Ukiyoe

Wow, I am really surprised to come on here and see these other bad reviews. I just bought a Living Social deal for the place because their sushi menu looked amazing and I am glad that I did. My friend and I went and tried it last night. So I will admit that the place looked a bit sketchy from the outside but the inside was just fine and the sushi was so amazingly delicious. The New Zealand role was our favorite, it has kiwi on top which sounded a little strange but is so good. The sushi chef guy was perfectly nice to us, he came and checked on us several times. The only complaint that we had and why I didn't give it 5 stars was that it was uncomfortably quiet which was partly because we got there right when they opened so there weren't very many people yet but also I think that they should turn up their music a bit more so you don't feel like everyone is listening to you when you talk. The sushi is definitely 5 stars. more

Don't listen to the reviewers here, I've been a North Portland resident my entire life and have been going to Ukiyoe since it was called Teriyaki Steak House. It's way better than the Mio Sushi that opened up on Killingsworth. more

I AM NOT A CRAZY PERSON. I LOVE SUSHI. That said, this sad restaurant is not worth a visit, period. I love Japanese salad: Their salad was seriously iceberg lettuce from a bag with some nasty bottled mayonnaise dressing and THATS IT! - $3.25 The sushi was sad and pathetic in portion, my wife's bento box was described by her as 'airplane food' and the service was crap. Not even the rice was good. I hope I don't get sick. Seriously, avoid this place like the plague. The end. more

My boyfriend and I went to Ukiyoe tonight and it was really disappointing. There was some new chick preparing alongside the regular guy, and everything took a really long time, wasn't very well-rolled, and the flavors just weren't what they usually are. Then, there was no ponzu sauce drizzled on one of the rolls we ordered, though it was on the menu, and when the waitress asked the chef guy he said ""It's already on there!"" although it was obvious to all of us that it was not. We've decided that we'll go back one more time, on a weekday, and unless it's rebounded back to its former deliciousness, we'll write it off. It's too bad; it has been consistently wonderful since I first discovered it with a friend over a year ago, so I would be very sad if this turns out to be anything other than an off-night. more

I was really excited to learn that there was a sushi restaurant in my neighborhood and thrilled when Groupon had a deal for the place. My enthusiasm ended there.\r \r The sushi chef uttered under his breath when my husband and I sat at the sushi bar...bad first impression. The waitress was constantly belittled by him, at one point he loudly asked her how she could be so stupid for forgetting to put an item in a to go bag. I suppose the flipside of his behavior is that customers feel sorry for her and give her a bigger tip. We were the only customers in the joint, so I'm assuming people are getting wind of his rude behavior and going elsewhere.\r \r The food was fine, nothing special. At least we got a discount. Pros: In my neighborhood Cons: Crotchedy sushi chef more

whew, where to start… easily half the portions of regular sushi places. Chef so rude it was almost funny...What restaurant did the ""best sushi in town"" reviews eat at?? (or how much were they paid) I've eaten sushi from NY to LA and this was so bad it wasn't even worth it w/ the half off coupon. Never. coming. back. Pros: coupon, wife/waiter very nice Cons: meager portions, surly sushi chef, cave like atmosphere more

The owner is friendly, as is his wife. The restaurant is nothing to write home about. The food was acceptable quality. The portions were extremely small and the prices were sky high especially in light of the portion size. Go to Saburo's on Bybee and see the difference ! Pros: old established, friendly Cons: smallest portions ever seen. NOT good value and average qua more

We love this place. It's close to home, and we can ride our bikes to get there. It's affordable, the staff is friendly I really enjoyed the food, and have even taken guests there to eat. I usually pick Ukiyoe over Mio (also close by) because I enjoy the daily inventiveness of the daily special rolls. Pros: Fresh Fish Cons: Can be cold inside more

My husband and I are extreem sushi snobs. We have frequented many places to try to see if we can find better than Ukiyoe's, we havent found a better place yet. Each time we go elsewhere to try out a new place we always end up saying ""I wish we went to Ukiyoe's instead."" Well, we have learned our lesson and we will never ever set foot in another sushi place but Ukiyoe. The fish is fresh, the slices thick, the rice is perfection. The plating is bright and beautiful and its hard to eat the food art, sometimes you just want to sit and look at it for a while. Once you start eating, you have to force yourself to stop. Many a time we have ordered extra sushi for later on! The enviornment is dark and relaxing with beautiful art on the wall. Wonderful for a nice date or with a bunch of friends. I cannot express how great the sushi is, I crave it all the time and wish I could go at least once a week. Other Sushi places just cant compare to Ukiyoe's. I have to admit I have never tried anything else on the menu as we just go there for sushi, but believe me, the Sushi is to die for!!!!!\r Heather and Mark Durrow Pros: Best Sushi in the WORLD Cons: ADDICTIVE! more

the sushi chef and i presume owner belittled the waitress repeatedly in front of customers. and the sushi was very mediocre; hardly any fish, way too much rice, made me way too full too fast. won't go again...... Cons: little fish, too much rice, bad service more

The teriyaki is dorm style aka borderline Alpo. The sushi chef was very sarcastic and arrogant. The sushi was empty and what little it has in it was bland. Waste of money and location. Sushiland is far more yummier.. novice or not...not worth it. Pros: Only one in North Portland Cons: Only one in North Portland more

The food is delicious. I am currently a college student near the establishment. I am Korean and I often miss family's authentic korean food. Ukiyoe doesn't just do awesome sushi and japanese dishes they also serve (quite surprisingly) a lot of good korean dishes like gal-bi and bi-bim-bop. Each dish is tasty and full of flavor. It is true that sometimes it gets a bit crowded and ultimately slow but it is worth it. Just make sure you go with time on your hands if you are eating inside. I usually call and order out and beat the wait. Most weeknights and even weekends they have it done to be picked up about 15-25 minutes, which is not bad at all. Pros: Good food ---(yay to takeout) Cons: can't predict when it will be slow or speedy service more

Portland has a few great sushi places, but these places are hard to find amidst all the quick-sushi, trendy-sushi and giant sushi. Train-sushi places abound, but are mediocre at best. After trying over 20 different places) I found several that I like (eg the more pricey Sin Ju a block from where I work, which has awesome sushi), but my overall favorite by far is Ukiyoe. Their sushi is excellent overall. They have a wonderful Miso soup and tempura shrimp, but I go for the sushi. There's a Mio Sushi up the road that is mostly busier, but the only thing they do better there is service. I find their sushi and other food mediocre. Some nights Ukiyoe is full for hours on end, and others the place is half-empty. Hard to imagine it remains such a secret. The location isn't cool and it's off the beaten path, next to a run-down corner-mart. Their exterior is plain. Ignore the veneers. They're meaningless. You can't go wrong once inside. Our personal favorite rolls include New Zealand, Supa Crunchee, SexySexy, Lemon Drop, Salmon, Sunshine and more. Look for fun rolls on the specials board, including The Spring Cheese Incident. The fish is fresh and the sushi is just the right size. Some places I've been the sushi is nice, but it all tastes the same, or it falls apart too easily. At Ukiyoe each roll has it's own distinctive yummy taste and it keeps it's shape. This is a place where when you have leftovers the chef wonders what's wrong, because it doesn't happen often. Their weakness is service when they are full, when they generally slow down. Some of this has to do with the odd waves of business and how hard it is to have enough staff for both kinds. I have gone elsewhere at least once because no regular wait-staff were on duty, but mostly it's well worth the wait. So be patient when they are full and you will not be sorry. Best overall combination of taste and value on sushi that I've found in Portland. Pros: sushi and sushi and sushi and sushi and sushi and sushi Cons: slow when full more

Incredibly disappointing. I had several different sushi rolls and all of them came in super tiny little pieces with hardly anything in them. It was unbelievably pathetic and over-priced. Our server was also very rude and unfriendly. It was a complete waste of time and money. more

The type of sushi place I like to go to. It's clean and neat, but otherwise plainly decorated, with the emphasis on good sushi for a decent price. Have tried various rolls and have been pleased with each. Yes, the rolls may have been a little on the smaller side, but not unusually so for this style. The nice surprise was the miso soup. Tasted great. People have commented on the slow service, but we found it adequate. It may have been because it was a slow night. Highly recommended. Pros: Price, great miso soup more

Tidy, nice little atmosphere when you walk in, but downhill from there. It took a really long time to get our food. The sushi rolls were miniature and flavorless, the fish was discolored and flat tasting. I have had tiny, more traditional rolls before, but those were inexpensive, delicious little gems. These were neither. They were so stingy that on my Ikura, the roe did not even cover the rice below. I have never seen anything like it. The amount of fish per each roll was really almost a caricature of sushi served elsewhere. My girlfriend always gets spicy tuna, so we got that for comparison, but it too had no spice and barely any tuna. Other rolls, including the $10 Ukiyoe roll, were astonishingly forgettable. Even the rice was not sweet and moist as it should be. The mackerel sashimi we ordered, usually so oily and delicious, was briny and so not fresh we actually requested that it be removed from the bill. By the time we realized the waitress had forgotten to enter my udon order, we were both already joking about whether this was the worst sushi we ever had. We canceled the udon and requested the check.\r \r I wish this were a positive review. My girlfriend and I were tiring of Mio in our neighborhood (NW 23rd) and other spots, so I looked for an alternative. We were totally excited for a date at Ukiyoe, first because we wanted to try a new sushi place, and second because it is in new-to-us North Portland. Maybe our experience was an anomaly, but we have no intention of heading back to find out. Though we spent over $50 there, we left so dissatisfied that we went straight from there to go get burgers, simply wanting dinner. Pros: Tidy, nice atmosphere Cons: The food more

I used to go to Mio Sushi since it is also in the neighborhood, but once I had Ukiyoe, there is no going back. The sushi rolls are DELICIOUS and there are so many different kinds to try. I can't wait to make my way through all the rolls. The Ukiyoe roll is my favorite...mouth-watering. The prices are affordable (I usually spend around $15). The couple of times that I've been there the service was a little slow, it took me 1/2 hour to get a salad one night. The first time there was one server and one sushi chef. The second time there were 2 servers, but it was one of the server's first night. I'm hoping that now that there are 2 servers and the one has had a little time to get some experience that the service will be a little quicker. If not, I'll just order carry out because the sushi is OUTSTANDING!! Pros: Great food, friendly service, affordable, location Cons: service a little slow more

I would say Ukiyoe's is a decent place for lunch. The service is a little slow especially since it's not usually packed, but the service is friendly and welcoming. The food is solid, but nothing spectacular. The bento plates are quite generous and gives you a good variety of the foods they offer. I found the unagi to be too fatty and sweet for my taste however. I'd recommend this place if you are in the neighborhood and are looking for a quiet place to have some sushi or tempura, but wouldn't drive out of my way to get here. more

I eat at Ukiyoe's fairly frequently and started with the Teriyaki. Yummy! Then got adventurous and decided to try sushi. I'm hooked! I've since had sushi there several times and always love it. I've since tried sushi other places and am always disappointed after eating at Ukiyoes. I'll stick with this place from now on. The tempura halibut is aso the best tempura I've ever had. The owner is also very friendly and quite entertaining too. Pros: Quality food Cons: food can take a while if busy, only one sushi chef more

My husband and I ate here last Friday and I have to say it was very good. Looking for a less expensive alternative to pricey pearl district sushi bars, this turned out to have good sushi and great service. The fish and the presentation may not be as swanky or sophisticated as Murata, Masu or Yakuza however, if you are looking for decent sushi @ a good price in a nice atmosphere, than I would definitely recommend a trip to Ukiyoe. I know that we'll be back to enjoy the Lemon Drop roll and other specials. Pros: Great service and good sushi Cons: none observed more