Ulele

Reviews 3

TI

Tiffany Guillot

Our experience at Ulele was nothing short of fantastic. We arrived at the restaurant right at 9:15 for our reservation at that time and the entire restaurant was packed. They informed us that they were backed up on seating and that would take a while. And in all honestly, it took us 45 minutes to get sat. But in that time, the staff were so incredibly friendly despite how busy they were. One hostess walked around the lobby handing out samples of their wedding beer (which is delicious). The hostesses in general handled the entire situation with wonderful tact and grace. We were standing right next to the host stands and I heard some of the rudest and creepiest people harassing these women and they were 1000% professional about it. And then the bartenders were wonderful as well. Even though we could clearly see them rushing all over the bar, they took the time to chat with every person that walked up and were very, very accommodating. The mixed drinks and beers that we had were delicious and were were served everything very quickly. Javier was one of the bartenders and he joked around with us and let us sample a beer we were curious about. Terra was another that made sure we were taken care of as well and even recommended the oyster entree to us (which is also delicious). We were sat after we got a second round of drinks. We sat in a corner of the restaurant at a table that faced these open windows that had a nice view of Hillsborough river, which I can only imagine looks stunning at sunset, but it was still pretty at night. Our server was named Brittany, and again, she was wonderful, friendly, and made sure we had everything we wanted or needed. All of our orders came out in great time. Between the two of us we had the okra fries, blistered peppers, vegetarian dish of the day, oysters, the key lime ice cream stack, flour-less chocolate torte, and the guava pie. Everything was delicious, I couldnt pick out a favorite or least favorite even if I wanted to. So even though Ulele was slammed, the wonderful staff handled the situation fantastically and we received one of the best restaurant services and experiences I can remember. I even asked to speak with a manager/supervisor about the time we had and even he was incredibly friendly and grateful and talked to us about the night. So in short, if you want a great restaurant experience with a wonderful atmosphere, delicious food and drinks, with a wonderful staff and service, GO TO ULELE! I will be talking about this restaurant to everyone and will definitely be back frequently!

JA

Jason Bartos

Dont go unless you can spend 2+ hours on dinner. I wanted to like Ulele...great location, great concept, I love their other restaurants. Menu sounds great. However, the service is horrible and food is rather bland. We have been there 5 times now in the 3 years they have been open. The first few times, I gave them a pass because they were new. Then I gave them a pass because it was a busy day (Mothers Day) and we had a large party. But after our most recent visit, I cant make any more excuses. Every single time, dinner takes way longer than it should. Plan on being there longer than at a movie or a fine dining dinner. Its never been less than 2 hours. Our last visit (today) sums up all the issues with the restaurant. We had to wait 30 minutes even though we had a reservation. So, our dinner is already starting later than planned. Because they are so incredibly slow at turning tables. We waited 15 minutes AFTER being told our table was ready (which was already 15 minutes after our reservation time) while they "set" the table. Youd think if the hostess has spent 15 minutes setting the table that it would be correct. Instead we ended up with not enough menus or silverware and had to ask 3 times for the high chair (which we had also requested in the reservation). Then it was 45 more minutes before our order was taken. Our server, Peter, seemed more interested in attempt to force his opinions on what we should be drinking than in taking our order. When someone repeats three times that they want a specific beer, dont keep trying to convinced them to try something different and then lie and say your dont carry the beer they ordered (which we knew they did since we ordered it at the bar during our 30 minute wait for the table). He then proceeded to go and talk to 2 other tables, clear one of them, and take orders from the other, before putting our order in. So...finally an hour and 45 minutes after our reservation time we finally get our food. And yet again it is a disappointment. Bland bland bland. The descriptions on the menu sounds so much better than the food itself tastes. If you are looking for recommendations in the area, I can name 3 dozen better restaurants that have better service and are cheaper...all doing the same style food. Save yourself time and money and aggravation and just go and sit at one of the outside tables and order a dessert. Dessert is the only thing that Ulele can do right. And the only thing that wont be a let down.

MA

Matthew Hill

I had heard good things about Uleles but unfortunately hearing is not the same as believing. Went to luch today, and I agree with most everyone that if you enjoy eating a meal in a pretty loaction, Ulele will fill that desire. The location, the park, and closeness to the river allow for a feast for the eyes, but the food was anything but a feast for the tongue. As someone that enjoys good seafood and understands the balances of the fish or seafood with the additional flavors, Ulele was far out of balance. Appetizers were Calamari and Barbacoa Prawns, the Calamari was masked in the flavor of the batter, attempting to find the flavor of the squid was difficult by the off putting spices in the batter. The Barbacoa Prawns, had two problems; the age of the prawns was apparent, even when well cooked, the shells of the prawns were sticking to the meat of the prawns and this is a sign of them either being frozen or past an ideal freshness. Having disassembled hundeeds of prawns it was difficult for me to properly shell and enjoy the prawns do to their age. The second problem was the flavor, having the luxury of prawns over shrimp, you would expect the chef to take advantage sweetness of the prawns and allow it to ring the loudest, in this case; the over seasoning made it hard to enjoy any of the prawns. Lunch consisted of the Lobster roll and a Fried Grouper sandwich. Fried Grouper wasnt properly fried, if I had to guess it was a combination of frying at too low a tempature, and not properly resting, as their was a high level of residual oil betwern the batter and the fish. The Lobster roll was unfortunately the nail in the coffin for me, having fished the Grand Banks and grown up with local seafood most of my life I have seen every variation of the lobster roll. The thing they all have in common is they are served warm. Ulele serves their cold, and the meat came off flavorless and rubbery. There was no satisfying bite, and with the additions of tomato, lettuce, and an aoli, the mouth feel was completely one note. End score is 2 out of 5, for the location. I had hoped this would of been a new spot for a weekend meal, but the search continues.

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