Umami is a vibe! The artwork, music, and service come together to create an incredible atmosphere. I’ve been there twice for dinner and absolutely loved the takoyaki (fried octopus balls, they were perfectly cooked. The gyudon (beef rice bowl) was just okay, but the rayu cucumbers were delightful and had the perfect crunch! It’s a great spot for a date night, especially with their shareable plates. You should definitely make a reservation before going!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt Libby (Pitgeon)
The best spicy scallop handroll in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Pampalone
Awesome food, would highly reccomend the cabbage pancake (okonamiyaki). Great drinks, fresh sushi and fantastic atmosphere. Will be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Okonomiyaki, Sushi Bar Ingredients
Anon X
Mediocre experience. Food was good but not the best. Bar service and friendliness was lacking. Lightning was poor and hid the color of the otoro.
Isabella White
Awesome date night! When we first arrived, we did have to wait a bit for our seats, despite having a reservation. BUT the host was very kind and made up for our wait. They were clearly very busy and we were understanding. Good and service were AMAZING. We sat in front of the kitchen and the chefs were very social and made great recommendations. We can’t wait to go back.
Dietary restrictions: They were very aware of my food allergy. And made sure there was no cross contamination.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi Bar Ingredients, Pork Gyoza, Wagyu Beef, Quail
April West
Second time here and thats for good reason! Best japanese Izakaya in Pittsburgh. Being from out of town, going back to someplace means its good. Everything we had was great! Loved everything but the sake flight seemed a bit overpriced for the portions received. Everything else on the menu is fantastic and every bite is delicious! Staff is friendly, helpful and prompt.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eliza K
My husband and I chose this as our last meal before moving to New York City because we loved it so much. We have now been in NYC two months (a city known for good food) and nothing beats umami so far. I have always found the staff super kind and accommodating. We are vegan and they happily modify dishes to make them vegan. They even went so far as to make us some vegan sushi once which wasn’t strictly speaking on the menu but was delicious! The chef told us he would be happy to do it again anytime. The day before we moved we were unable to keep our reservation because of a hectic day of packing, my husband called to explain and they very kindly packed up our order to go and they even comped our meal in honor of the move (and asked for nothing in return) which was such a kind touch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ners Neonlumerjack
MEH. Most unnecessarily pretentious place for sushi and sake. The price DOES NOT fall in line with the ambiance or food. Mediocre overall, but having to pay fine dining prices for watching the kitchen violate health codes is a wonder. Servers were kind, though aloof. The new kitchen worker being trained may have never worked in a kitchen before to know when to wear gloves, when to take them off when touching your gross cellphone, and running fingers through hair over the preparing surface. The dishes were an attempt to be on brand with Asian affair, but weirdly different not in a good way in taste and method of eating. Sushi wrapped like an ice cream cone with thick seaweed that can’t be bitten through, uncut, called a roll. It seems like someone moved to Brooklyn once, got an idea for a mediocre restaurant, got an idea on prices, and dropped it in Pittsburgh. Glad the sign is difficult to spot and broken. Makes it even more hip.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Nicholas Foster
Incredible location and ambiance. Exceptional food. Well worth the price. Strongly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Weber
Was ranted and raved this place by a friend who is a local to Pittsburgh. We did a great test for any restaurant by showing up 30 minutes before close with a reservation and the treatment of the server was rather odd as if they didn’t want our money. Just very cold, stand-offish and very pushy attitude like we needed to hurry up and leave. Kept telling us we had a few more minutes to order because they were taking last call. The water tasted straight up like rust. Not sure if they have any sort of filter on their water machine. The sushi was ok. I could tell the fish was not cleaned properly due to high fishy taste. The ramen i had was rather sub-par. The noodles tasted like over cooked spaghetti noodles and the ramen eggs were cold. Asked for a side of rice and they gave me a side of sushi rice which is not very good to eat by itself as it has a high acidity content due to the process of adding a vinegar mixture during the preparation process. Ya know. I could go on and on. But i’d rather not.
I’m not looking to brag or boast my credentials as i am an award winning sushi chef from Seattle, so i feel i have a good understanding on sushi & Japanese cuisine should be but this seemed like a higher end sushi place upon walking in via the vibes, atmospheres and the $110 bill at the end for just a few plates of food but seemed more mid-level on food quality and very low-level standards on care. Even my buddy who is a local, rant and raved this place was disappointed because this supposedly was not normally how the kind of service they have received in past visits. Where i work back in Seattle, come to my sushi restaurant 30 minutes before close… even 15 minutes before close! We’d still love to take care of you and give you a wonderful memory you won’t forget.
Would i come back and give Umami another try? Sure. I’d give it some time to come back again so hopefully they read this review and maybe do some work internally to improve quality of their service and food.
Food is top tier! Staff is amazing! Definitely a hidden gem on butler st.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica Lynn
The fact that you convinced these baka shiroi hakujin that this is Japanese food is an actual travesty and I would give anything to have Chaya in Squirrel Hill back. $12 for takoyaki and you DEEP FRY IT instead of using an ACTUAL TAKOYAKI PAN. Are you out of your minds? You are an izakaya as much as McDonalds is a wagyu beef place. I hate gentrified Lawrenceville so much.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5
shahla raei
Great food, vibe, and service! Definitely will go back again.
Umami is a vibe! The artwork, music, and service come together to create an incredible atmosphere. I’ve been there twice for dinner and absolutely loved the takoyaki (fried octopus balls, they were perfectly cooked. The gyudon (beef rice bowl) was just okay, but the rayu cucumbers were delightful and had the perfect crunch! It’s a great spot for a date night, especially with their shareable plates. You should definitely make a reservation before going!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best spicy scallop handroll in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Awesome food, would highly reccomend the cabbage pancake (okonamiyaki). Great drinks, fresh sushi and fantastic atmosphere. Will be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Okonomiyaki, Sushi Bar Ingredients
Mediocre experience. Food was good but not the best. Bar service and friendliness was lacking. Lightning was poor and hid the color of the otoro.
Awesome date night! When we first arrived, we did have to wait a bit for our seats, despite having a reservation. BUT the host was very kind and made up for our wait. They were clearly very busy and we were understanding. Good and service were AMAZING. We sat in front of the kitchen and the chefs were very social and made great recommendations. We can’t wait to go back.
Dietary restrictions: They were very aware of my food allergy. And made sure there was no cross contamination.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi Bar Ingredients, Pork Gyoza, Wagyu Beef, Quail
Second time here and thats for good reason! Best japanese Izakaya in Pittsburgh. Being from out of town, going back to someplace means its good. Everything we had was great! Loved everything but the sake flight seemed a bit overpriced for the portions received. Everything else on the menu is fantastic and every bite is delicious! Staff is friendly, helpful and prompt.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My husband and I chose this as our last meal before moving to New York City because we loved it so much. We have now been in NYC two months (a city known for good food) and nothing beats umami so far. I have always found the staff super kind and accommodating. We are vegan and they happily modify dishes to make them vegan. They even went so far as to make us some vegan sushi once which wasn’t strictly speaking on the menu but was delicious! The chef told us he would be happy to do it again anytime. The day before we moved we were unable to keep our reservation because of a hectic day of packing, my husband called to explain and they very kindly packed up our order to go and they even comped our meal in honor of the move (and asked for nothing in return) which was such a kind touch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
MEH. Most unnecessarily pretentious place for sushi and sake. The price DOES NOT fall in line with the ambiance or food. Mediocre overall, but having to pay fine dining prices for watching the kitchen violate health codes is a wonder.
Servers were kind, though aloof. The new kitchen worker being trained may have never worked in a kitchen before to know when to wear gloves, when to take them off when touching your gross cellphone, and running fingers through hair over the preparing surface. The dishes were an attempt to be on brand with Asian affair, but weirdly different not in a good way in taste and method of eating. Sushi wrapped like an ice cream cone with thick seaweed that can’t be bitten through, uncut, called a roll.
It seems like someone moved to Brooklyn once, got an idea for a mediocre restaurant, got an idea on prices, and dropped it in Pittsburgh. Glad the sign is difficult to spot and broken. Makes it even more hip.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Incredible location and ambiance. Exceptional food. Well worth the price. Strongly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Was ranted and raved this place by a friend who is a local to Pittsburgh. We did a great test for any restaurant by showing up 30 minutes before close with a reservation and the treatment of the server was rather odd as if they didn’t want our money. Just very cold, stand-offish and very pushy attitude like we needed to hurry up and leave. Kept telling us we had a few more minutes to order because they were taking last call. The water tasted straight up like rust. Not sure if they have any sort of filter on their water machine. The sushi was ok. I could tell the fish was not cleaned properly due to high fishy taste. The ramen i had was rather sub-par. The noodles tasted like over cooked spaghetti noodles and the ramen eggs were cold. Asked for a side of rice and they gave me a side of sushi rice which is not very good to eat by itself as it has a high acidity content due to the process of adding a vinegar mixture during the preparation process. Ya know. I could go on and on. But i’d rather not.
I’m not looking to brag or boast my credentials as i am an award winning sushi chef from Seattle, so i feel i have a good understanding on sushi & Japanese cuisine should be but this seemed like a higher end sushi place upon walking in via the vibes, atmospheres and the $110 bill at the end for just a few plates of food but seemed more mid-level on food quality and very low-level standards on care. Even my buddy who is a local, rant and raved this place was disappointed because this supposedly was not normally how the kind of service they have received in past visits. Where i work back in Seattle, come to my sushi restaurant 30 minutes before close… even 15 minutes before close! We’d still love to take care of you and give you a wonderful memory you won’t forget.
Would i come back and give Umami another try? Sure. I’d give it some time to come back again so hopefully they read this review and maybe do some work internally to improve quality of their service and food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Food is top tier! Staff is amazing! Definitely a hidden gem on butler st.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The fact that you convinced these baka shiroi hakujin that this is Japanese food is an actual travesty and I would give anything to have Chaya in Squirrel Hill back. $12 for takoyaki and you DEEP FRY IT instead of using an ACTUAL TAKOYAKI PAN. Are you out of your minds? You are an izakaya as much as McDonalds is a wagyu beef place. I hate gentrified Lawrenceville so much.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5
Great food, vibe, and service! Definitely will go back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food, amazing vibes, amazing staff. Fully recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Okonomiyaki, Pork Gyoza, Chirashi Bowl
Fantastic food and ambience
Vegetarian options: They exist and they're delicious, but there aren't many of them
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Okonomiyaki
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