Uni'ko Japanese House Reviews

We dined here with friends who had not experienced japanese food, and were disappointed in the menu selections, as there is mostly sushi and not traditional japanese. Surprised no hibachi or tempura dishes. The rolls were good. The tappeneki was fair. Fairly pricey.

Didn't see one Japanese person in the area, but the food was absolute delicious. Fish is flown in daily for freshness and new items. Service was great.

Ok, so I was expecting so much more. For the price point and the setting there are a few recommendations I have. 1st, get better outdoor seating. The tables were so wobbly, literally couldn't stop spilling our drinks. 2nd the chairs suck, fine if the service was faster, but being that we spent almost a half hour waiting to be asked if we want drinks maybe get some seat cushions. Next, holy #*%$ your pricing is way off, for what you serve your prices should be atleast a quarter less. Your servers need to know more about what your selling, minimal knowledge about any of the food. Mad I played so much, mad that I wasted my last vacation meal there.

Having lived in Alaska and Washington, I am fairly picky about my sushi. I had yet to find a decent place in the Hill Country and surrounding areas. But Uni'Ko hits it out of the park. It's definitely the best sushi I've had in Texas so far and I would gladly go back. The service was fantastic. Everything tasted fresh and delicious. The presentation was gorgeous. You definitely want to make a reservation if you're going to dinner on the weekend, however.

Very much worth dropping in. I had the Ahi Tower - excellent. Also had Tono roll - very good. Everything was fresh. Service could have been a bit more prompt. I will drop in for a return sushi meal.

You're looking at fatty tuna, king salmon and salmon roe. More than we could handle. So fresh and beautiful! Great waiter.

Excellent food. Don't plan to dine and dash. Service not quick, but we were ok with that. Everything we ate was fantastic.

So in life, third time is a charm. NOPE. I tried again to eat at this place. Not even offered “to go”. I normally do not rate if it is poor service, but I did wait for the third time. Empty interior and I was a solo. Covid protocols had nothing to do with this. I would have been over ten feet from anyone. Sadly, place must not need business, so pass on this place. Others places close are worth it, Ruth Chris or Sustenio will take care of you. Sadly, a zero star cannot be given.

We had Teppanyaki beef/chicken and Roru-Dragon Fly roll. We should have stuck to seafood. The Teppanyaki was dry and tasteless. The seafood was pretty good especially the Tuna Tower appetizer. The service was first rate and very responsive.

Place small smells like old china restaurant: old fried oil. We asked several wines from the list and they did not have them. Service was so lates. The brought us different roll from what we asked. I will never go again.ac was so low in the middle of August with so much heat outside.

We visited Uni'ko thanks to the recommendation of some friends, that told me it was the freshest sushi they've had in San Antonio. So we decided to go, and invited other friends as well. Everything is great of this place. First, the location. It is located in a condominium complex that has great views of San Antonio, close to Six Flags. The restaurant is not a big place, but all the tables were occupied when we arrived. We ordered edamames, egg soups and fried rice as appetizers. The 3 of them great!!! I am not sure what's with edamames, that they are so simple but yet, you want to eat them all. If you really think what is the taste of them, I'm pretty sure you will have to drink a lot of adult beverages to figure it out. But hey, they are good to eat, and even healthy. The egg soup has a very good taste. Very well balanced on the egg side, and condiments. It gives you like a relief when you sip it. After the first sip, everyone said: "Ahhh". The fried rice is also great. I ordered the one that has just vegetables on it. And ordered a Ponzu sauce with roasted serrano peppers, with which I seasoned the rice. Very good!!! Remember this sauce: Ponzu with Roasted Serrano Peppers. You need to ask for this sauce. And if you finish the first cup, as for another one. This will give your meal a whole new flavor and spiciness. It like the ketchup but for Japanese food. Put it on top of everything you are eating, except dessert and drinks.... Then we went for the rolls. I don't remember the names of them, but one of them, I think the Dragonfly, is served as if it was a dragon, with a whole eel on top as if it was the dragon's body, and the eyes were 2 octopus suckers. It looks like a nice toy and you don't want to eat it, but it tastes better than what it looks!!! We also ordered other 5 types of rolls and shared all of them. And they were all great!!!! We figured out that what made these rolls taste great, first it is the freshness of their ingredients. Non fishy at all, just very fresh. Of course we had to ask, and the waiter, which was very attentive, told us hat they fly their fish daily to them. So that explained a lot. Besides, they have great chefs that know how to pair seafood inside a roll to make it taste great. You will think that these talented chefs are maybe from the other side of the world, but NO!!!! They are local!!! At the end, we ordered the Chocolate Caramel Cake and the Kokonattsu white cake cream. Both of them were excellent. So after you visit Six Flags, or you go shopping to The Rim, or you are just craving a good sushi, visit Uni'ko. You will have a very fresh sushi experience. I hope you enjoy.

Roll the dice! We decided to give Uni’Ko Japanese House a try. The ambiance was relaxing and enjoyable. We were not very impressed with their Sake availability, most of them were out leaving very minimum choices. The food is really great but you are rolling the dice as to their menu may be limited based on availability. Hope they update their Sake menu or plan accordingly. Cheers

I'll be up front. We're Thai. We know all the best Thai sushi places in San Antonio. And they're GOOD. We bring a high bar. So take this with a grain of salt. We were recommended by another Thai friend, 10/10 she claimed. We looked online, the reviews were very mixed. Wait staff was on point at every turn. We arrived for an early dinner on a Saturday, they were quite busy, didn't matter. They were quick & missed nothing. Price vs what you get...? You're ordering a bunch of rolls of sushi! Dude, if you're not ready to drop $200, scratch sushi off your menu. Good, bad, mediocre, sushi is sushi. Most of the ingredients were great. The rice in every roll was the same dry rice. I wouldn't blame this on the sushi chefs, they're just rolling with the rice they get. Whoever is in charge of cooking/storing the rice might need some training. It brought every roll of sushi from "amazing" down to a "not bad". Since most sushi is rolled in rice, this is kinda your backbone. It's pretty important. Moving on... Presentation carried the evening. Everything put in front of us was fairly tasty and absolutely a work of art. By the way, the soup section on the menu is tiny and easily overlooked, but the soup is amazing. GET SOME SOUP! And don't forget to tip well.

Family meal during a holiday break. Was able to squeeze in with phoned in reservations. Only outdoor seating left. Fortunately, it was a nice evening, and very nice atmosphere eating outside. Service was good throughout the meal. Good menu selections. A bit on the pricey side, but the quality makes it worth the price. Two Kings roll was awesome! Even our kids found something to enjoy.

I can't speak for every dish on the menu, but the one dish I like ... I really like. The Dragon Rosso roll is my favorite. The appetizers are good as well. Sometimes its a miss and not very good, but, when it's good, it's good. Great lunch spot.

Finally a really good sushi restaurant in San Antonio that can compete with good Japanese restaurants in more cosmopolitan cities in the states. ALL sushi rolls are magnificent, saladas are very good and their own creations and specials are VERY good. MY personal Favourite us the Rosso Roll. VERY good. But anything you choose is worth the try. Nigiri and Sashimi are the only downside. They charge WAY more than other restaurants with similar quality. I would stick to the rolls, saladas and soups. The crab is also very good. The service was slow although the waiter was nice and friendly

Run, walk, hop, skip and two step your way to Uni'ko! What a great way to experience Sushi deep in the heart of San Antonio, TEXAS! The chef's take on sushi was absolutely delicious...starting from the miso soup to the where's waldo roll...everything was exceptional! Check them out!!!

We arrived for a Friday dinner (sans reservations - I'd forgotten to call) but on the early side. The hostess suggested that our party of 5 could only be seated at a 4-top on the patio. Our waiter standing nearby interrupted that he had a table in his section open and we were quickly seated. Throughout our meal I watched as another 6-top sat vacant the entire time so I'm thinking the tattooed hipster hostess didn't really want a family with kids in the restaurant on a Friday. Our waiter was extremely pleasant and provided great service as well as being knowledgeable of their menu, specials and some of the unusual fish. I have to say that this was some of the very best sushi I have ever had - I rank it up with the best I've enjoyed in Japan, Hawaii or California. Superior certainly to Nobu just as a reference. They had fresh uni from both Japan and San Diego. I prefered the San Diego for it's fresher and ligher taste. Beware - it was $20/piece (we had 4 pieces between us) driving our check up to $360 for four sushi eaters plus one having only a chicken udon and endamame and just one beer. The waiter having discovered a birthday in our group brought out a great piece ofchocolate cake (unrequested) as a surprise - and I was surprised again to see it added to my check for $12. The quality of the sushi was exceptional but I was taken aback by their pricing. Almost as good can be had locally for 1/3 the price so it's really a question of how much you'll pay for marginally better and if you want to go where the fashionable crowd goes......For 3X the price I found the cost a bit silly.

From atmosphere to presentation to taste and truly artistic flair this is the best sushi experience we have had . Connor the waiter was awesome !

We stayed at the Éilan for 4 nights. For three of those nights we experienced extremely mediocre food. Sadly, it was our last night there before we discovered uni’ko. What a wonderful discovery. The place is small with a casual but also upscale, urban vibe. The food... well it was delicious! Additional perk? It was served Licketty split. We each had a miso soup, we shared some edamame, beef fried rice and a fermi roll... which was the best? Impossible to say. The fermi roll was amazing and different from anything i have had before, the rice was flavorful and prepared exactly right, the edamame had a seasoning that was absolutely amazing. TRY THIS PLACE. It is extremely good!

We had lunch here with a group of 10 recently when staying at the Hotel Eilan for a conference and it couldn't have been better. Everything was very fresh and came out fast. The tuna tower was excellent and beautifully presented.

Best sushi ever! Our favorites: ahi tuna tower, spicy edamames.... ashingao roll, two kings roll, Kama roll and Dragon Rosso roll!!!! If you love sushi you definitively have to visit this place!

My wife and I dined on a weeknight. The place was nice and quaint. Service was very good. We had the TWO KINGS roll which was wonderful. Also had one of the special rolls which was also good. We were a bit 'shocked' by the price of the special roll ($35) which was not huge or really that special. Overall the experience was good. We will return but will ask the pricing on the daily specials next visit.

Waited over an 1.5 to receive anything more than edamame. Tables around us who ordered after us received food 30 minutes prior to us. When the food did finally arrive, there was no soy, ginger, or wasabi, and when requested, it took 10+ minutes to receive it; again with food on the table. And, the food randomly came out over the course of 20 minutes, some individuals receiving everything they ordered at once, while others received nothing, being left to sit and wait; everyone waiting in order to eat together. My brother's 2-year-old daughter couldn't even get her fried rice first, within an hour of ordering (when the restaurant was only half full). Getting a second bottle of Saki was almost impossible. On a positive, the waitress was very kind, but there were major issues with everything. Requesting a manager, his abilities were limited to the sole acknowledge of our issues, providing no explanation, and no additional support. There was no sight of him the entire evening until we expressed our issues, at which time he seemed to float around the dining room, providing nothing more than an appearance. Not checking the kitchen, et cetera. As a 25+ year veteran of the restaurant industry, having worked all over the country in every facet of the industry, this was the 2nd worst dining experience I've ever had. The food was okay, some things wonderful, some things (fried rice) bland and lacking flavor, most things average. The manager provided a 10% discount.

it was great, cooked or raw everything tasted great. the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the limited menu. but do NOT let that deter you, we ate here twice on a 5 day trip

We stopped in here on a Monday evening before the dinner rush. There were only 2 other small groups in the restaurant at the time. We ordered the steak teppanyaki and a bowl of fried rice to share between the two of us. my husband is diabetic and asked for some crackers or fried wontons to munch while we waited on our food. They brought out one fried wonton skin and apologized for not having more. We waited more that 30 min for our food and had just decided to leave when our food arrived. The teppanyaki was a very hearty portion with steamed rice and vegetables. The fried rice was a very small portion. My husband had asked for 2 extra eggs in the fried rice but they were hard to find. We shared both and they were delicious and filling. The steak teppanyaki was around $25. Cant remember the cost of the fried rice but they charged us an additional $5 to add 2 extra eggs to it. If you like sushi, this place may be for you. They had a few choices for the non sushi lover. The food was good but the wait is long(even longer if you are hungry).

What a find! Tucked away in the Elian complex, at the bottom of an impressive set of stairs, is Uni'ko Japanese House. We went for the first time last night with friends who had been there before and it was fantastic. We started with Spicy edamame, accompanied by Sapporo and Ichiban; then moved on to the night's special, Blue Fin Tuna served Uni'ko style, thin slices of perfect Blue Fin with a delicious sauce made from jalapenos, cilantro and 28 other undisclosed ingredients that resulted in something so wonderful that we asked for more. The Blue Fin was meticulously fresh. Next came the Two Kings and Lobster Rolls, each one unique and delicious. Our waiter, Frung, was funny, knowledgeable and very helpful. We laughed a lot, ate and drank all that was put in front of us and enjoyed the evening immensely. We'll be back, perhaps to sit in the little enclave that has a Japanese setting, low table with an opening underneath for the diners' legs, decorated with a large painting of red lips hanging on the adjacent wall.

Uni'ko is all around exquisite. It is an upscale Japanese eatery in La Canterra's Elan complex (Northwest of SA) with a posh interior, hip atmosphere and excellent food. The chef, from what I've been told, is from Mexico City, and so there are subtle Latin accents to some of the dishes - without robbing them of their Japanese character. I have had 2 business dinner meetings here and each time had the large Chirashi sushi bowl and the tuna tower (appetizer). All of the sashimi was fresh and delicious. One time, I had nigiri sushi made with tuna from Spain, which was unbelievable (practically melted in my mouth it was so tender). They also offer some fine Japanese beers and have a decent wine list. If you're looking for an authentic, upscale Japanese dining experience in San Antonio, look no further!

First time trying the tuna tower ! It's was yummy Spicy edemame is a staple Friend had a roll & sake mojito

They have the most delicious sushi and presentations. Everything is delivered to you wonderfully presented. The presentation does not take away from how fresh and tasty the sushi is. The restaurant is a little small but very nice and inviting inside. Service is great . Will definitely be back for dinner so I can enjoy some wine the next time.

Not only was the sushi very fresh (melting in your mouth), the servers were well versed and as nice as they could be. The presentations were exquisite. For a special treat, try the Romeo and Juliet roll! The restaurant is somewhat on the small side, so make reservations in advance.

Amazing service, fresh fish, and an exciting menu. We had blue fin tuna brought in that morning as well as fatty salmon nigiri, fantastic flavor. They even have a roll they light on fire! A bit pricey, but, when you get this type of high quality it costs extra. This is on par with the sushi we had in Maui, just can’t get anymore flavorful. Ideal couples place, and the waitstaff is friendly and engaging.

We drove all the way across town to eat at this place after a friend recommended it and we were NOT disappointed! I am a sushi fanatic, and it’s hard to impress me. However, the fish was extremely fresh - some of the best I’ve ever had. The wait staff was very attentive as well. The ambiance is tastefully done. The place itself is very small so the tables are closer together than I probably would have liked, but that only allowed us to see what we would order the next time we come! The only odd thing was the restroom which wasn’t a part of the restaurant itself; it was part of the la cantera shopping center and wasn’t as classy as the restaurant. However, those are all minor things and we will for sure be back!

My buddy and I were tired of Sushi Zushi and we wanted to try something different. The place is small and a good place for a date. The service is somewhat inexperienced - I saw mostly younger male servers who did not seem to have been in the business for too long. The food is very good. I had a California style role and it had great texture and taste. Although it was better the first time I went there and the 2nd time it was a little soggy. What blew my mind was the price tag of 35 USD for a role. It was a special and I didn't ask for the price , because I thought the special is always a good deal. Anyway...if money is not an issue, this is definitely good food. The service has still room for improvement. I did not think the whole package was adequate for what I paid..

My husband and I were in the mood for Asian cuisine and we realized this place was super close to the resort we are staying at. I felt slightly mixed about this place. The decor and design was super trendy and intimate. The service was fast, friendly and efficient. My dish was delicious I ordered the special sushi roll which was called the Kings roll it was plated with an impressive visual that included the plate being lit on fire. The Kings roll was a riceless sushi roll which was different. This roll included crab, salmon and scallops which are some of my favorite seafood options. I only felt that the portion sizes of what we ordered here seemed to be on the smaller side for the prices. My roll was around $25 and I felt it should have had a couple more rolls in it. My husband ordered the beef fried rice which was $9 and maybe a measurement of one cup of rice with hardly any meat. He had to order another one to go. $9 isn’t a bad price but for the portion size and lack of meat we would have rather paid a little bit more for an actual dinner size portion. Maybe offering a starter size and a dinner size portion might be better option for guests especially ones like my husband who doesn’t eat sushi. I think at least specifying the portion for the rice as an appetizer or single serving so there is no confusion on expectations.

I recommend ordering several sushi at the center, since they are all worth it, the place is small but with a warm and familiar atmosphere.

I went to eat on Wednesday, November 23, and the place was clean the staff was nice, but the service and the food did not impressed me for the price that i paid. I ordered the special appetizer which was the Poke fish inside the pineapple. The fish was fresh and good but i paid more for the decor than for the food. I asked for drinks on the menu. They can not make me a cocktail because the did bot had the license for cocktails. I ended drinking a wine which it was good. The sushi roll that I ordered you can taste the rice it was from the day before. I was disappointed. I have better experience with sushi for less cost.

I was expecting to know this place because it is close to home and in a nice building. The place turned out as expected, very pretty scenery and nice ambience. The food was ok, nothing specular. The service could have been better, not to many waiters around. And we left the place smelling really food like, they must improve the air filtration system.

It is a unclean place very bad service. Waitress does not wear mask. Very expensive you will get poor service and unclean place. The floor was has leaking Disappointing. Food is food what a shame. I won’t never come back.

Large variety of great Japanese food at moderate pricing. Hostess very friendly and our server knew the food to match us up with since we mainly do Chinese.

I eat a lot of sushi and this was the most disgusting sushi I’ve ever tasted. It tastes like the fish was old and they soaked it in some chemical to kill the bacteria. It smelled and tasted like chemical. 🤮 The fish was very thinly cut and didn’t look right. I ordered two rolls - one with hamachi and one with salmon. The fish didn’t even look like hamachi and salmon. I took a piece of the hamachi off the top to inspect it and it was slimy underneath. 🤮 Omg, I have never experienced this in my life. BOTH rolls were like this. I sent them both back after eating two pieces of each and got the heck out of there, praying I didn’t start hurling from food poisoning. This may pass in San Antonio where maybe there aren’t many sushi restaurants, but it wouldn’t last one week in Houston where I’m from. Whatever they did to their fish by putting a chemical on it is criminal.

I went for lunch today, ordered the Two Kings (think that was the name) it had very little rice (which is how I wanted my sushi) and had salmon, scallops, avocado etc. It came on a flaming plate that was very well presented. The flames died down quickly so as not to cook the food. It was by far the best sushi I have ever eaten. Been to a great Sushi restaurant in NYC, this was even better. Our waiter was very attentive without being too "in our faces", explained the menu and took great care of me (and my friend). It's only been open 6 months so wasn't very crowded, maybe they need to promote themselves more? I highly recommend this restaurant, I will definitely be back.

Brought my daughter who hadn't experienced this place . The server was amazing ! Everything we had was great! I ordered the lobster roll to go & it wasn't good after it sat an hour on the ride home

This is some of the best sushi I have ever had. It's almost always fresh daily and they offer specials on sushi that are fresh caught for premium prices (of course). If you don't mind the extreme prices for the fresh caught sushi, then the quality is bar none some of the best I've had world wide.

I discovered this place about 3 weeks ago and I've been twice a week since ... don't know how they do its but freshest sushi in Texas

UNIKO is such a great spot, we went to lunch there two days in a row! Food delicious and presentation exceptional. Among the BEST service I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. BECCA gets it!! Friendly, efficient and this young woman can upsell!! Sushi Chef Pablo is a true culinary talent. I hope the owners know the value of their staff!