At the risk of being an umarell myself, here's my take on the food I've eaten at Umarell. First, let me get this out of the way: don't let be fooled by the fact they built this into an old convenience store. This place is truly something special. Front of house and service were fantastic. Lots of good energy. I grew up in the Northeast, and this feels like a neighborhood restaurant. Here's my experience with the food: End Piece Lasagna : excellent. Maybe the best I've ever had. Delicate lasagna sheets, deep flavor, and the burnt corners crumble in your mouth. I could eat this all day. Chicken Francese : very good. I love a place that knows how to cook thin pasta right. But, not quite enough flavor. Could have used a touch of salt. If you want light, this is your dish. Big Rig : sauce and pasta were excellent. But I came for the meatballs. I know I said the CF needed more salt, but damn, these were some salty balls. Painfully salty, which made them hard (but not impossible) to finish. Unfortunate, and I bet they've already fixed this. All in all, I'm going back, many times. It looks like they have a rotating menu, and I expect more greatness from these folks. read more

Ok, YOUSE had at me at Jersey! East Coast Italian food true to my nature, my family, and what I've grown up on. It's really hard to get decent Italian food in these parts. Umarell blows it outta the water. I swear to you I'm in my Nana's kitchen again when I walk into this converted bodega. It's the smells, the tastes, the feeling of family, the type of service that's just what I'm used to. Mangiare!!! It's all you'll wanna do. New Jersey Italian to the sky with flavor! Where do I start? I'm just gonna say everything I've had is favolosa! Let me list out the goodness that's hit my lips, tongue, mouth, and belly: Chicken parm with side of angel hair (cacio e pepe)---huge. Shared with boyfriend and had leftovers. Tell me what's in that gravy! I know there's a secret. Love, love, love those tomatoes. Rigatoni with stuffed meatballs--GET OUTTA HERE! Put a fork in me, I'm done. So good it makes me dizzy thinking about that dish. Lasagne--layered with delicious and gooey cheese, gravy, and meat. I'm spinning outta control here. The chopped salad and risotto balls are fire. Chicken Alfredo---makes the boyfriend do cartwheels. So yeah, I'm a fan. read more

We've both been to Umarell separately with other friends, but last weekend was the first time that we tried it as a family. Some things have improved (like finally getting the liquor license) while others have stayed the same or gotten worse (like portion size). Since one of us is a Jersey Girl, we do have to say that we appreciate the overall vibe in this place and the concept itself is good. It's an order-at-the-counter situation, but the prices don't reflect that. They are way too high for what you end up getting and the cabbage caesar portion was has been cut in half from the last time that one of us was here. We do like it, though, and the chop salad was pretty good too. We'd skip the focaccia with hot honey since it wasn't that impressive. For mains, we ordered the lasagna and the chicken parm. The "end piece" concept is a bunch of bull--they just broil a big slice. It is NOT that corner crusty thing that makes an *actual* end pice of lasagna so good. Rename your dish! The chicken parm was also only so-so...and angel hair pasta? Blegh. Even though we are landing on three stars and have several gripes. we will 100% be back here again because it's only a couple blocks from our house and we like to support our local restaurants. They're at least trying, UNLIKE Uncle Nicky's, that steaming carcass of crap that thankfully went the way of the dodo! So Umarell is at least a good replacement. Hopefully they get better with more practice. read more

:( I SO BADLY wanted to love this place As a born and raised Jersey Girl, I take my Italian food seriously and when someone boldly proclaims they are serving Jersey Italian food right here in Austin, TX, we'll, sign me up! My husband and I went for lunch. We ordered the suppli (rice balls), cabbage caesar and I had the chicken parm while he had the eggplant parm sandwiches - and we added curly fries. Let's start with the good.....the red sauce is good, solid, tasty. And the bread on the sandwiches was obviously homemade and delicious - crispy on the outside and soft of the inside. The fries were crispy, curly and tasty. That's the good. The caesar had SO MUCH prosciutto- like, it's a prosciutto salad basically and between the dressing the breadcrumbs and the prosciutto, it is essentially like licking a block of salt. Just why? A caesar salad is traditional for a reason. Just make a good one. The rice balls. Now, I understand that some people like their rice al dente. I am not one of those people, but I can appreciate it. This was not that. The rice was undercooked. Hard. Practically inedible. To not be able to cook arborio rice and pasta properly in an Italian establishment is, in my opinion, unforgivable. Last, but not least oir sandwiches. The sauce to chicken to cheese ratio was WAY OFF. I had to keep dipping my bread in the sauce that the rice balls were in because otherwise it would have been SO dry. They doubled up the chicken cutlet so it was just bland chicken on bread with a small amount of sauce and cheese. The cutlet was soggy and I know their fryer was working fine because the fries were perfectly crispy. The cutlet didn't even fill the entirety of the roll, so a portion of the sandwich was just bread. Growing up in Central Jersey you can go to any random restaurant/deli/diner/your neighbor's house and get a solid chicken parm sandwich so you can imagine my surprise when this was completely disappointing and bland. I ate less than half of a half. New record for me. My husband said his eggplant parm was soggy as well. I really hope this place steps it up because anyone using the name/inspiration of my home state feels personal. That's how people from NJ are. Please represent the food of our state better because I would love to come back and experience a piece of home. read more

Umarell - Chicken parm sandwich. Cutlet didn't fit the roll. Cutlet was soggy and not enough red sauce. Bland. - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Got the wagyu beef melt sandwich. Meat was a teensy bit dry but the sandwich was still good. Didn't blow me away, but solid. Server directed me to the counter to pick up my order, was super friendly. Looks like a little deli diner inside, cute. Overall pretty good. read more

Umarell - Wagyu beef melt - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The tiramisu was a show stopper . I really appreciate what they did with this place . It's has some fun cool vibes . The sandwich was delicious . This place take there time and it's fun look at the cool decor read more

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Umarell is such a gem in Austin! I tried the chicken parm sub and it was absolutely fantastic, perfectly crispy, flavorful, and super satisfying. The service was great, friendly, quick, and welcoming, which really added to the overall experience. The space itself is super cute with a great vibe that makes you want to hang out and come back again. Just a heads up, parking and seating are pretty limited, so you might have to plan a bit or get lucky with timing. Overall, definitely worth it and I will be back for sure! read more

Umarell - Chicken parm sub - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

We don't live in Austin but if we did, I wouldn't be back. The food is good! Great flavor! But for a $90 for 3 people, no alcohol, no apps...nope. And none of us were full. The portions were tiny. I got the Everything Bagel Caveteli and it was half what I would've served myself at home. Hubby got the ravioli and there were maybe 8 small ravioli in his bowl. He's still hungry. Our daughter got the Big Rig which was actually quite a bit! Just a weird spot. Couldn't understand a word the girl serving us said and they brought our dishes out one by one. Got one. Waited 5 min. Got another. Waited 10 min. Overall, it's Austin!!! So many other choices. read more

Umarell - Big Rig - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This new trendy italian spot off guadalupe pleasantly surprised me for how much I enjoyed my experience. Right when you walk in, the decor is very alternative modern with a lot of alternative music posters adorning the walls and I loved it. I also want to shout out the staff as every person working there was so sweet and kind. It all creates a very welcoming vibe that just makes you want to stay and order more. As for the food, I loved everything we got. We got the big rig (rigatoni), chicken francese, caesar salad, and breadsticks. They were all so good with the ingredients being very fresh. For an italian place, the dishes were also light and refreshing rather than being rich and heavy which is one of the reasons I don't usually care for italian. Overall, a really great spot and I can't wait to be back. read more

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Really cute lil Jersey-themed spot. Has a chill diner vibe but the prices are a little more appropriate for an upscale place. We shared a melt sandwich and the cabbage Caesar, both decent. The staff were super sweet and it seems like the type of place where regulars go, a family vibe. read more

Fuhgeddaboudit, who cares if there is pasta on the ceiling. Mangiare! My co-workers and I went to Umarell for lunch. I was so excited to go as I was missing some NE Coast vibes. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. I dig the very casual mom and pop electic local neighborhood joint vibes. One co worker had the Toasted Italian Melt, two of my coworkers order the Eggplant Parm Sangwich, another order the Big Rig, and I who wanted to try everything, ended up ordering the Italian Stallion. I have the say the portions here is very generous and you can tell they are using quality products to make these good eats. Umarell you got me at home made warm Sourdough Foccoccia with the garlic butter and hot honey. For somone who lived in the NE for 18+ years and in East Asia for almost 10, I get a little leary how seafood is prepared in Texas. The calamari and curly fries arrived for all of us to share. The calamari was perfectly tender and quite addicting. The thin sliced slow braised wagyu of the Italian Staillion was so juicy that I forgot the flavorful au jus next to it. You got me again for the toasted hoagie roll and I will come back to try the pasta dishes. read more

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4 stars for vibes, 3 star for food. No halfsies allowed, so rounding down. Hits: -Big Rig -pizzeria chop salad on a hoagie - while it doesn't beat the competition, it does the job when you want it. -Calamari - first thing finished at the table -meatball grinder - a MASSIVE boy, definitely eat with a fork kinda sandwich - slid size portions for all Misses: -stuffed chicken wings - fun in concept, just not very flavorful -ricotta dumplings - not to my taste preferences, but our veg eater liked it Big shoutout to the staff because they're dope, jut some things to work on regarding execution! read more

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Great food great vibe good music I really like the ball things and the end pasta was good all are plates were left empty read more

Umarell - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

How wonderful to have this restaurant in the Hyde Park neighborhood. My husband and I shared the fried eggplant, Caesar cabbage salad, and baked rigatoni with meatballs. All three dishes were very unique and wonderful. We are excited to go back to try the calamari which looked so good. We tend not to be red meat eaters so I would like it if they would have more pasta with a vegetarian slant. Next time, calamari and piccata chicken, I believe The atmosphere was fun . It felt like a New Jersey diner. read more

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New and delicious Italian American spot. Just opened in February and definitely worth supporting. The tiramisu and salt chocolate gelato were amazing. The gentlemen, Houston and Laredo were so hospitable and welcoming. Our sandwiches were very good, the appetizers were delectable. All in all, I am looking forward to my next adventure there, next time for dinner. read more

Posting pictures because this place doesn't have many Yelp reviews yet and people need to see how good the food actually looks. Everything we tried was really good, and the staff was super friendly. They took the time to explain some of the menu items which I appreciated. Calamari Curly Fries: These were honestly my favorite thing we ordered. So good. The calamari was cooked perfectly, crispy and not chewy at all, and the flavor was amazing. The sauce on top just made it even better. I would 100% order these again and honestly would go back just for this dish. End Piece Lasagna: Really great flavor and very satisfying. If you are really hungry you might think about sharing, but honestly I would not want to because it is that good. I would just order your own. Not pictured: Chicken Parm (subbed with vodka sauce): Really good flavor and I am glad I swapped to the vodka sauce. It worked really well with the dish. Cabbage Caesar Salad: The flavor was really good. I had never had a Caesar salad made with cabbage before but I actually enjoyed it a lot. Overall everything tasted great and the portions were solid. Definitely a spot I would come back to. Updating my review after a second visit. This time I had the Jersey Ripper hot dog. It tasted really good and had a lot of flavor. The bun was pretty big, which I think they did so it could hold all the toppings together, and it actually did a good job at that. The only downside was that it made it a little hard to take a bite. Still really delicious though and I would definitely suggest giving it a try. My husband ordered the Big Rig and he said it tasted really good. Something I really appreciate about this place is that both times we came our food came out at a good time and at the right temperature, even though the restaurant was almost packed when we got there. I also love their to-go containers. They use disposable aluminum pans with lids, which is convenient because when it is time to reheat the food you can just throw it straight in the oven. read more

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Love the food, the music, and the vibe. BUT... When a family of three drops $82 for lunch and the father requests (and will pay for) a side salad with his $20 Big Rig, the correct response is "Of course." The incorrect response is, "We don't really sell side salads unless you order a sandwich." Had I escalated to a manager, I am certain he would have been mortified and responded, "Of course." But I shouldn't have to. Just a bit of constructive feedback for employee training purposes. read more

If I could give them ZERO *s I would. Total disregard of customers, $$$, not good food. SERVICE- Terrible and what's worse, with TERRIBLE ATTITUDE! Waited close to 45 mins when there were literally only 2 other tables with food, the 3rd was packing up leftovers. I counted 7 staff, including kitchen staff of at least 4 (open kitchen) and watched them literally standing around chatting, laughing, drinking from their water thermos bottles. When we asked the manager about the delay, his response was "Oh, sorry they didn't tell you when ordering that it comes out as ready." SERIOUSLY?! It wasn't ready because NO ONE was cooking our food. 3 simple dishes! They were too busy socializing amongst themselves. FOOD- Meh!!! When ordering there was some discrepency with the menu not the same as the menu board by register where you have to place your oder. We were also told the menu board is old and outdated (SO FIX IT!) The items were not clear on portion size to know what to expect as apparently there were very small dishes (but not obvious based on their $$$ high prices!). We tried ordering 3 of the 4 listed starters and were told they didn't have any of those 3! Really? -- Food is so average. -- Price- $$$$ SO overpriced for what you get, unless you're OK paying high prices for not great food, with a super long wait, and A LOT of snarky attitude on top of it. Advise- SO many better places for better value, good Italian food with nice & timely service by staff that cares about their customers in Austin! Don't be fooled by the name description as if it's authentic NJ Italian. It is not! read more

Visited here with my boyfriend recently after it just opened and was so pleasantly surprised to try really authentic Italian food and such a casual spot. We walked up and it was packed but no big deal. They told me it's gonna be 20 minute wait and it was more like 10-15 min. We ordered inside up to the counter and order chicken parm sandwich, a pasta, and fried eggplant, and everything was genuinely so delicious. I'm super super flavorful. Everyone was super nice as well- definitely recommend!! read more

The food was so good, the place feels so comfortable and cool, had such a great experience with the service and staff!!! We got the breadsticks and calamari curly fries, devoured those, then had the end piece lasagna and braciole, both were superb. We topped off dinner with tiramisu, which was probably the best both my husband and I have ever had! Braciole is so time intensive so it was awesome to get delicious one from this spot! It was pricey, but worth a nice dinner date out. We will be back! read more

Umarell - Braciole - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Amazing addition to the Austin food scene. Chef mike and his amazing team provide personalized but casual service with beautifully executed food that you'd have think came out of your nonna's kitchen if she was a gangster of a chef. Atmosphere is humble but fun with an open kitchen, fun and #edgy decor and a banger of a playlist. COME HUNGRY. Thank you chef mike and the team. I wish you all the best with this beautiful endeavor. read more

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I REALLY wanted to like this place... I think the ambiance is super cute and the people are really nice! I came here with 4 of my friends. We sat down and had a really nice server come and tell us that they ran out of chicken... Which is okay except for the fact that the majority of their dishes are chicken. So our group had to change our order which was totally fine! That wasn't something they could control. Then, we waited 30 minutes for our food. Only one came out. Then we waited another 30 minutes and the rest of the orders came out except for mine. Then, I waited another 15 minutes and finally went up to the cashier (really sweet man) to ask for my food and explain the situation. There were 2 tables that came after us and got their food and finished it by the time I got mine. We got no apology for the wait from our server either. About the food... I really did not enjoy my dish. Not worth the wait. One friend really liked her sandwich though! Another friend's meatballs were cold. The tiramisu was really good. Beer was good too. Also, they only refunded half of my dish even though everyone else had already eaten. I had a few bites and left. read more

Had a very good experience last night! Had the "Big Rig"... rigatoni and 4 meat balls and I took half home! Delicious with a nice red sauce with just a lil spice. My friend had the chicken, which was so big she thought she'd take half home but it was so delicious she ate the whole thing. Ok the big surprise was the chocolate gelato which was the best i've ever had including Firenze! so rich and tasty! I'll go back to be sure. we arrived at 5 pm to open with a just another family.. and by 6 pm lots of people were there! I wish they would serve lunch but hopefully that will come! It's heritage of chefs from Vespaio (used to be a fav years ago, now closed) and Jewboy Burgers definitely make their presence known. Very nice service! sorry I didn't take photos! read more

Umarell absolutely lives up to the hype. We ordered the everything bagel cavatelli (sounds crazy, totally works), rigatoni, chicken Francese, and the cabbage Caesar--every single dish hit. The pastas were perfectly cooked, the Francese was bright and buttery, and the Caesar was a fresh twist. Great vibe, strong service, and a menu that's creative without trying too hard. Easy 5 stars--already planning another visit. read more

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So this place had high hopes it being close to campus and stuff we saw from influencers online (our own mistake). Being from Jersey we were excited to try this place but we're extremely disappointed. Chicken parm sandwiches were not good. You can go to Walmart and buy the same ingredients and it would probably taste the same or better. The chips and drinks were good but everything was lacking. Normally if the food is meh and I wouldn't go again, I don't write reviews but we paid extra for vodka sauce on the subs. One came out with vodka sauce and one came out with marinara. When we told the staff, the server or manager came back and tried to gaslight us saying they were the same thing and refused to fix the sandwich. That alone is worth 1 star. If you pay for a product, that product should be delivered. We have photos to prove... pink one is the vodka and red is marinara. Anyways, disappointing food and poor service. The fact my sister walked out saying "my mouth is angry" is enough to keep us away. read more

Umarell - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The people working the counter were very friendly and the food was amazing! I had the lasagna and would definitely go back and get it again.

Went last night for our anniversary. Very relaxed vibe(we are all about that). To start, I've worked in the kitchens from Atlanta to San Francisco to Austin, some great and some meh. My husband got the big rig and it was good and had flavor. I got the chicken parm and it was completely flavorless. It was just missing something. It needed more garlic, salt and some red pepper. Now I know as chefs, we make food how we like it, so I can't fault them for their preference. For me, it was bland. We also had calamari fries and breadsticks, both of which had prominent flavor. The calamari was salty and lemony and the breadsticks had some garlic butter melted on the plate and lots of grated parm. I like the ambience and the staff were kind and friendly. The portions were generous. I don't know if I will return, but maybe next year. read more

We ordered a chicken parm sandwich, and somehow Umarell barely cooked the meat, forcing us to throw it all away. We took a bite, and it felt slippery/fatty - severely undercooked. read more

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I so wanted ti like this place. The service was great. The food was not. The red sauce was sour..a small pinch of sugar in the sugo, please. The chicken in the chicken parm sandwich was so over marinated it was slippery. The eggplant in the eggolant parm sandwich was undercooked..a cardinal sin. The side salad was just the cold sandwich lettuce and onions with grated cheese. Sorry, Nonna does not approve read more

This place has such an incredible vibe, feels like family when you walk in! The service is great and everything came out very fast. The food is creative and definitely a New Jersey vibe. They're BYOB for the time being and brought us a makeshift ice bucket for our wine! Highly recommend! read more

Umarell - Big Rig - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Really good food and friendly service compensated for a rather long wait. Decor is funky and casual. Umarell now serves beer and wine.

IT'S BYOB!!!! Want to put a flag up outside the restaurant. Pretty solid neighborhood spot. Casual, friendly staff, quick service. Would give it 3.5 stars if possible. The cabbage caesar salad was pretty decent. Wish the cabbage had been shaved more thinly, and wish it was either bigger or a little more interesting considering the price. The crispiness of the lasagna (and the way it was layered) was awesome--GREAT texture. But it wasn't heated all the way through which really detracted from the dish. The Big Rig, however, was awesome (meatballs fabulous, sauce delicious, rigatoni the perfect texture)--will be going back just for this dish. And the good vibes. And will bring some wine next time. read more

Umarell - Lasagna - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Homey counter service self-described as New Jersey inspired Italian food. Overall vibes is nice...black checked plastic table covers, order at counter, delivered to table. Self serve water. Most items were off in some way. Eggplant agrodolce was a little underseasoned. Calamari was dry, hard, fishy as if it had been hard frozen but the breading was good. Many items have rough cut uneven parsley chunks looking like it was cut by a kindergartner. The cabbage Caesar salad was tiny for $12 and oversalty. Not sure that they cabbage added anything so why? Took a bite into the chicken parm sandwich and spent a minute trying to figure out if the meat was veal or beef. Turns out they use chicken thigh which again added nothing but confusion and unappetizing mouth feel. The big rig pasta was meh. Pasta cooked nice and al dente but meatballs were mushy meat surrounding fontana cheese. They taste previously frozen and just not working. The lasagna was okay but the piece was tiny for the price. The extra grilling of it to give corner feel just dried it out. The breadsticks were a standout. The chicken Francese was underseasoned. Looking at other tables it seems it is luck of the draw as to whether you score a large or small piece of lasagna or chicken. The tiramisu is also a highlight but served from a pan tableside and our waitress missed the delivery and it came out on its side versus a nicer presentation. Again, the scoop you get can be either large or small. Overall disappointed with almost every item and a little pricey for a neighborhood place. read more

Good tiramisu, that's about it. Took an hour to get our food, no apologies. Out of chicken at 7 pm. Come here for cold meatballs and bad service. read more

Everything is great on the menu except the chicken. It's that processed rubbery watery kind cut in to squares. The chicken parm doesn't even have red sauce on it. The lasagna is outstanding as is the ziti with meatballs read more

I don't wanna be too hard on a new place, but the fried wings we got were the absolute smallest chicken wings I have ever seen in my life and they were very overcooked. The food came out pretty fast but dessert never came so I had to ask for it. It's a pretty small place with loud music but the booths are nice. Food was okay, not nearly good enough for the price though. The funny part is it was my birthday dinner, awfully disappointing. read more

This new little gem in my neighborhood is an elevated italian experience. "It has become our Sunday place" From the smiling server B to the food, everything is on point. They have definitely had to redesign the place from the previous but have done an outstanding job! MY favorite is the suppli now! Love the scampi actually you can't go wrong with any of it! Kudos read more

Great food and service. Love the vibe. Follow their recommendations and you can't go wrong.

OMG I just had a salad that I would actually eat... WOW... just wow.. it was a cabbage salad with proscuitto.... Died and gone to heaven.

Food needed more seasoning. Expensive food considering there is no table service. Probably won't come back, hopefully they change!