Pleasantly surprised! Don't let the exterior scare you. We ate in, staff were friendly and attentive. Food came out piping hot, beautifully plated, and plenty to share a meal. Very reasonable prices. read more

Umai Bento - Japanese Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

Amazing food! The best avocado bomb in Tacoma! The service is great. Always call to see if they have a special roll for the day.

Umai Bento! First off. You don't get 5 stars. You get 6! This place keeps surprising me! I just had to go back. I had to see if it was a fluke. I'm pleasantly happy to report it indeed was not a fluke. The first time I went and got just sushi, this time I ordered a BIG family kitchen meal. Let me tell you something right now, I've eaten at thousands of places. They have the BEST katsu I've ever had. Perfectly cooked, perfectly breaded and that sauce. OMFG, that sauce was amazing! The sweet and sour chicken reminds me of home, we had a Chinese place in our little town that had amazing sweet and sour chicken. This one was better! The portions are crazy! The chicken fried rice is honestly REALLY REALLY good. The teriyaki chicken is to die for. I cannot say much more because I wanna finish my food, umai bento, you have my business. You better not close because I will absolutely fucking cry! See yall this weekend! read more

We were super sketched about the location of this place when I saw it on YELP, but we were happily mistaken. Is it in a strip mall near a sketchy area? Yes... Was the food and service both bomb? Also yes!!! The food and service made it all worth it at the end of the day. You can tell they have a lot of to-go orders (probably for this same reason) but we'll worth it to go in and chat with all the friendly staff. Hubby ordered a poke bowl and absolutely raved about it all night! We also ordered the garlic edamame which was fire a rainier roll, tempura roll and cucumber roll for the toddler. All were fantastic, huge portions and satiating to say the least! Try it, you won't be disappointed!! read more

Umai Bento - Shrimp Tempura Roll - Japanese Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

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Easy to order (psst, if you don't want to pay more, go into the store and order!) yummy garlic edamame, but a bit salty for my liking. And the chicken yakisoba was a bit on the plain side, had to add some hoisin sauce to make it more to my taste. Otherwise, alright experience! I'm ready to try their sushi! read more

Awesome service and huge selection of foods, I would recommend it. 10/10 on taste enough room for the whole family. read more

Umai Bento - Super Dragon Roll - Japanese Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

I am unsure if they've gotten new owners, but this used to be my favorite Mongolian Beef spot! Sushi still tastes really good, but the Mongolian beef was really thick & tough. read more

Always good and always on time. Love their lunch specials. I think they're fairly priced compare to other places in the area. read more

A solid 5 star for the few items I ordered. My daughter told me her grandmpa takes here all the time and I had to try for myself. We ordered a shrimp tempura roll and cali roll. Then a tara milk bubble tea. Everything was excellent. I personally dont get sushi often and am unsure of the prices. But I thought it was all fair. I would deff try again. read more

The food is sooo good that I gave tips, the waitress was so nice, the service was good, scrumptious . LOVE THIS RESTAURANT! Yum

Good food, but my boyfriend had a staple in his chicken teriyaki. We addressed the issue to the staff and they did nothing to make it right. Would be high rating if we didn't have this issue. read more

Great food and good service The bento is delicious and the sushi even better! Definitely recommend stopping by for a bite. Clean restaurant and a restroom for customers. read more

We loved the freshness and quickness of the food. I got the ramen and my husband got a bento box and the potions were HUGE. Great bang for my buck! It was just when we came but the store was clean and the waitress did her best. Over all they have great food great prices and a cozy spot to eat read more

Food was what you would expect at a teriyaki joint, as was the service and ambiance. I asked if I could substitute a seaweed salad for the salad/miso and was told no. My local restaurant does it for me, and it's especially annoying because I would've been more than happy to pay a supplemental charge... but I was not offered the option and simply told no. And I would've asked if I could pay extra for the substitution but the woman taking my order had awkwardly asked the male behind the counter right in front of me if it would be alright to sub (she said he was the owner, and asked him in English) and he answered her without looking at me or regarding me as a human being that was standing in front of them both and could hear his answer... it was awkward so I didn't bother. read more

Excellent Food, cooked very well. Owner is a great person. Overall had a great experience. Would recommend fully

Family friendly Love the quality of their food Clean Sushi chef upfront Offers family meals read more

The cashier is always kind and respectful. Good portions on the food and very delicious as well. This place is very clean and cozy as well.

We ordered from here, and the bill shocked us. They were nice, and I understand that inflation is high, but never again. I had nothing special. The rolls fell apart easily. Just not a good experience and would not risk it again for the price. read more

Nice place to go to! My friend and I were super hungry and I was craving sushi like there was no tomorrow. Usually, I don't like eating sushi at a non-sushi place, although this place was called Umai Bento.. There were mainly other entrees too... not just solely sushi. Although, I have to admit, the sushi was quite delicious! I believe, I ordered the Albacore Nigiri Sushi, which was a decent size and mmm, I want some now. My friend ordered the shrimp tempura roll I think? I also ordered the Red Dragon Roll (worth it) and we also ordered a spicy chicken teriyaki bento with an additional tempura vegetable side! Yummy.... I seriously want some sushi right about now. read more

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The food ( anything you order here ) is amazing . I usually go here for their sushi . But being me ' I usually order more than my tummy can take . Their teriyaki and yakisoba are a must have when dining here as well ! read more

Nasty. Not fresh. No sake! Tips are automatic so service is bad, waiter knew nothing about sushi, and got questions about his menu wrong. Try Sushi and Wok up the road, or...anywhere else. Never going back. read more

Easily my favorite teriyaki spot in the area. Staff is nice. Spicy chicken is good. The limited sushi I've had is good. The combo fried rice is good. read more

We come as a family often as well as order pick up. We usually order dinner for 5 as it always has something everyone in our family likes and large portions. We've also ordered sushi,, specialty rolls, bento boxes and poke bowls. We love the garlic edamame as an appetizer. Wait times depend on time and day of the week just like every where but staff always friendly. Tonight my daughter ordered the poke bowl and wanted two standard ingrediants left off which they accommodated without problem. The quantity and quality of food for the price you pay can't be beat. We ate all of our food before I thought to take pictures. read more

Umai Bento - Poke bowl menu - Japanese Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

Sushi rolls had old tuna had to throw out Sweet and sour chicken was ok Won't be back read more

I always love this place. Their food is good a d my husband likes the sushi! Although we did show up at 11am when they opened and I was freezing! I would wait a couple hours until it warms up! read more

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Fast and friendly, and the food is always correct + delicious! We come in a couple of times a month and have never had any issues.

This little hidden restaurant is a Spanaway gem and is a favorite place of ours for Japanese food. Everything is always wonderful and the staff there are so sweet and kind. Love this place!!! read more

Very good food. Fast and friendly service. We take the whole family there all the time.

If I could give this place 0 stars, I would! The restaurant itself was pretty busy with 75% of the seating taken. The take out was RIDICULOUSLY busy and it was apparent the restaurant was taking care of those orders before the orders at the actual restaurant. We had time to kill so we decided we could try dining in. I came with a friend for a quick dinner because it was nearby his house and his parents recommended the place. We were seated quickly, and then the DRAMA unfolded. The waitress was new and literally knew nothing about the menu. After asking her a few questions, she seemed flustered and bothered so I decided to try and order without fully knowing what the items on the menu were. I ordered a bento with don katsu and gyoza and my friend ordered a couple sushi rolls. After about 30 minutes my bento comes out with regular looking katsu. I thought don katsu was a take from the don buri (my mistake) and I politely told the waitress this wasn't what I thought it was going to be and I would like to send my dish back / replace the don katsu with something else....literally anything else. The waitress brought over who I believe might be the owners daughter...she was asian and had her hair in a long braid, I didn't have the pleasure of getting her name. This woman single-handedly gave me the worst customer service I have ever experienced in a restaurant. She told me they were very busy and they would not take the food back, the previous waitress took the order down correct and that she was "already upset". There were no offers to comp the meal, no offers of a discount, nothing. Just a blank and annoyed stare from someone who obviously didn't give a damn about the situation. My friend was super hungry and was still awaiting his dish, and this alone prevented me from walking out of the establishment without paying a dime. I looked at her and said, well I don't want it but since you are forcing me to keep it I guess i'll try and eat the gyoza... The gyoza was bland and was the worst I have ever eaten. I think a costco frozen pack would have been more appetizing. The katsu was dry and looked overcooked. My friends sushi was mediocre, we have spent many years in hawaii so we know good, fresh sushi and this place was a far cry from the great sushi we are used to. In fact when we went home, I had to eat AGAIN because I was still hungry, not eating most of the bento. I did take the bento home and we fed it to his dogs. Appropriate, as the katsu was dry and inedible for humans. I don't forsee myself going to spanaway in the near future (thank god) however if I do I would rather go to taco bell or the shady looking bar down the street than subject myself to another dinner here. read more

*updated 4/4/2015 - food quality has gone down since the owner left:( Love, love, love this place! Best sushi in Spanaway:) We always order the family party for 3 and it feeds our family of 5 with food to spare. My favorite roll is the Crunch Roll. And our favorite dishes are sweet and sour chicken and the yakisoba:) read more

Bottom Line Up Front: This place meets the standards of a South Spanaway "Japanese" resturant. Translated: Low Standards. Sorry Spanamaians, you folks way over hyped this place. 5 stars? Really, your rating profile is way skewed. Bomb-NOT! Dud-YES! Don't order the Don Katsu combo. The pork cutlet was dry and appeared made from old frozen pre breaded cutlet. Definetly not worth the extra $2 they charged to have this "upgrade". The avacado sushi part of my "bento"...Poorly rolled and really not that special. Not the neatest sushi "chef" either. See my posted photos. If you must eat here, order things that requires minimal skills to make. Seems fried rice is on par with their skill set. Then...go to the other many Korean run "Chinese" or "Japanese" places for your take out needs. Much cheaper/better places around without the pretense they are a "Japanese" bento resturant. Bento...NOT! read more

Umai Bento - Badly rolled avocado roll. Not all that tasty either. Waste of money and calories - Japanese Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

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The food ranged from ok to good but the portions are small and the prices are expensive. Their Sushi is good but their other dishes are pretty standard and paying $17 for teriyaki chicken and $23 for a teriyaki combo is double what you would pay at any other teriyaki takeout. read more

Oder was called in at 4:45, was told 15 mins just got my order at 5:24. I don't mind waiting but when told 15 mins an then half hour later still waiting. Many excuses on why but all I got was sorry...oh well. read more

I really want to follow suit and give Umai 5 stars but this was my first visit, you will probably see me update this review and see 5 stars if Umai follows through on all the hype!!! I rarely venture south of my house, especially since moving. Pac Hwy can be so evil with all the lights and traffic but the Hubby wanted some sushi and I used my Yelp app and found Umai and with a 5 star rating, granted they only had 3 reviews, I had to give it a try.... First off, the owner was a DOLL, she was super duper friendly and excited about her restaurant. I told her how I found out about her place, (YELP) and the ratings that she got and was so thankful and wished more potential customers used Yelp as well! I ordered only Sushi, so maybe next time we will try some teriyaki but everything was DEELICIOUS, the Avocado bomb, was the BOMB:) YUM!!! She advised that they serve dessert when you dine in and gave my daughter a sample and she LOVED it!!! The kimchee was GREAT, made my her mother-in law, not as good am my uma's but the closest thing to it... They offer a punch card to, which is just an added perk!!! Can't wait to dine in and enjoy some other goodies, like the vegetarians dishes they offer.....hopefully I can also update this review with an extra star too:) read more

Umai Bento - Japanese Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

The absolute best Mongolian Beef I've every had. We ordered and pick-it up. When we got home the order was mixed - they called us apologizing for the mix-up. They offered us the option of refund on our next order. Offered to redeliver the correct order. We told them it was just fine. Who's ever order I got picked out some good sushi choices and we just kept our order. Great customer service, Thanks, read more

What a hidden gem! I've driven past Umai plenty of times with curiousity, but let's face it, it's in a sketchy looking plaza! I don't eat sashimi or salmon... or many fish in general, but I have been craving for shrimp tempura roll. It was so good! Portion size was pretty good, but next time I would omit the sweet sauce. I also got their California Crunch Roll which was okay... not what I expected as I'm not a fan of cream cheese in my sushi and again, it was drizzled with that sweet teriyaki sauce. Considering this was only my first time there, I definitely plan to return! read more

Umai Bento - Shrimp tempura roll - Japanese Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

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Perfect for lunch pick ups. I've been here a few times but for lunch pick up only. They prepare it pretty quickly and the food is always fresh and delicious. Terri chicken is always juicy, veggies are still crunchy and you can't beat the price! read more

It's kind of hard to rate this place. Some of my higher rating is based on the fact that I'm surprised that you can get sushi like this almost near Graham. On the other hand, it doesn't beat out some of my fave sushi places. We ordered the lion king, avocado bomb, and the house special. I don't really care for salmon, but we had to compare this to the Salmon Lovers @ Two Koi. Doesn't compare, but the flavors are clean. The salmon is nicely charred, and there was a nice light green (some type of wasabi sauce) sauce on the side that was quite tasty. It was lacking something... The avocado bomb, is accurately named, because, yeah, it's da bomb! I only wish it had a little more filling-to-avocado ratio. I like the spicy tuna that sits on top, but I want more. More, I say!! The house special was quite special. Usually when I see teriyaki-type sauces on sushi, I cringe. So, I cringed, but it was not justified. As my friend pointed out, it was probably some type of ponzu sauce. Lots of flavors, creaminess, good tuna, yeah, buddy!! We experimented with some of the sauces on the table, because we like heat. She put a little sirachi sauce on the plate...well played friend. Well played. Just what it needed! The establishment is clean, and cute. The owners and wait staff are friendly. They seemed familiar with the people coming in, i.e., knew what they usually ordered, where they worked, etc. They were also super-accommodating to my sons. Overall, I want to give this place like a 3.7 read more

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Got there as soon as they open. Ordered the avocado bomb, so delicious! Also ordered the sweet-and-sour chicken. Looks and tastes more like general chicken, which tasted fishy probably due to using old oil yuck!!! If I did go back Id definitely just stick to the sushi. read more

Umai Bento - Avacado bomb, not spicy. Very delicious - Japanese Near Me - Spanaway, Washington

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The food here is amazing. Our "go-to" for Teriyaki had closed down and I went scrambling for a replacement. (Teriyaki fix needed after Thanksgiving) We decided to try the Family meal for 3-4 and the quality and quantity of food was 5-star! Fast and Friendly service too. I will be back.! read more