UMINORI

after months of anticipation, i was able to try out UMINORI.there are no more handrolls in the style we typically see in the yelp page and i went in the middle of November. at the time they did have a menu on their website that showed that they did have their signature handrolls. they did offer regular handrolls with less additions and less options to order (there was no combo and it was more expensive overall). it's odd since that was the main attraction to their establishment but i had already made plans and i was optimistic about the rest of the meal. hamachi thai chilli 4/5: this was very light and the fish was fresh. i thought the addition of citrus with the hamachi was a nice touch. i definitely liked this dish but the serving size is small it was for about $18.spicy tuna with cripsy rice 3/5: i felt like the flavors overwhelmed each other too much which made eating it not as enjoyable. the execution of it could have been better. the sauce (?) that was added to the fish was too strong so it took away from tuna taste and came off heavy.the portion sizes were on the smaller side and ultimately would not recommend this place due to the price and for the taste of the food. my party were the only people seated at the time and i had to stand up about 5 times to get service since there would be no service after long periods or time and no staff in the vicinity. this wasn't the main factor to my low rating but it was good to note it to my experience. since there are quite a lot of amazing japanese restaurants in seattle that swayed me to this rating.

It pains me to write this review as I really did enjoy this place when I went last year. I won't include my beautiful pictures of the food from a year ago because that is just not what you are going to get anymore. They have completely changed the menu and just the whole vibe. It used to be a temaki place with the open faced hand rolls, and now they do regular sushi rolls and wrapped around hand rolls.When I went this time, they didn't have half of the items we wanted so I ended up only ordering 3 handrolls: the scallop, king salmon, and chutoro. We also ordered the green tea which comes complimentary with the meal (as said on the drink menu) but the waiter looked at us like we were crazy, and we had to point out on the menu what green tea we were even talking about... and then we got charged for the complimentary tea anyways.Now about the food itself. These rolls were wrapped so so poorly it looked like a 3 year old did it. Sushi is an art that many take such pride in their years of experience, and the handrolls we got today were beyond uneven and unbalanced. Each piece was about 90% rice 10% fish. I ended up having to take out half the rice so that I could taste the fish. It's unfortunate because the fish was pretty good quality (scallop and salmon) but they executed it so so poorly. The chutoro was really bad though, half of it was tendon pieces that you can't chew through.Overall I had an awful experience here the second time. I wish it would go back to what it used to be.

I visited on a Friday night with a friend and we were expecting to order the hand rolls. However, they're discontinued and/or no longer available on the menu. We ordered the Brussel sprouts and 4 regular rolls. The Brussel sprouts were really good and the highlight of the meal for me. I ordered the Madison roll and negitoro roll. The negitoro roll was the better one of the two for me. The Madison was a complete miss. It was an ok experience overall.

Avoid at all costs...I had heard good things about UMINORI's hand rolls in the past, and also that some things have changed here now. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try it before things went south.The hand rolls, $8 each, came to us like poorly wrapped cigars. The quality of the scallop, tuna, and salmon was decent, but the seaweed was chewy and there was so much rice it was like eating onigiri.As it got to our table I just kind of stared at it and wondered if some random kid in the back was put in charge for the day.Wanted to enjoy this place but I won't be coming back, especially when there are so many other great sushi options. Hand roll specifically, Sugo could tie their hands behind their backs and still serve something miles better than this.The pictures from the past looked good so I hope they undo whatever changes have been made.

Food - the sushi was very tasty and fresh. The oysters weren't as good. The tea was very tasty though and so was the miso. I liked everything and would order it again with the exception of the oysters that neither me nor my friend liked much. Service - The servers were excellent. Very attentive and answered questions. The server also refilled my tea and checked on us frequently, bringing things just as we needed them!Ambiance - Very pretty and well-decorated. It's modern but also gives nods to Japanese decor.

I feel like they changed their menu because I saw all the nice looking hand rolls thinking it would be the same. However, I was highly disappointed as you can see from my pictures. They had actually gotten my salmon roll mixed up with someone else's so they redid mine and made it fancier. If you're going here for hand rolls, I would recommend somewhere else. I felt very mislead. You can make hand rolls from the nigiri section so that's what we did. We didn't know you can get hand rolls made from the rolls section, maybe those were the ones that looked ultra fancy? If so, nobody explained that to us. The positive - service was really great and everyone was very professional. The appetizers were probably the best part of the meal! Easy parking around with street/residential. Overall, sadly, I don't think I would be back.

Visited Uminori after seeing rave reviews on Yelp. We had a later reservation so when we got in there were not many people. It had all the dark classy izakaya vibes - we were seated quickly on one of the tables close to the entrance, kind of by the sushi bar. Our server greeted us and got us settled quickly with our drinks. I think he was on the newer side & seemed nervous but was very sweet and relatable. We weren't trying to order a lot of food since we had just finished a whole happy hour but we ended up ordering like everything. We had an uminori temaki set which had 5 popular temakis (salmon ikura, spicy ahi, negitoro,negihama, honshimeji). On top of these we ordered a scallop temaki. All of them were full of fresh fish and had fun presentations! Even the shimeji one (which has no fish, just veggies) had so much flavor. We also ordered a wagyu nigiri (I think this was charred too much for my liking) and a foie gras w/ cotton candy! Overall I would most definitely come back here and urge people to go too! Unfortunately they didn't have the hotaru ika or uni temaki that I saw on Yelp so that was a bummer - hopefully they bring it back for next time!

TLDR: can get busy fast, food is a journey, would come again, great date spot that's casual upscale. Make a reservation if you can.Came on a whim as I was meeting a friend afterwards. The staff were able to seat me but let me know that they were short staffed that day and food may be delayed. As I was seated, I noticed people trying to come in but were told of an hour wait as they did not have a reservation. So make sure to confirm a reservation if you want to come!I elected to go for the Ozeki sake. It was light and paired well with the food.I got the umi set in addition to a salmon temaki and foie gras nigiri.Salmon Temaki: poke sauce flavored Umi set:Overall each part is a different flavor profile For instance the mushroom one tastes like a pizza wirh basil sauce. The spicy tuna tasted like canned tuna, and the king salmon reminded me of a Philly roll. Each is great so take the time to really think about what it reminds you of.Foie gras: unfortunately I did not get it last like it should be given per the hostess as it's best when it's warm. Think of it like a rich savory omelette flavor with an end of sweetness from the cotton candy. It was really interesting and I liked the experience.Overall I think it's a great spot to enjoy a variety of premium fish and take a small journey with your palate.

Excellent sushi spot. The fish is impeccably fresh and has an interesting selection for nigiri, like the kurodai. We sat at the bar and Jae served us with creative variations on preparation, with our favorite being a light oiling of the shima aji with a dusting of shichimi togarashi. We also opted for the deep fried brussels sprouts tossed with caramel sauce with Nuon Mam, chili sauce topped with bonito flakes. The rolls are solid. Our favorite was a special and simple roll with seared yellow tail. This place is underappreciated!

Here is the review without mentions of a partner:I recently tried out the Japanese restaurant UMINORI for dinner. Upon entering, I was immediately struck by the warm and inviting decor - dim lighting, rustic wood accents, and calm Japanese music set the mood for a cozy dining experience.Perusing the menu revealed an extensive selection of Japanese appetizers and sushi. I started with the crispy calamari, which had an excellent crunch and flavorful breading. I was disappointed to learn the restaurant had run out of Takoyaki that evening, as I was looking forward to those stuffed octopus fritters. I had to request wasabi and ginger be brought out separately as it wasn't part of the sushi rolls that were ordered. Which I found it ironic as this is normally served with the sushi rolls.For my entree, I ordered the black cod kasuzuke. While tender, I found the miso marinade a little too salty and one-note for my taste. The sushi combination plate looked beautifully presented. The slices of tuna and salmon were fresh, though the hand rolls with the same fish were a bit dense and chewy.I complemented my meal with hot sake, which warmed me up on the cool evening. While a few dishes missed the mark slightly, overall I had an enjoyable dining experience. The service was excellent, with friendly and attentive staff. I would give UMINORI 3 out of 5 stars. They offer an extensive, generally well-executed menu with a classy ambiance. I may come back to give their takoyaki and other dishes a try next time.