UmamiAmazing Service and ExperienceMy girlfriend and I visited Umami last week and for a Monday night, it was very busy. The food was spectacular. The beef tartare was incredible, as was the Ahi Poke Tacos. I also really enjoyed the spicy shoyu soup. All entrees aside, we ordered the cookie dough roll and green tea sundae as dessert. However, they were actually out of an ingredient for the cookie dough roll and a snafu with the freezer caused the green tea sundae to also be unavailable. So now, the two desserts we ordered were not available, but they brought out not two, or even three desserts, but four dessert samplers on the house! This was then followed up by the chef coming to our table with a fifth dessert to apologize. Some of the best service I have ever received!6/11/2013 12:00:00 AMLOVE the sushi here. CreativeLOVE the sushi here. Creative and tasty. Servers are prompt and friendly. My only issue is that the tables are way too close together.6/4/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of my favourite restaurantsOne of my favourite restaurants in the area. Awesome food and pleasant service. Downside - we were there on a Thursday night and it was SO SO noisy. Trying to hold a decent conversation was challenging and we were in a corner.5/30/2013 12:00:00 AMGo Sumo!No question about it - Sumo Hour (5:30 - 6:30) is the bomb! The abridged menu is half off! As well as just about all their very extensive wine list!! We arrived promptly at 5:30 - and they had just the perfect table reserved for us - a corner of the banquette! We grazed through just about every offering on the Sumo Menu, each a delicacy in itself, and each presented with style and flair. Our waitress was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu, and made several suggestions, including our wine choice - 2009 Rocking K Pinot Noir! Everything was SO good, it is hard to pick a "best" - but certainly the Rock n' Roll and Kobe Beef sliders were amazing! The only problem was PARKING - use the Lombard St. garage around the corner.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMwe love umami!we love umami and have been going there since it's opening. we are in the neighborhood and this is our favorite japanese restaurant. we appreciate their unique menu, which often includes seasonal items. fresh, delicious, creative - love! we have also brought our child there for early dinner, and she absolutely loves the chicken on the kids menu - healthy, tasty options. bravo!5/27/2013 12:00:00 AMIt was deafening in there!The food is great. There are so many items to choose from it's fun to go with at least 4 people so you can try different items. On the other hand, we sat upstairs this time in a large booth (4 of us). The people right next to us were so loud we couldn't hear ourselves talk and had to yell at one another. We asked to be moved to the other side which they did. So if you don't want to yell all night, you might choose another restaurant.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food, cool atmosphere,Great food, cool atmosphere, and located in an excellent area to be a pre-going out dinner spot!5/22/2013 12:00:00 AMThe Best Sushi in SFUmami is by far at the top of my list for Sushi restaurants in San Francisco. I don't think I've ever had something on the menu that I didn't enjoy. The sliders and Poke tacos are a must, and I could eat their Buttercup roll all day long.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMNot for quiet talkWe're been twice in the past few months very good meal each time. We're a bit older than the resident demo (late 20's to mid 30's) and it is a very loud place. Lots of hard surfaces so if good food and short conversation is your choice you will love it!5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMFood was pretty good. I feelFood was pretty good. I feel like you can't really go wrong with rolls as long as the ingredients are fresh and they were. Had the hot sui roll and was pleased. The fried rice and potstickers were mediocre for someone who grew up eating Asian food. Service was pretty good. Restaurant was loud but what you'd expect for something in the Marina. Overall a good experience.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMThe restaurant strives toThe restaurant strives to cultivate an after work crowd with discounted small plates and inexpensive drinks, which seems to be working well but takes away from the dining experience. The waitress misunderstood my order of a tempera dish and assumed another sushi roll. Thus all the sushi rolls were brought at once on one plate, and the waitress was done with us. Not the dining experience we were hoping for.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat spot for birthday celebrationThe restaurant was very accommodating for our large group. The table was ready early and they had no problem with seating us before our entire group arrived. The sushi was inventive, especially the dessert sushi. The bartenders were attentive and cocktails yummy! Nice selection of specialty drinks.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellence.Food was incredible. Our waitress was friendly, efficient and attentive without being too much.Not a thing we had was the least bit disappointing. Quite the opposite - the food was incredible.Highly recommend the roasted kale for an appetizer, and the strawberries and cream blondie for dessert...everything between is up to you.There is so much to choose from, we'll have to come back.4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMThe best service ever. FoodThe best service ever. Food was fantastic, very reasonably priced. Busy place on a Friday, but service was exceptional.4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food, good service!Great food, good service! The nigiri was very fresh, drinks were wonderful as well!4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had reservations at 7pmWe had reservations at 7pm but arrived a little early. Our table was already available so we were seated right away. Our waiter came up immediately to inform us their happy hour ended in a few minutes to encourage us to get our drink order in (half of bottles of wine). Great variety of food, from sushi to steak to seafood. Everything we tired was outstanding! I would highly recommend the ceviche and cod. I will definitely go back and highly recommend to my friends!4/1/2013 12:00:00 AMBest sushi in SF hands-down.Best sushi in SF hands-down. Wide variety of rolls and unique flavor combinations. The sliders are one of a kind and completely irresistible.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMBest sushi we have ever hadBest sushi we have ever had in the city. Very imaginative creations and great flavor mixing. Really lives up to the name and reputation.3/25/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food at Umami was superb.The food at Umami was superb. I especially liked the Duck Hot Pot.. a real must for first timers. The sliders were also wonderful as well as the Brussels sprout dish. All the food was great. There was a large wine selection. It was a wonderful experience and we will be back.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMTHe food continues to be outstandinTHe food continues to be outstanding - foodies should not miss out on this restuarant3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMUmami is umamiUmami lives up to it's name. Delicious food with fantastic service. We have never had a bad experience in the many years we have been eating at what we consider one our favorite neighborhood juants.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMWe really enjoyed meal; theWe really enjoyed meal; the food was creative and quite tasty. However, when the hostess called to confirm the reservation, I asked her if I needed to allow extra time for parking due to restaurant location. She said, "No, it's always easy to find a spot on the street." This was very misleading and made me late to my dinner. I started my experience on a negative note, which was entirely avoidable. Poor form on the hostess's part!3/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Asian--mainly Japanese--wondeGreat Asian--mainly Japanese--wonderful favors and presentation. Very high noise level.
However, Worth a detour. Bob Low, former New York restaurant critic.1/13/2013 12:00:00 AM