Uluwatu Nikkei Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Arona

Uluwatu Nikkei Tenerife is one of the best restaurants I have been to on the island. Not even overreacting.

Its located within Limonello restaurant which makes it quite hard to find the actual entrance. But after making it up the stairs you are greeted by a beautiful jungle decor with a great view of the boulevard and ocean.

The staff is friendly but not in your face every 10 minutes. They ask the right amount of times if everything is alright. For me this is perfect since I dont want to be approached for every little thing during my dinner.

After ordering they asked if we had allergies. Which I do. They followed up with the question if its okay that the food might have some allergy inducing product traces or if I could not get in touch with it at all.

As starter we had the freshly made guacamole and this is hands down the best guac with fresh tortillas I have ever tasted. They prepare it live at your table, which I did not really care about but its a nice touch. But the taste of it was so heavenly. The guac was creamy with different spice flavours and a little spiciness which pairs very well with the rest of the dish.

We also had some chicken teriyaki and this was also very good. But it was not that special to be honest.

And as last starter we had soft shell crab taco’s. These were nice but you got to like crab in order to enjoy these. They were flavourful and nicely decorated.

As mains we had the Salmon Teriyaki and ribeye steak. Both dishes had rich flavours. Like it was a flavour explosion with every bite you take.

Last but not least we had the desserts. A creme brulee with maracuja and a 3 leches cake. The 3 leches cake was not that good. It was a bit dry and the cake tasted a bit like a bread rather than a fluffy cake drenched in milk. The creme brulee however, this was another flavour explosion with every bite. It was sweet yet a bit sour because of the maracuja and the balance was perfect.

In the end the owner came up to us to ask how everything went. He asked for genuinely feedback and made some small talk with us. I appreciated this a lot.

I could recommend this place to anyone who wants a rich experience for a decent price. Since its located at a busy boulevard its nice to just step away into something rather quiet and just enjoy your time at the island with some amazing food.

Overall: Ambiance 9.5/10 Service: 9/10 Vibe: 9/10 Price: 9/10 (it’s not expensive considering the quality of the restaurant in general) Starters: Guac 10/10 Chicken teriyaki 8.5/10 Crab taco’s 7.5/10 Mains: Salmon 8.5/10 Ribeye 9/10 Desserts: 3 leches 6/10 Creme...

We chose this restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. When making the reservation, there’s an option to mention if it’s a special occasion, which got us excited. However, it turns out they ask just for the sake of it – they don’t reserve a table with a special view or do anything extra for you choosing to celebrate an important moment there. But that’s fine, it happens… (PS: if you’re making a reservation and see that question, don’t get your hopes up – nothing special will be done.)

The service was okay. Two different waiters explained the menu to us – I believe there was a lack of communication between them. We didn’t interrupt the double explanation :) and let it go.

Now to the gastronomic part: on the day of our visit, they welcomed everyone with a signature cocktail called Netflix. Kudos to the creator – it was a sensory experience for me!

The starter was the highlight of the night. The other dishes weren’t bad, but they weren’t delicious either – I’d say they were just okay. The signature cocktails we ordered weren’t as good as the one offered by the house. Since that first one was so good, we expected more from the ones we chose afterward.

In the end, the experience wasn’t as good as we had hoped. The beautiful setting (which really is very pretty) and the high prices lead you to expect something more – which simply isn’t delivered. Total cost for two people was around 140 euros. You can also choose the tasting menu for 75 euros per person. The presentation of the dishes is beautiful – I’d even say prettier than they are tasty.

Oh, and the passion fruit crème brûlée is amazing – that alone is worth it! I would return just for that delicious dessert. Don’t miss it!

In summary, from everything we ordered, what was really worth it was the welcome drink, one of the starters, and the dessert. So I’d say the place isn’t really worth the visit, considering that for the same amount, you can have a better experience elsewhere for less money – which actually...

Shame – Poor Service Ruined What Could Have Been a Lovely Experience

We were really looking forward to visiting this restaurant, but unfortunately, the experience was a major disappointment.

Service was extremely slow and unprofessional, suggesting a real lack of staff training. It took a long time to even get our drinks, and the issues began right from there. We ordered cocktails and a mocktail for my son — they didn’t have the mocktail and made no effort to suggest an alternative. My gin and basil cocktail was mostly ice, barely 100 mL of actual drink, which felt like poor value.

When ordering wine, the Albariño we wanted was out of stock, so the waitress recommended an alternative. However, what arrived was not the one she’d suggested. After sending it back, we were finally brought the correct bottle — but it turned out to be sparkling and sweet, nothing like the dry white we’d asked for. This entire process took far too long and showed a real lack of knowledge or care.

Starters were small but nicely presented and tasted good. However, mains were a letdown. We waited a long time, and no one advised us that sides might be needed. My octopus dish was pleasant but more like a side portion than a main course, especially for €30. The steak was good, and the lamb cutlets had nice flavour, but one piece tasted strongly of lighter fluid. My son’s lamb was enjoyable but again, the portions were minimal.

By the end, we paid the bill and stopped elsewhere for something more substantial on the way home. It’s a shame, as the restaurant has a nice atmosphere and potential, but the poor service, confusion, and small portions made it an experience we...