This was a horrible eating experience. Grumpiest waitress ever. Sullen and seemed really annoyed at me from the moment I walked in. I ordered some sushi and the waitress brought what seemed like a totally different order. I asked about that and was told that they didn't have what I had ordered so she had just brought some other stuff! The waitress just didn't seem to grasp that she should have told me that my order wasn't available, when I made the order! I did try to explain. The sushi was ok, but after the sullen waitress, and my friends entire order being brought about 20 minutes before my 'wrong' order was brought, so that we actually ate our food with about a half hour gap between us, and then the waitress treating me like I was crazy for not wanting food I hadn't ordered. Definitely not worth it! Also the place has no vibe, it is kind of dark and cold and feels like you are in a broom cupboard or something. The range of sushi is very small also, no tempura etc. I wouldn't bother.

We have been to ukai Lavender Hill twice now and the food is always fresh, and the service is good when they are busy sometimes the food is a little late but its worth it, the tasty salmon and the amazing salads...

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. Went tonight on the Groupon offer - £40 worth of sushi for £16 (prepaid).

First of all, we called up to book only to be told they don't take bookings and to just come in. So we went in on a friday evening.. there was one couple there who seemed to look at the menu, ponder then leave without eating. We told them we had the voucher only to be told that to use the voucher we had to book in advance..except how was this possible when we were told we couldn't book? Apparently they only take 5 groupon vouchers per evening and were booked up already for these... I'm not sure how this is quite possible when you cannot book?? The girl basically seemed to not to want to serve us and disappeared back to the counter for the next 10 minutes just leaving us sitting there. But why would you turn custom away when we are the only customers?? (My guessing is cos we have already paid for the voucher and so perhaps they are not so keen on customer service or providing food since they have pocketed our money already.)

Next it appeared that despite being under the impression you can order £40 worth of sushi you can't.. you have to have their set menu.. which they say is worth £40..but if you add up all the cucumber rolls on the set menu (about £2.50 per portion) I'm pretty certain it wasn't £40 worth..

Despite it being a friday night and being there for a hour we were the only customers and it seemed they didn't really want to deal with us. The restaurant is a con, the voucher is a con, the service is rubbish and I would never go there again..even if someone paid me.

I have eaten at Ukai on Lavender Hill on several occasions and every time it has been a great experience. The food is always very well prepared and presented and the service is also really good. Sushi and Sashimi are super-fresh and taste great. Not sure what the review above is going on about - service is what you should expect in a small restaurant, efficient and friendly. All in all, a nice authentic little Japanese restaurant which serves great value for money food. We will be returning soon for another helping of sushi and Japanese tea.

Ukai sushi is a great little local sushi restaurant and ive been back many times, always busy so make sure you book ahead! Delicious freshly made sushi and yummy salads. In my experience the service has never been nearly as bad as the previous review but they are always busy so the food sometimes takes a while.

The food at Ukai Sushi might be good but by the time you receive it you will be close to starvation! I visited Ukai Sushi after reading the great reviews about the food on the internet. The service was the worst I have ever experienced and I would not go back. We booked a table in advance and arrived to an empty restaurant which, you would imagine, would mean attentive staff and a relaxing dinner. The reality? One miserable woman who was waiting, cleaning and taking takeaway orders over the phone and 2 hungry hours during spent repeatedly asking where our food was instead of enjoying a great meal. In hindsight we should have sensed at the drinks order that things weren't going to be great and bolted - two of my friends ordered two different Japanese tea cocktails which the waitress returned to say they didn't have and I ordered a plum wine mojito to be told that they had no soda water. No apology or suggestion of an alternative in sight. Our starters - endame beans and miso soup which came relatively quickly and were extremely tasty. In the meantime, 4 more diners arrived and the waitress's capacity to cope was reduced even further. Our mains-there were 5 of us who ordered 2-3 sushi dishes each-came one dish at a time over the course of 1 hour. At one point two friends sat with one of their dishes and some vegetables to share were going cold in the middle of the table - nothing else appeared for 40 minutes. 3 dishes were meant to contain mushrooms and it wasn't until they were brought out that we were told 'they had no mushrooms'. There were no apologies and the woman tried to avoid all eye contact, when I asked if the other food was coming her reply was 'i hope so'. In the end, we weren't all able to eat together as those with food were so hungry. My dishes were the last to be brought out and I struggled to really enjoy them as I'd been waiting so long. Needless to say we refused to pay the full bill. Avoid Ukai Sushi at all costs!

Ukai Sushi is a fantastic little restaurant. Delicious food, wonderfully presented.

I especially loved their Jasmine ice tea drinks, sweet and refreshing.