Bottom Line: Though the sushi/sashimi is good, very pricey and overall mediocre value for what you get in return. Tried this place for take out but the restaurant ambiance itself looks inviting. I had the Sashimi Regular. The sashimi tasted fresh (no fishy smell or taste) and was quite good. The soup: completely bland. The "salad": A clump of slightly wilted lettuce with something that resembled dressing. The soup/salad accompaniment is very much a disappointment. Umai: seriously. Flavor the soup like you care and dump the silly, embarrassed-for-you "salad" and just provide well prepared rice with properly prepared soup. At $25, for the overall poor quality, I feel I was taken to the cleaners versus a restaurant. THE saving grace was the sashimi but that is not enough to carry me back here for seconds--if I am paying. read more

Food is amazing. Service is good. Ambiance is okay. Quite day today. Highly recommended the jalapeño bomb & Calamari. They serve unlimited soup & salad at the bar. Sushi hit the point!!! Highly recommended. Thank you!. Pics are provided n read more

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Disappointing experience at Umai. Menu says $1 per leftover sushi/rice, but we were charged for 2 carrot slices. Policy change not updated on menu and website --misleading! read more

Umai - Menu on their website. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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i was really happy with my visit. the sushi was fresh and flavorful, and the crab rangoons were amazing and very creamy. the ayce is definitely the way to go! service was good. i will definitely come back soon! read more

Umai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

We came for lunch on a Saturday with the family and it was just us. The service was incredible, super fast and friendly! We were all able to get soup or salad even though we only had one hibachi meal which was a really great surprise. My dragon roll was delicious! We came to celebrate my aunts birthday and when they heard, they brought out a lovely cake with candles! It was so adorable, highly recommend! Super clean, super fun, and super fast. read more

Umai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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Food was over the top, service was great, and the drinks were delightful. Great place for a laid back quiet dinner. 100% recommend coming here. read more

Umai - Sapporo - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

The sushi was delicious. No complaints about that. We ordered a few martinis we asked for the ice pear and lychee martini they were out of both. Ok that's fine we went with the orange crush martini it was good. Only thing is was.. where's the rest of it ..the cups weren't even half full. The fried rice was delicious it's definitely a plate you can share with someone else. The Osaka happy hour you can also definitely share with others it's like big fish bowl drink read more

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Great option to get sushi in Grayslake, about the only option in fact. It's hidden away in this shopping plaza. Umai previously occupied another space in this plaza, but the new location is a lot better and more spacious. Has a good amount of menu choices. There's more than just sushi, like the stuff they cook on a hibachi. At lunch it wasn't busy. It only had a few others eating inside. They had an all you can eat sushi special. Kind of pricy but worth it if eating it all. We instead only got a few rolls. It's about $5 for the cheapest. The ones we got included the Avocado Roll and the Oshinko Roll. Also there's a complimentary soup and salad bar. This makes it place a pretty good value for getting all this. For this area it's about the only option for sushi. so they won't have to worry about competition. It's not just the sushi but also the other Japanese cuisine that makes it one of the best around here. The sushi rolls have the raw fish options, as well as things for vegetarians. read more

Umai - Avocado Roll And Oshinko Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

I and my husband have been twice so far. First time, during the soft opening then about a week later. They have the same basic setup as the previous restaurant in this space had. But have brighter lighting which really helps. They chose to use the large grill to serve hibachi which works really well. Both times I and my husband chose to get hibachi entrees. My husband really liked the chicken and salmon. I opted for salmon and shrimp. The hibachi is served with yum yum type of sauce. The second time I went I got some of the ginger sauce from the salad bar and used it as well. The meat is well seasoned and the fried rice is good. The salmon is particularly good. Though I do admit I miss having golden shrimp as an option. We also got the Beef Negimaki appetizer and it was easy for him to pick out the negi (onion) from it. I highly recommend getting this. Very delicious. Only glitches we have had was during their soft opening they were slammed and our meal took a very long time. The second time the hibachi chef didn't leave out the onion in my husband's food and the waiter felt he had to justify himself for showing my husband he had written it down. I have yet to have the sushi but based on the rolls passing by our tables I'll be ordering some nigiri next time. read more

Umai - Chicken & Salmon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Fantastic lunch of fillet vegetables and fried rice. Also included small salad bar. Excellent lunch read more

Umai - Lunch Hibachi Filet Mignon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

My best friend and I came for my birthday and this place was amazing. The platings were gorgeous, food delicious and service was so helpful We sat at a booth on the floor which was so special read more

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Great place to try, they are still starting up but I can tell business is picking up. I would love for this place to keep going and improving! Food is great for a decent price. Service is kind of slow, usually because of the kitchen. Ambiance is in the works from what it seems. We've gone at least 3-4 times and it's slowly getting better. read more

Food was delicious! The salad bar was really limited and some things were out. The chicken katsu was pricey for what it was as well. The ramen was delicious, my daughter really enjoyed her noodles, and I loved the chirashi. Very fresh and good selection. The roll was also really good. We will be back! read more

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First we park and at the door and there is an open sign above door that says open but this door is for employees ONLY!!! Why have a neon illuminated signed for an entrance that customers CAN'T use???? That was the initial impression but we gave this place a chance anyway and I'm sorry to say that we should've just took that a sign and left. Then once my party of six gets into the restaurant it's dark and gloomy as the ambiance to say the least. It's my birthday today, kids started spring break and it's snowing outside so we said why not go to a local restaurant for lunch? Our ONLY MISTAKE was choosing this place. I asked for a drink and was told drinks were not available. We walked right past a bar with drinks and on our menu has drinks so why are there no drinks???? I didn't bother entertaining why there were drinks I just had a beer and some water. We order appetizers, sushi, ramen, fried rice and hibachi; the food was okay nothing spectacular at all. It The Gyoza was the best thing they had going for them. The hibachi was for chicken and shrimp but because the order was for two proteins(chicken/shrimp) the lunch special was not honored, not to mention the portions were so small it looked like a meal for a child, so once we were told it was the dinner price(when we got the bill and asked) because lunch only has one protein. We ask how many shrimp come with lunch and we're told two(2). This place is a joke. The whole time while there the waitress was saying she's so tired and it obvious that something is wrong but what is wrong is unclear. Towards the end of our meal the waitress puts on a mask. We are like wow if she knew she was sick, not feeling well or whatever why not stay home from work, why not put on a mask or do something. Now not only was our meals and service subpar we may even get sick from this visit. Totally NOT worth the time, energy, money or experience. read more

Umai - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Had Umai for the first time tonight. Ordered through Grub Hub.. the service was fast and the sushi is delicious. The Godzilla roll was amazing and I would definitely order it again! The crab rangoon wasn't the best i've ever had in my entire life... but it was still pretty good! read more

Umai - 10 Piece Godzilla Roll Spicy Tuna Roll Philadelphia Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Service horrible and go out of their way to avoid eye contact . Waited 55 mins for my lunch order . Now have to make up time at work because of the delay. Maybe dinner is better but do not waste your day going there for lunch. Food was so so! And don't expect your table to get cleaned off or get extra napkins Neither will happen. read more

There is a bit to unpack here. Few notes: 1. Need to make the space not look so mundane and cavernous. 2. Remove the "salad bar". I mean, seriously, I know it's free and it looks it. A few sprigs of lettuce, a carrot and brown apples don't make this enjoyable or appetizing. Just get rid of it. No one there was partaking. This place is the Olive Garden of sushi restaurants. If you've never had good sushi then this would be good sushi. Overall bland flavors. Had two rolls and the kimchi ramen (which actually wasn't bad). Overall two stars. Overpriced for what you get and the quality that goes along with it. Owners, dump the salad bar, dump the sushi and stick to a hibachi and ramen joint. Focus your food and up the quality. read more

Service and food was 10/10 sushi was fresh and Salad bar was just perfect. Very large and spacious area. read more

great food and interesting rolls offered. the service was great. The sushi came in a sushi boat which made the experience fun!!

Shocking that a restaurant in this day and age does not offer gift certificates/cards. I went here looking to spend a few hundred dollars and the hostess advised, "no we don't do that." Their loss!! read more

Great! Have only tried delivery once so far but really fresh and excellent quality, far surpassing many of the local places. I am excited to try it in person sometime soon! read more

We went to this restaurant shortly after it opened and the sushi was subpar. The salad bar was average at best but we went late at night so there wasn't much left and it had been sitting out. The service was good and food came out quickly. The rolls were huge without a lot of rice. The restaurant is still outdated and looks like the old Kawa we may go back but want to give them time to grow. read more

The Food is tasteless and bland. The salmon and other raw fish is very old. The egg soup is mixed with water. I couldn't eat that food and I had Extra 15 dollars for Waste! This Place has to be checked for Anti Sanitary and quality of Food. This place must be CLOSED!!! read more

I agree with C.K.'s review. The place is mundane and cavernous. I went in on a Friday night to place a carry-out order. There was no one at the front greeting and seating people and no bartender behind the huge circular bar. One girl running back and forth the length of a football field fetching orders for UberEats drivers and a couple of customers waiting for orders they called in. The same girl took my order standing about 10 feet away from me by the computer. I know that to-go food is never as good as if you ate it at the restaurant. This is the reason why I ordered a couple of rolls because there would not be a difference. The rolls were average at best. I've had better from the grocery store. This place is basically the same as it was before - they just swapped the Mongolian grill for a salad bar. I visited Kawa twice in all the years it was there. Kawa needed more ambiance, better service, and a lot of food fine-tuning. Umai needs the same. read more

We absolutely love this place! It was so unexpectedly fresh, tasty with a welcoming environment. The service was quick and the wait staff introduced us to some great food choices. We liked it so much that we have been back 3 times in last few months. Grayslake diamond place for Asian food. read more

We ordered the hibachi grill. The salad that came with it was very fresh, the soup was tasty. The lobster was good, as was the chicken and steak. Service was very nice and quick. Highly recommend. read more

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Excellent service, food and vibe! We ordered Godzilla sushi. Awesome presentation, super yummy! Also tried the Korean Ramen. Just a little kick of spice but pretty good overall. read more

Umai - 6 Piece Fried Gyoza and 10 Piece Godzilla Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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Great service and pretty good sushi! Would definitely recommend their Crab Rangoon! Loved the salad and soup bar! read more

Umai - Rock N Roll 5 Piece Tnt Roll Shrimp Tempura Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

This is my neighbourhood place (and I am a vegetarian). I used to go to Kava (the earlier restaurant at this place) for Vegetarian rolls and I had same here at Umai. It's a nice setup, good collection of beer and Whiskey. I only eat veg rolls. They are great. We will be going back - again and again for ambience food and service. read more

Japanese food: too bland for me .. it's a good place for a beginners plain sushi...they have FREE hot egg drop soup, fresh fruit and salad( buffet only the soup salad n fruit) read more

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The food was very good and fresh. In addition, the establishment was very clean and the service was attentive. Food prices were reasonable.

I try and support local businesses and have ordered take out numerous times from here and never had an issue. Last weekend my family and I dined inside and we had one of the rudest waitresses. She kept on smacking her lips when we were giving her our order, she was also huffing and puffing like she was so annoyed, when my daughter asked for no pork in her ramen she then said "ugh, oh my god this order!" I was appalled by her remark. And not once did she come and check on our party of 6, because of course she knew they would include the tip in our bill even though she did not deserve a dime! I am very disappointed! I will never go back and warn others. read more

It is a OK local sushi restaurant I opted for the AYCE lunch menu it is very pricy but the food is fresh I got the crab Rangoon which had way too much cream cheese and not a lot of crab, we also got the soft shell crab which tasted like it came frozen, we also ordered the jalapeño poppers but they unfortunately never came. For the sushi portion it was very fresh but they once again forgot one of the rolls! The service was OK, we had a kid with us and they charged him full price!! He is 11 years old and it says 12.95 for a kid and it does not say anywhere the age requirement, the ceiling is a bunch of pipes, not a lot of lighting and you have to enter from the back, staff is pretty friendly for the most part. I would rather go to sushi grove in buffalo grove or sushi para in palatine for AYCE. read more

Amazing service! If a calm, relaxed chill atmosphere with amazing food is what your looking for than Umai Sushi is definitely the sushi resturant you need. I have been blown away by amazing service " I won't name names for privacy reasons" But what a breath of fresh air. You will feel welcomed and properly attended to. Your food will be fresh and temperature correct accordingly to the dish you order. Greeted with a fantastic smile and leaving with one yourself, you won't be disappointed! read more

worst next day eating experience! had the bubble guts/ diarrhea and could not drive my hour commute for thanksgiving! i have eaten japanese food before and never have experienced this! very disappointed ! read more

This is by far the worst restaurant I have been to in a very long time. If you're looking for food cooked on a hibachi grill find somewhere else because the giant circular hibachi grill isn't being used...even though it's clearly the focal point of the restaurant. However, you can still pay an overpriced hibachi price for dry chicken and hard shrimp. I can usually overlook mediocre food when there is good service however somehow the service was even worse. It took 15 minutes for our server to come to our table after we were seated even though there were only 2 other small groups at the restaurant. He didn't greet us, never asked if we wanted drinks, and couldn't bother to mention that the salad and soup that come with the meal are self serve from a disgusting and poorly stocked salad bar. My daughter wanted a lemon for her water and the one I got from the salad bar was rotten. An orange had a spot of mold on it. The ingredients were clearly not fresh. Our server never checked in with us. When my husband finally chased him down and asked for a steak knife to cut up steak for our 3 year old they told us that they don't have one...they only have butter knives. He tossed our bill on the table and didn't say anthing else, couldn't muster up a "thank you." The only acceptable thing here was the sushi. If you want anything else or an enjoyable experience head to McDonalds. You'll be better off. read more