Ukiyo Savannah — Restaurant in Savannah

This was of the most confusing dining experiences I’ve ever had.

First off, a member of our party asked our server if they serve umeshu (Japanese plum wine) as part of their drinks menu. She seemed not to know what that is and said they don’t have it. But later, upon closer inspection of their cocktails, we discovered that their Ukiyo Highball (which - since it’s named after their restaurant - one would imagine is their signature cocktail) actually lists umeshu as an ingredient. I would hope that even if the server didn’t know whether they had it to serve, they’d at least know the meaning of the word which is an ingredient in their signature cocktail. Otherwise, the service was decent.

At the beginning of the meal, we were told that the menu was small plates style for sharing. We got 5 dishes to share amongst 3 people - the dishes turned out to all be almost full entrée size. If we had finished all of them, we’d be painfully stuffed.

We ordered the agedashi tofu, the grilled cabbage, the grilled Hokkaido scallops, the Ukiyo hot tofu don, and the mentaiko mazemen. The agedashi tofu used medium-firm tofu instead of silken. The scallops came with a side of yellow and purple “charred carrots” - we thought they were black because some of them were purple carrots (they were), but they were also more like “charcoal carrots” and we couldn’t eat them because they were so leathery and burnt. The tofu in the Ukiyo hot tofu don tasted like it was coated in buffalo sauce instead of togarashi, and the rice was covered in soy sauce and a layer of furikake so thick it had mass when seen from a cross-section, making it incredibly salty in an already salty dish that had so many competing flavours. The mentaiko mazemen did not taste of mentaiko at all, the noodles stuck to each other and only tasted of noodle despite being coated in a mentaiko sauce (which is usually very flavourful and distinct), and it was topped with ikura (not listed on the menu) and crab (also didn’t add a whole lot to the dish). Oddly enough the cabbage was the most successful dish - but I wouldn’t necessarily want cabbage to be the star of the show if I were running a restaurant.

I wish this restaurant billed itself more as a fusion or Japanese-inspired restaurant instead of an actual Japanese restaurant. Our expectations of what we were going to get were so off, and their descriptions in the menu were misleading and also left out ingredients (which is concerning for those with allergies). If I had eaten there not knowing what any of those dishes were actually supposed to taste or feel like in comparison, then I suppose it would have been acceptable (but still not enough to go back a second time). Japanese cusine is all about subtlety, complementary flavours, and thoughfully-selected ingredients, and some of these dishes felt like I was being hit with a confusing jumble of overpoweringly salty flavours that were all competing with each other, and these sadly did not do that cuisine...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Ukiyo, and I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks for a truly exceptional experience.

From the moment we arrived, we were greeted warmly by the host and seated promptly. The ambiance of the restaurant was inviting and perfectly set the tone for a memorable meal. The decor was elegant yet comfortable, creating a perfect backdrop for our dining experience.

The menu offered a diverse selection of dishes, each sounding more delicious than the last. Our server was incredibly knowledgeable, providing excellent recommendations and accommodating our dietary preferences with ease. The highlight of our meal was the sushi, which was a culinary masterpiece. The flavors were perfectly balanced, and the presentation was impeccable.

What truly set our experience apart, however, was the outstanding service. Your staff was attentive without being intrusive, ensuring that our glasses were always full and that we had everything we needed. They worked seamlessly together, displaying professionalism and a genuine passion for their work.

I would like to commend you, Sydney, for leading such a fantastic team. It's clear that Ukiyo is a well-oiled machine, with every member of your staff contributing to an exceptional dining experience. Your leadership and dedication to excellence are evident in every aspect of the restaurant.

Thank you once again for a wonderful evening. We will undoubtedly be returning soon and will be recommending Ukiyo to all our...

When a restaurant is touting itself as a Japanese restaurant that offers menu items such as sushi, rice bowls, and ramen there area few fundamental things to ensure are done properly. Rice and Broth. That was not the case at this restaurant. What this appeared to be is an attempt to do too many things and not be really good at any of them. I will say that my hat is off to whom ever is preparing the Bao and Garden sections of the menu. Everything we ordered from those two sections were on point. Unfortunately, that is about as far as the good experience went. The ribs were too salty, the rice was gelatinous (either not washed enough or too much water), and preparation of the sushi roll was poorly done (fell apart and did not present well). To compound this negative dining experience, our server was relatively new and it appeared that he was thrown to the wolves. He had a full section and was not doing a good job of managing his tasks. However, the management nor other staff member stepped in to support him and it was clear he was drowning. I felt sorry for him, but it also diminished our experience when we ran out of water or did not see him for over 20-min at a time. Our total time dining should have been about 30-40 minutes less than it was due to the long delays. I would probably not recommend this restaurant, at least not on a busy...