Hando

"At Hando, saddle up to the counter and get your fill of hand rolls, small tapas-style appetizers, and robata. Sets are the way to go, offering three, four, or five different selections that include the spicy tuna hand roll — one of its simplest dishes that still packs a punch of heat. Its daily happy hour offers $7 house cocktails and a handful of $5 plates, including curry croquette and wasabi shumai. Grab a nightcap at the next-door speakeasy, Kanpai. A second larger location has opened in Spring Branch, which offers its own “hidden” bar." - Brittany Britto Garley

"With a location in the Heights and Spring Branch and frequent specials, Hando offers plenty of options to get your hand roll fix. Find more than a dozen hand roll combinations, including a classic spicy tuna and crispy shrimp katsu, plus skewers, small plates, and cocktails that you can score in-house or at the adjoining speakeasy Kanpai. Looking for a good deal? Its two-course prix-fixe lunch, offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, features an appetizer like its curry croquette, and a set of hand rolls for $21 (vegetarian option included). Its daily happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. dishes out geso karaage for $5 and $7 cocktails." - Brittany Britto Garley

"When you're in The Heights and want to grab some Happy Hour snacks or need a quick sushi fix, pop into Hando. The small sushi counter has a tight menu of hand rolls—hence the name—crispy snacks like sauced-up brussels sprouts or tender ribeye skewers. Service is quick, if impersonal, like dinner at the airport. Nothing here will wow you, but it will satisfy a yearning for raw salmon and wasabi. And with $7 cocktails and $5 snacks like karaage squid from 3-6pm every day, Hando makes a great venue for that weekly gossip download without the need to transfer money from savings to checking mid-meal. And, for even more cocktails after dinner, sneak into Hando’s in-house speakeasy bar Kanpai Club. photo credit: Michael Ma photo credit: Michael Ma photo credit: Michael Ma photo credit: Michael Ma Food Rundown Cocktails The house cocktails are the best part of dining here. Especially The Audacity with warm-spiced orgeat or the Tokyo Layover with layers of herbal liqueurs. Matchstick Salad Granted this is just a tiny julienned vegetable salad doused in salty soy sauce, but the effect is a refreshing palate cleanser between big bites of nori paper and fatty fish. Keep this around for the entire dinner and nibble on it indiscriminately. Wagyu Gyoza Not much separates these dumplings from any other place, other than they are on the small side. So, if you like a little dumpling snack with sushi, these will serve that purpose. Beef Skewers The ribeye tastes tender-ish and somewhat charred, and the mushroom gives each bite a nice texture. It’s simple and easy to enjoy while mid-conversation. Toro Hand Roll If the point of this dish is to deliver a lot of tuna belly in as simple a form as possible, then, goal accomplished. And for $9, it’s not a bad deal." - Chelsea Thomas

"Reminiscent of tightly packed sushi restaurants in Japan, this 22-seat hand roll bar offers a communal dining experience where every guest gets a view of the sushi-stuffing action. Along with freshly made hand rolls, find hearty eats like beef skewers and wagyu gyoza, suitable for a single diner. While the restaurant is busy enough that even a single seat sometimes requires a wait, you can also find sustenance at the Kanpai Club, the restaurant’s equally charming bar hidden through a shared door." - Minh Truong, Brittany Britto Garley, Minh Truong, Brittany Britto Garley

"Hando, a new spot for sushi handrolls, has officially opened in the Heights. Per CultureMap, the restaurant made its debut on December 18, with a tight menu of 12 different types of handrolls on offer, each stuffed with proteins like yellowtail, Spam musubi, or tuna. It follows the arrival of Handies Douzo, yet another sushi spot that’s obsessed with handrolls, that opened in the Heights earlier in November." - Amy McCarthy