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After many late nights hanging out after their shift at Uchi Houston, Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee began talking about what it would be like if they opened their own restaurant.
Serving hand-rolled sushi, the duo first opened Handies Douzo in the Houston Heights in 2019 and has expanded to two other locations, with a third coming soon.
“We didn't expect it to take off like it did,” Pham said. “Everything happened naturally ... we’re just doing what we thought felt right.”
The approach
Coming from a chef's background, Pham and Lee said they were serious about the quality of the ingredients they used.
For example, the handrolls are made with seaweed from the Ariake Sea in Japan, and one of the fish imported is Tasmanian Ocean Trout. Pham said the restaurant spends six times the amount of normal seaweed to have that specific texture and flavor.
“The good thing about it is we were chefs first before we were business owners, so at least we can control that aspect of the business,” Pham said. “We're not going to be like, 'oh, like this is cheap, we're going to use it.' We want to pay more because we want better quality.”
On the menu
Additionally, Pham said Handies Douzo hasn’t changed the menu items or prices since the restaurant opened seven years ago.
His favorite dishes are the Hamachi handroll and the Spicy Tuna handroll, and he said the Spicy Tuna handroll is done a little differently than other places. Instead of using sesame oil in the handroll, Pham said he uses a habanero aioli that provides not just spice but also aromatics.
“We want to give you that high-quality sushi without you paying an arm and a leg,” Pham said.
Looking ahead
Since 2019, Pham and Lee have opened several more concepts and started their own restaurant group called Duckstache Hospitality. In mid-March, the group announced a fourth Handies Douzo location opening in Post Oak, featuring the familiar intimate, counter-style layout with 26 seats.
