Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse

A Culinary Journey to Remember We recently had the pleasure of celebrating a birthday party at Ukiah where they hosted the Gynza tasting menu for our group of 14. From start to finish, the experience was nothing short of simply incredible. Each dish was a masterpiece of flavor, presentation, The variety and creativity of the tasting menu was perfectly balanced with modern twists. The service was impeccable. Despite the size of our group, the staff ensured that every guest felt attended to and appreciated. The pacing of the courses was perfect, allowing us to savor each dish while enjoying the company and conversation. It was the perfect setting for a special occasion, and the restaurant went above and beyond to make the night memorable. Five stars all the way!

Do yourself a favor and go to this Restaurant! It’s the best food I’ve ever tasted before🤩🤩🤩 I give them a five star category to this Japanese Smokehouse concept!! The flavor is unique! The service is really good and the place is very pleasant 👏🏻👏🏻 I took a few pictures of some of the things that I had for dinner. Definitely you have to go! I had like a varied menu option that they recommended me ‘cause I wanted to try different things and it was the best I could do 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Please don’t judge me about the last picture 🤭🤭 I didn’t have enough time to capture the whole food ‘cause it was Delicious!! Oh and the Japanese cocktails are really good!🍹

**Restaurant Review: Ukiah Japanese and Smokehouse** From the moment we arrived at Ukiah Japanese and Smokehouse, it was clear that we were in for a special dining experience. We had a reservation, and upon arrival, we were seated immediately, which set a positive tone for the evening. Our waitress was truly exceptional. She greeted us warmly and took the time to thoroughly explain the menu and portion sizes, ensuring we felt comfortable with our choices. Her timing throughout the meal was impeccable, checking in after each serving to confirm our satisfaction and providing a level of service that made us feel truly valued. The ambiance at Ukiah is a delightful blend of urban rustic decor with low-lit lighting, creating an inviting and cozy atmosphere. The cleanliness of the establishment, particularly the bathrooms, was impressive and added to the overall positive experience. Now, let’s talk about the drinks. The cocktail menu is clearly crafted with care—there were no store-bought premixes in sight. Each cocktail was a testament to mixology, showcasing creativity and flavor. Additionally, I appreciated the thoughtful touch of offering four styles of water: filtered, tap, carbonated, and bottled, catering to all preferences. We kicked off our meal with fried pickles, and they were unlike any I’ve had before. Bursting with flavor, they set the bar high for the rest of the meal. For my main course, I chose the smoked chicken accompanied by kimchi and pickles. It was nothing short of delectable—perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. My husband opted for the pork belly ramen bowl, and the restaurant generously provided a sharing bowl, allowing me a taste. It was rich, hearty, and utterly satisfying, living up to the rave reviews I had heard about it. For dessert, we indulged in the s’mores brownie cake topped with their homemade ice cream and drizzled with caramel. It was a heavenly finish to our meal, rich and flavorful, leaving us both in a state of bliss. All in all, our experience at Ukiah Japanese and Smokehouse was outstanding. With attentive service, a creative menu, and a warm atmosphere, we left with full bellies and happy hearts. We will undoubtedly return to explore more of their enticing offerings. Highly recommended!

Came in for my birthday and ordered several dishes, none of which disappointed. The watermelon & feta salad is an incredible pairing of flavors. The garlic steak with Japanese kimchi was out of this world. Rich flavor from the beef and cabbage, could taste the grill, perfectly cooked. And all of the staff were super friendly and pushed the experience up a couple notches. Well worth the visit.

The tempura Beech mushrooms were the star of dinner— crispy, light, and great texture. The salmon on crispy rice was okay— the chopped salmon didn’t seem to have much flavor or seasoning and the crispy rice was perhaps a little too thick. The pork belly ramen was good, but missing the overall unctuous mouthfeel and the shiitake mushrooms overpowered the flavor. The sea bass was also well cooked, but perhaps too much browned butter. The entire meal was good, 7/10. Service was perfect!

Ordered the tasting menu ‘The Kin’. The food was very flavorful. Some of the best fusion food I have had. Quantity was generous. Service was good. Jeremy was very knowledgeable. Will definitely return.

We went on a Saturday evening and sat at the bar. The bartender and manager went over menu options with us and recommended some great cocktails. We ended up trying several things, including the wagyu skewers, burrata salad, mushroom bao, and bok choy. All of it was delicious! In fact, we ordered another round of the wagyu because it was so savory and perfectly cooked. The portions are tapas sized but plenty for two people to share.

Edited in September 2024 to give five stars: We visited a year ago and you can read that below. Last weekend we had friends visiting from out of town and we were catching a show so decided to get hotel rooms nearby and grab dinner. My sister recommended we revisit Ukiah because she said that service had drastically improved. My husband and I decided to take a chance and made a reservation for four. I'm so glad we did. The food was just as good as it was last time - which is really excellent. This is big city quality food. We're lucky to have it nearby. This time service was great. They told us what each dish was as they set it down. Our server and the food runners were attentive. I think that what really made this visit enjoyable was that none of the staff seemed overwhelmed. Whatever is happening is working. I won't wait a whole year before I eat here again. Original review from October 2023: I've really been wanting to try this place. We live about 30 miles away and we LOVE good food. So, I was excited when we decided to book a romantic night in Asheville and got a reservation here. We did the tasting menu and I added drinks to mine. The food was excellent - top tier, loved it. But, we were really put off by the service and unfortunately it ruined the experience. The first five courses came out in very quick succession in the first ten minutes or so and we felt overwhelmed. Also, the food runners just plop everything down and don't tell you what anything is, or in some cases the best way to eat it. I have no idea what I ate. Meanwhile the drink add-on was supposed to feature 4 drinks. I had only had a Sapporo when I had to ask our server where my second drink was. He explained that the drinks aren't pairings. They just come out when they come out. I told him that I understood that but that we were on the sixth course already and I should have received a second drink. Two of the four drinks weren't drinkable and I didn't drink them. The rest of the courses were brought out very slowly. At the end we were offered coffee, which they forgot to bring (I think just forgot about us in general) for a long time. I think they're either having issues with staffing and training or something about their system just doesn't work. Our server was also bartending and having to make drinks for his own tables. I felt bad for him because it seemed like everyone was stretched a little thin and he was really personable and was trying hard. In the end they took the drinks and espressos off the bill, which was a really nice gesture because we didn't ask and would have just paid for them anyway. My recommendation is to NOT get the tasting menus. Just order what you want and enjoy yourself. The pace of the tastings felt chaotic and made me kind of anxious. I'll definitely go back for the food but not the tasting menu.