Had a lovely time at Umai with some friends during a weekend trip to Boston. We weren't sure where to go for relatively affordable food and stumbled upon Umai by accident. When we arrived, there were two groups ahead of us in line, but we were still seated quite quickly. I'm not always the biggest sushi person, but I am a big fan of mangoes and thought the butterfly maki was absolutely delicious. My partner and my other friend both got the beef udon which was delicious as well, so there are certainly some good options for anyone not in the mood for sushi. The restaurant was small but we were well taken care of, and our waiter did a great job of checking on us and keeping our water cups full. I would recommend Umai to people in small groups, definitely not larger than 4 people since the space is not large. read more

Umai - Butterfly Maki (6 Pieces) - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Not bad sushi, pretty tasty, nothing fancy. The restaurant was small inside but that's how Newbury Streets set up is. The spicy mayo mixed with rice made all the difference, might not return but you'd never know. read more

Umai - Sushi Rice, Spicy Shrimp Tempura Roll (6 Pieces) - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The rolls we're bad, just not tasty and almost collapsing, too expensive for what they gave... The service wasn't great also, rude: Ambiance is ok. read more

The sushi here was okay. Definitely didn't feel full from the rolls. Service was a little slow, there were only 2 waitresses but it seemed like they were attending to everyone else but us. The chirashi bowl was decent, the squid was a little too slimy than what I've had before and the salmon didn't hit for me. read more

Umai - Chirashi Don Dragon Roll (8 Pieces) Spicy Tuna Roll Spicy Shrimp Tempura Roll (6 Pieces) - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I recommend this place only if you've been burned by Yamato two and are looking for something marginally but not significantly better. The bento box appears delicious and is very filling, but the temporal was over fried and not lightly fried. in the Japanese style, and the breading was too thick. In addition, there was no salad except for edamame in a random cherry tomato underneath a bed of grease. The other reviews are correct and if you are desperate, this could be a last resort option if you haven't had Asian food for a month and are desperate. They did have very nice servers and the decor is nice. read more

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I just had a fantastic yellowtail and scallion roll and an avocado unagi roll. I highly recommend this place

Super super good! I would definitely come back jusy for the chicken katsu curry and everything on that menu. The salmon on fire was also so so so cool! 10/10 experience would come back again (also great for aesthetic pictures!) read more

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We stopped in to grab some food after studying at the public library all day. This place is on Newbury street, a great location for business as there are always lots of hungry shoppers in that area. On this day, the restaurant wasn't busy at all and we were seated immediately. We sat in the window area which was very small but cute. Apps: We ordered the boneless fried chicken and edamame. While these were both okay in taste, the portion sizes were pretty small. When we order edamame at restaurants, we usually get a decently sized bowl overflowing with it. Here, we got a small plate with like 30 pieces. I Don't feel like the price reflects the amount you get. The chicken portion was also very small for the price. Entree: we ordered a Newbury maki which was delicious! The salmon on top was wonderful with the contents of the sushi. TL;DR: the food was good, but the portion sizes are rather small. There are many other Japanese restaurants in the area that serve larger portions for the same price range. read more

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What a great little find in Back Bay. Little hole in the wall, maybe 50 tops. Cane here for lunch with "her" got sat by the bay window and pretty view of Newbury street below. I had the salmon bento box she had a salad. Super prompt service. Great fresh food and this day and age the price was reasonable. Definitely coming back when visiting Boston. read more

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The food was good but the portion is kinda less than expected. The service was super good. The ambiance is very nice it's a cute place. read more

Umai - Shrimp Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Good quick option for lunch. Centrally located so easy to walk over during the break for a conference. I was able to order in advance for pickup which also makes things easier. There are several seats and tables and the dine-in area looked nice. I got teriyaki tofu bento for lunch due to its ease of transport and eating in a quiet lecture hall and it worked on both counts. Ate too quickly and forgot a photo (a good sign), but it came with a bowl of miso soup (sealed well in reusable plastic container) rice side, 3 piece veggie sushi, a fried dough, dumpling, and about half block of marinated tofu, and a salad. Overall a good amount of food for ~$15. Flavor reasonable enough for all items, it is a veggie bento though so keep that in mind. Only confusing thing was hours were different in my online order vs. other listings, but as of now it does open at 11:30am weekdays. However, quite good. The lady at the front was very helpful and kind, got me a receipt for business purposes and had the food all ready to go. It looks like they received a Boston food award for Japanese cuisine too, so if you are a Collector of Food from Restaurants with Awards, then this should work for you. read more

I really liked Umai!! I did takeout because I was staying at a nearby hotel, but the atmosphere did seem very nice, tables were decently spaced out & didn't feel super crowded / loud! The sushi tasted really fresh. I got a salmon avocado roll and a spicy scallop roll, and both tasted really great, not fishy at all, and the amount of fish/filling was also perfect! I think it was a decent price as well! read more

Umai - salmon Salmon with Avocado Roll, Spicy Scallop Roll - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Came here after shopping at the prudential center! We ordered four rolls and two miso soups for two people and it was more than enough. Each roll is about $16. The restaurant is pretty small but lots of seating. The rolls were delicious and our favorite was the baked Alaskan roll! The sauce on top was delicious. We usually don't even like baked rolls. read more

Umai - From top to bottom Alaskan baked roll Prudential making Sunflower maki Umai Maki - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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10/10 sushi. Fresh, flavorful. Perfect spot for lunch if you get a window seat even better. Definitely try if you're on Newbury Street! read more

Umai - Newbury Maki Spicy Tuna Roll - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The nigiri was good but by no means spectacular. Service was fast and good. The volcano roll was very good. I'm not usually a fan of specialty rolls but found the volcano roll delicious. The avocado seafood salad was delicious but was light on actual seafood. Overall not a bad spot in the area. read more

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Clean restaurant with friendly service but the food was mediocre at best. They nuked my miso soup and it came out lukewarm. The chirashi don was just mediocre, the tuna was chewy but didn't have any sinew in it which was very strange. Definitely not something I would recommend, I was expecting much better because of the location but I was definitely mislead. read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Good food. Located on Newbury at. Not much parking but easy to find. We ordered online and walked to Newbury st to pickup the food. We ordered shrimp tempura maki, pork gyoza, and chicken nuggets. Chicken was solid to almost really good. Gyoza was mid and shrimp tempura was ok. Would I go back. Probably not. It was ok though. read more

Absolutely the bust gyoza I've ever had! I ordered a chicken katsu bento box, the agedashi tofu, and spicy edamame, and the gyoza that came in the bento was absolutely to die for. The agedashi tofu was new to me but definitely a great choice of appetizer. The servers are all extremely polite and attentive. The dining room is small but cozy and includes a window bay with seating that looks out over the street. read more

We came here for dinner and chose to split some Maki rolls (we ordered both of the rolls with lobster and a few others to include the scorpion roll and the umai roll). We loved having lobster on the sushi, as we hadn't seen that before! I found the sake list to be really comprehensive with a lot of choices. I ended up getting the Murai family nigori genshu--and it was so good! It was smooth, milky, and had vanilla just as the description suggested. Highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

If you're looking for unique sushi / special rolls, this place is perfect. It's not my go-to for high quality sushi but when I'm looking for unique combinations of flavors, I always go to Umai. Highly recommend the Newbury Maki if you like squid. The grilled squid on top flavor isn't too strong but it's definitely there so wouldn't recommend if you don't enjoy squid. But it's such a good combination of spicy crab, crispy flakes, and salmon. My personal favorite! Other highlight rolls are the Dragon Roll (standard for eel lovers) and Baked Alaska Maki (I love seared salmon on top of my rolls). As for appetizers, love the sashimi pizza!! It comes on a warm, crunchy kakiage dough which contrasts so well with a spicy salmon. I've also gotten the agedashi tofu which is honestly really strange -- it's drowned in a soup of sauce. The flavor is good but the skin becomes very soggy and falls off the tofu. Service is probably below average -- the staff aren't very attentive and it's difficult to get their attention but it's bearable at least. read more

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Thanks for staying open for us even though there was 15 mins left to closing. I honestly tried to look for your hours, but couldn't find it on the door. Ordered the Back Bay Maki, which had avocado, asparagus, inside a rice roll and topped with lobster. One of the rolls, was placed inside a lobster head, which looked better on the menu, but seemed pointless (in terms of presentation) in person. I liked the creamy sauce on the roll, but couldn't place my tongue on what it was. The Rundown: Ordered HOT SAKE, received ASAHI (only 2 left, so I opted for coke (was warm) and let my friends enjoy it instead). Urged us to order our rolls right away because the sushi bar was wrapping up, but took a bit too long to ask our orders (time is of utmost importance). All in all, I love the decor in the restaurant and really appreciate them being patient with us as the last guests of the night. I definitely want to come again and eat at our leisure. read more

Not too long a wait on a Friday night (called ahead and was told the wait would be 20 mins for 5 people.) Busy atmosphere and great location on Newbury. The food itself and prices were pretty good but nothing too extraordinary. Food came out pretty quickly and service was good. Would recommend as a place to go if you're in the mood for sushi and looking for something moderate. Was expecting more with the tricolor don but pretty good reviews of the rest of the food ordered (especially the bento box) read more

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I live a couple of blocks away and ordered take out for the first time and picked it up. Very medicore at best - nothing special and no better than supermarket sushi which was surprising as it was quite expensive. I ordered maki eal which was not very good and didn't have the usual sauce that makes it so special. The tuna maki was average. Although the food was ok, I won't bother going back again. read more

Came here with my friend and we each ordered two maki rolls for lunch. Food was delicious, the fish tasted fresh. Ambiance was peaceful for a Monday at 1pm. My only complaint would be that we ordered a water and edamame that never came, but that was only a small hiccup as the server was very attentive otherwise. read more

For lunch, a Gyu-Don Lunch Bento to go. Beef with Onion, Served with chef's choice of maki and appetizers, rice, miso soup, and house salad. The salad and miso soup were fine. The beef tasty, but thin cut and a bit tough. The portion of the main dish was better than first impressions with the two appetizers having been tucked into the same compartment. The dumpling was a bit soft though it tasted better than the one I had at Fuji's on my last visit. I liked the crumb crusted vegetable patty more though. For another lunch, another Bento, this time the Pan Seared Salmon Steak Lunch Bento, Teriyaki flavored. I read in another review how the fish was raw in the center, so I asked for mine to be cooked through, medium well. The first round, the maki were some kind of raw fish (I'm not really a raw fish gal), maybe tuna? This time they were more my cup of tea - California Rolls. Though a bit loosely wrapped The fish was cut into two pieces and not particularly strongly flavored, however, I later discovered that their little compartment in the bento had some sauce at the bottom. Dredging the fish in that upped the experience quite a bit. The first piece was cooked through as requested. The second was shiny smooth pink in the center, medium perhaps? The apps were again found in the same compartment as the protein, and the dumpling was greatly enhanced by its dip in the sauce pool. Between the two bentos thus far - my vote goes to the beef. Their Tiramisu dessert is a dainty portion but light and tasty. They also offer a white grape aloe drink in a can. read more

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A friend and I happened to walk by when we noticed their menu displayed outside - so naturally we ventured inside to take a peek. With most of their tables occupied, we naturally assumed that the place had to have been a hit, maybe even a hidden gem. Soon enough after a 5 minute wait, we were seated at a table for 2. The menu was nice and leather bound and offered a wide array of things on their menu from seafood to vegetarian. What impressed me the most was that they offered a lunch menu on the weekends which is quite rare for most restaurants I've seen in Boston. The menu is quite extensive and I did like that they specify the number of pieces you get for anything on the menu so it doesn't keep you guessing on how much to order or how many come per order. When it came time to order - we settled on ordering fried oysters and shrimp tempura to start followed by 3 maki rolls as our entrees: - Prudential maki (Shrimp, avocado, cucumber, tobiko, tempura flake, topped with seared spicy whole scallop) - Dragon maki (Shrimp tempura roll wrapped w/ eel and avocado) - Boston maki (Tuna, avocado and cucumber, topped with crawfish mango salad, mixed with light wasabi mayo sauce) Don't get me wrong, the restaurant gets quite packed and the service is attentive, but the sushi and appetizers were medicore for the price. The problem with the maki rolls is that everything tasted so similar to one another even though the ingredients of each roll were so different - tuna, shrimp, and tempura shrimp. read more

Umai - Their nice leather bound menu! - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Interesting this place is called "Umai", because that word means "delicious" in Japanese. My experience here was certainly not "umai" at all. The fish over rice dishes were incredibly overpriced and lacking in FISH! For $23, we were expecting to get a Chirashi don ricebowl that was filled to the brim with different cuts of fish. However, they only provided two slices of tuna, three slices of salmon, and three slices of yellowtail. What happened to the third slice of tuna?! Also, for $21, I also ordered the ikura sake don, the salmon and salmon roe ricebowl. Again, the slices of fish were clearly leftovers and the cuts were wildly different from one another. Some were short and stubby. Some were long and thin. On top of that, they didn't even inform me that they were out of salmon roe. The dish came with flying fish roe, which are small and not as tasty as salmon eggs. However, there was no explanation for this until I asked, to which I got a shrug and a "We're out of salmon roe." Horrid service and food for the extreme price point. read more

Umai - Salmon don (without salmon roe) - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Unfortunately the quality has declined over time. I stopped in to do takeaway for lunch... spicy scallop handroll and salmon sashimi. The handroll was ok but every piece of salmon sashimi had bones in it. I hope this was just a one time oversight issue but will likely not return. read more

Umai - Bones in salmon sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I came here 2 years ago and it seems like from recent reviews this place went downhill. They are expensive, considering it is on newbury street and sushi is generally pricey. From my experience, I had a good meal. We sat in the window area so it was a nice spot to watch people pass by while we eat. The salmon crab meat avocado ball was really good, and I loved the salmon avocado roll. My friend got the chirashi don, it was definitely more thicly sliced and packed on the bowl and covered the rice compared to other to the other reviews I've seen. Oh well it sucks to see the recent reviews, I really liked this place. Maybe I should go and see if it really went downhill. read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The food was delicious! Cute restaurant with great food and service. We ate to excess and had no regrets. Will definitely go there to eat sushi again. Yum! read more

My favorite is the beef udon noodle soup! I tried the dinner set one for one. Paired with some sushi. Everything was good. The takoyaki needed more octopus meat. Great customer service and enjoyed my meal! read more

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Walking down Newbury street and can't decide on what to eat, most places seem a little to busy and crowded and the. I see this place. I'm always down for some Japanese food. I enter in to check out the menu first because I don't eat seafood and I wanted to check if there were other dishes. Just looking at the appetizers helped me make a decision to choose to eat here. I sit in the dining area and after deciding what to order, I notice there is additional seating on what appears to be like a balcony by the window. It's a great view of Newbury street where you can people watch as they hustle about their day. My lunch was boneless fried chicken pieces (very much chicken Karaage), steamed pork gyoza, vegetable tempura and a side of rice. I basically just wanted appetizers for lunch. The gyoza was really good, great flavor in the filling. The tempura was crisp and lightly battered. The chicken was crisp and light and really delicious with the squeeze of lemon. I don't really think I finished the rice lol The servings were just the right amount of food and satisfying. Washed it all down with some unsweetened green tea and I was ready to continue my day. Stop in this cute little restaurant and enjoy some Japanese food. They have lunch specials, bento plates and a variety selection of sushi. Enjoy! read more

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this is my go to spot in newbury st! i have been here multiples times and enjoyed everything i've tried. i would recommend getting a bento box since it comes w/ a lot of different items--my favorite is the boneless fried chicken bento box. the maki and sushi are also sooo yummy! i have taken a lot people here and they all have enjoyed it. the service is great, the price is affordable, and the food is delicious. i would highly highly recommend going here if you're in the area! read more

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I used to LOVE this place but four years later it's just not the same anymore. We were offered a seat by the window when we came in today and at first it was fine but after about ten minutes it became really hot. We were given the menus when we were first sat down, we had to raise our hands, wave around, got the sushi chefs' attention in order for them to tell the servers that we were waving. Finally after having to ask for the waters, we were given our drinks later with our miso soups. We even did the table next to us a favor by letting the server know that they were also waiting for someone to come over so they can order more rolls. For appetizers, we ordered the salmon roe with quail egg along with the smoked salmon bomb. Both tasted great, the salmon roe wasn't too fishy. The smoked salmon bomb actually had potato rather than just avocado, crab, and cucumbers like other places. The smoked salmon, however, made it a bit too salty, I think it would have been perfect with salmon sashimi that's torched instead. For our entrees, my boyfriend had ordered the eel dinner bento box and I ordered the red prawn and seafood don. The bento box came out looking extremely sad. All of the tempura vegetables and shrimp looked really limp. There was barely any crunch to them. There was literally one small piece of unagi. The sushi was meh. The sweet and sour dipping sauce for the tempuras literally was so liquidy - not thick at all. That bento box was definitely not worth $25. The don looked nice but it was definitely not worth the 23$. The fish didn't taste bad but the temperature was a bit warmer than most sashimi we've had, which made it taste a bit weird. Half way through our meal, we both developed stomachaches and I honestly believe that it was from the raw quail eggs, because the fish didn't taste/smell bad. I had much higher hopes for this place and was very disappointed. The meal was extremely pricey altogether and we barely had any service. Every single time our server brought over the tray of food they would just hand us the bowls or plates because they weren't able to step onto where we were sitting. I definitely could have taken then $90 elsewhere for much better sushi and service. I definitely recommend Fuji InkBlock for some specialty rolls or Tora in Chinatown for very fresh and worthy sashimi bowls! read more

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My go-to Japanese place when I'm around Newbury area. I still remember when I first ate here 7 years ago. They still keep the great quality of their dishes. I tried bunch of different dishes from here and my favorites are salmon don and gyu don. I recently tried uni sushi and it was a bomb. Dinner bento is a pretty good deal if you come for evening. I think they also put efforts to develop new dishes which is a great thing. Only cons about this place is that the prices for some dishes got pretty high last few years. I believe their salmon don now is almost $20 including tip, which is pretty ridiculous. read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Reasonable prices for the portions/variety. Their bentos take the cake in my book, they make a excellent Unagi (eel) bento. The best part of this spot is perhaps the location - if you come with a party of 2, try to snag the window seat. Front row people watching seats, not to mention cozy nook for dining during rain or snow. read more

Umai - Unagi (eel) dinner bento - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I brought my friend Omkar, who's Indian and never ate Sushi before, he is a fast learner and learned how to use the chopsticks. He also loved, loved the Tempura Shrimp Veg. Appetizer, repeated to me how good and crispy it was. I love because it isn't greasy and this small place is so beautiful and well Located, their chefs and wait staff make feel at home, this is my hanging out place where I always bring new friends. Thanks Umai! read more

Umai - Dinner for Omkar's Departure from Boston to start a new job in Texas. - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Came here on a Saturday for lunch with a friend. We were given a window table which is an interesting view, although I would have preferred an outdoor table since it was nice outside (but I think all of them were taken). The takoyaki was ok, but we've had better ones that have more toppings at other restaurants. The lunch bento boxes are a pretty good deal and will fill you up. It comes with miso soup and salad beforehand. You get two sushi options for the bentos: California roll or spicy tuna. Service was pretty quick, it didn't seem like we had to wait an unreasonably long time. read more

Umai - Fried Octopus Balls - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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So, my son and I were just wandering along, looking for something to eat... We happened upon Umai, and we are so glad we did! The staff were delightful-- kind and courteous, fast and helpful-- everything we could ask for! He got a lunch bento, and I tried the Sunflower Maki (amazing- definitely recommend!) and the Prudential Maki. Both were unique (I love trying new things!) and delicious and made me glad I had decided to veer from my plan of a poke salad, although that also looked great! For dessert. he tried the creme brulee cheesecake. Again, major points for unique and delicious! Another definite recommend! Eating great food outside in the sunshine was lovely. Some of the "streetside" antics were...odd... but we considered the tradeoff well worth it. They were covid-safe and delightful in every way. We will definitely be back! read more

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Delicious food! Great service! Amazing sushi, ramen Bento boxes and drinks selection.