Sushi Uokura — Restaurant in Golden

Right from the moment we walked in, the vibe was off. It seemed as though the manager was the only one working. We were fortunate enough to sit at the bar for all you can eat sushi. It was our first time here and at no point to our server come to us to explain the menu or how to order. After about 20 minutes, the server comes over and goes “are you eating here?” He hands us one menu and two waters and walks away. Doesn’t explain the menu, how to order, etc. During this time I look off to my left and our server is doing hand stands in the side room. He then proceeds to hold on to the rafters and just hang there. When we finally get his attention again to ask about the menu, he seemed extremely annoyed and gave us a bare bones explanation of the menu. But again, not how to order. So, we guess (the menu was like a checklist where you marked off what you wanted for each order? still not sure). So we marked off what we wanted and then sat there for another 10-15 minutes waiting for him to come back. Which he didnt. so, eventually we had to ask the sushi chefs how to order (not sure if this what we were supposed to do?). We ordered wrong and there seemed to be some confusion since our server didnt explain literally anything about the menu.

We got our food quick, and it was amazing. Literally, the best sushi I’ve had it awhile. Shout out to the sushi chefs and the kitchen staff there. They make some incredible food! 5 star food, hands down.

Back to our server. At one point, he was check the soy sauce containers around the bar. While my brother and I were eating, he would reach over us to shake the soy sauce container. No, excuse me. Not a word. It felt like we were a annoyance to him or in his way, or something. He would stand over your shoulder and watch you drink your water, and then, without saying anything he would take the glass from you to fill it up. The whole experience felt rude and just made us feel extremely uncomfortable. Again, it seemed like the manager and the other servers were super busy and this person was just not doing anything. No basic communication, nothing.

To the manager, I know it’s not my place but the food is too good not to say something, a real conversation needs to be had with...

My husband and I were at dinner here last evening. We hadn't been to this restaurant for a year or more but always remembered it positively. Last night was pretty awful . Beginning with the waiter- who my husband assumed was new- giving him benefit of doubt. He was unfriendly from the beginning. We were served tea in large mugs that were so hot we couldn't grip until tea had cooled. When I mentioned if we could get napkin or something to use to hold he seemed annoyed. This waiter stood over us while we were eating waiting to clear dishes- took my chopsticks at one point before I noticed- had to ask for another. The broth container he brought us for leftovers for.my husband's dish had a lid made for a straw that didn't fit the container quite either- annnoyed again it seemed when he took it back to kitchen - they wrapped the top in saran wrap and when I asked him for a bag to carry it away in he mumbled something to which I said' pardon?' . He then said to me' you are not the only customer here you know'. His manner from beginning was terrible. Oh and when I asked him about the "ginger tofu" on this plate he said ' I'm not the cook, I don't know'.. I've never had a server who didn't know- or at least was willing to ask the kitchen- about the food. Also, i know things have changed in restaurants since the pandemic, and vegetarian entrees seem to have gone by the way. The only vegetarian dinner consisted of tempura and more tempura. I like tempura, but a little goes a long way. I try to eat healthy and Japanese fare has always leaned in that direction. It was a very disappointing evening overall. My husband and I were having our 50+ year anniversary too. Whoever this young man is I hope he finds his way. I don't think interfacing with the public may be his Forte. I know the hard work it is to wait tables- many long years ago I did this. I'm always conscientious towards wait staff. Bad experience- if anyone has read this far. Sushi Uokura used to be...

Very disappointed in food & service. We first arrived (family of 3) and ordered the all you can eat sushi. We placed an order for the basic salmon rolls and then a mix of tempura roll that was supposed to have tuna in it. The salmon were good, but small and tasted similar to the kind you get at the grocery store. The tempura was terrible (in my opinion)... the breading portion of it was battered on like a pancake and if there was any fish in the roll, i couldnt taste it due to the other ingredients. We tried two other rolls (one a spicy tuna, that was again overpowered by the sauce they put on it and hard to taste the fish). We also got tuna sashimi and that was good. At that point we decided not to finish the spicy tuna rolls as they were terrible and went back to ordering the salmon rolls. When the waitress came to take our order for the salmon rolls, we were told that they charge for any food not eaten... and the rolls left over were 5.95 per two each (we had 6 left as they were disgusting). I can not fathom how you can charge for food leftover, and then just decide what the cost would be (the prices for all you can eat are listed at the bottom of the menu as 22.95 per person- does not show pricing for individual items). I argued about this as it is "all you can eat" not "charge for your leftovers" and was told the fee would be waived but they would not let us take home the leftovers- which was perfectly fine with us because they were gross. Not only does the charge make no sense, but the food was below average and we were already looking at a bill of over $50.00. We finally got the last of the grocery store rolls (each order took 20-30 minutes between) so 1 1/2 hours later we get the rolls and they are warm from sitting out or something and the first bite made me want to gag. Given the amount ($22) per person, the terrible food, EXTREMELY SLOW SERVICE, and the rule about charging for leftovers= i would never return...