I got a to go order so I can't rate the restaurant. But walking in service was really fast and friendly and gave me my order very quickly. The restaurant seemed quite spacious and family friendly. I really enjoyed my meal however I paid for lobster tails, which was an up charge and there was some shrimp in there as well. I was a little surprised to see that. It is a large portion of food, so I really did enjoy the rest of the meal and the soul and rice was delicious! read more

Umami - Steak and Lobster Tails hibachi Clear Soup - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Wow. If you're coming for sushi, you will NOT be disappointed. We have found 1 other sushi place we love out here, but their prices are more on the fine dining side. We needed to come to the area for a Yelp Elitw event and decided to grab lunch as well. The reviews for the sushi looked GREAT, so we gave it a try. YALL. We ordered 4 different rolls: Screaming O JP Salmon Orange Dragon Godzilla AND ALL OF THEM WERE FIRE. It was a flawless sushi rotation and I can't wait to go back and try more. We also started the lunch with fried gyoza and chilled apple sake. We walked right in around lunch time on a Thursday. Besides a bit of confusion at the counter about us wanting to sit down to eat, but not hibachi,, everything was great from there on. You will not regret coming here for sushi. TRUST ME. read more

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Always amazing service, food and the glazed carrots are incredible! Servings are huge with enough to eat off of for 2 days. I always sit in the bar area for a solo dinner and the service is quick with friendly staff. read more

Umami - Choice of Two with shrimp and chicken plus a side of the glazed carrots (amazing) - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We were very disappointed, to say the least. The salad dressing was watery--almost as if they didn't strain the greens properly. The miso soup was watered down and had no flavor. The steak was good, but they cooked a large portion of rice with only two eggs. Overall, it seems like they're trying to cut down on costs. read more

Umami - Miso soup and salad - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Our second trip to celebrate my sons birthday and we took my daughter with autism along. They were so amazing and inclusive. While the food is amazing and chefs talented, their kindness towards my child set them a step above. Thank you for making my son's birthday great and including my child. read more

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Last night my family and I decided to finish celebrating my sisters birthday and decided to have dinner here, unfortunately half of the party had a horrible experience. Our cook came out drunk, he was very disrespectful and aggressive. For the start of the conversation he told me "Fu*K you" in front of children at the table only because he got my order wrong and asked could be repeat it. Throughout the service he continued to taunt me and say very rude things as well as playing with my food. The food was burnt and no season. The final straw for me after several disrespectful comments towards me but when he told my 10 yr old niece speak the f*K up do you speak English I can't hear you is when I finally had enough. I immediately got up and found a manager, a older lady came out and I expressed my concerns with her she stated she would talk to him when he was finish. I told her I'm done and proceeded to leave. She did apologize and offered my meal for free I told her no I didnt even touch it so no I didn't want it. Another manger came out a male he was VERY professional and understanding; he seemed very disappointed in the guy and apologize as well by that time I was over it. The cook kept making comments as I spoke with management. My family also expressed their concerns and what they experience and the older lady didn't want to believe it at first but after 15 people began to express what they saw she came back out with with a free appetizer I declined as I would never be back. Oh yea I stay in Fayetteville and my other family was visiting from Augusta, Ga and if this is how you conduct busines I don't think any of us will be returning read more

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Went last night for dinner. Seated quickly and everyone was very friendly. Chef was very entertaining. Food was delicious.

We were headed to Kanki and decided to visit Umami instead. The main reason was to avoid the hustle and bustle of Crabtree Mall parking. It was a great choice for my birthday dinner. The wait was short, the service was good and the food was flavorful. I will be returning to try some additional menu items. But the NC State and Eel and cucumber sushi rolls were delicious. We also had the Sunami entree. Everything was prepared to our liking. The ambience is great for celebrations and girls/guys night out. You can even do a first date here if you don't want to be overly intimate and forced to talk to just one person. Others will be at the table with you. LOL! Another plus is that they offer Sapporo beer! Happy eating! read more

this is place is very nice and a great alternative to kanki the prices aren't high the restaurant is very nice we were seated very quickly the service is very good waiters are attentive and the chefs are very entertaining me and the wife came for a date night and they didn't disappoint we chose this place off a recommendation read more

Would rate it a negative number if I could. We came here for my birthday tonight, I had made a reservation a week ago. We arrived and were checked in and told that they were clearing out a table for us. 45 minutes later and after asking twice for an update, we were shown to our table. Drinks and orders were taken quickly and the drinks and soup / salads were brought quickly. We then didn't see the service for 45 minutes (an hour since we sat down). We all had empty glasses and watched as all tables sat down right after us got a server. When they were all almost done with cooking I got up and visited the host stand to tell them about the experience and say that we had been forgotten about. The server cane after that and refilled our glasses, then a chef came out and started clearing away bowls and cups that the server hadn't and my friend knocked over my water glass, it broke and drenched me in water. I just started sobbing and walked out because after two hours at the restaurant, none of us had food, we were some of the only people left in the restaurant, and I was drenched in water. It was the worst experience I've ever had a restaurant and I would say yourself time especially and find somewhere to go because I've never experienced such negligent service and had a terrible birthday evening. read more

Food was great! Service awesome! Nice size restaurant. I like that they offer noodles and different items on the menu! read more

We went to this place to celebrate my bestie's milestone birthday!!! She wanted to try this so we said why not make her happy on her birthday by going to this place... bad bad idea!!!!! Ambience is full with overcooked oil smell and I had to steam clean my dress and shoes that I wore. We waited more than 10 minutes to be seated despite advance booking ...and then the horror started.. the server was extremely rude and we could read her face expressions when we were asking questions regarding menu...Out of 5 three of us were vegeterians... even though the portions were big there was a tsunami of soy sauce in everything.... Soup had beef broth so we did let it go and then she brought lattuce with a spoon full of ginger dressing and was serving us from the other side of table and literally throwing those bowls in front of us.. no chopsticks were offered ‍ The chef was ok and trick of breaking the egg in air and onion volcano are too old now ... BORING that fire was too close to our faces and oil smell took away my appetite and I just waited for everyone to be done and get out in fresh air.. ONLY one option for vegetarians in the menu which is called 'vegetables soaked in soy sauce' .... we ordered vegetable tempura from appetizers and that was utterly oily ... Geisha lady who probably is an owner was only there to collect check and tip ....I have no idea why was she crowding on the already crowded table The only good thing about the place is that it has doors so you can run outside to breathe .. plus a cute kid who was in the random family sitting next to me for 5 of us we paid 180$ including tip .. Such a WASTE of our hard earned money and I will NEVER go back EVER Note to self: Find a better japanese place in raleigh to make it up to your taste buds read more

This is not Teppenyaki. The show is underwhelming to non-existent. This is American food disguised as Asian food. Teppenyaki has lost its charm and the sight of peoples' plates drowning in white sauce is nauseating to see. To top it off, they cook spaghetti noodles on the griddle with a soy sauce blend and toss it onto your plate of mush. Service is mediocre and the manager could use some customer service training. Will not be coming back again. read more

Went here and ate at the sushi bar. Great sushi(godzilla roll)family member got a steak meal I tried some, it was great. Very calm in there and the service was quick and the person there was kind. 5 stars. read more

Umami - Godzilla Roll - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Good to sometimes great hibachi spot. Ordering at the table or sitting and watching the hibachi show the quality is pretty consistent everytime I go, a trait that is important. The portions are a great size and the staff is always friendly and having fun read more

Lunch time, best sushi we've ever eaten! Lunch portions generous, food was excellent. Great time was had by all.

This is me and my daughter's favorite hibachi place and I decided to try some different items than my normal usual. The chicken lettuce wraps were pretty good, a little too salty for my liking but I'm glad that I did at least try it. The Volcano Roll was really good too. The service was nice, only issue was watching my drink sit at the bar a little too long for my liking. But the drink was good and I definitely only needed one lol. All in all love the place! 9/10 definitely recommended. read more

Umami - Volcano Roll (I had to dig into it a little before remembering to take a picture lol) - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Great experience. I ordered the Ninja Hibachi and it was absolutely delicious. It was so good that I would order it again. The flavor was so amazing. Be prepared to be stuffed though because you get a lot of stuff with your dinner. You get both fried rice and noodles as well as vegetables. The chef was very good and put on a great " show". The area we sat it was very nice because it had only two hibachi grills and so it was nice and quiet. I would certainly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys hibachi. read more

This is my "go to" spot for sushi! The rolls are always super fresh and tasty. The staff are always friendly. If for some reason you're not a sushi fan, they also have Hibachi! read more

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I recently tried Umami and it's an amazing Japanese sushi spot in the Triangle! My family and I placed an order for 3 sushi rolls and an appetizer (gyoza) one evening, and the food was ready for pick up in about 30 minutes. Online ordering was a breeze, and I love that they have photos for all the different sushi rolls as well as many of the other items on the menu so you know what you are getting. In terms of the food, everything was really good. The gyoza had a perfectly crispy exterior and a delicious pork filling inside. And the 3 sushi rolls we got were the dancing eel roll, the spicy tuna tempura roll, and the wolf roll -- my favorites were hands down the spicy tuna tempura roll and the wolf roll. The spicy tuna tempura roll is pretty unique in that it is flash fried and cut in a different way than regular sushi is (so you actually see the inside if that makes sense), and I thought the salmon and tuna on top of the wolf roll were so fresh! Definitely would recommend trying out Umami for their sushi and other menu items, and I will be back in the future :) read more

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Excellent sushi and good wine. Service was good and ambience tranquil as well. I will recommend this place.

Extremely disappointing experience tonight. Rushed service and dinner experience. No "show" with dinner. Bringing to-go containers to the table as soon as my entree is placed on the plate. read more

I thought the food was dreadful as did everyone else at the table. We had the hibachi and it had no flavor just salty from the soy sauce. Portion was large but for how bad it was, 25-30.00 is too much no matter how much they give you. That was our first time there and our last. read more

We had reservations for 7:30pm on July 31 and did the cook did not come to our table until 9pm. The food was very good but they are short staffed with cooks. The manager wouldn't take accountability. The food is good but be prepared to wait a long time to eat. read more

We were looking for a place to have dinner for a birthday but we didn't want the celebration part...we opted for hibachi. We were seated fairly quickly with another family and a server came to our table to get drink and appetizer orders while we looked over the menu. They have your standard hibachi items and I did appreciate them telling you the prices of sharing, adding additional meats, etc. We did order an appetizer and it never came. Which is ok (I think I paid for it as well and was in such a food coma that I just didn't even realize it until we left) There is a lot of food, I had the couples meal with my husband and I could barely eat half of it. They apparently know this because they bring boxes for you to take the leftovers home. The service was good, not too much fanfare as the schtick is pretty much the same at every hibachi place. I will say they might need more humidifiers because the floor is slick with what I assume is oil from all the cooking. read more

Flight got in earlier today, through I would grab a dinner at the nearby briar creek shopping area. Stopped by at umami, was promptly seated and order was taken quickly. Main meal came out in a reasonable amount of time-- ribeye steak teriyaki with thin noodles, it's was sooooo delicious- this was really good hibachi. Only weird thing about the meal was the appetizer didn't come out until after my main course-- server apologized and said kitchen was backed up, no sir - that's bad organization of when to take out food or you forgot to put my appetizer in. I was literally getting ready for the check when the yakitori came out, I went ahead and had one skewer--- but the wonky service gave this place an overall mid feeling to it, despite the delicious main course. read more

Umami - Rib Eye Steak Teriyaki Hibachi - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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it was amazing w chef uhh he was funny hunky and made fun of my friend for be fat but in a good way. food was grate was not left hungry honestly would come again. read more

Placed a massive order for lunch, and included the time I was going to pick it up. The food was ready, and fresh when I arrived at the time I indicated. They did help carry the bags to the car which was great considering I had about 10 bags or so. When I got back to the office, and unpacked all the lunch, nothing was labeled except the No Mushroom order. When there are 11 sushi rolls, it would be nice if they were labeled. People were trying to guess what was what, so needless to say people ended up with the wrong items. If things were labeled, I would have given it an extra star. Also, the fortune cookies were not fresh. I have been there with just a couple of people, and not a bad experience. Just not so great for group take out due to nothing being labeled. read more

My family and I came here for my birthday this week! We were able to get our own half circle arrangement around the hibachi grill since we had 10 people. They sat us as soon as our entire party arrived. Their entrance was large and had seating for waiting. Our waitress (and a new hire trainee) came to get our drink order within a short amount of time once we were seated. Some of our drinks came out and they got our order. Everyone got a hibachi meal, though all different combinations. I ordered the nigori cold sake bottle ($15) to share with my younger sister, and a couple others got the Kirin beer, my mom got the plum wine, and others got some red wine as well, while my older sister got a glass of a peach-flavored sake. For dinner, I got the choice of two ($27) Shrimp and *Filet Mignon (*+$4). On their website, it still does say the choice of two is $25, so there has been a slight price uplift. Just the "Umami Signature Filet Mignon" is $30, so going to a combo with shrimp was a no-brainer for only $1 more. My husband got the Chicken and Filet combo, and others got Chicken, Shrimp, or Ribeye, or a combination of both. Each Dinner Entrée Hibachi comes with a miso soup, ginger or ranch side salad, shrimp appetizer, fried rice AND Yaki noodles, as well as zucchini and onions side. I do feel like their portions are really great, everyone got a TON of rice and noodles, a huge bowl of salad (dressing with lettuce and shaved carrots), and good portions of their protein of choice as well as the zucchini and onions. Their miso soup is just a broth with green onions and mushroom, no tofu as you sometimes find. Our waitress did become a little MIA once our chef came out to prepare dinner, but I feel like that is to be expected at "dinner and a show" places. We didn't run out of water during our dining experience since we had our other drinks as well, so we didn't feel like we missed her when we might have needed her otherwise. Our chef was engaging, and though he had a tough time catching some of the shrimp tails in his hat, we had a good time watching the tricks he did for us (onion volcano, "egg roll!", and offered to let us catch the rice without too much pressure). *** I do want to comment that the chef(s) should probably not fling shrimp tails at the patrons, and therefore onto the floor, because no one wants shrimp all over their outfits and that may likely be where - in some reviews - they find their hygiene issues. I did not see any cockroaches or other vermin during our time there, however, and was glad for it. *** Although the decor could be updated, I felt like the dining area was nice, and not too bright so it felt like one was at a nice restaurant but not too dark so you couldn't enjoy the show and the company of those around you. We had an earlier reservation (6pm) for a weekday meal, so there were only four other full hibachi grill tables in use (with similar or smaller parties around the hibachi grill tables) while we were there, and by the time we were gone (~7:40pm) had only moved up to about 6 other half circle tables in use. It looked like they had 12 hibachi grill tables total in the main dining area we were in. My mom had brought her own homemade cake which they added candles to (and sang a birthday song while banging on some drums) so I can't say whether they offer a free birthday dessert since we brought ours. read more

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We had a party of 10 at lunch time and we're seated right away. The service was good and staff were friendly. The portions were big and good was decent. The carrots were way too sweet though. read more

Umami - Teriyaki chicken, fried rice with no egg, and carrots - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Burned plastic and paper clip sitting on the table. Asked constantly to have someone take it off the table and no one attempted to remove it until the cook came. The toxic plastic burning with kids at the table is unacceptable. Never coming back to this dump. read more

Umami - Toxic Plastic burning and paper clip - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This place always has amazing food! Love the overall atmosphere as you can attend the hibachi grill with friends or groups or opt for a more intimate setting on the upper floor which has appropriate seating and a bar where you can view the food magically being created! One minute you're checking out sushi & the next you're salivating over a variety of heated dishes with great ranges...my only 'gripe' is that the dessert menu is rather limited. Other than that it'll continue to be one of my favorites! read more

Service was cool, food was great & prices are bit higher than most but maybe it's because of the area. The sushi is amazinggggg & my husband loves their white sauce in comparison to other Japanese restaurants. Additional white sauce is like $1 and some change (for to go orders anyway). The drive from our home to this spot is like 20 mins but it's worth it. I go more so for the sushi than anything else, but the crab Rangoon with the chili sauceeeeeeeeee is bomb! 10/10 chefs kiss! read more

I'm only giving 1 star because I can't go any lower. Arrived at 6:15 and was told there was a 45 minute wait. Waited and watched people come in after me and being seated before me. There was another customer screaming at the hostess and patrons because he too had been waiting 2 hours without being seated. After waiting 2 hours, spoke with the owner who only made excuses as to why there was so much chaos and no organization. We were finally seated by the hostess who by now was not friendly at all and we had been waiting 2 1/2 hours. Our chef was great, so I added back a star for him. The food was great as well. The only issue with service is our waitress was MIA. Or glasses stayed empty for our entire meal. Finally when it was time to pay, she came back around to refill glasses. This was pretty disappointing!! read more

Umami - Social distancing enforced and cleaning/sanitizing between customers - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Wasnt what I expected. If u have had hibachi then that's pretty much what this is. All tastes the same. Our chef must have had an off night as he was as lackluster as the food...poor thing...still gave him a nice tip for pushing through. As for me returning. I think not. I can get this anywhere. I was not impressed with the decor which was reminiscent of the 1960 and '70 Asia. Not cute! read more

Umami - Tsumani - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Im not sure why it took me so long to write a review for them but this is by far THE BEST HIBACHI IN RALEIGH! I have been here numerous times and it's consistently delicious! It doesn't matter what you get it's fresh and delicious! Today we tried the crab wonton (wonton Umami) it was crisp and flavorful! If you are craving hibachi this is the only place to go! read more

I love a good hibachi, and after Backyard Hibachi setting the bar high, I was hopeful to go to a restaurant that may come close. First of all, they have extreme Covid precautions happening here. I mean, barriers, walls, makeshift windows, etc. You don't have to worry. Second, our cook seemed like he hated his job or just wasn't having a good day and was going through the motions, I'm not sure anyone was even watching his "show" even though the group seated with us was a birthday crew. Our waitress was also just OK, kinda the same vibe happening there. Third, the food is really, really bland and boring. I mean I've made hibachi at home that tastes better than this. I couldn't find one thing that made me think "okay well at least their ____ is good". I would not come back. read more

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I miss Fujisan. Umami is okay. It is fine. It is not amazing. Soup was the star - super flavorful. Salad was watery and ginger dressing had an off flavor. Fried rice only has egg and ours was over sauced with soy. "Vegetables" were the usual onions.zuchini and mushrroms. HEAVYon onions, very thin zuchini and very sparse on shrooms. No carrots at lunch. My jumbo shrimp was delicious but $4 upcharge for 5 shrimp had me shook. Scallops were cooked perfectly (not rubbery or overcooked) but chef was SUPER heavy on the sauce. Portions are smaller (but that is fine). I would not stay away but I will not be in a hurry to return. Service was fine. read more

It's been many years since we were in Raleigh. This used to be my son's favorite place to eat. We arrived around 5:30pm and waited no more than 5 mins to be seated. Our service brought us drinks and took our order pretty quickly. Soup and salad came first. I had the ginger dressing and it tasted the same as before. The mushroom soup had way too much sodium/MSG. I would give it a pass next time. The portion is huge as usual, with plenty of fried rice, noodles, and veggies. The noodles were overly seasoned with soy sauce and was too salty. My son and I shared a filet mignon and lobster. I requested medium rare for the filet but it was cooked to a medium. It was still tender, most likely due to the cut of meat. The lobster was also over cooked and a little rubbery. For the experience of watching the chef cook in front of us, I'll give this a 4 star. The food itself, probably a 2.5 to 3 star as everything is just drenched in soy sauce. read more

Umami - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I usually enjoy my food from Umami. I enjoyed my food during my last visit, but I was not pleased that the cashier did not understand the type of sushi that I attempted to order. I described and explained my sushi request to her, since it is not on the menu. I also asked her to ask for assistance three times. Finally, I ordered a different type of sushi because I was hungry and had driven 50 miles to satisfy my craving. Not again!...There are numerous local sushi gems within my radius. read more