or step things up and try the loaded OMG Bowl, which combines uni, scallop, toro and snow crab over sushi rice.

Hidden Omakase

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Like its name suggests, this hidden-in-plain-sight sushi bar presents an intimate space in which to enjoy a true chef-led omakase experience, including the freshest of uni. Fresh Hokkaido uni is fluffy atop a bed of rice, revealing a creamy bite, while the luxe uni vodka shot pairs Dripping Springs vodka with uni and Siberian caviar.

Nobie's

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No stranger to putting a playful twist on dinner and dessert items — you won’t likely find a Cinnamon Toast Crunch pie elsewhere in the city — Nobie’s serves up boozy uni shooters with top-grade Santa Barbara uni as a spirited way to kick off dinner.

Uni in a bowl with garnishes
Uni shooters from Nobie’s
Nobie’s/Facebook

Kata Robata

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Kata Robata offers spoonful after decadent spoonful of fresh uni tucked inside its uni chawanmushi, a velvety Japanese-style egg custard. Fresh uni joins chicken, shrimp, shiitake mushroom and gingko nut and serves as a worthy starter.

KA Sushi

The sushi menu at Ka is vast. From cut rolls to nigiri and sashimi, there is a broad spectrum of excellent seafood to sample, including fresh sea urchin. Here, guests have the option to enjoy its honest flavor or make things even more decadent with a truffle oil drizzle.

uni served in its shell on a bed of ice and topped with sliced radishes and greens
Uni is its shell at KA Sushi
KA Sushi/Facebook

Bludorn Restaurant

Made-from-scratch pastas change with the seasons at Bludorn, but the uni spaghetti is already a menu staple. Made rich and velvety with fresh sea urchin, lumps of blue crab meat and butter, the dish is finished off with garlic chips and is available in two sizes. 

Uchi

This top notch sushi house boasts a menu of fresh fish, sake and dynamic plates featuring seafood flown in from around the world, including two choices of sea urchin. Guests may satisfy stubborn cravings for the best uni in the world thanks to Hokkaido uni that’s flown in regularly from Japan. 

Da Marco

Da Marco is known for its sophisticated take on Italian classics — from incorporating lobster with sweet corn ravioli to adding freshly shaved truffles atop cheesy pappardelle — but the uni-laden spaghetti takes creaminess to a whole new level. Here, sea urchin melts into a mouthwatering mess of long noodles, spiced up with a smattering of red chilies.

Shun

Behold (literally) an interesting combination of textures within the OMG handroll at Shun. Layered with uni, scallop and salmon roe, or ikura, the dish is an explosion of flavors in each hand-held bite. Or step things up and try the loaded OMG Bowl, which combines uni, scallop, toro and snow crab over sushi rice.

Hidden Omakase

Like its name suggests, this hidden-in-plain-sight sushi bar presents an intimate space in which to enjoy a true chef-led omakase experience, including the freshest of uni. Fresh Hokkaido uni is fluffy atop a bed of rice, revealing a creamy bite, while the luxe uni vodka shot pairs Dripping Springs vodka with uni and Siberian caviar.

Nobie's

No stranger to putting a playful twist on dinner and dessert items — you won’t likely find a Cinnamon Toast Crunch pie elsewhere in the city — Nobie’s serves up boozy uni shooters with top-grade Santa Barbara uni as a spirited way to kick off dinner.

Uni in a bowl with garnishes
Uni shooters from Nobie’s
Nobie’s/Facebook

Kata Robata

Kata Robata offers spoonful after decadent spoonful of fresh uni tucked inside its uni chawanmushi, a velvety Japanese-style egg custard. Fresh uni joins chicken, shrimp, shiitake mushroom and gingko nut and serves as a worthy starter.

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