Outstanding. We had the Scallion pancakes and the Lagman. Everything was so flavorful . We have found a new favorite eatery.

We have never had eurasian food, so we decided to give this place a try! I'm very excited to be able to add eurasian to my list of foods that I've tried, but I don't know if it's for me. It's very carb forward, and I feel like if you're vegetarian, this is the place for you! The service was okay. I actually really liked our server that served us at the end. We didn't get her name, but she served us was a smile and made sure that we had everything we needed. She did drop a plate, but was a really good sport about it. If I come back, it would be for her! The place was really spacious, but the tables felt a little small. read more

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I am from the east coast and grew up eating eastern european food, so I was very excited to see Uma's in SLO. We came for dinner and ordered the manti and korean carrot salad. Service was a bit slow (there was literally no staff visible for about 5 minutes when we walked in, no host, no one behind the bar). It is a super charming space and I wanted really so badly to love it. The manti was kind of bland though with not enough yogurt sauce or onions. The meat was a bit grisly as well. We never received our korean carrot salad and our waiter was MIA for the entirety of our meal. It was not crowded and the two people working there just chatted behind the bar with each other the whole time we were there. This is a college town, so expectations for service are not really high but trying counts for something. Our waiter seemed like a super nice guy but if you are charging high prices for food, there should be decent service that comes with it. At least come back to check on your table to make sure they got their order. I'd definitely come back and give it another try, seems like a place with heart. read more

Pleasantly surprised. I had never had Eurasian food let alone Uzbekistan food so this was a new experience. The staff was nice and the vibe was cute for a summer lunch with the girlies. We ordered the manti, pelmeni, uma salad and scallion pancakes. My favorite with the pelmeni and the salad. For those 4 dishes our total came to about $100. read more

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Should I go? What should I order? Is the hype real? In a town like San Luis Obispo, you learn to keep your expectations in check. So when a tiny Eurasian spot opens downtown, serving food most people here have never heard of, skepticism feels reasonable. Then you meet Conrad. He's warm, genuine, and exactly the kind of person you want running a restaurant. The good news: the food lives up to him. Order the borscht. It looks simple--beef, beets, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, sour cream. Then you taste it. The broth is remarkable. Rich but light. Deeply savory without overwhelming anything around it. Even the beets, which I usually approach with caution, completely won me over. The beef is tender, the vegetables are balanced, and every ingredient feels like it's pulling in the same direction. It's not just good borscht. It's the kind of dish that makes San Luis Obispo a little more interesting. I'll be back. read more

UMA’S - BORSCHT Soup: A Ukrainian classic with beef, beets, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, served with sour cream. - Uzbek Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Warm and "SLO & Steady" service. The dishes were cooked with care and the Pelmeni was especially hearty. Recommend green tea to go with your entrees. For two dishes and the tea, it came out to $80, including tip. read more

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Due to some crazy aftershocks of our 'vacation' (including trip to ER), I am only now posting this review which is loooong overdue. SHORT VERSION: AMAZING! Five stars is not enough to describe our experience! Food, atmosphere, quality, authentic decorations, and wonderful hosts, including a very humble and a very hard-working lovely Uma (short for Umida) herself. MORE DETAILS BELOW: Have you ever eaten food that's so good that you get so carried away that you forget to take the pictures of it? Well. This is one of those times! And I am a pathological picture taker. So idk where to start. We've been on an out of town trip for a few days (traveling from LA), and we've been getting most of our food from outside. We had some back to back horrrrible experiences -- from low quality really bad tasting food to the point of almost food poisoning with a seemingly good tasting food. Well. Just when we were about to give up on having a decent meal during our trip, my sister has this place pop up on her Instagram -- which she shared with us. Again, after all the bad experiences and with some heavy skepticism, we decided to give it a shot. After all, this was the kind of cuisine that's close to our hearts and ethnic roots and definitely the kind that has been missing in SLO area. And boy oh boy, were we right about walking into this place! We ordered prolly half of the items they had on their menu -- from regulars to specials of the day dishes. And omg. One dish was better than another. And mind you not, some of those were very complex dishes that require skill and expertise to have them cooked right. Just take Borsch for starters, which is often referred to as a beet soup for its bright red color. But there's sooooo much more to it than beets. It also has shredded cabbage, meat, carrots, potatoes, and some other shenanigans. All of which gotta be cooked right in the right proportion to the right condition of not being undercooked or overly cooked. And omg if done right you can get easily hooked on it, especially at the weather is getting colder. I only know one person who cooks it right who (luckily for me) also happens to be my family member. Other places usually do shortcut versions making it watered down, using low quality ingredients and not cooking meat right. But not this place! It was all done on point and masterfully correct, which reflected on its amazing taste. Their sorrel soup with meatballs was omg good too. Everything was spiced just right, not oversalted (like other places often do to mask the bad quality), not overly hot spicy and with all the right balance of flavors. They also incorporated other famous cuisines, such as Georgian (my personal favorite), Russian/Ukraininan, and Armenian. They were out of their special (golubtsi), which is ground meat wrapped in grape leaves. And i know it might sound like "wth is that" to those who are not familiar with that dish, but if done right, it's amazing. And judging by the way they made their ground beef inside manti and the soup with meatballs, it must have been amazing. I can go on forever. Deserts were yummy too. The halva ice cream was addicting and brownies (owner's husband's mom's old recipe) were truly memorable. PS I still snuck a few shots (attached). Adding to review: Oh. And I forgot that we also ordered Uzbek pluff. Meat tender and so fulfilling. Fingerlicking good. Oh. And the lamb bbq was great! And btw. Chicken was Mary's organic. And their carrot salad was so good too. I'll be back when I remember more. oh. Also. Food was even good to warm up and eat next day (yes we had leftovers with the amount we ordered!), which is another sign of products' high quality. read more

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Absolutely delicious food still in their soft opening. We really enjoyed our meal. We tried the borscht, plov and manti with meat. Plov was our favorite. They were sold out of the butternut squash manti so will have to return to try. read more

UMA’S - Manti with meat - Uzbek Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

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Pleasantly surprised! Really great food and super nice staff. Portions are decent size. Owner is super nice guy. Wish them much success in SLO. Other location in NY so we're quite lucky! read more

The food was stellar, the vibe was grand, and the service was top notch. Would definitely recommend. Great for groups, sports watching, and dates. Sorta like a slightly higher end Petras, not prohibitively fancy though. Shorts and a T shirt are fine. read more

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First time at UMA's and can't wait to come back to try more! They have a variety of imported wine and beer (the Ukrainian lager was my fav!) and great dishes. We got the scallion pancakes (not pictured) and pelmeni (lamb/beef dumplings) and plov (rice,beef, and veggie dish). Great portions, great staff (Sasha was so helpful with recommendations), and great flavors! read more

UMA’S - Plov and Plemeni - Uzbek Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Our food was delicious and the staff and owner were all so nice! Great selection of wine and beer. I didn't get photos of all of the food- photographed are the manti, and pelmeni- both were delicious. The manti is a lot more meat per dumpling, and the pelmeni is like bite size dumplings. The sauce with them is light and tangy- perfect compliment. Our group also got the plov and the salmon skewers and they both loved theirs. The food is delicious but also is really beautiful and colorful and fun to eat. As a slo local I'm super happy to see this downtown. We need it! read more

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We were there in the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. They did not have multiple items in their menu, including Plov which I went there to get that specifically. We waited for 45 minutes to get our foods because the restaurant was obviously understaffed. The salad was really good but the chicken kabob could be more tender. The pumpkins in the dumplings were not well cooked. The menu said their quince ice cream has walnuts but we did not see any walnuts which was disappointing. Overall, I think they are new and can improve over time. read more

Does the faint smell of cabbage and buckwheat wafting from the kitchen make you feel at home? Is sour cream a staple in your kitchen? If so,this is the place for you. As someone lived in Eastern Europe for 15 years, I was really excited to try Uma's and I was not disappointed. We had a group of 5 which was perfect to try several dishes and share them which is what I'd recommend for an Eastern Europe experience. The pelmeni as larger than the usual Russian size and was closer to in texture and flavor to homemade pelmeni, which is the best pelmeni. The plov was amazing. We got the Mosh Kichiri off the specials menu and it was delicious. Lamb was cooked perfectly with an amazing sauce. They had buckwheat kasha as a side and it was exactly what I would expect from an Eastern European kitchen and something I've never experienced in the California. Same with the mashed potatoes. Every thing about the meal was perfect and the quality is what I'd expect from a local restaurant in Eastern Europe. The prices were a little high, but it's downtown SLO and the portions were generous and the quality was high so I can't really complain. We went during the soft opening so the staff were still learning the menu and drink selections but they were friendly. We will for sure be going back. read more

UMA’S - Specials board, we got the Mosh Kichiri and it was amazing - Uzbek Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

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Food was unique and delicious. Service was a slow as there was only one waiter on staff and he was splitting his time with non-service tasks -- they really need to hire a second server. Ambience was pleasant with good people watching on the street. read more

This was a super fun restaurant with many different flavor profiles. Unfortunately, I took pictures and can't find them to post but would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I think they're underpriced. Maybe it's a terrific value for what they're asking. It's a new restaurant and I think prices will have to go up soon for what you get. Truly a unique flavor profile if you're in the area it's definitely something you wanna try. read more

The food is just hands down delicious. We had the barley soup, pumpkin mahti and sesame ice cream. So, so good! And the service was great as well. Kathi's was extremely knowledgeable about the cuisine and country origins. The ambience is quaint and cozy so don't miss this if you are visiting SLO read more

I've been here several times with friends for both lunch and dinner, and every visit has been wonderful. The food is consistently amazing, the atmosphere is warm and cozy, and the staff is always friendly and welcoming. The servers are especially personable and make you feel genuinely cared for. It's become one of those places I'm always happy to return to. Highly recommend! read more

Absolutely amazing addition to downtown slo! I've always wanted to try Eurasian cuisine, and this place delivered! Wine from the country of Georgia was decadent. My friend had the rockfish kebab, I had the pelmini. We were both blown away. Attentive and informative service. We have quince ice cream with walnuts, best ice cream I've ever had. read more

Excellent addition to growing unique food scene in SLO. Very different type of menu with so many different kinds of things to try. The food is hearty, with a home cooked flair; and is prepared in a way that seems healthier than many restaurants, without sacrificing flavors. We will definitely be back. read more

Great new spot, tasty food, nice staff! Thanx to the owner Cameron for bringing somthing new to SLO

It was very good. The Kimchi salad was our favorite. Can't wait to go back and try some other things.

Wonderful experience overall. Food was delicious and authentic. Service was great. We will be back read more

Absolutely delicious food! I had the best borscht and my husband had salmon. Uma is an amazing cook. The Uzbek version of baklava was also delicious. Wish we lived nearby, I'd eat there all the time. Warm, friendly and fun. read more

What a great restaurant!!! The food was fantastic with so much variety, and all of the staff were wonderful. Also the owner was very hospitable, welcoming, and friendly. It is such a great addition to San Luis Obispo to have a restaurant with Eurasian food that is healthy and so flavorful. In addition all the dishes were freshly prepared and at a hot temperature. It is a wonderful place to be able to have a good conversation with service that isn't too fast and a very pleasant ambiance. Can't wait to come back and try more of their dishes. read more

Food was great! Server was nice and friendly. Music was AWFUL and oppressive. Who wants to listen to heavy metal and the worst of 80s hair bands screeching vocals and wailing guitar solos. We asked the server to save us but he said the owner forbids changing the playlist or even the volume. It was so out of place in the nicely decorated restaurant. I'd go back for takeout, but never to sit down. Bloody awful music! read more

I bought the kabob chicken screwer by itself with a bunch of salads. The kabob came with a sauce that tasted like canned tomato sauce I wasn't a fan. The chicken wasn't anything special. Wasn't seasoned as I would have liked nor did it have much flavor but over all it was not dry either. I was expecting more for the price. I went with my niece, daughter and sister. The vibe and ambiance was great. Our waiter was so sweet too! Unfortunately the butternut squash dumpling was not it. It had no flavor and felt like a dumpling filled with baby puree. the big giant meat dumplings were fun to eat but nothing like I imagined seeing it on social media had me fooled. it was over hyped for me coming from the Bay Area and what I'm used to this didn't hit. I found out what kind of food this originates fromI feel like I ate a plain meatball in a dumping served with plain yogurt. The display for all dishes we ordered was beautifully presented. But I was not disappointed with all of their salads! Most of them were great. Flavors were definitely there if paired with a protein together in the order for the price it would have been a bonus. read more

Grilled Chicken Kebab over white rice. The food tasted good, and the service was excellent. But they could serve more chicken. $24 meal. I will try a different item on their menu next time. read more

UMA’S - Grilled Chicken Kenobb - Uzbek Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

I had heard such great things about Uma's and was excited to try them out. I've grown up eating borscht and wanted to try their version after reading other reviews. We ordered as soon as being seated and each just ordered soup. And we waited. The table next to us arrived at the same time we did and was served appetizers. We waited. The table next to us received their entrees. We waited. We were finally able to flag down our waitress and asked about our food and she went back to check and came back to say the kitchen was a bit backed up and it would be a few more minutes. The restaurant was not that busy. We waited. For soup. It finally arrived and my friends was missing the bread. Mine was tepid in temperature and the bread was stale. I asked for it to be heated up. I got my soup and it was.....ok. Not great. Bland. One small chunk of meat. Not worth $18. My friend said similar about her Matzoh Ball soup for $16. What made the entire meal even worse was the owner was sitting at the bar right next to our table and never checked to see why we were sitting there for almost an hour with no food. I wanted to love Uma's. They had so many chances to get it right and they just seemed like they didn't care. I may give them another chance in a few months and order something else. We'll see read more

Absolute hidden gem! So delicious and super vegetarian and vegan friendly. We loved everything we ate.

The food is great. The staff is friendly and helpful. They have decorated the space and it is comfortable.

The food was amazing! Highly recommend the Matzo Ball Soup, Sesame Halva ice cream and Scallion Pancakes with the yogurt sauce! That yogurt sauce needs to be with the kabobs it was that good. read more