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Umami Pittsburgh Reviews
HIDDEN gem in Lawrenceville, serving fresh sushi and
HIDDEN gem in Lawrenceville, serving fresh sushi and Japanese inspired cuisine. but literally, this place is so difficult to find. It is on the corner of the street, on the second or third floor of the building, with no visible signage or directions. The restaurant sign is not in English. Inside, the accessibility is a challenge and all the tables are high tops. Once you find the restaurant, it is lively, decorated well and has an open kitchen concept! They really transport you to a Japanese style Izakaya with bright red lanterns lining the side of the walls and colorful artwork. The food is expensive!! And the quality is great. I ordered raw salmon, fatty tuna and sea bream! I was disappointed to find fish scales in my sashimi, given the high ratings and price of the food. You can order sushi by the piece, sashimi or hand roll! There are fun bbq skewers to order, hot apps, noodles and rice bowls too! The service was okay! Loud, bustling environment. Could not hear the waitress at times, esp when she was explaining the specials. Food took a hot minute to come out. Parking is difficult on a narrow street. Willing to come back for the vibes!! tldr food 3.75/5 service 4/4 ambiance 4/5
My husband and I wen5here for dinner this weekend and we
My husband and I wen5here for dinner this weekend and we were blown away! It's a small restaurant with a nice sized bar and has a dark and hip Asian vibe. When we arrived, our table wasn't yet ready, but the host promptly took our cocktail order while we waited at the bar. We ended up eating at the sushi bar, which was fun to watch them make everything. We had a mezcal cucumber cocktail which was delicious. For dinner, we shared the pancake, beef and pork belly robatayaki, and Grand Chiriashi (which is an amazing selection of raw fish over rice). It was delicious. The service was fast and excellent. We will definitely come back. It was an all around fantastic experience!
Wow, everything tasted great.
And I was able to accommodate vegetarian in the group well the rest of us really enjoyed the pork and chicken and beef and seafood options.
We had a fantastic dinner and it was more than I had hoped!
We had a fantastic dinner and it was more than I had hoped! We tired something off each section of the menu except the sushi! We had to leave something to come back for. The udon was one of the best things I've ever tasted!
We went during our girl's weekend to Pittsburgh aka "the
We went during our girl's weekend to Pittsburgh aka "the Paris of the Appalachia". Our server Phillip was delightful. Our favorites were the Hamachi Kama (yellow tuna "cheek" special), karaage (fried chicken), and okonomiyaki (savory pancake). Drinks were delicious. It felt like we were entering a speakeasy. There is not a sign that we could find. Memorable time!!!
Great restaurant, amazing service, and a fun view of the
Great restaurant, amazing service, and a fun view of the kitchen. Always recommend getting the taiyaki!
Every bite I had at Umami was delicious, from the takoyaki
Every bite I had at Umami was delicious, from the takoyaki to the chirashi, we were so thrilled with everything we ordered. It was all so well prepared and the restaurant's dark and cool atmosphere just adds to the overall experience. I hope for the opportunity to go back soon!
Umami is hands down one of the freshest sushi spots along
Umami is hands down one of the freshest sushi spots along with some great street food as well as other items that always are top notch. Service has always been great and I LOVE the ambiance with the red tone always glowing!
I've been back to this place several times since my initial
I've been back to this place several times since my initial review, and I am sad to say that it's been a slow decline. Each time, the service, food, and experience have been a little less great and at this point, its a mediocre experience at best. I went with a group of friends, most of which had dined there before. We were all unimpressed. We were seated promptly in the hole in the floor. This room seemed a little dingy honestly, and the table in the hole was sized far too small for the concept and our group of 6. It was a constant shuffle to make room for plates and we all felt too far away. Word to the wise as well - this table is not bolted to the floor, so don't lean on it getting up or down unless you want to be wearing all of its contents. Our service was lacking pretty much all the way around. He seemed, shall we say...disconnected. There wasn't any rhyme or reason to how the food and drinks came out and he definitely served food that was clearly not cooked right (burnt and bitter gyoza and a practically raw bacon skewer). Again, none of us were really that impressed. The sashimi was ok, but nothing to return for.
One of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh.
The ambiance and decor is fantastic. Food is well priced, well portioned, and delicious. I particularly enjoyed the Yakitori, Ramen, and Karaage. They have great drinks as well. You cannot go wrong with Umami and if you are between two different restaurants for a night out, choose Umami.
Super neat experience.
The sushi/sashimi options are fresh as heck, and the daily specials are unique and worth the adventure. The ramen and the yaki udon were wonderful staples as a safe bet if you don't know what else to get. Kind of small restaurant, but sitting at the kitchen bar is a super enjoyable experience in my opinion-- kind staff was mindful of a sesame allergy, attentive to detail as well. So worth the stop in such a unique place.
excellent service the menu was inviting tried a variety of
excellent service the menu was inviting tried a variety of the skewers and gyozas and nothing disapppointes. wonderful vibe with a live dj even better drinks
This place is worth the hype!! We tried to go and the wait
This place is worth the hype!! We tried to go and the wait was long so we made reservations for the next weekend and it was phenomenal. The vibe and environment was super fun kind of like a speakeasy restaurant bar. If you're a martini fan, The umami martini was YUM I loved it. All the food was so good we can't wait to go back. The skewers are a good app. Definitely try the chawanmushi as an app to share. The udon noodles were really tasty and a good portion too!!
Loved this place! The sushi is really fresh and so amazing.
Ordering is pretty much a La carte (nigiri, sashimi, hand rolls). I tried the spicy scallop hand roll, yellowtail hand roll, salmon nigiri, and pork belly skewer. Everything was so delicious! The service was great and it the ambiance was nice inside! They had a dj playing. There was a also a small room where the tables are low to the ground and you sit on the floor (which is where we were seated) and it made for a great experience.
Wow... incredible service, awesome atmosphere and a great
Wow... incredible service, awesome atmosphere and a great menu with nice variety. Super impressed. Their four top separate seating was especially nice. Can't say enough good things about Umami.
One of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh! Been here
One of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh! Been here several times and have left very full and happy every single time. Ambiance (especially at night, when they turn the red lights on) makes it feel like a trendy Japanese bar, and they always play great music. Service is exceptional -- servers are always very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. They change up the menu pretty often to honor what's seasonal, so it's never a bad time to go back. My go-tos are any of the skewers and handrolls. The skewers are a must try -- the meat is always very flavorful and juicy. Their sushi is always fresh. Their cocktails are also fantastic (the ones I've tried are on the sweeter side, which is ideal for me because I love my drinks sweeter) and have very unique Japanese-inspired flavors. Definitely recommend making a reservation for this place because it gets really packed!
the food was beyond amazing - very good ode to Japanese
the food was beyond amazing - very good ode to Japanese cuisine. we sat at the bar and service was fairly attentive. the bartender was knowledgable about specials and drinks. the wine selection is very very small but i don't consider that a fault here. sake and whiskey list was impressive. ambiance was an 11/10. live dj, tasteful (real) neon lights, lots of wood, some Japanese-like decor. we had the okonomiyaki, gyudon, blue fin tuna, shoyu ramen, and the wagyu beef robatayaki.
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If there is no user posting that fits your schedule, you can bid on your preferred time.
Let's say Peter has a great morning and decides to take his three friends to Umami Pittsburgh at 6 PM the same day.
He checks the restaurant's website and sees that no reservations are available. He then looks at the Umami Pittsburgh page on AppointmentTrader, but finds that there are no user postings either.
That's where the community-driven bid process comes in.
Peter can place a bid on AppointmentTrader, which serves as a reward for any community member who chooses to work on securing the reservation. AT then notifies experienced users who may be able to help.
Step-by-Step Process
1.) Setting a Reward (Bid)
* AppointmentTrader uses historical data to recommend a reasonable reward amount for securing a reservation - let's say $100.
* Peter really wants to go, so he increases the bid (or reward) to $200.
* At this stage, the reservation does not exist yet.
2.) A Community User Picks Up the Bid
* EternalAnt36, an experienced AT user, has a strong track record of successfully securing reservations and low refund requests, they receive a notification about Peter's bid.
* EternalAnt36 picks up the bid, meaning they will now work on securing the reservation.
* Peter can now talk to EternalAnt36 for any questions Peter may have as EternalAnt36 user fills the bid.
3.) Finding the Reservation
* EternalAnt36 now uses their connections at Umami Pittsburgh to secure the table.
* If they successfully get the 6 PM table for four, Peter receives a confirmation that the reservation has been secured.
* If EternalAnt36 fails to secure the reservation, the bid is returned to the pool so another user can try.
4.) Payment & Protection
* Once the reservation is secured, EternalAnt36 receives the $200 reward which is credited to EternalAnt36's AT balance, where users manage their own funds and can withdraw via available payout options such as bank transfer, PayPal, or Zelle.
* Peter can now enjoy the dinner with his friends at Umami Pittsburgh!
* As with all transactions on AT, disputes and no-show fees are handled through the platform's community-driven resolution system. Users with a strong track record are incentivized to fulfill bids successfully, and community members can report issues to maintain trust in the marketplace.
