Had the chance to experience their Omakase night at maruju here on Saturday and WOW!! I'm confused why it's called Umami but this is the same place where maruju moved into incase anyone else gets confused. Must try! Highly recommend. It's a 3 hour experience and I would want to do this every weekend if I had the time. The food was so fresh and the small courses were perfect. They have different Omakase nights on different weekends which you need to follow them on social media to know which days @maruju_sushi and message them or call to reserve a spot because some of the items they order in are super expensive and need to be fresh. We paid $200 a person but it was absolutely worth it they used a lot of very expensive ingredients and it was an 11 course meal. We had everything from caviar, wagyu, truffle, gold flakes, uni, abalone and the highest quality fish my favourite fish was chu toro it melted in my mouth! Their wagyu dish was even better than major tom which I paid $140 alone for wagyu. The owner is super nice and very involved in the customer experience which I loved. During our Omakase dinner the chef came out to cook the wagyu in front of us. read more

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I've been wanting to check out Umami Noodle Bar since my friend, who lived in Japan for a year, recommended it and told me it was her favourite ramen spot in town. It's located right beside a Jerusalem Shawarma (one of three locations). The inside is small and compact but there are lots of seats. They made good use of their space. The counter is adorned with people writing and drawing which adds a bit of character to the place. Service is friendly although my waitress seemed overanxious to take my bowl from me even though I wasn't done eating. The music is also a bit odd fitting. It didn't mesh with the vibe. The menu is short and sweet just the way I like them. Appetizers, ramen (paitan, chiton and special), sides and desserts. There was also a special menu that had ramen (gluten free and veggie) and rice (curry don and katsu curry). Small but mighty! - Tonkotsu spicy miso ($12.50) - I added a shoyu tamago ($1.00), which was delightful. The broth was spicy, complex and had depth. Noodles had a good bite and the chashu (I picked pork belly) was tender, fatty goodness. The waitress also added table side some freshly ground sesame seeds, which was a nice touch. Umami lives up to the hype. Will have to try their chashu bun and chashu don next time around (per my friend's other recs). Cash or debit only! read more

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This cheerful ramen place was just the thing on a crisp spring Saturday eve. The shrimp dumplings were tasty and served scorching hot from the fryer, with generous dollop of flavorful Kewpie mayo. The appetizer serving was a bit on the meager side (especially since each little bite was essentially $1). The chicken paitan main, made with chicken broth, was a much appreciated alternative to other pork broth-based options. The noodles were solidly good, but nothing revelatory. Our server was pleasant and the high-ceilinged space is comfortable. Not sure how a place like this would fare in a competitive ramen environment like Vancouver, but it was more than adequate for us to get our ramen fix in Calgary. read more

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This is my favourite soup and sushi Resturant in Calgary. Highly recommended they can do great things that are not on the menu. Owned by a very charming couple she is one of Calgary's very few real sake experts - She has the certificates and training to back it-up. His touch in the kitchen is masterful, He is a very gifted chef. Remember they are a small hands on place, But it's the owners touch both in the front and the back of the restaurant that makes it so good highly recommended. One of my favourite meals is to bring them a large platter then come back in a couple of hours and it's full of magic. read more

This is some pretty good ramen. Simple means no complaints. None. At all. Try the Red Devil Ramen with extra pork, which is a very spicy Tonkotsu. I added extra pork, which was on account of just getting dumped by my special lady friend (It's complicated). Anyways, the gyoza appetizer "really tied the room together." Now go get your soup on! read more

Umami Noodle Bar - ...extra pork makes the sadness go away... - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This lovely little, modernly decorated spot is warm and quaint. The staff are friendly and food was delicious. We ordered the Chasu and the bread was so soft and fluffy and pork was slightly charred and crispy topped with a fresh dash of onion, cucumber and BBQ mayo, which was delicious. It was so good we ordered it twice! TanTanmem was buttery and nutty and the pork belly was tender and delicious. The sweet corn really balanced the salty broth. The only down side is they take cash and debit only and parking is challenging to find, and service is a little slow. I'd give it a 5 star if these weren't an issue. Food is definitely worth a try ! read more

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Don't know if it's the times #pandemic or what but this was by far the worst ramen I have ever had! We asked to have the two most popular items. We received chicken and original. To our surprise both of them were fishy- we couldn't eat the original because of the disgusting Fish flavour. The chicken broth was delicious but once adding it to the noodle bowl it had the same fish flavouring as the OG. On top of the $30 take out meal we ordered we never got cutlery or napkins. You think when ordering you'd get some to actually eat the meal. #datenight #socialdistancing #pandemic read more

Came here a couple of weeks ago after hubby noticed the "opening soon" sign a couple of months ago. I was definitely skeptical of another ramen place popping up in Calgary, but as I love a good bowl of noodles I didn't hesitate to give them a try. First of all, the restaurant is a small place. They've only been open for a few weeks and currently they are only accepting cash and debit. I'm not sure if they plan to accept credit in the future. Then the menu - it's one page, simple... very simple. There's two types of stock - pork and chicken, and then your typical flavors: regular, miso, shoyu, and there's tantan, tomyum and tomato (coming soon). I don't know much about the authenticity of ramen since there's so many different types depending on the region but what I enjoy is a bowl of perfectly cooked noodles with a flavorful broth, and I got just that here at Umami. Each bowl comes with some basic garnishes, two slices of pork belly (I do wish they were thicker) and you have the option to add an egg (or half, I actually don't know) for $1! One thing I absolutely fell in love with is their chashu don - a bowl of sushi rice topped with fat and lean pork pieces, drizzled with an array of sauces and garnishes. Prices are very reasonable and the staff are courteous and efficient. The owner loved my kids so much and actually gave them complimentary matcha ice cream to encourage my son to eat faster :) One thing I found interesting though was when I went to pay, they had these little small square boxes by the cash register and they said it's a gift to ladies... hmmmm... I'm sure they only have good intentions but it is such an odd thing to hand out especially at a ramen place! Nevertheless I know where to go to get a bowl of tasty noodles when the craving hits! 3.5 stars. read more

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Party of 3 for lunch. My first time and it was 11:40am on a Thursday. It's a small place with seating for no more than 30 is my guess. No one else was in the resto. Started off with pork belly buns. Bun was very light and fluffy. There were a lot of onions - green and red which I removed. The pork belly was very tasty! I had the traditional ramen with pork broth. Enjoyed the broth and the ramen was perfectly cooked with a slight chew to the texture. Nothing worse than overcooked mushy ramen!!! The BBQ pork on top was super tender and flavourful. I really wish they had more than 3 slices in a serving. Overall this was a good solid ramen bowl for lunch. I'm not sure if dinner offers different items. read more

Umami Noodle Bar - Traditional lean pork ramen - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Had the Miso Ramen and pork buns. Everything tasted good , but nothing jumped out at me either. It's a relatively small space, and the girl working there is friendly. I'm still on the hunt for Calgary's best Ramen. My vote thus far goes to Jinya. You can get add ons to your Ramen for about $1.00 ea. for an egg, pork etc. I don't know if I'd go out of my way to eat here again. It's not bad food, rather I'd say average. If you live off 16th. ave. however it might be worth a try read more

One of my fav ramen places. Great service and the broth also comes out steaming hot which I like. They also provide you with crushed sesame on top. My favourite is the red devil ramen if you handle the heat! The charsui buns, takoyaki and ikageso are delicious.There is a small parking lot behind the restaurant as it's right off 16th Ave. They also only take cash or debit so be prepared. read more

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Not blown away by the average experience I had here at Umami. It's a cute shop with a good ambiance that is fit for a ramen place. I visited just after they opened at noon one day, and I found them to be severely understaffed with only one waitress for the whole shop. I had the green tea, which for $1 is a steal, it's not just a teabag but legit. However, I was less impressed with the ramen. When it finally came, I found both the broth and the noodles to be mediocre, which means that regardless of what else comes in the bowl the bowl is doomed to be mediocre at best. At $15 for a smaller bowl, I left not completely satisfied and ended up eating a bun from the nearby Chinese bakery. And, they don't take credit card either, only debit and cash. Is this 2017 or am I lost? With many great ramen places in town, I don't see a need to come back unless everything else is closed. read more

Came here w/ my bestie. The bun was really good. But they ran out of the chicken broth ramen. So we ended up ordering the pork broth... It was ok.. I guess. read more

Umami Noodle Bar - Omg! The bun was so good! - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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I tried out this ramen spot last week for the first time with my parents and I may have found my new go-to ramen spot in Calgary! I had the Tonkotsu Miso and it was Ahhhhmazing! The broth was rich and smooth with lots of mingling salty and 'umami' flavours. The chashu is among the best I've had in Calgary, the pork belly literally melts in your mouth. Also the egg I added on (only $1!) was very tasty and the yolk was the perfect texture. The only reason I'm taking off a star is because service is really quite slow, maybe they should hire another waitress, but she was very friendly! Looking forward to going back and trying more things off the menu! read more

I ordered the tonkotsu ramen for 13$ and the chashu rice bowl for 4$ more. The soup and rice was a delicious combination! Soup and rice were cooked to perfection. I finished the whole thing, i can not think anything that could be improved, and can not wait to come back and try another soup and rice! read more

Very good Ramen noodle bowls. Flavors where great. The waitress had a very positive attitude and the decor is unusual with a Amazing art piece on the wall. I would come back for a second round read more

Umami Noodle Bar - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Umami will be my go-to for ramen now. The broth is soooooo good and not at all salty. We had the Tonkatsu with lean pork and Tonkatsu with belly pork. The waitress will put freshly ground sesame seeds on your bowl of ramen. Slurped that whole bowl. Limited parking at the back. Only cash and debit card. read more

I love this place. I have only had the Chashu Buns and the Tom Yum Seafood soup, but both are delicious. The tom yum broth is very rich and flavourful, if a little salty. I did try a bite of the spicy Tonkotsu Spicy Miso and can say I was pleased with that soup as well...though I do prefer the Tom Yum. read more

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We had the omakase there and was very disappointed. We were charged close to $300 for two for a "10 course" meal, when was each course was literally two pieces of sushi. The sushi was objectively good but definitely not worth $12/ piece. We had Wagyu beef too but the stove wasn't working and it took them 15 mins to get us a new stove. They took so long in between courses of the two pieces of sushi, we got there at 6 and the whole course meal didn't finish till 10pm. You can spend your $150 each elsewhere for better sushi. read more

Very nice place, people very friendly- smile all the time Will introduce from the menu when u come the first time. Food are yummy.. Dumpling must try! Recommend~~ read more

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The food is good and pricing is average. BUT service is extremely slow. My girlfriend and I had to wait 35 min after ordering before our. food arrived. And when it did arrive the waiter got one of our orders wrong. They got us a ebi fry curry instead of the ebi fry. The food was good But definitely not worth the wait read more

My favorite after trying many ramen places in Calgary. I found this place to be authentic, in addition to the flavour being well balanced and not too salty. I like the topping variety as well as the quantity of ramen. read more

Fantastic tonkostu ramen. Very rich in flavour but not too salty. Definitely recommend for ramen purists! Had the takoyaki as well which were also delicious. Made with a delicate crispy outside and steaming hot and soft inside. read more

I came here for lunch today. The service is friendly, but food comes out rather slowly. Other than that, the food is fairly good. I would recommend the Pork Chashu bun. You get two for around $7, and the are quite large. They taste very good, and include onions, pork, mayo, and tonkutsu sauce. Another dish I would recommend would be the calamari. The batter is quite light, and the calamari not too chewey. I personally do not eat ramen, (even though this is mostly a ramen joint) but I hear that it is also flavourful. Would I come back here? Maybe for the Pork buns, and for ramen if you like ramen. (Again, I don't eat ramen petsonally) Overall this place was good, and I will be back in the future. read more

Love this place. Super friendly staff! The decor is really nice and there's a fun chalkboard to write on. They are open late- we came in about 930 pm on a Thursday. Their menu is simple but hits all the right spots . I got the seafood miso and my husband got the spicy miso- both were excellent. We will definitely be back read more

I love this place! My boyfriend and I come here quite frequently because it is close to us and the soups are so good. The owners are so kind to us every time we are there too! Highly recommend the veggie ramen!! read more

I eat here on a regular basis for lunch and the food and service is always excellent. Well balanced flavours, consistently good features and some of the best service I have ever had. Prices are fair and the quality is good. Recommend this become a regular lunch or dinner spot for anyone reading this :) read more

Can't say it's the best ramen in the city but it's also not bad either... hard to find parking and inside feels a bit cramped...waited quite a while for our food to come out despite it being ramen. read more

The first time I came here it was fantastic. I really enjoyed my food and the service was great. The last three times I've come here however they have been out of calamari (which is usually what I'm craving when I come here as the ramen isn't the best ramen in the city) and each time I've asked to substitute extra noodles instead of meat in my tonkotsu, I've been told they don't do extra noodles. The ramen is decent, the "spicy" option is just a dollop of hot sauce and the noodles are a little chewier than typical. Not bad, I just wish they had more of a focus on customer service and all the items that they list on their menu consistently. read more

Great service and atmosphere! Love the wall painting! Love the long opening hours, can still grab a ramen after shopping where most placs are closed. Excellent ramen with rich broth, looks small but it's not, perfect portion! Will definitely be back! Only disappointment was the cha shu in the cha shu bao was way too thin. I've try so many places, this place's is about 1/4 thickness of the others and texture of bao was fluffy like air. Will skip that moving forward. read more

Definitely ranks near the bottom of the ramen places in Calgary in terms of food and location. The cushioned bench seats are awkwardly placed with respect to the table. It's as if the person who designed the place didn't realize the owner would be putting in more tables than the bench should seat. I felt a little cramped in the small restaurant. I ordered a spicy tonkotsu ramen and I was severely disappointed and felt misleaded by "spicy". I was served basically a ramen with a non-spicy broth that had a squirt of hot sauce on top of the noodles....what? I came here because of some of the good reviews. On closer inspection some of the good reviews (especially on zomato) came from people who like Maruju Sushi in Calgary (apparently it's by the same owner?). I suspect there are some friends of the owner who are giving them more stars than they deserve. Don't be deceived! PS. Parking was so hard to find in the back. What were the owners thinking when they chose this lot? The strip mall across has glaring signs that it is private property and you will be ticketed should they find that you are illegally parked there. I saw Calgary Parking Authority patrolling the parking lot. Don't risk it! read more

We love everything about Umami. The dumplings are the best in town and the ramen is fabulous. Great service and great prices!

We came as a group of 8 after coming back from road trip. There was limited parking at 8pm. I ordered the Tonkotsu miso, I think they burnt the broth because I could smell it and the broth was slightly bitter. Aside from the bitterness, the broth was flavourful. However, the ramen was disappointing because it looked and tasted like instant noodles. There were very few add-ons so the noodles weren't really customizable. For the price of $12, I'd say it's not worth it. Sad to say I probably will not be returning to this place. Staff were friendly though. read more

My fiancé and I made a stop at this place last night on our way home from a long and cold day. What better on a freezing YYC night then a delicious bowl of ramen. Well this place did not disappoint, It recently opened and I've already been hearing from my foodie friends that this place is a must!!! well I can agree, if you are looking for a perfect mix of flavor and deliciousness this it you place, the soup it rich but not greasy or overly oily like most ramen places in town that relay on flavor by adding tones of chill oil and spices ... umm not a fan of that, but this place truly hits the spot. The pork buns are to die for! made in house and mmmmm so juicy and moist and the shrimp dumplings are a perfect appetizer if your not too hungry and don't wanna fill up too much before your soup. Service was on point!! we were greeted as soon as we walked in and trough out our meal they really made sure to keep checking if we need or wanted anything.These days with so many new places popping up I find that even if the food is good the service always seems to need some extra help... down to some of the more pricier spots in town that really need to work on improving their service. such is not the case for Umami, they really left a great impression on my fiancé and me and I can defiantly say I will be making this place a frequent spot. Finally this city has a great ramen bar worth reviewing about. Yummy yummy!! :) read more