Uchi

05/16/2008 Posted by lizlovestoeat

Sushi is my favorite type of food, so I enjoy Uchi once or twice a year to treat myself. Be prepared to savor your food - don't rush the kitchen or the sushi chefs, and you won't be disappointed. Take advantage of the attentive waitstaff to order just one dish per person at a time. The sushi (both nigiri and rolls) is lovely, always just what I'm after. I don't usually order sashimi, but this would be a great place to do so - the fish is impeccably fresh and expertly prepared. I order the buttery-rich maguro with goat cheese every time I visit, though I also make a point of enjoying a couple of the daily specials as well. The grilled mackerel is also always particularly succulent and satisfying. I hope they never take the Valrhona wasabi fondant off the menu - it's an indulgent finish for a chocoholic. Uchi gets a bad rap for being pricey, but everything needs perspective. Frankly, it's not expensive on the same scale as, say, New York or San Francisco sushi; and Austin IS a landlocked city, after all. A leisurely hour-plus dinner for two (with 3-4 cocktails) usually comes to about $100 before tip.

Pros: Perfect for intimate dinners and small (3-4) groups, excellent food, consistently good service, quality cocktails and great wine/sake list, hip ambience but still relaxed

Cons: Parking is limited, reservations available only before 7 pm, impractical for groups larger than four

05/10/2008 Posted by jujubeelee

Uchi has way too many negatives that cancels out the only positive: good sushi. 1) Ridiculous wait time 2) Snobby hostess (unprofessional on the phone and in person) 3) Our waiter asked if we've had sushi before. We told him indeed we have. He continued to speak to us like we were hillbillies trying something raw for the first time. 4) That place is L O U D. All we could do was eat. Shouting would've been the only way to carry a conversation. 5) Cramped table spacing and the table itself was T I N Y. my husband and I were seated at a cafe-style table - for dinner! more thought and consideration to the table setting/arrangement should have precluded using family-style dinnerware. We spend well over $100 for sushi no matter where we go. We are much happier spending it at Musashino.

Pros: Good sushi, great place for showboaters

Cons: Bad service, cramped tables/table arrangements, loud, overpriced, rude hostess

05/10/2008 Posted by BAMBJMP

Ridiculous wait over 2 hours no courtesy from hostesses--wouldn't take reservations--Waiter was ok -told us he would split the bill, but didn't. Restaurant was very LOUD (customers and bad music), very expensive, very small portions on entrees. The food was good, but we were all still hungry when we left.

Pros: Food

Cons: long wait, service, portion size, price

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/28/2008 Posted by atownpri

I've been to a lot of sushi places and this is just not it. If you love fusion stuff, this is the place for you buddy. It's very overpriced, with very very snobby waiters. Portions are way to small. If you have unlimited amount of spending money. you can go here. but for regular people like me who actually wants to be full by spending about 70dollars for 2 people, don't go here.

Pros: Tasty food

Cons: Worst service I've seen in years, itty bitty portions

04/28/2008 Posted by jencr

It was my 21st birthday on the day my boyfriend and i decided to try uchi, since we love sushi. What we didn't know was that this place is a SUSHI FUSION place... which means its not traditional sushi. That was alright, we were looking at the menu, and it was kind of expensive for students like us... but since it was my birthday we didn't care about the price range. Anyhow, our waiter came and he was friendly.. "at first". We first ordered edamame, and took some time to decide what we wanted... WOW... he took very long before he came to us.. and he passes us like 3 or 4 times He was actually serving the tables in front and back of me... because they ordered alcohol. Actually he didn't even ask us if we wanted any drinks, they just gave us water. Finally.. he came... and got our order,,, the food was good. :) but we finished our sushi roll and sashimi in about 1 minute so we waited there with empty plates... which our waiter passed by another 3~4 times... By this time, my boyfriend and I was pretty upset. I do not know if he was ignoring us because we looked young or whatever.. but he took so long to come back to us. And then.. we ordered couple of sushi s and today's special.. by the time our meal had come out we were so hungry.. and after we ate everything we were still hungry. I know this is a fancy restaurant i expected a little more even tho it was small portion, it was good... no complaints about the taste. MY biggest complaint is about the waiter... BY the time we finished, my boyfriend just put his cc on the table, since he took so long... I'm a waiter at another sushi restaurant.. but this wasn't the service i give to my customers even tho they look very young. I think my boyfriend gave him like $ .50 tip ... because he was so mad..but the waiter came out to the balcony and gave us a dirty look. But i SWEAR he deserved it... maybe he got a better tip from those other 2 tables he had.?

Pros: Romantic mood interior, Taste

Cons: Snobby waiter (which ruins the romantic mood), slow service, too noisy, feels to crowded

03/23/2008 Posted by danedanetx

This place is NOT overrated. We were completely satisfied with our evening spent there and it is one of the best restaurants in Austin, both my date and I work at fine dining Austin restaurants and know what to expect when we go out............We expected to take our time dining and ordering as well as to spend a good amount of money......We ordered three different kinds of sake and seven different dishes.. all spectacular.. it was a great experience. The restaurant is sleek, dark, and modern and each server and food runner was knowledgable with our choices brought to the table............. I have been craving Uchi ever since and recommend it to anyone!!

Pros: Above par service, exceptional dishes, perfect pacing of orders, awesome date

Cons: Did not have one thing to complain about here.

03/23/2008 Posted by suelpen

Uchi definitely has some of the best and freshest ingredients in Austin. At some times there are a few too many posers hanging out there, but most of the time, the atmosphere is great and those who go there to show off to a date seem to have gradually diminished. Those who go there expecting standard sushi fare may be a bit disappointed, even though the sushi rolls are very good. What really distinguishes Uchi are the innovative small plates such as Hama Chili, Fried Brie Tempura and many others. Uchi also serves some more or less traditional Japanese dishes, for example, their Saba Shio (grilled mackerel) is fantastic. The prices at Uchi are actually very reasonable, considering the quality of their ingredients, for example, many of the small dishes (such as Saba Shio) cost less than a plate of fried mozzarella sticks at a crappy chain restaurants. The daily special dishes can be a bit more pricy, especially if they involve high end ingredients but those are well worth it. Make sure you try dessert as well, their Cracked Peppercorn sorbet, Wasabi fondant and peanut butter semifreddo are outstanding! For more traditional Japanese food, I would recommend Mushashino but for a great taste of Japanese-inspired food, Uchi is definitely one of the best places.

Pros: Fantastic food at very reasonable prices

Cons: Some times, too many posers and wannabees...

02/28/2008 Posted by loveisblind1

The person below (dpro) mentioned that the food was not served by Japanese people. but most of the time in the U.S., its usually Korean people who own Japanese restaurants and so therefore, its not usually "authentic" anyways. lol. but as far as the spectrum of Japanese restaurants, this is probably one of the better sushi places in Austin. I heard that Musashino is a close competitor in terms of its quality so i hope to go there and compare. Food: I had the Chef's selection (7 pieces of nigiri sushi) = $17. I thought the quality of the fish was fresh and tasty. The menu definitely has a Western influence on it and I guess that is expected because most of the customers are not Japanese nor even Asian in some nights. The chef is a well accredited chef though although he is not Japanese. He does offer some interesting fusions along with some traditional sushi selections. You do have to order at least 2-3 things from the menu just to be full. I ordered the tempura, soup and Chef's selection and was moderately full. The appetizers usually come out in numbers of 3-4 from what it seems like. The food is good quality although the food didn't have as much value (amount for the price, wholesale is much cheaper i'm sure). Atmosphere: Swanky, Yuppie, young, and overcrowded. ALso romantic if you get a booth. but if not, the small tables that are placed in the middle of the booths are not so romantic. Good for group gatherings. Service: generally friendly wait time: although the hostess told us that it would take 30-45 minutes on a saturday night. It took around 15 minutes. I assume on other nights that is not the case at all since I saw people standing outside. Price: obviously not cheap. you do get a little amount of food but if you choose things from the menu well, you can be satisfied. my friend and i spent around 80-85 dollars altogether( this is plus tip).

Pros: good sushi

Cons: overcrowded, hard to hear my friend talk, little portions, pricey, long line

12/09/2007 Posted by dpro

I love sushi and eat it more than any other food, so i was excited to check out this place known as the best in Austin. The food was borderlined good and very good . But the price was unreal for very small portions. I honestly believe the reason people come here is to brag that they ate at Uchi, so everyone will think they have a lot of money and are cool. And i don't really like the idea of eating sushi made by and served by white hipsters from south austin. It takes the whole exotic experience away. Go somewhere else that has better prices, better atmosphere, and less people with their noses in the air.

Pros: food is good

Cons: price, white hipster servers (not Japanese), overall I am better than you atmosphere

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/19/2007 Posted by jermas

Went last week with my partner, this place is so much fun! Cooking on rocks! Sake in the wooden boxes! A lot of thought has been put into Uchi and it shows. I would not even know where to start with the food, amazing sushi. I had the scallops which I loved, but I do have to say for the price the portion was a little small, although they were perfectly cooked. I do have to say neither of us were too keen on the desserts. but that is a small complaint compared to the overall experience. Service was spot on, waiter knew just when to come around.

Pros: service, food

Cons: smaller portions for price