Wow! This place didn't disappoint. We started with the crispy squid. So much flavor. A little peppery but tender and delicious. The spicy pork bowl was great! A rich broth. Wagu sticks were so flavorful. For side the Boy Choy was great. A little salty but that sesame ginger was so good. We ended with the seasonal mushroom Bao bun. That sauce and pickle made it! read more

We loved our first time here for the food but on top of that is the experience. Jill served us and OH MY GOD she is a jem and made our experience that much better. She was attentive, checked on us, had a quick funny story or two, and even spoke with guests nearby (who she was serving as well) and made us all comfortable and friendly towards each other. This kind of experience is one of a kind and we will come back and ask for her. On top of that, the food was glorious and well paced, such a beautiful environment and people to boot. Bravo. We will be back. Thank you! read more

Well, where do I start? A group of us had been so excited to try the food at Ukiah and the excitement soon fell flat. We each started with some small dishes. My wife and I decided to go with the Pork Bao and the Unagi. And our friends tried the Pork Belly on a stick. While our dishes where ok they did have flavor but fell short on the portion size, aioli's, or sauces. And our friends Pork Belly was truly disappointing Very fatty and almost like a mousse. For the main course we had the ribs, Pork belly tonkotsu, and spicy pork bbq tan tan. Honestly the ribs are probably the best thing on the menu. Anyways, The best part of the entire meal was the ambiance!! So if you're thinking about going here for dinner and you want a big meal you may be disappointed. If you wanted something prepared differently you are out of luck. Unless it was a food allergy. It seems like a good place to go for cocktails but not for dinner. By the way the cocktails were amazing as well as the service, that's why the 3 stars. Joe read more

Wow! That about sums it up. We had the Bao, Crispy Rock Shrimp, Sea Bass on a stick, Spicy Pork BBQ Ramen, Crispy Baby Back Ribs, Something f'in chocolate for desert and an amazing bottle of Tozai 'Snow Maiden' Nigori. I am literally already having dreams of our next visit. Spicy Pork BBQ Ramen was off the chart! Our server Rae Ann (?) Rae Lynn(?) was knowledgeable and attentive and made our experience outstanding. The dishes were times perfectly and the atmosphere was inviting. Cannot WAIT to go back!!! Do yourself a favor and go!!! read more

Outstanding!! We'd give 6 stars if we could. Our server was delightful - she humored our very talkative 8 year old. The food was spectacular - especially if you're a "foodie". It was a little loud, but expected. read more

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Managed to visit Ukiah on its fourth day in business and my experience couldn't have been better. This beautifully decorated restaurant offers a wide array of tempting Japanese dishes and some great twists on popular street foods. We started by sharing an order of Tokyo Street Corn and Crispy Squid. Both were excellent with great flavors with the shredded Bonito in particular adding extra oomph to the corn. The squid ranked amongst the lightest, loveliest calamari I've ever enjoyed and were expertly seasoned with salt and black shichimi pepper, which I've just learned is a Japanese spice blend. The dish also came with a generous slice of charred lemon to squeeze on top. Our server noted that the Ramen bowls were quite large (true), so my friend and I split the pork belly option between us as our main course. My East Meets West cocktail was a delicious accompaniment to our meal. Our servers were great, explaining that Ukiah uses several kitchens and food comes out as it's ready so it's warm and ready to eat. Ukiah is a great addition to Asheville! read more

Ukiah - Interior view. - Japanese Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Very tasty food, well made. Lovely staff , thought and engaging (and dog-friendly!). Beautiful outdoor setting. Highly recommended.

Truly one of the best gustatory experiences. Food was quick, delicious, and every bite felt like an adventure. Our server was amazing, would definitely recommend the tasting menu, the smaller of the two options, it has the best parts of every section of the menu highlighted. The ambience was excellent. read more

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delicious spot with amazing service in Asheville. highly recommend wagyu and karaage chicken. best to get a reservation beforehand

Really enjoyed my meal here. Everything was cooked perfectly and all the dishes were inventive and well thought out. We particularly enjoyed the fried mushroom appetizer and the waygu beef skewers. Nice clean Japanese flavors with a twist. Really high quality ingredients. Options to get a few smaller plates and share or order an app and entrees. Will be back! read more

Our last night visiting Asheville, I really wanted to try this place out and was so glad we did this. We couldn't get a reservation, but there was room at the bar for us and I was deadset on trying this place so we opted for the bar. I wouldn't have had it any other way. The environment overall was just bustling and happy and a ton of wonderful looking food going around all over the place. The bar was just a concentrated portion of all that experience. Our bartender was super attentive and we had way too many cocktails. I think we tried almost all they had on the menu and they were all so great in their own unique way. However the Ukiah Oldie was my favorite. I'm a whiskey guy and they smoke it up in front of you and it's just sublime. We also ended up getting many different tapas to try and our favorites there were the chicken thigh and wafyu sticks along with the sliced hamachi. All of it was as good as it looks though. Every time I go back to Asheville I'll have to hit this place up because it nailed everything they do. read more

We are Asheville locals and have eaten at a lot of our local restaurants over the years. Tonight we went here to celebrate my husband's birthday along with our 18-year-old son. We had great service from Angelina, who was knowledgeable and made great recommendations. Table was regularly cleared of dishes. Dishes were served as they were prepared. We had the rock shrimp, pork bao, mushroom bao, ribs, wagyu and sea bass sticks, sweet potato, crispy squid, and pork ramen. There was not a bad bite on the table! The desserts were wonderful as well! Ukiah is now on our "best of" list and we will definitely be back! read more

Came here for the first time tonight for an early Valentine's dinner. Tried the Ukiah tasting menu, and it did not disappoint. Fantastic service and bar menu as well. 100% will be back- it's now among my favorite spots in downtown. read more

This place was so good in terms of food and service, we ate here 2 nights in a row during our visit to Asheville. We had a lot from the menu - veggie ramen, salmon sashimi, sea bass and wagyu skewers, duck hot pot, vegetable gyoza, bok choy, molten lava cake with ice cream (and maybe more?) - and everything was spectacular. I highly recommend this place! You won't regret it. read more

Ukiah - Salmon sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Visited for Sunday lunch and thought it was outstanding - from the food, to the service, to the feel of the restaurant. There are about 6 tables outside that we benefited from, but the inside is just as nice. I highly recommend - I'd definitely keep coming back. I recommend the wedge salad, the ramen, and the swordfish skewers! read more

Friends and I were on vacation here in Asheville from Miami. We had the tasting menu and beverage pairing. Absolutely loved everything! It got better with every dish. Stand out dishes were the wedge salad, mushrooms, wagyu skewers, and ribs. Naya, our server, was absolutely amazing, super knowledgeable and extremely friendly. From the same chef as KYU in Miami, could not recommend this place enough! read more

Ukiah - Japanese Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Incredibly impressed! This is the first genuinely good Japanese food I have found in the Asheville area. The service was wonderful, and we loved the atmosphere in the restaurant. read more

I get that it's "super chic" as one reviewer put it, and the server we had was great. But overall the food is so-so....kind of "odd" in certain ways. Not inexpensive either. Great location but their menu is too unconventional in my opinion. read more

We were walking back to our condo and decided to pop in for a quick little bite. We didn't order a lot but what we did order were the raw oysters, tuna tar tar, miso soup, Japanese corn and some Japanese whiskey. Everything was tasty and the drinks were really good. Staff was friendly and the bartender who waited on us was super friendly and helpful. read more

Ukiah. You kinda need to get here as soon as possible. This was by far the best culinary experience I may have ever had. See all the beautiful dishes down below. This is small plates on steroids. I came in here feeling good about my weight, I left here having culinary remorse. This was an incredible display. You got to get "The Ukiah". $65 per person 10 different small plate dishes with a dessert. I was suspicious if these small plates would fill me up but I began to reconsider that by the 6th dish (don't judge, my man was helping of course duh..). I'm having a hard time deciding what was the best. Each dish that was presented presented a new challenge to ponder like that guy in the Twizzler commercial wondering why he can't wear white after Labor Day. This decision isn't worthy of one because everything was top tier A1 magnificent and sensational to my taste buds and palate. One word comes to mind and that's unbelievable. And the level of service provided by Keenan was world class. He walked us through the dishes shared his personal experiences and didn't miss with his attentiveness. One isn't full until they eat at Ukiah. Now that's a Haiku for you. read more

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Wow. What a fun and delicious experience! There were five of us, so we were able to try several dishes (about 12). Everything was wonderful, both in presentation and taste. The table favorites were the spicy ramen, hamachi, wagyu skewers, and dumplings. We also LOVED the smoked old fashioneds, which we'd never had before. Our server, Jill, was great! She was new, but had already tried several dishes and was very enthusiastic about helping us have a successful experience. This is a super fun restaurant for fairly adventurous eaters. Leave your picky friends at home and be prepared to spend some money. read more

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This place has a variety of tapas options that vary in flavors and types. The food is quite delicious and unique in flavor profiles. We liked their seasonal mushroom bowl and their sweet potato as well. We got so many plates that I can't remember all the names or items but everything was seasoned well. We were sitting outside and our waitress was wonderful and quite attentive/helpful. We were able to chat really easily and were shaded enough that we were comfortable. I will say that I got the vegetable ramen and the broth is a bit more citrusy/sweeter than I expected. I liked it since it was so light but I can see why others may not enjoy it as much as others have mentioned in their reviews. read more

I was so excited to hear about a new Japanese steakhouse in Ash. It's a great spot for a nice dinner. There were nice touches like leather-bound menus and an extensive(and fancy) cocktail assortment. I loved the Ramen and the Wagyu option. It is a bit on the pricier side, which is why I subtracted 1 star. read more

For me this place didn't live up to the high expections I had from reviews and word of mouth. Pork/ mushroom gyoza was $12.00 for 1 small dumpling, had a tad offputting taste. Iceberg wedge dressing needed a little Sweetness, it was way too salty and vinegary. Ribs were a pretty small portion for $27.00, supposed to be crispy and they really weren't, kind of fatty. Ramen was good. This plus 2 drinks cost $125.00. Wasn't loving the meal enough to give it a 2nd try read more

Ordered a tasting menu and drinks. Waited over 30 minutes for drinks and food came out before the drinks. They drag the meal out for over three hours, while missing, serving as many of the courses. Then while we are still eating they start mopping around us and put stools up on the bar. They charge us full price even though they forgot to serve us a few of the courses. when we question it the server walks away, F bomb cursing us for making their life worse. On our $250 check they offer $8 discount for shorting us a few courses. No real manager on duty. read more

Amazing food, great service & the ambiance set this place apart from the rest. Highly recommend!!! New favorite date night spot read more

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4 stars for the appetizers...Ribs, karaage chicken, shrimp Gorgonzola. Asked for the pork belly ramen, got the spicy pork tan tan instead. It arrived, I asked the server is this the pork belly as I pointed at the bowl and she said yes. I know what pork belly is, but I just brushed it off and continued to eat it. First bite, I pull a medium long blonde hair out from my mouth. No worries, I'm never bothered with hair in my food it happens, so I continue to eat it. My friends who live in Asheville have eaten here and their veggie ramen was not tasting the way they remembered. Mind you the server may have been having a bad day as we were seated we overheard her apologizing to the table next to ours. Anyway, I finally asked another server again if the bowl I had is the pork belly dish, he said no. He offered to get me a side dish of the pork belly. The broth of the ramen is meh, but edible. I think the whole experience was weird at best. The server just gave us an odd feeling. She may have been going through something or hungry because when I got home to eat the left overs while watching Netflix, there was only 1 portion of the pork belly, when i presented with two at the table This review is all over the place, the apps were delicious though holla!! read more

Ukiah is a MUST visit in Asheville! Served as small plates/tapas style will allow to try a little bit of everything. The food was tasty, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the staff is the BEST. Angelina was our server tonight and she is attentive and has a great sense of humor. We also spoke to Logan who was just the sweetest! Will definitely be back to to try their tasting menu. Also the hamachi is MUST HAVE! It was melt in your mouth amazing! read more

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Loved everything about the food! I felt a bit podunk with the atmosphere. But the quality of the food and friendly service overcame that quickly. Order the skirt steak; you will not be disappointed. read more

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Our server was great... so you can't chalk up this bad review to the service. Bottom line, the food was stupid expensive for the flavor provided. It just didn't blow us away--not even close! The best item on the Japanese-inspired menu was a shrimp dish that may as well have been "buffalo shrimp". My wife and I have an "X-List" (a list of restaurants we will never go to again)... sadly, Ukiah made it to the list. read more

Definitely would recommend! Staff were more than friendly and food was exceptional! Even the bar seating was comfortable and not overcrowded. A must try! read more

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ABSOLUTELY BUSSIN order the Japanese whiskey, himachi, salmon, and fried mushroom. Worth every penny.

Every food item was amazing! Ramen was excellent, we find ourselves comparing others to it. Can't wait to go back!!!

My girlfriend and I stumbled across ukiah based on reviews - and it did not disappoint. Xander, the bartender, was super friendly & Julian, was very knowledgeable on all the food. We will 100% be back! read more

Absolutely Michelin star quality. The service, the prep, and the food is excellent and that is hard to do in a strong food town.

BEST dinner we had in Asheville and that is saying a lot considering the great meals we had. Amazing service by Jill who constantly tailored our tastes to the best dishes and drinks! We can't wait to come back. A MUST TRY if in Asheville even if only for a weekend. read more

Came back with more out of town guests who saw reviews and wanted to go. I didn't have the heart to say I had a bad experience, so off we went with fingers crossed. There were a few improvements! -Dumplings not burnt to a crisp -My friends veggie ramen was an entirely different prep which was better in flavor but lukewarm. - The salmon sashimi was chewable and not fishy this time - the calamari was incredibly well cooked but it's begging for a sauce. The little wedge of lemon is not enough to cut the fat and salt. We ended up dipping it in the leftover sauce from the sashimi which really improved it. The negatives - Our meal took over 2 hours because 10 to 20+ minutes passed in between each dish. We were so incredibly ready to leave when our second to last course, the iceberg salad, finally arrived. I'm pretty sure they just forgot about it earlier but nobody wanted it anymore after all the heavier food. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be back with some more out of towners at some point so I'll keep crossing my fingers for improvement. read more

The food was to die for. We had the wagyu beef skewers, miso soup, dumplings, ribs, and veggie noodles all delicious. Coconut cake for dessert delicious. Service was excellent and so was the ambiance. This restaurant is gem. read more

10/10 no notes. One of the best meals I've ever had. Will definitely return when back in Asheville

My wife and I went here for our anniversary and each got the Chef's Tasting Menu. Frankly we were both blown away. For the quality of the food and the way it was prepared, the price was a steal. It was actually too much food, and I consider myself a big eater! Favorites were the sea bass skewer and the breaded mushroom. The coconut cake for dessert was also incredible. Cannot recommend enough if you're in Asheville. read more