UMIAI Hand Roll & Sake Bar

pretty good alternative for upscale handrolls in the valley! pleasant ambiance, quick and friendly service. bit of a wait on a Saturday night (1/18/25) for 4 around 8pm, but they text you when a table is ready. Ordered the Umiai Deluxe (5 nigiris, 3 hand rolls, $69) and it was def filling. liked the crunchy textures that they include on some of the pieces. Also got the Sapporo $8 and Ozeki One Cup Filtered $8 which I personally would not get again bc it's stroooong. cute cup tho lolol.Also included in the set was an Albacore Black Garlic Crudo which wasn't too memorable. Matcha wafer sandwich, complimentary for a bday, was soooo tasty! it was a unique take on a bday dessert and it was much appreciated. had no idea this plaza existed, and is a nice touch to this part of town. There are signs that state that paid parking will be enforced November.Would come back for occasions! Would like it more than Kazu, but would prefer for the seaweed to be roasted and the rice to be warm.

Wow! I can honestly say these were the best handroll I've ever had. I'm not sure what they are using but the seaweed is exceptional, I didn't realize I would taste or could tell the difference between seaweed paper, the rice is perfect, the quality of fish is great, and of course the chef making the handrolls is a master!I don't think you will be disappointed by any of the handrolls, we tried the salmon, spicy salmon, Spotify tuna, and toro and they were all amazing (toro was of course the best one). For the nigiri, I was not a fan, it was not bad, but it was not great either. The salmon tasted very different from the handrolls and sashimi. I personally will not be ordering again. For the sashimi, the black garlic albacore was good, not amazing, but I would consider ordering again. My husband was not a fan of it, he ate just a couple pieces and didn't care for more. However, the salmon carpaccio was amazing!! We ended up ordering two of them because it was that good. I would say it's a must order and we will definitely have to get it every-time we come here. I really liked this place, it's a small place but a great layout, the decor is beautiful, and the service was wonderful!! They say there typically isn't a wait longer than 25 minutes, and I would say our wait was roughly that amount of time. If you love handrolls, I highly recommend trying, if you only like sushi rolls then this is probably not the place for you.

This was my first time trying Umiai, and wow--it was absolutely incredible! I ordered the Umiai Essentials, and every single item was a 10/10, with one small exception. The **Yuzu Yellowtail Crudo** was a standout. It's honestly one of the best crudo/carpaccio dishes I've ever had. The fish was unbelievably fresh, the radish added a nice crunch, and the green onions gave the perfect bite. The seasoning was flawless, and I still dream about this dish. The **hand rolls** were also exceptional. The fish melted in my mouth, and the seaweed was perfectly crisp. I'd even say this place tops Kazunori and Sugarfish, though it's a bit pricier. That said, it's absolutely worth it for a special treat-yourself meal. The only dish that didn't fully wow me was the **cucumber salad**. While I personally enjoyed it, some of my friends thought it was under-seasoned and could've used more dressing. Still, it was very good--just a little plain. Lastly, the **customer service** was out of this world. Every staff member was kind, friendly, and attentive. I didnt get her name but shoutout to our waitress with the fake glasses--she was an absolute queen! So sweet, so helpful, and just an all-around gem. I'll definitely be returning to Umiai. It's a phenomenal experience from start to finish!

It's another solid HR joint but this time in North Hollywood. Like all HR joint they offer HR set from 3 to 6 HR but they also offer their Umiai set which comes with a starter, HR, nigiri and a crudo. We both went with the Umiai Simple with come with cucumber seaweed salad. HR of salmon, yellowtail, crab and 4 nigiris. 2 albacore and 2 seared Ora King Salmon.The HR were good but a little bit on the small side. The HR were definitely not filled. The Albacore and Ora King Salmon nigiris were fantastic and fresh. We also order their Yellowtail Yuzu Crudo which fresh and delicious and Hokkaido Hotate nigiri also good. Service was great and friendly.Overall Umami is a good addition to the North Hollywood area crowd.

Review for visit: 1/26/25Came back on a Sunday evening, upon walking in, all staff greet you as you wait to be seated.I was helped out by this nice young lady (I didn't get her name) but she was very nice and patient towards me.The place was full as there was hardly any spots left for me to pick from as a solo guest. So I opted for sitting right behind the entrance, facing the chefs cooking. It was fine.Interior décor and seating: 5/5 Styled as a bar so there are tall stool seatsMy Order for the night went:Cucumber seaweed salad: 5/5 this is a must to start your munchies right. Fresh and thinly sliced cucumbers paired up with a delicious dressing and topped with seaweed, sprouts or microgreens? and a slice of lemon. Refreshing my taste palates and delicious as well.4 hand roll set: 3/5 since my favorite hand rolls out of this group had to be the salmon and blue crab hand rolls, I really enjoyed each bite to the end. Fresh fish is always appreciated and you can tell when you bite into it. I like dipping my rolls into their sauce or spicy mayo and that upgrades each taste bud. I was not fond much by the yellow tail or scallops, didn't really take me by surprise. Albacore Black Garlic: 5/5 Fresh, saucy and delicious all in one. The reviews did not lie for this dish.Ingredients: black garlic, house ponzu, truffle salt, crispy onion and micro greens. You need to try this one for yourself and be the judge. Lastly, I decided to order one of their Japanese beers (they now serve alcohol) however, the price did hurt my pocket as one glass cost $12 "Kawaba Snow Weizen" 3/5, it was a smooth and light beer but it didn't hit so due to the prices, I didn't order another one.

Very cute interior, ample parking at NoHo West, but actual taste/quality of the rolls was not impressive. While the ambiance was cool and the music selection was fun, the menu items were hit or miss. The seared salmon nigiri was delicious. The scallop roll was decent. The salmon hand roll was good. The tuna hand roll, probably our least favorite, didn't wow.Compared to the likes of Kazunori and Yunomi, we left feeling like this wasn't up to par. Items are priced a bit high, especially for the quality. The hand rolls were brought over quickly, though, perhaps considering there were less than 5 people there at dinner time. I just don't think this is "THE" place for great hand rolls. Lots of competition in the area. We are huge fans of sushi hand rolls and hand roll bars, in general, so this experience was especially disappointing. They also don't validate, so we paid for parking for only an hour-long visit.

I came here on a weekday lunch with my mom. This is a new sushi place in the Valley located in the plaza that houses the new Trader Joes. There is very limited free parking in the outside plaza that you would have to walk over to access the restaurant or you can choose to park inside the parking structure for a 1 hour free parking (Umiami does not validate).This restaurant is set up to look like a more traditional sushi bar, however, this means there is limited seating so I would recommend making reservations if you're coming here for dinner or on the weekends, especially since nearly all seating was taken on a random weekday lunch when we went.My mom and I opted to share the 5 piece sushi combo and then ordered some additional hand rolls. The hot matcha green tea is nice and a traditionally bitter green tea. Scallop nigiri 5/5Tuna green onion nigiri 5/5Yellowtail hand roll 4/5, preferred the salmonSalmon hand roll 5/5Crab hand roll 5/5Scallop hand roll 4.5, preferred scallop nigiri Spicy tuna hand roll 5/5, my FAVE omg slightly crunchy w green onions (?) inside

The food was amazing! I have been 10 times at least! The staff is great and the best hand rolls in town. Thank you Shane and Shelby

Amazing experience! A must do in the NoHo area. This is not your ordinary sushi dinner, this is a complete experience. You are warmly greeted as soon as you walk in and even recognized and names remembered from the last time you were there. The team is sure to make you feel welcomed and comfortable. The ambience is chill and relaxing with music playing. The teams interaction makes the experience fun and light.The attention to the freshness, taste and presentation of each dish is of the highest standards. The team is sure to present each dish with white glove treatment with just the right timing to be sure you are enjoying each bite. As manager, Shane's impeccable standards shine!

100/10 , a very unique experience . Service was spectacular , very welcoming and professional. Sushi served to the next level . Definitely will be coming back and will recommend to all sushi lovers ! And cant forget the music !