Oh you need some delicious bar snacks while imbibing? Umamicue is the juice for you. I absolutely love a pop up inside a bar. Umamicue is fire. Brisket egg rolls and lions mane mushrooms were the choices for me. Let's start with the egg rolls: superb. The egg roll itself was thin, and super crispy. I love when they flake with every bite. Then, the salty brisket was smoky and fatty. So amazing. You must dip it in their vinegar based barbeque sauce. It is sweet, tangy, and super acidic. I loved it. The mushrooms were insane. Super crispy with the panko. You need to dip them in the mushroom aioli. It's thick, rich, and adds even more umami. The mushrooms were cooked to savory perfection. Please, do yourself a favor and get you some umamicue. They have a little window for you to order from where a server takes your order and another cooks up the juice. It was prepared quickly and was an amazing starter for my evening! read more

Umamicue - Brisket egg rolls, lions mane nuggets - Pop-Up Restaurants Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Umamicue has a nice patio seating set up for summer! I usually don't like eating outdoors but they set it up to be a pretty comfortable experience! Tables had umbrellas for shade and there was a big fence to minimize wind blowing things everywhere. To get here just walk into spilt milk tavern and go straight down to the patio area. There's a menu on the wall with all the offerings. They ran out of pork belly when we went on a Wednesday night. However there were still plenty of tables open so no need to wait for a seat. The brisket banh mi was delicious, solid banh mi experience. The highlights for me were the lion's mane mushroom nuggets and potato salad. The mushroom nuggets had the crisp and texture of an actual chicken nugget and came with a nice mushroom aioli. The potato salad had a delicious nuoc cham dressing (like a vinaigrette made with fish sauce) and fresh crispy onions on top! You can really taste the fresh herbs! The sauce that came with the egg rolls was also really good. The server was attentive and there is a self serve water station. This is just a short walk from the blue line stop. Definitely will be back. I heard they're opening up another location in wicker park at Little Victories, date to be announced. read more

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We tried a little bit of everything from their menu and we weren't disappointed. My favorite was the brisket and umami beef sandwich, DELICIOUS. We tried the mushroom nuggets and sandwich, wasn't my thing but I think a vegetarian or vegan would possibly enjoy. The food was good, and the service was as well. The chef was so kind, can't wait to go back and try their new menu! read more

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Overall Thoughts: Definitely come early because it's a small and popular space with few tables. It was quite packed when I arrived around 6:15pm on Friday, but luckily I was able to grab a table that cleared out ~15 minutes after ordering. It's dark and loud inside, but the vibes are fun and laid back. The food took awhile to come out, but I enjoyed it a lot! I loved the unique fusion of Texas BBQ and Vietnamese flavors. Despite BBQ being traditionally meat-forward and the menu being small, they still had a few tasty vegan options available. We didn't order any drinks, but they have some solid happy hour deals, so I'd be glad to come again in the future for happy hour to drink. Overall, prices aren't bad either and reasonable for the area. Food I tried: - Lions Mane Mushroom Nuggets (4.5/5): The nuggets were wonderfully crispy and flavorful, but the side mushroom sauce really stole the show. It was so umami and flavorful, I was literally scooping up the leftovers by the spoonful. - Cucumber Salad (4.4/5): It's a simple, easy dish, but they didn't miss-- very solid with good balance of flavors. - Brisket Banh Mi (4.6/5): This was very tasty, and really saw the best of the 2 flavors come together-- traditional Viet pickled veggies and flaky bread and smokey BBQ brisket. Parts of the brisket were slightly dry, but overall it was tender enough. - Crispy Duroc Pork Belly (4.3/5): This was simultaneously the crispiest and fattiest pork belly I've ever had. The skin was incredibly crispy and tasty, and the inside was incredibly tender (though some parts of it were way too fatty for my liking). -- Price (relative to peers): 4.3/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: 4.5/5 Service: 4.5/5 Overall Value: 4.5/5 read more

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Pretty decent pop up BBQ spot in the back of a bar...Price is a little high for what you get but the Bánh mì and pork belly was pretty tasty but you can get this same thing for less in Asia on argyle area. If I was drinking in this bar it would be nice to snack on these menu items while getting boozed up but as a destination spot for food this spot is lacking. Staff working the kitchen was a little not there and not helpful...Maybe my expectations were a little too high after hearing the hype on this place. read more

I was introduced to this pop-up by a good friend and I loved the idea of fusion vietnamese and american barbecue. We made plans and set a double date for dinner on a weeknight (their current hours are Tue-Fri 5pm-9pm, Sat 3pm-9pm. They're closed on Sundays and Mondays. We came here back in September 2023. Umamicue is run out of Spilt Milk in Logan Square at the intersection of California and Fullerton. We agreed to meet within the first hour of them opening just in case any items run out, and grabbed a table for four. We got some drinks at the bar and put in our orders. Here is what we ordered: Cucumber smash Fries with sriracha aioli and ketchup Nuoc cham potato salad Crispy pork belly banh mi (full sandwich) 1/2 lb of crispy pork belly The items were fresh and delicious! My favorite was the side dish: the nuoc cham potato salad. I thought it was the most inventive and I've never had anything like it (there was mint, fish sauce, creamy umami that was addicting). Give me a tub of this potato salad and it will be gone in a snap. The night we went, they were out of the prime brisket smoked meat (by the 1/2 pound at $18) and out of the brisket banh mi. I can't remember if they ran out or if it wasn't on the menu that night, but I was really craving some leaner brisket versus a LOT of pork belly that night (but my husband didn't mind at all and could have pork belly all day, every day). The fries were fried perfectly to a golden brown and I loved having multiple sauces to dunk them in. The aioli was less sriracha and more of the mayo, I really like my spice and could've used even more sriracha or a bottle of it as a condiment for the table. I would have LOVED a small side of barbecue sauce (to tie the whole theme together) or a trio of simple sauces presented separately like ketchup, mayo, and barbecue sauce. But anyway, just small reflections from an amazing meal. Overall, I loved everything we had here. Who knew that their menu perfectly compliments anything you can order at the bar, a beer, a cocktail, a glass of champagne... I will be back to try their brisket. I am a fan! read more

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It's summertime. You want to sit outside and enjoy the Chicago weather. You want a chill sport that's no fuss, but a good vibe. Umamicue, inside of Spilt Milk, is where you want to me. The food was fresh and delicious, though my favorite was the Lion Mane's Mushroom Nuggets. Locally crafted beer we got from Spilt Milk, then brought the food to the back patio to enjoy with the food. Would definitely recommend this again for a date night. read more

Umamicue - We made our own sampler: Lion's Mane Mushroom Nuggets, Fries, Smoked Blue Crab Rangoon, Smashed Cucumber, Brisket - Pop-Up Restaurants Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Considering how small the kitchen area was for Umamicue, the food was excellent. The bar gets louder as the night goes on but since it happened during happy hour, all the draft drinks were 1/2 priced. You order with the bartender but because it is loud, they didn't hear my entire order. My favorite was probably the eggrolls. They really had a smoky flavor that I'm not used to in eggrolls. The banh mi was definitely crispy and I'm not talking about the bread. This was like a potentially unhinge your jaw type of crunchy pork. The wait for the food did take a while. Fries were also great. I would probably try the other menu items if I had another chance to. read more

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Best brisket I've ever had. Got a mix of juicy and lean and would do all juicy next time! Expected the fat to be too overwhelming in the thick/juicy cuts but it melts in your mouth like candy, and in combo with the perfectly peppered seasoning?? Frankly should be illegal. They were kind enough to give me some burnt ends too when I asked if they had. Gorgeous gorgeous girls love gorgeous gorgeous meat and this is the prettiest of all. Potato salad is delicate and nuanced and very flavorful with the Viet influence. Egg rolls were so good and crunchy - would have loved even more brisket in them but clearly I'm just addicted. Cannot wait to come back. read more

I came back after my 10th visit to make sure I tell everyone and they momma about my favorite bite that blends nostalgia and bursting flavor bomb of Texas bbq. The quality in ingredients and passion from the dozens of hours of love it takes to make the meats. Take your parents, take your friend to try charles' food. My recommendations are to get one of everything, you will not be disappointed! My personal bops are the pork belly, brisket and vegan friendly lions manes nuggets! You won't get many friendly vegetarian/vegan friendly BBQ places this option delivers time and again. read more

I'm an Asian girl from Texas so when you tell me there is an umami inspired bbq joint, I had to check it out. The owner was inspired by Austin's world famous Franklin BBQ so I knew the standard was high. Boy they did not disappoint. The brisket banh mi is my favorite, hands down. Authentic Vietnamese banh mi flavors coupled with perfectly tender brisket. If you'd rather go for something else, the pork belly banh mi is perfectly crisped skin and flavorful. They even have great vegan options in the lions mane banh mi. Deliciously crispy fries, smashed cucumber salad, I've been back multiple times and I'm going to keep going back! read more

Everything was so flavorful and I love the concept of Vietnamese inspired barbecue!!!