Dallas has an abundance of restaurants. A person could literally have any type of food they desire within a 30 minute drive radius from downtown Dallas. I am partial to any restaurant with good vibes and amazing food.
Insert Uchi Restaurant, in North Dallas at the top of my list, at the moment. I visited the restaurant for the first time last May and it was amazing! I am talking about 10/10 when combining the food, ambiance, and staff. Although that visit was at Uchi-Ba, which was the upstairs, izakaya-style, counterpart to the main Uchi Restaurant downstairs, I was more than satisfied.
This past weekend, for Nicholas’ birthday trip, I booked Uchi for the earliest available time: 9:45pm on Friday. The reservation was made a week prior to the visit, for reference. This visit was to be a surprise for Nicholas and a treat for me. After I spilled the beans about the Uchi visit while eating at Kura Sushi, Nicholas stated he would much rather go to Top Golf – DFW. This led to me canceling the reservation.
I tried to cancel the reservation through the OpenTable app but was directed to call the restaurant. The app stated there would be a $25 fee for canceling. Once I spoke with the hostess, see stated that there was not an issue and the reservation would be canceled immediately.
On Saturday, after our second outing at Top Golf – DFW and showing Nicholas the Sixth Floor Museum/Dealey Plaza, we made our way back to the Le Meridien – The Stoneleigh.
Nicholas, myself, and Vince, one my of my best friends from my time in the United States Air Force, sat around the lobby of the hotel trying to figure out what we could do. I had spoken so highly of Uchi that Vince wanted to go but Nicholas was noncommittal.
Eventually, Vince walked to Uchi which is two minutes, to the right, of The Stoneleigh to see if we could get in. Nicholas and I went to the room to charge his iPad in case we could get in. Don’t you know it, Vince texted me and told me to get to the restaurant because there were three seats for us at the bar. I merely had to let the host, Tuesday, know that we were part of his party.
Uchi Dallas
2817 Maple Ave, Dallas, TX
4 to 11pm
February 10, 2024
Nicholas and I made a beeline for Uchi. Well not a direct line because I took a left instead of a right outside of the hotel and ended up at Nick and Sam’s Steakhouse. So embarrassing. When we made our way to Uchi, Tuesday was happy to seat us.
The place setting was formal but the restaurant’s vibe is not strictly formal, if that makes sense. I was there in shorts with a tee shirt, while Vince had jeans and a button up, and Nicholas had a tee with sweats…the other patrons were dressed similar, except one woman who had on a really nice dress.
We were provided menus by the waitress, who seemed to be a curator of sorts. I took a picture of the front side of the menu then decided to scan it. Let me know which one works for you.
The “bar” was a sushi bar since Uchi is indeed a Japanese restaurant. Neal, the head chef, was quick to help us. He asked the occasion and if it was our first time…it was a yes for two of the three at the bar. Nicholas was wished a “Happy Birthday” and Vince was welcomed in for his first time.
Nicholas ordered a tekka maki immediately. Tekka maki is his go to at any Japanese restaurant. The tekka maki arrived five minutes later and Nicholas absolutely crushed it. He demolished it, asked who made it, thanked him, and ordered another within our first 15 minutes in the restaurant. I did not have time to take a picture.
Upon seeing the remnants of the first sushi roll, Neal offered Nicholas a piece of bluefin otoro. Nicholas tasted it and did not like it so I ate it. The tuna was fatty, while the sauce was salty and the temperature on the fish was great.
Since it was Vince’s first time, I volunteered to order everything and if he did not like something, I would not mind eating his half. 😂😂😂
The lineup was as follows:
Karaage
Fried Brussel Sprouts
Pork Belly
Negitoro
Oysters
Foie Gras
Isaki
Frozen Milk
Nicholas had two tekka maki rolls, and fried while tried karaage and fatty tuna. Vince and I split the rest, except the Isaki because I wanted to try something off of the beaten path. The Isaki was different with a bitter taste but I really enjoyed it.
Also, the foie gras and wasabi foam oyster stood out. The foie gras char pushed it up a notch while the wasabi foam on the oyster was a “chef kiss”.
Ratings:
Nicholas: 10/10
Vince: 10/10
Me: 10/10
It is ridiculously good. When you go, do not look at the price, focus on the vibes and what your belly is telling you.
Final Word
Uchi Restaurant and Uchi-ba are a must visit if you are in Dallas…not only Dallas but I would say Shreveport, Abilene, Wichita Falls or even Houston…it is that good! The wait for the restaurant is a legit wait because it has good food, vibes, and people. Lastly, please be sure to go hungry because you will definitely leave full. Uchi restaurant is gochisou!
