Uchi Dallas

Reviews 3

VA

Valerie Hubbard

We had called and talked to the restaurant twice and were told they only take a few reservations and didnt have any left but not to worry, they left plenty of tables for open seating. I spoke to one of the managers and told him what time we wanted to come and the number in our party. I was told it would be no problem, come on in at 7:30. Our party of 4 arrived a little before 7:30, where we were promptly told by the "hostess" and I use this word loosely, that the wait would be 45 minutes to an hour and a half.There was no where to sit inside so they offered for us to wait outside on the patio. We sat outside in 85 degree temps with the mister blowing on us. Suddenly I felt like we were waiting in line for a ride at Six Flags. After 30 minutes I checked with the "hostess" who told me that there were two tables that had paid their bill and were just chatting and we would get one of those tables An Hour and ten minutes later (Total wait time in the swamp known as the patio area- One Hour and Forty Minutes)- no table.....We had watched many other people be seated but when I asked about our table I was told all those other people had reservations. How is that possible if only a small number of tables are reserved and the rest are held for open reservations. Then the manager approached us and seemed very happy so we thought great..our table......oh no he was very pleased to offer us 3 seats at the bar.....the problem was there were four of us!!!!! I still have no idea what they wanted us to do with our fourth, maybe draw straws and the looser goes hunger or perhaps plays musical chairs for the three coveted bars seats? We were almost hungry enough to forgo the friendships and just let the fastest three eat! After nearly two hours in the swamp our shirts were damp and our faces and bodies dripped with preservation. We now had the General Manager and the Floor Manager telling us that they might have a table for us is another 30 minutes. Ive traveled and dined all over the world and never experienced the lack of respect and treatment we received at Uchi Dallas....funny thing is, weve dined at Uchi before and although the staff does seem a bit condescending, the overall experience was decent. This was not , we wondered if it was poor management, an extraordinarily busy night(which we would like to have been told when we arrived and would have made other plans) , a total disregard for the their clients time....or perhaps something else....we were four ladies having dinner together, all the other dinners were mixed couples, could this have been discriminatory treatment against ladies? Are we just not important enough to treat with respect at Uchi if we dont have a male escort? We ended the night not knowing and wont be spending a lot of time analyzing it. At the end, we left Uchi at 9:15 (very close to two hours after we arrived) we of course still hadnt eaten so we drove half a block down the street to Nick and Sams where were seated immediately and fed the most delicious steak & chicken dinner with all the sides. The folks at Nick and Sams were great, service was wonderful and the food scrumptious....by the way ask for Joel he was amazing. I have never written a review the before but we ran into friends at Nick and Sams that told us they had the same experience at Uchi Dallas and so I felt compelled to warn readers of what can happen to you at Uchi Dallas, it was an unacceptable experience for us and as restaurant goers are rather fickle, and trends change from season to season, the management at Uchi Dallas might be well advised to build loyalty into their client base by showing more respect for the people paying the bills.

CA

Cathleen

Anddddddd Im broke! hahaha Uchi is the type of restaurant you bring sugar daddy to. Unfortunately, I dont have one so I brought my Amex. As much as I would like to, this is definitely not the restaurant that the average Joe eats everyday. Im going to be straight forward and cut to the chase. Parking is valet. Rsvp advance if you want to be seated if not, come early when they open. I rsvp two weeks in advance and all the good times were taken. I had to settle for 8:45PM on a Sunday. I took the open time because Ive been waiting for several months to try Uchi. Items under Sushi on the menu is not a roll, it is an individual piece of nigiri. If you order these items, you might want to order several pieces. You must start with a cold dish to settle your palette and then the sushi/hot plates will arrive after. here is a list of items in order of when it was brought out. As you can tell, cold food first. Sometimes eating hot food burn your tongue so you dont get to taste full flavor. They want you to experience full flavor and a relax environment at uchi. -Yokai Berry, served cold. Fresh melt in your mouth salmon with seaweed and pear pieces. It was delightful and the combination meshed together really well. It was light and perfect for summer -2 sake toro, salmon nigiri. It was better than any other salmon nigiri Ive ever had but I would pass on it next time. I would rather have four pieces of madai. -2 madai, This is Japanese Sea Bream fish nigiri. One of the best things I ever ate, seriously. Get this! When you eat this put the fish side down so you get the flavor. This had a fragrance and it was lovely. Use your smell and taste senses. -Foie ichigo, this was on their specials for the night. One of the most unique dishes I ever ate. It came like a garden. Black sesame on the bottom that looked like dirt, strawberries and foie on top with green leaves that make it look like a plant. Super good!!! -Wagyu beef hot rock, no need to chew! I didnt want this to end. They give you a hot rock in a bowl and pieces of wagyu on a plate. Cook each side for 12 seconds for medium. This is definitely a unique dining experience -Brussells sprouts, super good! This was filler food for us. We knew we wouldnt be full from the other plates so we ordered this to get full. -4 pieces of foie gras nigiri, so buttery and it was everything I ever wanted -Fried milk, must get this for dessert! It was hot, cold, crunchy, creamy, and smooth all in one! It was sooooo good. The chocolate pieces were crunchy. It tasted like the state fair of Texas meet five star restaurant. Service was top notch!!! Everybody was on top of their game and they were like ninjas. They were so fast on everything. They picked up the plates as soon as we were done eating and the new food kept coming. Very attentive and well trained! They worked as a team and they were genuinely happy to be at work. Our waiter Mark was super sweet and genuine! Ask for him!

JE

Jess Soto

At the risk of sounding like everyone else, when in Dallas head to Uchi. Make a reservation at least a week in advance when possible. (There was only one time slot available when I tried OpenTable) Theyll call to confirm a couple days ahead of time. Being from DC I am used to overpriced, touristy places but no have no fear- while this place is trendy, the prices are decent, the service is so friendly- never rushed, and the food is AMAZING. My boyfriend was craving a steak as usual and I was more interested in the cocktail menu, as usual. While Uchi wont deliver quite like Ocean Prime or Nick & Sams for steaks , or quite frankly for drink options either, the menu is so diverse I highly recommend you check it out. This place is one for the foodies. The combination of flavors/ingredients was so well done I cant wait to go back to Dallas *just* to taste different menu items! We came here prepared to leave hungry, we heard the serving sizes were small and youd have to eat like 20 of one dish to feel slightly full. At the end of the meal appetizers, entrees, and dessert we were slightly under $200 for 2 of us which was a shock and impressive- that never happens! So while this restaurant may be trendy and impossible to get into- its affordable. Sake Social Menu: To be safe, do as we did and order one of everything from their "tastings" menu. Each dish is about $8 and they keep them rotating coming out, enough for 2 people to have 1 or 2 bites each. GO FOR IT. If youre patient enough once you taste a flavor you like they can point you to an entree of similar consistency. However we did not wait. Makimono: The Shag roll was awesome and BIG for Uchi serving sizes. I was almost satisfied after finishing that roll! Hot Tastings: Everyone on Yelp recommended the Hot Rock but when we tried to order it our waitress *insisted* we try another dish (of course, a more expensive option). We liked the second dish better, apparently the Hot rock means your cooking the Wagyu beef yourself, no thank you. We opted for the bacon steakie and gyutoro(72 hour short rib). Serving size, predictable, taste was awesome! Dessert: Fried Milk of course. Highly recommend it has something for everyone, bread lovers, cream fraiche lovers, milk lovers, chocolate lovers, instagram my food lovers. Side note- Looked like a perfect first date night spot - ask for a seat with the sushi chefs and youll have a great convo all night long.