
Warmly decorated Japanese restaurant for teppanyaki-style (table grill) cooking plus a sushi bar.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 754 Delta Commerce Dr, Lansing, MI 48917
Phone: (517) 853-8888
Website: http://www.iloveukai.com/
Menu Photos
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Related Web Results
West Lansing | Restaurant – Ukai Hibachi Grill & Sushi Bar
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Reviews
When we arrived, there was a bunch of spilt food underneath our table. Which wasn’t a good start to the night.
Second of all (and maybe most important), what hibachi place DOES NOT have any yum-yum sauce?! Their sauce (which was like a horseradish/ginger one) can’t even compare to traditional yum-yum sauce.
Their fried rice was dry because they don’t put in any butter or margarine like they do at other hibachi places that I’ve been to. I guess this makes it a bit healthier, but no one comes to hibachi to be healthy (maybe they do try to be healthier without the yum-yum sauce too?). But, they charge an EXTRA $3 to actually get the fried rice, which would be fine if it actually tasted like hibachi!
For birthdays, they give you a dressed up pineapple with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. I know this from my first birthday here. It was a nice treat then. However, on my second birthday here, the server was way too quick to leave our table before we could even bring it up. But, she literally looked at my ID for me to get a beer (while taking other people’s orders) which they could’ve made the realization that it was my actual birthday if they actually looked at my DOB. So when we finally got the chance to bring it up, they said that they had already closed up the part of the kitchen that makes those treats, even though it was still within their open business hours. So that was a bummer.
They also did not have the beer that I had ordered from their menu so I had to get an alternative beer.
The other half of our table got asked what they wanted for desert as I guess if you get the more expensive hibachi plates, it comes included, which wasn’t clear to us from looking at the menu. Looking back at it, they have two sections: “Complete Dinner” and “Special Dinner”–this one is where dinners come with desert. But the special dinner section is marked up with fancy names, so we just went back and read the section that made the most sense to us non-Japanese readers, which was the “Complete Dinner” section. Anyways, it was awkward because our half of the table wasn’t even asked if we wanted any deserts regardless. I was later told that they should have asked, because even though it would’ve been extra, a scoop of their ice cream only costs a $1!! We would have loved to indulge in that, especially in lieu of the pineapple for my birthday.
Now about the actual hibachi chef… he was kind but we noticed a few things. Normally we expect a somewhat entertaining show, as you’d expect from hibachi, but this time it was lackluster. We only got the big open flame, an sad onion volcano, and some short-lived egg spinning. He also did not get out all of the shells from the eggs that went into the fried rice. The chef also had his little order slip right in front of him, on the emergency sprayers, but he still got it wrong; he gave someone else at our table my steak, when they had ordered the chicken. If I wasn’t drinking and the other person wasn’t cool about giving it back, we would’ve had a big problem. The steak itself was mid. My wife got the salmon which was only good with the sweet glaze that they put on it.
The only food rating star that was well-deserved was from the Tyson Sushi Roll. Which was very delicious. We got it both times, but we forgot that we ordered it for my first birthday, so it was kinda funny that ended up picking it out again. If you find yourself coming here even after reading my review, know that this sushi roll is really good!
For as much business as this place seems to get and how highly rated it is (currently at 4.4), I am surprised we had not 1 but 2 overall unsatisfactory visits.
Send my regards to Bubble Gum! IYKYK
We were celebrating our daughter’s 18th birthday with a family dinner. During the meal, our server accidentally spilled hot miso soup down my wife’s back. Thankfully, she was wearing a thin sweater and did not suffer any serious burns, though she was understandably uncomfortable for the remainder of the evening. The soup also spilled onto her winter coat, which was hanging on the back of her chair, soaking the pockets and her gloves inside.
The server apologized, which we appreciated. However, there was no additional response at the time—no offer of assistance, a manager check-in, or acknowledgment beyond the apology. When the bill arrived, I asked whether there could be some consideration for the situation. The server agreed and returned having removed the most expensive roll from the bill, which amounted to less than $15.
We understand that accidents happen, and that alone would not warrant a negative review. What was disappointing was the lack of follow-through afterward. Given that hot food was spilled on a guest and personal items were affected—during a special family celebration—we felt the response did not adequately reflect the seriousness of the situation or Ukai’s otherwise strong reputation for hospitality.
We continue to like Ukai and hope this feedback is taken constructively. With better service recovery and management involvement when something goes wrong, this could have been handled in a way that left everyone feeling cared for despite the accident.
We hope management will take the time to review this experience and consider whether the response aligned with the level of care Ukai aims to provide.
He is very cute, please feed him a nice
chunk of food for me
, sincerely a fish enjoyer who loves to see a restaurant with proper husbandry for a fish (he needs a bit of a larger tank though , but they seem to keep his water quality up)
All the rolls are not too traditional but extremely delicious , and you are served a delicious warm bowl of miso before hand. Our waiter is always extremely nice and very fast
Also not too crowded with nice low lighting
Update: they have put a lovely info card up for the fish! Bubblegum is a 14 year old giant gourami 🙂 his tank is slightly small looking but has depth and enrichment inside