Present Tense
Venue Brief
Wedgewood-Houston izakaya-style room washed in red light, serving skewers, crudo and fried chicken with cocktails until late on Friday and Saturday.
Venue Details
- Vibe
- CasualDate NightUpbeat
- Age guide
- 25-45
- Dress code
- Casual Chic
- Cuisine
- JapaneseTapas/Share Plate
- Demographic
- Young ProfessionalsCouplesLocals
- Music genre
- Lounge/Chill House
- Price
- $$$$
- Open season
- Year-round
- Clientele
- LocalsAmerican
- Offerings
- Table ServicePrivate Dining
- Open times
- Mon ClosedTue ClosedWed 5 – 9 PMThu 5 – 11 PM BestFri 4 – 11:30 PM BusySat 4 – 11:30 PM BusySun 4 – 9 PM
- Vibe score
- 5.6 / 10
Address
Contact
About Present Tense
The dark-painted house on Houston Street glows red inside, with paper globe lights, wooden tables and a small bar where a candle has built up a tower of wax. The cooking leans Japanese and is meant for the table: yakitori-style skewers, karaage with a green dip, tuna on toast, delicate crudo and a burger. Reviewers who rate the food call it among the most creative in the city, while the recurring gripe is portion size, and a 4.3 from roughly 300 Google reviews reflects that split along with uneven service. The patio holds a good share of the tables, and one party arrived in 90-degree heat to find their indoor booking had become an outdoor one, so it pays to confirm. Hours are Wednesday to Sunday, running until 11:30pm on Friday and Saturday, which makes the bar a good late stop for a lychee martini.
