Five years after opening beyond the walls of a mock comic book store in the Galleria-area, and since being recognized as the sole Houston sushi restaurant in the Michelin Guide’s 2024 selection, Hidden Omakase is hardly hidden anymore. Its critical acclaim has thrust it onto the mainstage of Houston’s culinary scene, and with it, its skillful executive chef Marcos Juarez who oversees intensive preparations for the exclusive 18-seat restaurant.
Juarez has been at the helm of Hidden Omakase since the spring of 2024, bringing with him a wealth of experience, including serving as a sushi chef for Uchi for seven years. His innovative approach to presenting a non-traditional omakase experience reflective of Houston’s diversity, through a new menu every three months, has kept the interest of local diners piqued.
The Chef
Born in Plainview, a small town 45 miles north of Lubbock, Juarez attended culinary school at the Art Institute of Austin when he was 17. He discovered a deep appreciation for Japanese cuisine, and had high aspirations from the start. “My goal in culinary school was to work for Uchi in Austin—back then, there was only one Uchi, down on South Lamar,” says Juarez.
With his lack of experience at that age, he wasn’t able to get his foot into Uchi’s coveted doors, but Sushi NiNi in Round Rock was willing to give him a shot. “I got paid $9 an hour for putting rice on seaweed for six months,” he recalls.
He worked his way through mom-and-pop sushi restaurants around the city, learned and gained experience, and collected letters of recommendation before finally landing a job at Uchi in Houston six years later. It was this position that brought him to Houston, where Uchi was launching in Montrose.
Juarez’s tenure with Hai Hospitality eventually led him to Denver, where he lived for a year, during Uchi’s Mile High City debut. He became connected with the team behind Hidden Omakase, who had become fans of his after experiencing his cooking multiple times. When a request came to move, yet again, this time to California to launch Uchi’s new West Coast location, he considered accepting an opportunity to work for Hidden back in Houston. “I had already moved five different times, and broken three different leases. I wanted to stay in Houston,” he admits. “Of all the places I lived, I loved Houston the most.”
The Restaurant
Juarez had a very specific vision for Hidden Omakase when he took the reins as executive chef last year. He handpicked his team, all of which remain at Hidden today; he set forth a plan to change the menu every three months; and implemented a plan for chefs to prepare dishes on all three sides of the counter, ensuring every guest had prime views of the action.
Straying from a traditional-style omakase menu set Hidden apart, and it became his defining quality as a chef. “There has always been a conflict between me and traditional omakase,” he says. “I like things to be very diverse because Houston is diverse. I understand traditional omakase, I get it; but I love food, and I feel like it would be a shame to not be able to explore it.”
And, explore he does. Juarez sources seafood from Japan through a private buyer, and shops local when possible through vendors like Chef’s Produce and Zero Point Microgreens. Despite raising prices after Hidden’s Michelin nod, challenges from the added cost of tariffs have affected the restaurant’s business. “I have to be more cautious than creative—creativity will always be there,” he says, explaining that Hidden’s menu at any given time has to make financial sense for both the business owners and the customer. He credits this hyper-awareness to his years spent at Uchi, understanding the business side of things.
Beyond the financial hardships so many independent restaurants face, Juarez explains that the process of changing Hidden’s menu every three months is a hefty challenge in and of itself. It’s all hands on deck for his team of six who do a deep clean of the kitchen, change every ingredient of the menu, and reorganize the kitchen to incorporate those additions. “The transition is very hard,” he says. “It’s a lot of work, a lot of hours, but it’s very rewarding, and I think it keeps people coming back.”
The Takeover
On Thursday, September 18, Juarez will take over DiningOut’s Instagram to give viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the goings on and preparations for dinner service at Hidden Omakase. With the restaurant open from Tuesday through Sunday, each day requires thorough preparations. “We don’t have a prep team or a pastry team,” says Juarez. “We get to the restaurant at 1:30 p.m. and prep that menu.”
Juarez stresses the importance of each person behind the counter, many who have put their mark on menus with their own creations. He guides, teaches, and encourages them to think not only about a plate itself, but how it can be profitable. “If they create a dish, I ask them how they are going to adapt if we can’t get an ingredient.”
In addition to giving viewers a look at all there is to love and appreciate about Hidden, Juarez will share his love of the city’s food scene. The young chef has a particular fondness for Cucharita in Montrose, a place he finds warm and nostalgic, reminiscent of his mother’s house back in Plainview.
The self-proclaimed mama’s boy and early bird recalls how his mother would give him bread and coffee in the mornings as a child to keep him preoccupied while she would cook breakfast. Cucharita’s bread service and drip coffee, a comforting cafe de olla, is a soul-warming reminder of those moments.
“As a chef, we don’t get much time with our families,” he shares, admitting he only sees his mother now once a year. “When I go home now, she still does the same thing. And, when I go to Cucharita, it reminds me of that.”
Check out executive chef Marcos Juarez’s Instagram takeover on Thursday, September 18, and tune in for the chance to win $100 gift card to Hidden Omakase.
