Umami Ballard

There has got to be something in the Umami water because their stuff is truly addicting! The shrimp tempura on the poke bowls is perfectly crunchy (even after walking 15min to get back home) and it's also slightly sweet and all around delicious. The tuna is also amazing and I love that the bowls are hefty even if you only get a couple of free toppings. The taro boba tea was so good too! I got it with half sugar and I think that or 1/4 is the way to go if you're not wanting something super super sweet. The ramen is also incredible, though I think the poke bowl is for sure my go to now. I also appreciated the custom take out bag that came with my order, it came in clutch immediately by helping keep my food dry from the rain.

A cute little sushi/ramen restaurant in Ballard. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. I built my own ramen (the ingredients are on the simple side) and my partner had a menu option of miso ramen and tempura shrimp which were very yummy. Didn't love the Thai tea, even though it's not really the place for it.

The food was outstanding! The ramen had a delicious flavor. The pork was cooked nice and crispy, and I loved the shrimp tempura. The noodles were good, but I did prefer to have a little bit more. The mango bubble tea seemed to be made with a different type of mango base than what I am used to, and I actually liked it more than most boba places!

Umami is a great place for some takeout in you're craving poke or ramen. My husband opted to build his own poke bowl, which allows for one protein selection and three sides. He had the salmon with tamago, seaweed salad, and corn on top of the brown rice. The fish tasted pretty fresh and the tamago was sweet and delightful. I do wish you could add more toppings though. I ordered the traditional tonkotsu ramen with bok choy, sliced wood ear mushroom, and green onions. The broth itself is not like a traditional japanese tonkotsu broth - it actually tastes more similar to a chinese pork bone broth since there was also an herbal taste to it. I still enjoyed it regardless however. The veggies I ordered were fresh and the noodles were nice and chewy. I give it a 4/5 since the ramen wasn't what I expected from a tonkotsu ramen though.

Excellent poke, salmon tasted pretty fresh. Also got the gyoza which was super good! Highly recommend.

Very nice service, but the chashu was stiff and flavorless and the broth lacked the silkiness that you want in tonkotsuj. Egg was perfect. I also kind of wish they didn't have so much packaging, but... shrug.

Yummy chicken and boba tea! So glad I don't have to go to my favorite place in China town that makes similar chicken

Amazing food! The boba and sushi burrito are my favorites, but all are delicious. The service is amazing, and the staff are great. The whole restaurant really sets a great mood and aesthetic. It's also accessible and is near Ballard High, so it's easy to get to and eat for high school and middle school (Salmon bay) student. Overall an outstanding place, would 100% recommen. Thanks for reading!!

Food is decent! Comes in to-go containers even if you eat in, they feel compostable but are not explicitly marked so unsure about it.Vegetarian ramen is hard to come by so like most places they have 1 non build your own option. The vegetarian shoyu is loaded well with toppings, but I do wish there was a creamy vegetarian option! The broth was okay, not the most flavorful. The tofu was cold but the rest was hot, so just let it sit for a minute to warm it up. The spicy snow crab salad was also loaded! It comes cold and could have used more spice so I asked for sriracha on the side.The watermelon boba tasted more like bubble gum and was pepto pink, I asked for it less sweet which was helpful but probably won't be getting boba here again. Mixed tea drinks do not have adjustable sweetness. Didn't see good parking. Since it's slow I got the one spot that is left of the building on 15th (6 spots, most were taken likely by staff), but probably reliable most busy days. Staff was nice!

This place wildly mishandled allergens, it's dangerous and I recommend you stay far away.I have anaphylactic allergies to shellfish and tree nuts. I put that in my order note: "allergic to shellfish and tree nuts, please ensure no cross-contamination." I picked up my take-out and went home, only to find what I thought was crab salad on top of my poke bowl. I called the shop and happened to get to the guy who made my dish, and I asked him about the mystery topping. Initially he said it was all good and fine for me to eat, but after a few minutes of back and forth he finally said "ohhhhh, yes yes yes, I forgot the corn, I gave you snow crab instead".No apology, no offer of a refund, nothing! I went back the to ask for a refund directly and the guy gave me a super hard time, grumbling about how you can't just get your money back every time you don't like something.To that guy and the rest of the staff at Umami: I shouldn't have to tell you that anaphylactic allergies are deadly business. Thankfully mine aren't as severe as some, but I still would've had to use an epi-pen and go to the hospital if I hadn't noticed the crab salad. You should know that as restaurant owners and cooks! Please get your shit together before you kill someone.