Kohiko Japanese Cafe Opens in Houston’s Sugar Land

Nicolas Tanaka, a barista since college, has spent hours balancing art and science while perfecting his latte art skills.

“It’s an obsession,” said Tanaka, 26, who has won national competitions by creating intricate floral designs with milk foam.

This focus and passion led Tanaka to open Kohiko, a Japanese cafe in Sugar Land, 4617 Austin Parkway, which celebrates its grand opening today.

The cafe serves classic espressos and macchiatos, but stands out for its house-made syrups ranging from brown sugar and black sesame to banana and orange used in a variety of Japanese-inspired drinks.

“Latte art was another way to express myself,” Tanaka said. “It’s also a service. You can brighten someone’s day by serving them something beautiful.”

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Tucked inside a shopping mall, Kohiko is an airy corner space that Tanaka said he wanted to make welcoming even if it’s decorated sparsely enough to please a Marie Kondo follower.

Six forest green cabins are designed for work-focused guests or more introverted individuals.

But creating a community space was important to Tanaka, so he added counter seating where it’s easier to chat with other customers and baristas. There’s also a communal table and a small couch for groups.

An espresso machine finished in oxidized copper and reddish-brown brass is the focal point of the 1,040-square-foot space. It’s also where most of the drinks are prepared, with the exception of some premium teas and brewed coffees.

During Kohiko’s soft opening phase, the most popular drinks appearing on social media were signatures like the Okinawa Latte.

Tanaka, whose family is originally from Okinawa, said the drink was inspired by a trip his family took to the Japanese island last year to scatter his grandfather’s ashes. He added that his grandfather, who owned a barbershop for decades, influenced his work ethic.

Okinawa latte contains Okinawan brown sugar called kokuto, widely used in Japanese cuisine, mixed with black sesame, espresso, and milk. It has a balanced flavor, both salty and sweet.

Another popular product is the matcha latte, which may have been inspired by the military latte made popular by Sawada Coffee in Chicago. The brown and green colors come from the combination of coffee and matcha. It can be topped with homemade syrup, but it’s nothing like a sugary Starbucks drink when stirred and sipped.

“We have a lot of chains and boba shops in Sugar Land,” said Ariel Tran, a customer who visited us last weekend. “But there’s really no place like this around here.”

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In 2003, the Tanaka family moved from Irvine, California, to Sugar Land because of Tanaka’s father’s job at Continental Airlines. Tanaka has stated that he hates coffee and is more of a tea drinker.

However, while studying photography at the University of Houston, Tanaka worked on a project depicting the city’s coffee shop scene because he was drawn to the way people congregated in these spaces.

One day, while taking photos at BlendIn Coffee Club in Sugar Land, a barista handed him a macchiato, and Tanaka told him he had politely drunk it even though it tasted bitter. He then gave a framed photo to the shop owner, who invited him to take a class with other baristas.

Tanaka grew up loving coffee and was hired at BlendIn, where he worked until the pandemic hit in 2020. He eventually won latte art competitions in 2021 and 2022 at major coffee festivals.

When her sister, Krystal Tanaka, was working on her MBA at Rice University, she suggested she work on a business plan to open a coffee shop as part of an entrepreneurship class.

Tanaka agreed in part because his colleagues at Alphalete, a sportswear brand where he still works in the creative department, pushed him to open a shop. He was popular in the office for making the best cups of coffee.

“The project became the spark of my dream,” Tanaka said of opening Kohiko.

Like many social media-savvy Gen Zers, Tanaka shared a seemingly earnest behind-the-scenes look at Kohiko’s successes and challenges so far.

Ahead of the opening, he posted videos chronicling the construction work, including helping to tear down walls and sweep floors. Instagram posts showed customers lining up outside the door, as well as videos of Tanaka reminding people where they should and shouldn’t park their cars.

He openly shares his thoughts about feeling nervous and grateful since Kohiko opened.

The initial goal was to make at least $500 a day to pay rent, baristas and expenses, but so far the store has exceeded that amount, Tanaka said.

Before the inauguration, Tanaka said he kept telling himself, “All my prayers and hard work have been answered.”