Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar
923 Williamson St, Madison
(608) 819-6319
Recent Reviews
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923 Williamson St, Madison
(608) 819-6319
the milk buns, and dumplings were incredible, and so was our server! the pork belly is succulent mmmm mmm mmm
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Belly Buns
Nice Ramen place! They have a happy hour where some drinks are discounted and Edamame for example are half price! There are seating options either inside or outside on the patio! We did make a reservation for a Friday evening in advance but it wasn’t fully booked so you should be fine without one. Good service :)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Best little hidden restaurant on Willy Street! Omg just the smell is 5 stars!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Soup, Pork Belly Buns
I've lived in the area for 2 years and I could kick myself for not coming here sooner! The vegetable tonkotsu and the violet beauregard mocktail and they were both amazing! The flavors of each ingredient in the tonkotsu worked with each other in a delicious harmony and it was filling!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So I love Umami, for real. And usually they rock it! Tonight there were a couple misses: the miso ramen broth was ridiculously salty, even for miso. The matcha mochi ice cream was freezer burned. That was the bad. The good: personable service, tasty mocktails,
excellent pickles, dumplings & buns. It's a temporary QC problem, I hope. Because I really do like eating here! ☺️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buns, Matcha Crème Brûlée
Really disappointed, this place used to be so good but it's not the same since they've been back on Willy St. I've eaten there maybe three times since then and each time was not a good experience. Most recently, the broth in the Tonkatsu was literally inedible because it was so salty. I had to water it down just so I could eat the noodles without gagging. Forget the broth that had to be poured down drain. Also the portion sizes are DRASTICALLY smaller each time I go. The portion of pork on the ramen was like two slices of lunch meat, and that is not an exaggeration at all, that's how thin it was. Tofu Buns as well, I don't know how they shrank the portion sizes so much but it was the thinnest slice of tofu on the bun! I've gotten these dishes at Tavernakaya & they're normal portions, so I don't know why Umami has adopted the shrinkflation. Sad because this was a longtime fav of mine, but I don't think I'll go again as there are far better ramen places in Madison.
Great ramen and pork buns
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Belly Buns
I can't really say anything bad about this place, but I don't have any reason to return. I had pork belly Ramen and a pork bun and the strawberry fields fornever cocktail. Some of the disappointment may be that friends hyped the place up and with a name like umami it will have to astound and satisfy...but it fell short. The food was ok. The service was good and restaurant was quaint. But there was nothing stellar. I am getting more judicious about my restaurant spending, and with that, I hold higher expectations. Some aspect of the meal has to be better than eating at home. This place doesn't make the cut.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Great place. Loved the food. Service was spectacular. A bit pricey, but so worth every penny.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen, Pork Belly Buns
About 4 months ago, we had great dumplings from Umami, even better than Feast across the street.
Last night they were inedible. I'm pretty sure they had been previously frozen.
$10 for 6 tiny shriveled dumplings?
When I called to complain, the very accommodating manager immediately offered a refund, which I appreciated.
Food: 1
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Spicy pork belly buns, ramen is good. The poke bowls are a little bit small on the fish, but they are good. I recommend spicy poke bowls, they had good flavors
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Absolutely stupendoud food and service!
Nothing left out from the delicious Beef Bun we had for our starter - two delicately steamed and perfectly paired Korean beef BBQ, pickled cucumber and so flavorful! Totally perfect amount to share for two ($9.⁵⁰)
The ramen.
Wow! Hit the flavor motherlode!
My husband had the Miso-Chicken broth ramen;
*h u g e* serving with lots of marinated chicken & bamboo shoots, ramen-infused softboiled egg, bean sprouts, nori (seaweed sheet) and scallions, $15
I had the Pork Tonkotsu - don't order extra charsiu as you get a good amount of the braised pork along with a deliciously rich and creamy pork broth. I added shiitake mushrooms to the marinated bamboo shoots and ramen softboiled egg, nori and scallions ($16). So Good! :)
[I actually had to take some of my ramen home. The portions are very generous and so full of flavor, it's almost unreal.]
Our service was graced by a new server - and she has a storied path ahead of her. Attentive without hovering, not a hint of nervousness.
Suffice to say, we WILL be back!
Vegetarian options: Very good selection of vegetarian/vegan options including three of their eight ramen options!
Dietary restrictions: They offer gluten-free options
Wheelchair accessibility: Ramp & accessible entry - patio isn't accessible, though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen, Spicy Miso Ramen, Beef Buns
Good broth, good time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Visited last week for restaurant week. Got to try a bit of everything and it was fantastic! Everyone loved the poke bowls. Sat on their cute outdoor area and enjoyed drinks. Drinks were sooo refreshing. Service was quick- no complaints!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a very disappointing experience at this ramen restaurant. Despite sitting at our table for a long time, no one came to take our order (the place was not even busy). When the ramen finally arrived, it was cold, and the noodles were undercooked with multiple solid lumps. The braised pork was tough and tasted old, while the broth was excessively salty. We also ordered BBQ pork rice, and the beef pieces had different colors and tastes. One piece, in particular, was very dark brown and tasted horrible. To make it worse, we had to ask for the check twice, and after waiting for 15 minutes, we ended up going to the bar to pay ourselves.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
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