Umai

Ordered from Umai twice and had a satisfying experience. The fish are fresh and portion is great for the paid price. Smoked Sake: the fish is fresh, but not the best marinated piece I had. Not recommended. Tako: Octopus is fresh and love the combination with seaweed and cucumbers. It is a very refreshing starter. Even though it comes with rice vinegar, it is not sour at all. Kampyo: Gourd is greatly marinated and seasoned, not salty. However, sometimes the rice to veggies portion could be improved on. Yamago Gobo: I didn't really enjoy this roll as much as I have expected. The burdock is super crunchy and kind of salty. I definitely enjoyed Kampyo over this roll. Sushi Appetizer: I don't recommend ordering this because the selected fished are really basic, don't really expect you will get a higher quality fish. If you want to try a specific sashimi/sushi then I suggest you to just go ahead and order it. Naked: Very interesting sushi. As described, there's no rice. The cucumbers makes this a very interesting and refreshing roll. This is a very light dish, worth a try. Hamachi Kama: Greatly grilled, the lemon juice adds a hint of sourness. However, the size of the yellowtail collar varies, depending on your luck for that day. I wish the size could be consistent. Nama Sake Don: Love this don! The sides and shiitake greatly pair with the rice and salmon, making this dish not plain at all! The portion is worth the price. Definitely recommend on ordering this! FYI, it comes with miso soup. Overall, this is a great place for Japanese food. It would be great if they can keep the portion consistent. Would love to visit the place one day to get a feel of the atmosphere and service.

Oh, Umai... you had a good thing going, but then you went a couple steps too far. Namely on the sugar and salt. I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen with black garlic oil and half a Chicago maki roll.The Tonkotsu was solid. The broth was savory, the noodles pleasant, and it was well balanced in terms of veggies. The Chashu pork was middle-of-the-pack, though I do appreciate the layers of meaty and fatty. Overall, it wasn't melt-in-your-mouth, but also wasn't an uninspired piece of boiled meat. Where this bowl of ramen goes wrong is the salt content. Look, I fully understand and realize that by its very nature ramen is salty. However, this specific bowl took is a step too far. When finishing a bowl of ramen, I ordinarily happily slurp up whatever broth remains. In the case of Umai's Tonkotsu, this was impossible.Now, let's talk about the sushi. This Chicago roll had a lot going for it: a generous amount of fish, the stalwart classic avocado and cucumber, and some tempura(ish) stuff for crunch. Unfortunately, they took this classic and ruined it was a heavy handed use of the honey miso sauce. Sweetness in a sushi roll isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it must be done carefully. Here, the overly generous use of an extremely saccharine sauce clashed with anything the roll had going on and overpowered everything. To be fair, I would be open to ordering this one again, providing I can get the honey-miso on the side, or excluded entirely.Finally, the vibe is modern with black, wood, and just the right amount of splashes of color. The service was also appropriately fast and reasonably attentive. Thus, while I am curious to try the spicy ramen, and the Chicago roll without sweet sauce, given the size of Chicago's dining scene - I do not necessarily feel a pull to return.

Ordered 3 rolls. The naked had invitation crab was very disappointed in that. We ordered the Cajun and the spicy tuna both were extremely dry.Only reason it gets one star is because it's required.Absolutely do not recommend .

Been coming here over a year and it delivers great food and service every time. Their sushi (especially rainbow roll) is top notch and their miso soup is to die for. Great spot for a date!

We came right around 5pm on a Tuesday and were sat right away. We ordered the gyoza and two rolls each. I got the dynamite and spicy tuna. Dynamite roll was SO GOOD and would definitely order again. Spicy tuna was just spicy tuna. Nothing special. My partner got the spicy Cajun and avocado roll and loved both. Also if you're a white wine drinker, the glasses were so thin! IYKYK. Glad we live close to this place!

I got the pork katsu kare and enjoyed it. The curry itself was my favorite part. I thought the pork portion was very generous, but the pork was cut a little thin and was kind of tough. I also would have liked more veggies, but that might just be my personal preference. I was also a little surprised that they were all cold since I expected the green beans to be hot. I thought there was a lot of rice for the amount of gravy and that the brown rice (it's the purple kind with a little wild rice in it) was a little congealed, maybe not the freshest. The taste overall was on the saltier side. Overall though I liked it. My husband got ramen and enjoyed it. The service was fast and the spot is cute and not too busy for a Sunday evening.

I was excited about my first visit and it did not disappoint. We started with a Sloopin roll. The serving was large enough for three. I chose delicious breaded pork on a bed of rice topped with a tasty sauce. The entree was accompanied by a salad and a cup of miso soup. So delicious. My friend ordered the Spicy pork ramen. If it was half as delicious as its aroma, I will definitely try it next time.The restaurant is charming and the service was excellent.

We came in for an early dinner and we're seated right away. The waiter was quick to bring water and take our order. We had some miso soup, spicy edemame, and shumai for starters. I loved the wasabi shumai. They were different and had a really great flavor! The miso soup was piping hot. I almost burned my mouth multiple times. We had a couple salmon avocado rolls and half of a specialty roll. The sushi was really good! Everything was fresh! The rolls were packed well and didn't fall apart. I would come back to Umai! The food was really good! Definitely get the wasabi shumai!

I'm in Chicago at the moment (my hometown) staying downtown and was looking for a great ramen spot for lunch. This place is pretty good! I'm giving it four stars instead of five only because the noodles were a bit sticky. The service was excellent, and I would consider returning.

Omakase at Umai Restaurant!My lunchtime sojourn to Umai Restaurant was a fantastic journey, i ordered Omakase for myself.Food: 5/5The Omakase experience at Umai was nothing short of a culinary masterpiece. Every piece of sushi showcased precision and artistry, earning a well-deserved 5/5.Service: 5/5Umai Restaurant upheld an impeccable standard of service. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and added to the overall enjoyment of the dining experience, warranting a perfect 5/5.Ambiance: 5/5The ambiance at Umai Restaurant provided the perfect backdrop for a memorable lunch. With a blend of sophistication and comfort, it earned a solid 5/5.Price: 5/5Surprisingly, the Omakase experience at Umai came at an unbeatable price. The balance of quality and affordability earned it a perfect 5/5.