Yuka Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Sandy Springs

Up until Oct 15 every experience at the restaurant have been amazing more so that I convinced my brother to have his birthday brunch here because it was very laid back & not to busy with great food along with wanting to support a newer business in the area we liked. It was for a party 10-12 people.

Upon arrival I saw the table set up & I asked was it possible to get the high top tables instead of the back booth & chairs so people can get in & out, we were denied due to them saying we would be blocking another table that was empty, which the restaurant only had 2 parties of 2 in it at the time by the guy who I guess who was the restaurant manager. No problem understood.

I explained to the waitress it would be separate checks before everybody got there & the birthday guy would be at the end. When everybody started to arrive started ordering appetizers & drinks things were going great but we realized the birthday guy still hadn't order the waitress kept forgetting about him so I had to go get her to make sure he got his order placed. It was a very hiccups on orders being given to the wrong person/ wrong items be corrected quickly by the waitress.

Food came out amazing as always, as we are wrapping things up, I asked for checks & the waitress brings one large check. I explained separate checks she said she couldn't so I asked for the manager, we waited so I got up & spoke with the owner & he sent me to the manager. He tells me the P.O.S system they use is old & it will crash the system by separating the checks.

Me being in the restaurant business 20+ years I've worked with all kinds of systems so I asked him what kind & I could help, he said very rudely we don't need your help apparently they did because the he tells to separate the checks. So I had to figure out who had what on each order, come to find out we were charged 2 extra drinks 1 entrée & 1 appetizers.

I know these are hard times for restaurants/people but getting over on people isn't the way by going by it. We spent over $500 which I know helped there labor for that day which seemed to be very slow. Please respect people's time & money a little better at your establishment.

So if you have a large party beware...

Great first experience.

First: A5 wagyu. Japan is very protective of its cattle and a lot of what is on the American market is American wagyu which isnt bad but doesnt command the prices that the Japanese stuff does and a lot of places fail to pass this knowledge along. Luckily, this location does have a certificate for its beef with an ID number and a prefecture that does export (Kagoshima). The beef itself is delicious. It is heavily marbled with a rich, deep umami flavor and unctuous texture. Fantastic.

Sushi, Nigiri: The Nigiri style leans more too the Edo style (bigger cuts of fish). Out of all the pieces I picked out the maguro was the best one for me. The mouth feel, soft and yielding, warmed in the hand of the chef perfectly resulted in an extremely plesant and memorable "melt-in-your mouth" sensation. The other pieces were very good but not outstanding. Of course, Monday is often an off day for sushi restaurants though they had gotten in a few items that day (like Aji which was fresh) so I def. want to come back on a busier day before making any final conclusions. (The rice was excellent and perfectly seasoned btw)

Sushi roll: We only got one roll, the nana. The pieces werent too big so you could enjoy all the componants in one bit. The texture was delightful with crispy blue crab tempura, fresh salmon, refreshing masago that popped on the tongue, and a creamy sauce. The rice itself was seared slightly lending a touch of smokness to the overall dish. Great.

The atmosphere is not my favorite. It is quite dark in some parts of the restaurant, so, much so that it isnt sexy but just difficult to see (and read). That being said and done the food was great and so was...

The best sushi in Atlanta! Better service than Umi (and you can actually have a conversation without screaming), and better/fresher quality fish than Tomo. The atmosphere is kind of “industrial chic;” the menu is vast (they serve fish that I haven’t seen anywhere else in town); the service was fantastic; and the sushi bar is set around a cool open kitchen -concept, so you can see everything that is being made very clearly.

I happened to dine there on a day when they had just filleted a tuna, and I have never had such a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth sushi experience. I sat at the sushi bar and had the best time watching Chef and his artisans create delicious masterpieces. Chef was very friendly, and my server was very helpful with her recommendations.

I started with the O-Toro Tataki (amazing, melt in your mouth deliciousness) and the Grilled Twist Peppers (yummy, the bonito flakes were a wonderful touch). Then I had the Prawn Shrimp Tempura (a Sriracha-ish sauce on big, crispy prawns). Then, on the Contemporary Nigiri menu, I devoured the yellowtail and salmon options (both were so so yummy!). I finished with the Jellyfish sashimi (it has a sweetish/spicyish flavor and is crunchy - it’s very cool and a must-taste!), O-Toro sushi, Chu Toro sushi, Hon Maguro sushi, and the Kanpachi sushi (the tunas were my absolute favorite - totally drool-inducing - and the amberjack was fresh and lovely). Also, the portions are very generous, especially the fish!

District M is my new favorite...