Umami Steak and Sushi Bar

Tasty, but not cheap. The waiter will try to push pricier rolls on you, at least that was the vibe I was getting. Tasty premium set menu with plentiful cavier. Uni was, as is often the case, slightly bitter and metallic. Uni must be extremely fresh to get that sweat and briney delightful gonad flavor we know and love. Toro rolls were tasty. Wasabi sauce was tasty and unconventional. Hand rolls we tried were good as well. Comparable to upper end mid range sushi in New York (real sushi, not Chinese owned).Better than Royal Sushi and Izakaya for a la carte (I haven't tried the Omakase)

For the price here, I was expecting better.Service wasn't great. The waiter inexplicably was rushing us to get our order despite there being only one other table besides mine and some people at the bar.The other table was not rushed by the same waitor like we were.Appetizers were the Karaage chicken and the Rock shrimp tempura, 14 and 15 dollars respectively. Karaage, while pretty ok, tasted and looked a bit like what you might get at american chinese takeout - though possibly one level better than that. Rock shrimp tempura was ok, but the shrimps used were tiny.Main courses were the 18 piece chef's choice and the A5 Wagyu plate. The chef's choice was quite good. Fish was fairly fresh, though the Unagi (eel) was just average. My friend thought the rice was a bit over-seasoned. It's also quite pricy at $75.I'm not a steak person, and while the Wagyu was pretty good - I'd rather spend the $65 it cost at a quality steak restaurant.An authentic Japanese restaurant like Sagami is a much better proposition for your money. It's my go-to.That said, Sagami is open for a limited time now while the fate of it is still being decided - i.e. whether someone will buy the establishment.

This place is hidden in the lower level on Walnut St... kind of mysterious a bit. The sushi they serve here is absolutely delicious! Fish is so fresh and some is aged which was savory! I attached some of my favorite pieces for you to see as I forgot the names for most of them.... They also make in-house soy and other sauces as explained by Chef. The miso cod was so yummy and melt in your mouth like morsels! Must try!

Small speakeasy restaurant in the basement with a wonderful staff. Came here twice in two months already. Had the pleasure to try the omakase but I enjoyed the dining room experience more. They are definitely known for the steak and sushi! Literally every table got steak and the chef comes out and cuts it in front of you. The sushi is so fresh too and portions are generous. Of course I had to save room for dessert. The black sesame mochi and ice cream was amazing!

Food 4.5/5Service 5/5Ambiance 3/5 The restaurant has a hole in the wall ambiance since it is tucked in the lower level / basement. They didn't bother with decorations or elevate the seating or table wear. However, it was a quiet and intimate environment. The service was amazing. I ordered the chef sushi combo but sat at the sushi bar and the chef delivered each piece individually and provided explanation for each. The chef was so friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The fish was fresh and flavors were paired very complementary. So far the best sushi I've had in Philly / DE, but my only other comparison is Double Knot and a few places in DE. I'd love to return again to try the omakase.Highly recommend! Would be 5/5 if the ambiance was more decorative.

Sat at the bar for omakase. The owner and chef was amazing. Kenny was our sushi chef and he was super nice. He told us what each item was, and there were many that I did not know which he tried to explain. Additionally, at the end where we had finished and were just chatting he gave us another bonus roll since he was making items for others. The owner throughout the night helped pour our sake and checked in on us regularly. Food was phenomenal. Tons of courses and everything was delicious. I did not expect so many courses and having dessert included. By the end I was definitely very full. The absolute best item was the toro but everything was so good. The wagyu was also a large portion, much larger than I had expected. Start to finish everything was amazing. The chef told us in the future if there was something specific we wanted to just let him know ahead of time and he'd try to accommodate. It's a pretty penny and items will change based on the chefs decision, but would love to come back. Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finishAmbiance: 5/5Service: 5/5Food: 5/5

This was a great spot for good quality sushi and hand rolls. I got 3 special hand rolls and various sushi rolls. Everything was extremely fresh and appetizing. Umami does a great job at pairing their seafood with complementary flavors. The appetizers are all unique and tasty. I got the oysters and tuna ceviche. The oysters were paired well with some sauce on top. The tuna ceviche was incredibly fresh and such creamy pieces that melted in my mouth. My favorite (aside from the filling hand rolls) were the uni sushi pieces. Service was attentive and great at providing recommendations on what to try. I'll be back to try the steak next time!

Super fresh sushi - really good. Honestly better than many sushi places in NYC and is similar to ones I've had in Japan (ofc far more $$$). The open hand rolls were really tasty and had a lot of meat. Delicious! The restaurant inside looks mediocre - nothing glam, kinda dark but no intimate vibes. I wouldn't recommend for a date if you want vibes. Also not cheap but excellent sushi

Heard this place referred to as a hidden gem and I sort of agree? The food is great and their steaks are a ridiculously good deal esp in today's day and age.But after coming I have to say I'm not surprised they're not busier, and it solely comes down to the ambience.This place is in a basement and without a doubt used to be a dive bar. They basically kept 100% of the dive bar vibe (dark lights, slightly sticky booths, and a slight basement smell) shoved a Japanese restaurant in it. Its really a shame, bc THE FOOD IS GOOD! Everything is well seasoned, the fish is fresh, everything we tried was delicious. and the koji marinated prime steak served tableside... It lives up to the umami in their name for sure! And at the price they serve you are barely saving much effort and time buying it from Costco, sourcing koji, prepping and cooking it yourself...The place needs better promo but more than that it probably needs a face-lift. I am all for a hole in the wall hidden gem type of find. But when you're serving sushi and prime steak and sake, running up a tab of $250+ for 2, you want to feel comfortable and pay for a nice ambiance too. You could certainly pay a similar amt, get slightly less good food, but maybe have a more enjoyable overall time at a place like tuna bar or something.If you care about only food or love the dank basement vibes... This is your place! We enjoyed the food a lot and would come back for the steak. maybe for takeout. Disclaimer: this is for the restaurant only. They serve omakase at a bar in the back that looks more well lit and new, completely different from the bar they shoehorned into in the front. The chef somehow has 100k Instagram followers but not sure what his claim to fame is. Would come back to try the omakase too!

This was a refreshing sushi place. The menu is different from the other sushi restaurants in Philly and their drinks are really good too!I got the rock shrimp appetizer, red dragon roll, new rainbow roll, sancho salmon roll, and the Unagi Cucumber Roll. The one thing I do have to say though is that it smells a little bit too much like cleaning supplies and maybe mildew (basement smell).