Fun trendy spot in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. There are so many new hot spots in this area from when I last lived here. This one I would highly recommend making reservations because it's smaller and popular. You would not know it was there if you were not aware of it. There is no sign outside and you have to walk up two flights of stairs to get there. The decor in the hallway is fun. When you walk up the steps you see two bars. One with drinks and a raw bar. Those are first come first serve. We decided to take a chance on a Friday night without reservations and try and get a spot. We were able to get a spot at the bar in a good area around 6:30pm. They have a DJ starting at 8! The person hosting in the front was a very great host with customer service. Since my sister said I was visiting he was helpful with suggesting menu items and giving advice of other spots. Very personable. I got the octopus bites and some of the skewers. Once was Brussels and the other was shrimp. All the food was delicious but my favorite was the drink. I ordered 3 of the same drink. I thought it was so good! It was the only drink with tequila in it and it was spicy and tart. My only issue there was the specials were read to other customers by the bartender but we did not get read the specials. So I would have ordered one of the specials if I knew about them. read more

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Nice place to hang out on a friday night...just need to book the table a few weeks ahead The scallops are great and the happy hour salmon nigiri is also a recommendation read more

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Wow I can't believe I haven't reviewed Umami sooner. This is in my top 5 fav restaurants in Pittsburgh. I was introduced to Umami by friends a few years ago. You enter the restaurant through the side door on 38th street. You go up a few flights of steps. I'm not sure if they have another access point if you are not able to do steps. You can smell the food as you are walking up the steps past the bright red lantern lights. It is dimly lit and a super cool vibe. It definitely does not feel like you are in Pittsburgh. On the weekends they have awesome djs. It is the perfect place for dinner before going out on a Saturday night. I don't know what it is, but every dish on the menu has a certain taste (maybe it's literally the umami flavor?) that you can't find anywhere else. I have eaten many dishes from the menu, but here are some of the highlights! The veggie gyoza are crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. They are really yummy, but are a little bit spicy! I first tried Takoyaki at Umami! They are Octopus Balls made with: Aonori, Kewpie, Tonkatsu Sauce, and Katsoubushi. Wow! They look like fried hush puppies and are warm and mushy inside with chunks of octopus. They are the definition of an umami dish. Don't skip these. Note: I have ordered these takeout and they don't travel well. You need to eat them while they're fresh! They used to have miso deviled eggs and I'm not sure if those are back on the menu or not, but they were definitely a fav for our group. The sashimi plate is one of the best ever. This is the first place I ever tried raw scallops. They melt in your mouth and are buttery. They are placed between lemon wedges and it gives it the perfect amount of acid. Literally drooling just thinking about the scallops! The raw fish is always fresh. The sashimi place is made up of: Madai, Sake, Hamachi, Maguro, Scallop, Ikura for $26. You don't dip it in soy sauce and wasabi like a normal sushi restaurant. Sometimes there are little pipettes (?) of soy sauce or some other type of sauce you pour over it. It is my favorite thing to order there with a glass of sparkling rosé! On to the noodles! You HAVE to get an order of Udon noodles even if you plan on just going there for sashimi or sushi rolls. Yaki Udon - Hon Shimeji, Beets, Nori, Togarashi, Beni Shoga, Onsen. The noodles are thick and gooey and have so many textures and flavors. I haven't tasted anything like this anywhere else in Pittsburgh. The portion sizes are big, so you can definitely share this noodle dish with someone! PSA! These noodles are very spicy! Make a reservation for this place now! You do have to book fairly far in advance, especially for a group. Pick a day and plan for it - you won't regret it! read more

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Everything was great besides the hair in the food Atmosphere was good service was pretty good a shame we spent some kind of money to not eat the food bc there's hair in it read more

Umami - Hair - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Food was exceptional as well as the service in the private room! They created the perfect atmosphere for our daughter's graduation from Pitt! Hail2Pitt! read more

This place is absolutely fabulous. Our server Emily was awesome!! Atmosphere was 10/10 and food was to die for!! Perfect date spot and looks so cool at night read more

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It's ok... kinda trendy, and a cool vibe. It's a good place to go on a date, or hang out with friends. In terms of the food it's solid but not amazing. Service is kind of slow bc they're usually pretty busy. read more

Really nice little Japanese bar with good sushi. The bowl was one of the best in Pittsburgh. The place is on the upper floor so just keep going if you are unsure. 100% will be back. read more

Umami - Chirashi Bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

My husband and I wen5here for dinner this weekend and we were blown away! It's a small restaurant with a nice sized bar and has a dark and hip Asian vibe. When we arrived, our table wasn't yet ready, but the host promptly took our cocktail order while we waited at the bar. We ended up eating at the sushi bar, which was fun to watch them make everything. We had a mezcal cucumber cocktail which was delicious. For dinner, we shared the pancake, beef and pork belly robatayaki, and Grand Chiriashi (which is an amazing selection of raw fish over rice). It was delicious. The service was fast and excellent. We will definitely come back. It was an all around fantastic experience! read more

Best ambience in the city! Very good choices of food to pick from! You'll love it like I do!

They have nice ambient lighting and the red lighting makes all the food look bloodshot red haha. Also you have to climb an entire TWO FLIGHTS of stairs. Exceptional service; the food was really tasty and eye-catching. read more

Umami - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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4.5 stars. Enjoyed my night here with a mix of sake, cocktails, and small dishes. Fresh sushi is hard to find in Pittsburgh, but Umami delivers very well with their fresh sushi selections. Highly recommend the yellowtail if you haven't tried it yet. The skewers were also great, as there were many options, with ample quantities of meat on then. Atmosphere can be a bit loud, especially with the DJ and lots of people in the small room, but it's a fun time. Overall, the ability to try a variety of high quality Japanese dishes and an exciting restaurant vibe made for a memorable experience. read more

We loved our dinner at Umami!!! The ambience was really cool - fun music and lighting, floor seating, DJ - everything was very hip. And the food was 10/10. Would recommend any of the skewers and sushi read more

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One of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh. The ambiance and decor is fantastic. Food is well priced, well portioned, and delicious. I particularly enjoyed the Yakitori, Ramen, and Karaage. They have great drinks as well. You cannot go wrong with Umami and if you are between two different restaurants for a night out, choose Umami. read more

Simply marvelous dining, and truly authentic Japanese Cuisine. The food is stunning, all carefully prepared to allow you to experience the complex and subtle flavors that are the hallmark of Japanese cooking. Our server was very attentive, and contributed several helpful suggestions regarding my menu choices. Several vegetarian options are available. My only concern is the absence of a Shōchū drink option. I loved the soft Jazz playing in the background, very typical of a fine Japanese restaurant. There's a terrific Japanese ambience overall. Very impressive! read more

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Yes, this place lived up to the stellar reviews. We were in the neighborhood and decided to chance it and hope for a seat at the bar. I'm glad we did! Luckily, at the time we arrived there were several bar seats available - but it did fill up quickly. I will also note there were no tables available, so other yelp reviews are very accurate when they mention making reservations. The atmosphere here is very funky (in a good way) I love all of the dark decor and night club-like lighting. Please be aware there are several flights of narrow stairs - so be prepared to do some climbing! The bartender who served us was awesome - very knowledgeable of the menu and willing to provide menu recommendations. Neither of us had been here - so we decided to try a few menu items. The robatayaki menu was extensive, but I wouldn't say that we would order from it again. We were served a few small skewers (our bartender let us know they were tiny beforehand so that was appreciated) but the flavor wasn't anything to rave about. We had the Wagyu beef tenderloin, and the Scottish Salmon. Both were good, but not crazy good. For our meals we had the CHIRASHI which was filled with fresh fish, and even a quail egg. I ordered the MISO RAMEN and was extremely happy with not only the flavorful taste, but the amount of veggies (especially mushrooms) that were given. I'm happy I could cross this place off of my PGH food bucket list - I would recommend it to anyone looking for a cool hang out spot - and someone who enjoys a fresh, and unique dining experience. read more

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Wow, everything tasted great. And I was able to accommodate vegetarian in the group well the rest of us really enjoyed the pork and chicken and beef and seafood options. read more

I had high expectations for Umami, the "U" stop on our Pittsburgh restaurant alphabet tour. Those weren't quite met, but I can't in good conscience rate this place lower than a 4. Up the stairs on a side street off of Butler in Lawrenceville you'll find Umami, a Japanese pub dedicated to Umami flavors. Umami is one of the five basic tastes (sweet, bitter, salty, and sour being the other four). It can be best described with a loose translation to "a pleasant savory taste" in English. It reminded me of a speakeasy the way most doors were unmarked or subtly pointed to the restaurant. The music was vibrant and loud, contrasting the dull lighting. It was someplace I enjoyed being. Book online a week or two in advance as spots fill up quickly. Let's get to the food. The menu is broken into a couple categories "Yatai" (think appetizers or street food), "Robata" (a single skewer of 3-4 meats), and sushi. This place is great for picking a couple small plates and sharing amongst friends or your date. I recommend getting anything that you have never heard of! You'll be pleasantly surprised. For us it was the Okonomiyaki. We also wanted to try a few of the Robata and topped it off with the Shio Ramen as sort of the main dish. Okonomiyaki 4.1/5 - a pancake type of street food filled with various veggies and the likes. Topped with a couple sauces, you get a great variety of textures from crisp to creamy to chewy and flavors from sweet to savory to bitter. A true definition of umami and a sensation on the palate. Robata 3.8/5 - we opted for the bacon wrapped quail egg, wagyu beef, and pork belly. These are priced around $3-4 each which seems a little steep for how good they were. The wagyu did not feel tender enough to be wagyu, I'm skeptical it was. It was seasoned well though. The bacon wrapped quail egg was unique, with a creamy center of the yolk, but the bacon overwhelmed it. The pork belly was mostly fat so how could it have been bad? I felt these pieces were under seasoned. Ramen 3.2/5 - the biggest let down. I was truly looking forward to a delicious and beautiful ramen dish prepared here, but it failed to meet expectations. There was a burnt taste in every bite that I believe was incorporated into the broth that I could not get past. Maybe it was supposed to be like that, but it was so distracting that I couldn't enjoy the other aspects of it. I've had better 30 minute eggs and the pork belly was bland again. That all being said, this place has so much to offer and I can't underrate it because of one dish that I personally did not like. If I was invited to here again I would look forward to going but with so many great places to explore in the area, it would likely be a while until I went back on our own again. read more

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My visit was to visit a new place and satisfy my sushi craving. What a surprise to find out the magic that this place is!! Its groovy. Not giving anything away. Its NOT your typical sushi place. You will learnand have to ask what things are. I apparently made happy hour (5-6p) but worth it! I sat at the bar and Chris was awesome. I had the Japnese fried chicken, the nigiri salmon with miso torch...and my wine and drink was delicious. You have to experience it for yourself. Dinner will be pricey but so worth it. It will be a dining experience! The music also sets a perfect tone and vibe. The staff will help you through the menu. Its must! Enjoy, you will NOT regret it read more

Great sushi, fun vibe, terrific service. Hidden gem that was a great start to a night out.

Every bite I had at Umami was delicious, from the takoyaki to the chirashi, we were so thrilled with everything we ordered. It was all so well prepared and the restaurant's dark and cool atmosphere just adds to the overall experience. I hope for the opportunity to go back soon! read more

For all my sushi lovers, you must get the nigiri plate! I almost always get this and it is never a disappointment. My favorite nigiri has to be the ikura/quail egg combo and I could probably eat 10 of these and still want more. The only downside is I wish they had a larger sushi roll selection and a la carte options. The drinks are also all fabulous and very pretty. They have an expansive sake list too. They recently reopened their happy hour menu (5-6pm) that is $2 off all alcohol and a few eats (karaage chicken, tuna crispy rice nigiri, salmon nigiri, etc). On Fridays they usually have really cool specials and they always post them on their Instagram. I would recommend getting a reservation since seating inside is limited, but you could also try to walk in and get bar seating as well. All of the servers we've gotten in the past have all been so kind and attentive. The ambiance is dark, moody, and upbeat. This would be a great spot for a date night. read more

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Always impressed with Umami, and when this damn pandemic ends, it's a great place to get reservations with a group of friends. And when I say reservations, yes, you need them whether you have 2 or 10 people. You'll have to book them far in advance to get ideal times since they are a small restaurant. From their Yatai menu, the Yaki Udon and Karaage are stand outs for us. The Udon is full of flavor without being overly salty. The Karaage is crispy, juicy and is perfect with their (mayo?) dipping sauce. The Robata and Sushi menus are always great and a nice fill-in course as well - specifically the Wagyu beef or bacon and quail eggs as they are much better value for the money compared to the shrimp. The Taiyaki for dessert is unique and a delicious mix of sweet and savory and their drinks are all reasonably priced. Combine this with a fun atmosphere and Umami continues to be a solid choice in the Pittsburgh area. read more

Invest in a better reservation system. One that doesn't double book. Your staff knows it's an issue. And turning away loyal customers who spend thousands of dollars per year at your establishment is not worth the few bucks you are saving using a sub par system. I used to frequent this restaurant 4 to 5 times per month. But the level of customer service lately and the fact that they couldn't be bothered is disappointing for a high end restaurant. Hopefully you do better in the future. read more

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I've been wanting to go here ever since I saw it on yelp and I have to say it didn't disappoint! The restaurant was super cute and the food was great! I would definitely recommend saving a little bit a room for dessert, you won't regret it! read more

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food - most things were really good robatayaki - all of them were really good. the pork belly was literally melt in your mouth. the prime strip steak was cooked perfectly and had good flavor. the chicken skin was unexpectedly good -- sweet and crunchy. the whole squid was pretty standard, cooked well, and drizzled with unagi sauce. takoyaki - this was sooo good. it was cooked so that the outside was perfectly crisp and the inside wasn't dry or hard. the flavor was also there. highly recommend yaki udon - really good and I liked how you could actually taste the mushroom in the dish. stay away though if you don't like mushroom hamachi collarbone thing - this was one of their specials or something it wasn't on the menu. it was alright, was a bit too dry but the flavor was kinda there drinks - there were good ones and bad ones cream on chrome - I really liked it, it was coconutty and I usually don't like coconut but somehow liked this one. this one is kinda like a slushy so it was hard to drink thru the straw. overall not too strong mermaid tears - someone said it tastes like gatorade, I kinda agree. slightly stronger than the cream on chrome but still good and really pretty better than the parlors - this one was really good, definitely had lychee flavor in it. I also liked eating the drink-infused lychee at the end. probably just as strong as mermaid tears. this was probably my favorite one suntory x red bull highball - this was really strong we had to dilute it with more red bull hahaha... umeshu nezcal white negroni - strong tequila taste which I don't like, but the umeshu flavor was definitely there. pretty strong but not as strong as the highball. price - a bit pricey, our our bill for 4 people came up to be $350 (granted each of us got 2 rounds of drinks). I think the price makes sense though for the ambiance and quality of the food and restaurant ambiance - the whole restaurant is so red it makes it kinda hard to see anything. but other than that it has good vibes service - really good, our waitress was super nice and made conversation with us. she also knew the menu really well and explained everything in a really nice sounding way which was very impressive! read more

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Probably one of my all time favorite meals. This is the kind of restaurant where you want to order everything, and because a lot of the menu is small bites - you can! Of the robata with chicken tare, which comes in small barbecued skewers, we ordered the kabocha squash, brussel sprouts, wagyu beef, and pork belly (which my boyfriend described as the best bite of meat he has ever had). We also ordered the nigiri plate (salmon, blue fin tuna, fluke, madai, hamachi, ikura), Hokkaido scallop nigiri, and tako octopus nigiri. The tako octopus was insanely delicious - my favorite bite of raw seafood. We then ordered the tuna tataki and okonomiyaki to fill us up. The tuna was seared perfectly with precision. Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake with kabocha, brussel sprouts, cabbage, tonkatsu, and katsuobushi. It was surprisingly creamy and crispy, made to perfection. We ended on a sweet note. They were serving taiyaki, which is a fish shaped pancake of sorts, filled with red bean paste with a side of a little scoop of soy ice cream dusted with seaweed dust. Holy cow. I didn't think this was the type of place where I'd rave about ice cream - but the balanced flavors were nothing short of masterful. My boyfriend also enjoyed the old Osaka and kumo sour; I'm not much of a drinker, so I can't say much but he thought they were delicious. As evidenced by the length of my review - the food here is delicious. With the shutdown, you might miss out on their killer ambience, but I'd urge you to order from here regardless. The menu is obviously thoughtfully crafted and every bite here was divine. read more

Nice atmosphere. Good music. It wants to be a hidden gem so bad (mysterious black entrance door, small sign on the side of an alley...) but the food just isn't there. Sushi was a bit overpriced in my opinion, for the freshness of it. I got the shio ramen - the pork ribs were really tasty & the noodles were nice. The rest of the ramen was a bit subpar. The nitamago was too vinegary and the broth not flavorful enough and not spicy enough for me. I added chili oil and that made it a lot better. Drinks were pretty but not the best I had. Cute place for a date or whatever. Might be back , might not. Who knows. read more

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amazing food and so fun! we sat at the bar and got great drinks too! such good service and ambience with the dj! read more

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Phenomenal food and experience. This is a dining experience -- every course was described in detail by our server. Barry was excellent!

Delicious food. Very cool ambiance and environment. Upbeat funky atmosphere. Sort of tricky to find if it's your 1st time, Not recommended for anyone with mobility issues, it is on the 3rd floor (lots of stairs) and use side door of building. One of my favorite restaurants for years now. Never a bad meal. Fun to go with friends and order items to share. read more

We made reservations for Thursday evening at 7 PM and found it fairly crowded, but with spots still available. The venue is intimate and decor is nice, perhaps our favorite part of the experience. We waited a bit for service, a bit of a miss. It was a wait before our server came. I ordered tuna onigiri and robatayaki (squid as the red snapper that is so photographed in these reviews was unavailable) and hubs ordered chirashi. The onigiri comes out. We're perplexed as how to approach it. We're looking around and I see others picking at it, using a soy sauce bowl to dip. Unfortunately, there's no soy sauce bowl or server around. Blah. I attack it nonetheless. It works. Taste wise, it is very average. The scallions were very mild and it was more rice than anything. A soy sauce bowl would have done wonders. I ended up spreading the wasabi using chopsticks. The squid comes as I'm working on the onigiri. Hubs has a few bites as he waits for his dish. I've finished and start on the squid for a bit before the chirashi arrives. The squid is colder than I'd like, considering it was off the flames. Hubs thought it was his favorite item. His chirashi was very average. It was an elaborate presentation like the onigiri, but nothing that left us wowed. Service wasn't attentive for us. Another couple sat next to our table as we were wrapping up and they were offered greater service and attention, offered tap versus sparkling as we were given regular tap, without so much as an offer for something else. No rush to go back. read more

Umami - Squid robatayaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Best sushi in Pittsburgh. The atmosphere feels like Brooklyn NY! Awesome service every time. Easily my favorite restaurant in all of Pittsburgh. read more

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I love the smaller size of the restaurant. My noodle bowl was the BEST dish I've had ever. Top 5 dishes! So flavorful, so delicious! I cannot wait to go back already. * you do have to walk up a few flights of stairs to reach the top but it's so worth it!! The dimmer lights makes for a moody romantic vibe! read more

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A very unique and cozy find in the Lawrenceville area. I dined here for a birthday dinner for a friend in their private dining room. Our server was very kind and truly made our evening special. On top of the beautiful interior design, Umami has a fabulous menu to select from. I got their ramen and was throughly impressed with the cuisine. read more

Umami - A delicious bowl of Ramen from Umami - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We love this place we get something different every time we go. Recommend making reservations read more

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This is the best Sushi I have had in Pittsburgh. We also loved the robatayaki and pancake too. The vibe inside was so fun and the service was great. I loved the open air kitchen also. We did not have a dinner reservation, but did not have to wait as we were okay sitting at the bar. If you don't have a reservation, you definitely need to get there early! read more

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We got a reservation here about 8-9 weeks ago for an early Friday evening dinner. I think if we'd been less picky on day of week and time we could've been in sooner, but just an FYI for any others trying to make Umami happen on a special day/time. We had a very nice first experience here. We found the waitstaff to be very knowledgeable and willing to give opinions/advice when asked, which we did plenty of. Since some of the plates were kind of small and my wife and I shared everything, we opted for four pieces of nigiri, two skewers, tempura shrimp, okanomiyaki, and a bowl of udon. The okanomiyaki and udon were absolutely fantastic and the size of main dishes while the rest of what I mentioned were appetizers and tapas plates. Everything tasted great but I was partial to the udon and skewers which I found had great flavors and nice marinade. You're likely to spend a pretty penny here (like we did), but I think it's worth it for special occasions every once in a while. read more

I love this place. I've never been to Tokyo, but I assume that the esthetic of this place captures it extremely well. The loud music, red lights, and close proximity to other people dining makes for such an awesome dining experience. The restaurant is based off of famous Japanese street foods, but there is a ton of sushi and other larger dishes noodle dishes to choose from. They have cocktails made from Japanese spirits, and sake if you are into that. I would recommend making a reservation especially if you want to dine in on the weekend. The restaurant is on the more expensive side, but it is totally worth it if you're looking for something different. read more

We went to Umami at our nephew's recommendation but were sadly disappointed - not so much because of the food but for the service. Our waitress was more interested in chatting up a man at the bar than looking after table patrons. Couldn't get her attention for about 15 minutes; Didn't even look our way. We had to make it painfully obvious that we were ready to order. And since the food wasn't great enough to outweigh the poor service and climb of 2 steep flights of steps, we most likely will not be returning for a follow up visit. read more