Possibly the best ramen in Chicago!!! I was blown away by how delicious the tonkatsu ramen was. I got it with the black garlic oil on the side and that added a great flavor addition. First, the broth is super rich and flavorful. They have plenty of pork belly so that's a nice plus as well. The ramen is cooked perfectly to chewiness. I personally love udon so I actually ordered it with udon noodles and I cant recommend that more. The service isn't great, as some of the waitresses were not very happy to answer questions... but the ramen definitely makes up for it so I can't wait to come back!! read more

Umai - Tonkatsu ramen - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Making dinner plans? Try UMAI. Bringing it back to our dinner at @umaichicago. We literally go for 2 things: 1) their fresh, delicate agedashi tofu and 2) spicy roasted garlic pork ramen. So much flavor and speedy service. If you care about food pics, the large windows allow for great lighting! read more

Umai - Age Dashi Tofu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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the curry is a little bit spicy and sweet, not my fav the green team crème brûlée is super good the service is good read more

Umai - Katsu Kare - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've tried nearly every ramen place in Chicago but somehow missed Umai. It's definitely an underrated ramen shop! The restaurant wasn't packed when I stopped by for lunch on a weekend so we were able to be seated immediately. The service was prompt and responsive with water, ordering, getting our check & to-go boxes. For an appetizer, my friend and I ordered the lollipop wings. I would probably skip that next time since they were overcooked and dry. For my entree, I got the spicy roasted garlic pork ramen. All of the toppings were perfectly cooked, the broth was rich, and the ratio of broth to noodles was just right. I really had no complaints. I would be willing to come back and try it again and recommend it to anyone looking for a solid ramen spot. read more

Umai - Spicy roasted garlic pork ramen - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

i got the philly roll - in the midst of a chicago heat wave - so refreshing!!! server was really nice and generally a very calming and chill ambiance. read more

Umai - Fresh Philly - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I really wanted to love this place, but it's very average to me. It's very close to where I live and I always pass it by walking around. It's almost always packed, so I had to come in and try it with a friend. Things I loved: the shrimp shumai, spicy wings, miso soup, and eel sushi pieces. What I didn't love though was the hand rolls and the other sushi pieces. I ordered miroawase and spicy tuna roll. I thought as far as sushi comes, it was subpar. It was just lacking in flavor and freshness when it comes to the fish. The pieces are almost too big too where it's not as enjoyable to eat in one bite either. The ambiance is nice, but if I go again, I'd probably consider trying something else. Prices are a little high but expected for the area too. I will say that leftovers do pretty well. read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Used to go here all the time when I was attending college in the city. I love the chill vibes here and the food is great! It's also a great place to eat by yourself as a lot of people come here for quick bites by themselves. My go to used to be the soba noodles, California rolls, and their traditional udon! read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Okay WOW. This place is WOW. I absolutely loved the mexicana roll. The cilantro was perfect! And the RAMEN????? DELICIOUS, AMAZING, SPECTACULAR!! I loved that they used chili oil to add the spicy rather than a powder spice!!! The inside was so cute and pretty. read more

Umai - Mexicana - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It's been difficult finding traditional Japanese food around Chicago that doesn't break the bank, so I was so happy to see Umai's menu. There are classics like sushi and rolls, but they also include favorites like ramen, soba, and udon. There's really something for everyone! Our table ordered a few rolls to share, then entrees for each person. Personally, it was more than enough food and I brought some home at the end of the meal, but the rest of my table was very satisfied with the portions. I ordered the Zaru Soba with tempura because I haven't been able to find it anywhere else in Chicago. I was pleased with how large the portion size was and that it was very traditional -- the dipping sauce for the soba was not too salty and was rich, and the soba itself was well-prepared so it was neither undercooked nor overcooked. The tempura featured a healthy variety of vegetables without much repetition. I was so pleased! Service was a bit lacking but it was understandable given that we came in on a Friday afternoon of a holiday week. It felt like we were being rushed when 3 different servers came to ask for our orders within 5 minutes, and we were unable to find a server to help us in the middle of the meal. read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I live pretty close by so Umai has ended up being one of my go to dinner spots. I usually just walk in and haven't had to wait too long for a table, if at all. Solid food and good service. I like the chirashi don and they do good cooked dishes too! Also, if you're going to get their omakase set I would recommend the sushi over the sashimi. There's more variety and more interesting flavors. Entrees come with salad and miso soup too which is always nice :) read more

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Our wait for dinner on a week night was super long - they told us 30 min but ended up being well over an hour. On the other hand: great ramen! Plus a wide variety of other dishes (sushi, Japanese curry, udon, etc). read more

I have enjoyed Umai for years now. For Valentine's Day, special occasions, or just a weeknight dinner their Beef Tongue, Spicy Roasted Garlic Pork Ramen, nigiri, and rolls are my favorites. Do not leave here without trying one of their lychee martinis - they got me hooked! read more

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Whenever I fly to Chicago. This is one of the spots I have to hit up. What's there to know? Is the Ramen good? Sushi? What else? YES! to ALL! Seriously, I can blind fold you and spin u around and make u poke at something at the menu and you would instantly love it! You may say. YOU DON'T KNOW ME!? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I LIKE! Ahem* If you aren't picky, open minded, and like to try anything that's new and flavorful. Trust! It's a bit of a small shop. IMO. I would max it at 4. Dump the 2 least favorites at home! Jk!... No seriously.. =p Another key note. Make reservations ahead of time! Other then that! Enjoy the great foods that they serve! read more

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All the food was great especially the mexicana roll. We were able to be seated immediately. They have an outdoor area as well. The staff was a very nice. read more

Umai - Spicy Edamame Gyu Don Mexicana Chicago - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

1st time and it's good. Popular place portion is large and the music is not too loud which I like. read more

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This place is truly a hidden gem in Chicago. Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious! To start, we ordered the Spicy Edamame and the Dynamite sushi roll to share. The spicy edamame was very well balanced with japanese garlic spices - a nice starter before the sushi arrived. The Dynamite sushi is a sweet potato tempura roll topped with spicy Kani kama (crabstick mixed with cilantro, jalapeno, spicy mayo, chili oil, chili powder, lime juice and eel sauce) - absolute perfection! It had a hint of sweetness/spiciness and it had the perfect balance of crunchiness and softness from the tender crabmeat. Our waitress recommended the Spicy Roasted Garlic Pork Ramen and the Nabeyaki Udon for the main meals. Both sooo delicious! The Spicy Roasted Garlic Pork Ramen comes with homemade pork, bamboo, fishcake, leeks, boiled egg, pork belly, and the best part - crunchy garlic chips! This particular broth was rich and extremely flavorful. Last but certainly not least, the Nabeyaki Udon - comes with udon noodles, shrimp tempura, chicken, boiled egg, fishcake, spinach, and shiitake mushroom all in a delicious dashi broth. This broth was a lot lighter than the ramen but did not lack in flavor one bit. Highly recommend this hidden gem! read more

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This place has a very lively atmosphere with a bit of an edge. It can get crowded and cramped early in the evening, quite loud and frenetic. The tables are close together and things can feel a little rushed - maybe too much so for a nice relaxed evening with sushi and sashimi. Although the rolls that we tried seemed fresh and flavorful. They have decent Udon bowls with a well prepared base. I especially liked their goma-ae. We wish they had a couple of vegetarian bowls and or entrees. Service was fine. read more

Love Umai! Super low key spot that offers an extensive menu of sushi, ramen, udon, and other Japanese dishes. Everything we got was delicious as we tried a bit of everything. The service is outstanding, the owners are so sweet, and we are always greeted with a smile!! The perfect spot for a quick dinner or takeout sushi. The space is small but inviting, making for the perfect date read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

11/02/21 Service - 4 / Ambiance - 4 / Food - 1 / Price - 4 COVID: All the staff wore masks indoors. We ordered through the phone and picked up from Umai so I cannot speak to the service or ambiance in detail. We were greeted right away and the interior is modern and nice. However, all the items were subpar to unfresh. I cannot speak to the popular items such as ramen, katsu curry or udon, but overall, it seems like their cooked dishes are way better than their raw dishes. Prices are what you'd expect from any standard, casual Japanese restaurant. Food Hotate (scallops) Nigiri, Hamachi (yellowtail) Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri - 1/5 Even from the looks of it, the sashimi on the nigiri looked unfresh and the hamachi even looked dry. All the seafood tasted extremely fishy, and I was honestly unsure if I should even eat it in fear of getting sick from unfresh seafood. The rice was also too moist and mushy. I would not recommend the nigiri to anyone. It's not like their prices were cheaper to reflect the poorer quality either. White Truffle Tail Half Roll - 2/5 The combination of flavors worked well together and it was a decent roll. However, there was no flavor of truffle oil and the hamachi was not seared like described in the description but cooked all the way through. The rice used for the roll is the same one in the nigiri, but it tasted better in the roll since there was only a thin layer of it around the ingredients. Lollipop Chicken 2/5 The yuzu mayo that came with the chicken was fantastic and tasted strongly of yuzu. The chicken drumsticks themselves were crispy and seasoned well but dry. *All ratings are out of 5 read more

Umai - The lollipop chicken was dry. - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place has a large variety on their menu and eveything so far has been delicious! I really love that they allow half rolls for some specialty rolls which is what we got here. The surf and turn is extremely delicious has has some unique flavors and textures from the apple and yuzu, as well as the seared beef on top. The interior is super cute and the service is always speedy and friendly. read more

Umai - Takoyaki (octopus) - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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After recently moving to the south loop I was in search of a new go to for shrimp tempura rolls. Umai has not disappointed! My food is always flesh, delicious, and prepared with care. I've only ever gotten take out and even my take out orders are well presented. I always have a modification to my rolls (yes, I'm that person), and they always execute my order flawlessly. In addition to being excellently prepared, they're always ready on time. I'm looking forward to sitting down inside the restaurant for dinner soon. It's a very chill vibe. read more

Best sushi in Chicago, bit of a fusion place. Never been let down. Fast attentive service.

For the price it was decent but rice quality was really bad for katsu don. First bite, thought it's a Thai rice for a second. That's how much it was dry and small compare to regular Japanese rice (Japanese brand rice). For someone who go to Japan frequently it was very obvious. Service is fast food level. From what I observed include myself, server won't check on you, no communication at all. Even if you ask question about the menu their answer is very dry lol but not to the level they make you uncomfortable. So if you want to get the dine in experience, not here for you. Their sushi quality looked really good but just hoping they don't use same rice brand for sushi! read more

Had a variety of take out sushi and I really enjoyed it. Can't go wrong with the spicy tuna, the jalapeño tuna and white truffle tail were simple but so fresh tasting. Umai crunch was decent. read more

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5 stars for the cozy and flexible atmosphere, a huge menu with strong variety, and reasonable prices. Umai is definitely the perfect lunch and dinner spot. Stop in if you are craving Japanese food or if you are looking for a casual to nice dinner with friends or soon-to-be-friends. The asparagus beef roll appetizer was so good and I will continue to order it every time I go. read more

Umai - Nama Sake Don - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Okay so I am definitely a fan of this place. My boyfriend does not care for it, he thinks they need a little more flavor (maybe just a little more salt tbh) but I still enjoy it. The environment is clean. There's lots of indoor seating with some outdoor seating. I had an iced green tea which was delicious, I pounded it and then had another. We ordered the spicy edamame and even though they needed more salt I liked them. We got pork gyoza but they do have veggie gyoza. My personal favorite was the Nasu Dengaku. The eggplant slices were large and the sauce on them was yummmmmmy. The eggplants cut like butter without being completely mushy. Great job. Then we each got some maki and finished it off with some tasty red bean mochi. The whole meal came in less than $60 so I'm really a huge fan. read more

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It's easy to take a place like Umai for granted, since there are sushi and ramen spots all over the city, but the combination of a pandemic and a cold snap has made me appreciate having a quality spot like Umai right in my neighborhood. I've had their ramen before and have always been happy, but decided to try out their katsu kare (fried pork cutlet with curry) last night. I'm a huge fan of Japanese curry, and insanely jealous of other cities that have dedicated curry restaurants. Bokuchan's is too far from me, and Cocoro's is really good, so I had to try Umai's version. What i received was an extra large plate with a huge serving of curry, rice and pork. I asked for it spicy and they delivered, but not too hot that I couldn't finish off the whole plate (which I did). The pork was nicely cooked and not too dry, and the curry had the depth of flavor I liked that was beyond Golden Curry. Suffice to say, I slept well that night. As far as safety goes we had good distance from other people and the staff kept their masks on as expected. If you need something to keep your belly warm Umai is a pretty great spot in Printer's Row for it! read more

Open for dine in. Food (7.5/10): I've dined here a few times and have sampled the udon, dons, ramen, katsu kare, and the soba. Everything is good quality with excellent presentation. I'd say this place is as good as it gets for casual dining. Nothing blows my mind in terms of taste but the execution for the tier of dining is there. Notable mentions: - Katsu kare: great portion size. Really palatable curry that suits everyone. No spice. - Tempura: the tempura is the dark horse that steals the show for me at least. It just comes out in a little mountain looking so freshly fried. I also just love tempura in general. I'd probably get this every time. Value (8/10): As a student I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the value for the quality here. There are plenty of non-sushi options. All of which have good value. Value picks are the dons or the katsu kare. With non-sushi options you can expect to pay around $15-20 per person including tax and tip. Ambiance (7/10): The ambiance is great for sunny days as the establishment has high ceilings giving a spacious feel with lots of open window space. The acoustics of the place are on the louder side with a lot of competing noises making it more lively and less intimate. read more

Umai - Katsu Kare - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Can't believe I haven't been here sooner! Will definitely do take out again when the sushi craving hits. This time I dined in, and I shared an omakase, takoyaki, and edamame and all were very good. One of the pieces of sushi I really didn't like but everything else was great. Fast service and good food! read more

Umai - Omakase - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm surprised the reviews aren't higher. The food here is AMAZING. And so affordable! The ingredients are just so high quality and it tastes very fresh. I got the omakase and a roll. The fish was incredible and even the tamago was like the best tamago I've ever had. I didn't think tamago could taste so good. I highly recommend the omakase (it's not a multi course meal, it's just the chefs selection of fish, but they were excellently selected in my opinion). It's possible the omakase is one of their best items and that's why my experience was so great- but it was really good. read more

Small but nice spot on the corner. The outside needs some revamping but the inside was clean and modern. The service was efficient and the food came quickly which was good as it was lunch time. I had the hand roll and the Moriawase (7 pcs sushi - chefs selection and a spicy tuna roll) and a Philadelphia hand roll. The fish of the sushi were very cold and melted in your mouth, some of the best sushi I've had in awhile. The hand roll was also great. I had my buddies miso soup and salad (salad did not have normal ginger dressing). read more

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Definitely a solid sushi spot in this area! The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated, and the service was friendly and fast. The quality of the fish was good, and I really enjoyed our rolls. Imo the prices are fairly reasonable for this area; would recommend Umai! read more

Umai - Chicago White Truffle Tails Roll - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ambiance is calm and servers were attentive the entire time. We ordered gyozas, a beef tongue kabob, and both the garlic tonkotsu and regular Ramen. Everything was delicious. This is personally my favorite ramen spot in Chicago as of now, I know there's plenty more to try but this one's pretty solid and definitely worth a try. read more

We were visiting from out of town and chose Umai based on Yelp reviews. Wow! Our dinners were all fantastic, very fresh ingredients, very generous portions and the taste of all four dishes was fantastic. Can't wait to go there again on our next visit to Chicago. read more

Good Japanese restaurant. Nothing fancy and not overpriced! This is a good Midway quality between high end Japanese restaurants like Momotaro and other places that I'll just not name but you can probably guess is not good just by looking at their menu. We enjoyed our asapargus beef rolls and stone pot udon. Server was very nice with a big smile on his face. And the interior is very casual, modern. read more

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Meh. Came for the sushi and zaru soba. The thing for me about sushi is .... Survey says RICE.... All about the rice and this rice was mid range. May try it again. read more

This place is always popping at all hours of the day it seems like, but I've never had to wait for a table. The staff is super efficient. I love the Lollipop Chicken app and got it a couple times, but if you're looking for something lighter, then the Shrimp Shumai is delicious. Sushi is great, definitely better than their ramen. The vibe is really cozy and inviting inside and even on their small outdoor patio, which heats up really well with their heat lamps! read more

Umai - Shrimp Shumai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A great place in the loop to get some decent Japanese food! My favorite dishes are the seaweed salad, agedashi tofu, and the salmon shioyaki, as they are all super flavorful and cooked really well. I've tried for so long to replicate the seaweed salad dish but can't figure out what they add to it to make it taste so distinctive in flavor--tangy, savory, and full of umami! The prices are affordable and appropriately set for the various dishes on the menu, and the portion sizes are quite generous. It's a pretty popular place so I would recommend making reservations beforehand to secure a table! read more

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Came for a late lunch. They kindly seated is a few minutes before their lunch break. Ordered some unconventional sushi rolls today just for fun. Tried the "Naked" and the "Beni imo (vegan roll)" off the specialty rolls and a salmon skin roll. The naked roll was refreshing. Cucumber replaced the seaweed wrap. The Beni imo was not my fav, it was cold and lacked a flavor but my friend enjoyed it. "Naked" was great. It has a cucumber as it's skin which gave it a refreshing taste. You can never really go wrong with salmon skin roll. It was a good amount of crispy. I would definitely try some of the other options but no the vegan one. read more

While visiting the Chicago area for the marathon Angie S and I wanted some sushi for dinner. I looked up some local spots and found Umai which was within walking distance from our hotel. We Floridians braved the cold windy night to trek to this local sushi spot and to our surprise had to wait quite a bit for a table. They're a small place and were packed! With that said, the staff did a great job at turning tables around but also providing great service. Fun fact, I've been here before and didn't write a review. 10 years ago while visiting I came here and had sushi and thought it was odd that I didn't rave about this place then; but this was before I knew what Yelp was! I had a cucumber roll and some sashimi - the fish was extremely fresh and presented beautifully. The staff was amazing and even though the tables were tight, we had a great dinner experience in the windy city! 10/10 recommend a visit to Umai on your next visit. It'll definitely be on my list again - hopefully it won't take another 10 years to come back! read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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