BEING ASIAN IN THE MIDWEST IS HARD! That statement has nothing to do with racism or anything like that--It's more pointed toward food LOL. IT IS HARD TO FIND GOOD QUALITY ASIAN FOOD! Being from the west coast I was so use to seeing an izakaya or ramen shop on every street, but here there's only a handful in an entire city here--and most of those are also not very good. Thankfully I came accross Umai! My partner and I went to Umai for lunch with our friends. They have both indoor and outdoor seating (we sat inside since it was raining - there was a tornado watch) LOL. We were seated right away with no reservations and our server was extremely attentive. I was like a kid in a candy store there so when it came time to order I ordered: - Sashimi Appetizer (5pcs) - Unagi Nigiri - Spicy Tuna Roll - Beef Tataki - Lollipop Chicken - Gyoza That was just for me lol. All of our sushi was amazing! I was surprised with the quality of the fish we got- the unagi wasn't dry and rubbery, it was moist and soft and perfectly sauce'd. The Sashimi was perfectly cut -- not too thick and not too thin. Now, the Beef Tataki was really good too, but I didn't like the garlic chips that were on top...they didn't taste very edible lol. The lollipop chicken also wasn't anything spectacular or different from a regular chicken drumbstick. Overall, the food was great and extremely affordable. I think that we might've gotten lucky with the rush because it started getting really busy once the rain died down, so I would recommend making a reservation. ALSO, there was a parking structure right around the corner that you can park at, I think it's like $10 - $15 not too sure if the restaurant validates either. read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came in on a cold Chicago day & what a delicious place for some yummy soup! My husband got the spicy ramen and I enjoyed his broth a little more as it had more flavor than the dashi broth in my udon soup, although I did love my udon noodles! I definitely would like to return to see how their sushi tastes, but definitely would come back for some more soup read more

Umai - Nabeyaki Udon - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I always come here with my sister and this time I brought my best friend for her birthday. Great service, great food and great atmosphere. I went to try a new wine and didn't like it, the server switched it for no additional cost which she didn't have to do. I loved the seaweed salud and chicago rolls read more

Umai - Chicago roll yum also recommend the Mexican - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Umai is my go-to spot when I'm craving Japanese food but don't want to venture too far from my neighborhood! I usually get the nigiri plate combo but the dipping ramen is really good too, it's pretty flavorful and not overly salty and the noodles are the perfect thickness. It is a little on the pricey side! read more

Umai - Tsukemen dipping ramen - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Right away you know how good this place is by seeing all Asian people around. Don't worry about PC because I am one myself lol. On point with food and service. Had the dengaku sweet miso steamed eggplant and it was excellent. My friend had white tuna jalepeno and it was good but a bit too small. I also ordered a side of shirataki noodles with eel sauce just to try it. read more

I love this place. Whenever I come to Chicago I have dinner here. The service is amazing and the restaurant is cute and chic. Last night I had the yellow tail collar, grilled tofu, miso and hot sake read more

Umai - Warm Sake - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tried this place for the first time this past week and it was still pretty busy for a weeknight! The restaurant has a variety of Japanese options such as donburi, sushi, and ramen. Sushi was on par with what I expected for this restaurant and portion sizes were were more than expected. Ambiance was comforting and trendy with lots of room as well to fit large parties. Will definitely be back to try new dishes! read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We came here for lunch and the food tasted all fresh and delicious. Over ordered, ramen, sushi and nabeyaki udon plus a a couple of apps. The service was good, but one of order was either misheard or we misspoke. I'm not gonna fault the restaurant. The sushi was all very fresh and delicious but did feel puzzled with the smokey flavor of the white tuna. The spider roll was probably my favorite. The tempura udon was very good with a perfect soft egg. I tried my son's spicy ramen and it had a hearty flavor. I would definitely come back and try other dishes. It's a solid tasty Japanese restaurant. read more

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This place has a very lively atmosphere with a bit of an edge. It can get crowded and cramped early in the evening, quite loud and frenetic. The tables are close together and things can feel a little rushed - maybe too much so for a nice relaxed evening with sushi and sashimi. Although the rolls that we tried seemed fresh and flavorful. They have decent Udon bowls with a well prepared base. I especially liked their goma-ae. We wish they had a couple of vegetarian bowls and or entrees. Service was fine. read more

one of the perks of moving to south loop was being close to this restaurant. i always get the chicken katsu kare. it is so filling and only $12. it comes with white rice which is hidden underneath all the katsu in my picture. love the flavor of the curry and the texture of the chicken. wasn't dry at all. my husband was a fan of his katsu don as well but i think he preferred my dish. :) on top of that, the service was great, and our waiter was friendly. of course, we will be back! read more

Umai - Katsu Kare (chicken) - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I came back here again for date night before catching a movie at Icon! I got the Katsu Kare which was phenomenal. The Goma-Ae cold appetizer was really nice. It's sauteed spinach which is shaped in a dense block with a sweet sesame sauce. I haven't had anything like it before but really enjoyed it and was an easy way to add vegetables to the meal. Even on a Saturday night at 6pm the wait was only 15 minutes. They have a patio set up with an enclosure and heaters, so it was warm even though it was 40 degrees outside. I tasted the tsukemen, I prefer the standard ramen here. Service was great, they came by to fill up my water multiple times and were friendly. read more

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Hands-down one of my favorite sushi places in Chicago. Everything I had here was absolutely stellar. The quality was amazing. My friend and I ordered a bunch of different things to try and we just split it amongst the two of us. We were plenty full afterwards. What I had and recommend: -escolar nigiri -goosebumps (half roll) -umai crunch (half roll) -spicy roasted garlic pork ramen (split amongst 2 people) The service was great. Plenty of seating. If I come back to Chicago again, I would definitely come back here for my sushi cravings! read more

Best sushi in Chicago, bit of a fusion place. Never been let down. Fast attentive service.

Food was great, I got the gyoza and a shrimp tempura roll and my partner got a Chicago roll, they were all soooo incredible and came out super fast! The venue itself was very beautiful as well. Service was also incredibly kind, attentive and considerate! read more

Umai is our go to place for decent, inexpensive sushi in south loop. We absolutely love the curry katsu and their nigiri options. The place is always crowded and loud. But service is always exceptional. Highly recommended. read more

We live right around the corner from Umai and they never disappoint. They no longer are doing reservations, walk-in only during covid. Got there at 8:00 and they were at maximum capacity, but we only waited about 5 minutes to get seated. Service was great, almost too quick when receiving our food! I admired how the service worked as a team. One server gave us our bill, another one stopped by and dropped off a paper bag for our to go dishes. We had spicy garlic pork ramen, shrimp tempura, lychee martini (all pictured) and so good. We also had spicy tuna roll that had just enough spice and the chicken teriyaki. read more

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This place is very clean and has a great ambience. I really enjoy sitting on the patio in the summer :) read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is a stone's throw away from home so decided to go for an early dinner. There wasn't many people there around 4:30p. The service staff were very friendly and smiled often. I went to the bathroom to wash my hands to be responsible with all this Covid-19 mess going on. Was disappointed to see there were no paper towels to dry my hands nor sanitizer. To some, this may not be a big deal but for me..uh uh. I had to dry my hands under the dryer which was fine but had to use my shirt sleeve to open the door. I ordered the salmon, mackerel and unagi sashimi. They were all very good. I then ordered a half roll of the goosebumps. It was ok. I just felt the calamari was a little chewy but enjoyed it overall. Probably wouldn't order it again but I would go back to Umai. But will probably do carryout only. Haha. read more

Umai - Goosebumps- half roll - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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3.5 food with an added .5 for service. No real complaints about any of the dishes I've tried. Only minor issue is the use of Sriracha in the Spicy Tuna Maki. I know Sriracha is Thai, but I'd much rather them use other Asian flavors. The Lollipop Chicken is really popular for good reason. Crispy and seasoned well. The sushi is fresh and even the ramen is pretty good. Can't go wrong with Umai. I will admit these new Yelp Health Scores are alarming. Even some of the best restaurants across the country are shockingly low. read more

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I went for lunch on a weekday and most of the tables were taken. I had a lovely lunch here. The staff is courteous and quick to refill your water. I would say the service is no frills but they are efficient. The lychee mojito was delicious as was all my food! They accommodated my request for no bell peppers in the tempura. The chicago roll was my favorite, but the spider roll was tasty as well. It's also nice that they let you order 1/2 rolls so you can try more. This is a solid sushi spot if you're in the area. read more

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the curry is a little bit spicy and sweet, not my fav the green team crème brûlée is super good the service is good read more

Umai - Katsu Kare - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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i got the philly roll - in the midst of a chicago heat wave - so refreshing!!! server was really nice and generally a very calming and chill ambiance. read more

Umai - Fresh Philly - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Used to go here all the time when I was attending college in the city. I love the chill vibes here and the food is great! It's also a great place to eat by yourself as a lot of people come here for quick bites by themselves. My go to used to be the soba noodles, California rolls, and their traditional udon! read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm surprised the reviews aren't higher. The food here is AMAZING. And so affordable! The ingredients are just so high quality and it tastes very fresh. I got the omakase and a roll. The fish was incredible and even the tamago was like the best tamago I've ever had. I didn't think tamago could taste so good. I highly recommend the omakase (it's not a multi course meal, it's just the chefs selection of fish, but they were excellently selected in my opinion). It's possible the omakase is one of their best items and that's why my experience was so great- but it was really good. read more

Small but nice spot on the corner. The outside needs some revamping but the inside was clean and modern. The service was efficient and the food came quickly which was good as it was lunch time. I had the hand roll and the Moriawase (7 pcs sushi - chefs selection and a spicy tuna roll) and a Philadelphia hand roll. The fish of the sushi were very cold and melted in your mouth, some of the best sushi I've had in awhile. The hand roll was also great. I had my buddies miso soup and salad (salad did not have normal ginger dressing). read more

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There's paid parking around this area since it is in Printer's Row, but definitely accessible by CTA as well! It's a great location with a lot of restaurants to see but was in the mood for Japanese food so stopped here! It was packed on a Sunday night but was able to be seated right away. I got takoyaki and ton katsu ramen. Both were sufficient portions and both very delicious! I never usually finish my ramen at the restaurant so they let me pack up the remainder of my ramen to eat at home! The food came pretty quickly to be honest and I'm glad because I was starving! Overall, the atmosphere was really nice and comfortable and the food was delicious! The staff was also very kind, which is always a plus. Definitely a great spot for dinner if you're in the mood for Japanese food! read more

Umai - Ton Katsu Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We were visiting from out of town and chose Umai based on Yelp reviews. Wow! Our dinners were all fantastic, very fresh ingredients, very generous portions and the taste of all four dishes was fantastic. Can't wait to go there again on our next visit to Chicago. read more

Our wait for dinner on a week night was super long - they told us 30 min but ended up being well over an hour. On the other hand: great ramen! Plus a wide variety of other dishes (sushi, Japanese curry, udon, etc). read more

Experience: With a party of 2 we were able to be seated fairly quickly on Sunday evening. For this business, they do check vaccination cards which is not a problem. Parking: It is the South Loop, so parking my by difficult. However, on Sundays, there is free parking on LaSalle (The street behind the restaurant). Besides that, paid parking pretty much everywhere. Worth: Absolutely worth the visit. Great service. Great food. I had the Spicy Garlic Pork Ramen and it was delicious. Not too spicy in my opinion. Takoyaki came in 6 pieces which was great for 2 people. Overall, awesome place to get some ramen! read more

Umai - Spicy Roasted Garlic Pork Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Umai, like many Japanese restaurants in Chicago, offers multiple Japanese dining options (to run a profitable business, to be sure). Umai provides a variety of experiences: ramen, sushi, izakaya, yakitori. After days of meat and pizza, I hankered 4 somethin' on the surf side of life. The fish looked good through the glass so I sat at the bar. I didn't opt for nigiri as the rice looked a bit dry and opted for the chirashi. The fish was fresh, generous cuts, the temperature of the slices a bit colder than expected; the rice was definitely dry. I saw good bowls of ramen so maybe I'll try that next. Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled living in LA where Japanese food is approximating what it's like in Japan. If I wanted ramen, I go to a ramen shop, sushi at a sushi resto and others. I reckon maybe LA started off with restaurants like Umai and evolved to what we have today, so I can't possibly fault Umai. Chicago also needs to evolve and places like Umai is a start. Since I come to Chicago twice a year for 3-4 weeks; Umai does serve as a good option for Japanese and will return. Silent cringe when I see a restaurant that serves Thai food and Japanese food (and I've seen this in Chicago) as a business; I think that's dragging the concept of eating good food far and wide for the sake of money. Tip: Two blocks from the L stop. Lines form during peak meal times. Full bar! read more

Umai - Umai's chirashi. Very good thick slices of fresh seafood. Rice was ok. - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Service was not particularly friendly and maybe a bit hurried, but food arrived quickly and hot food was nice and hot. Loved the variety of the menu. I'm not a fan of the big sloppy sushi rolls with 3 kinds of fish and 4 kinds of sauce, but I think the simpler sushi is a better judge of a restaurant's quality anyway. You can hide a multitude of sins under all that yum yum sauce. What I had tasted fresh and delicious. The miso was full of tofu and nori and not overly salty. And the goma-ae, which is a personal favorite dish of mine, cold spinach dressed in a sweet sesame dressing, was some of the best I've had. I'm not in the area often, but I am looking forward to coming back to eat here again. read more

Okay WOW. This place is WOW. I absolutely loved the mexicana roll. The cilantro was perfect! And the RAMEN????? DELICIOUS, AMAZING, SPECTACULAR!! I loved that they used chili oil to add the spicy rather than a powder spice!!! The inside was so cute and pretty. read more

Umai - Mexicana - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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All the food was great especially the mexicana roll. We were able to be seated immediately. They have an outdoor area as well. The staff was a very nice. read more

Umai - Spicy Edamame Gyu Don Mexicana Chicago - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Making dinner plans? Try UMAI. Bringing it back to our dinner at @umaichicago. We literally go for 2 things: 1) their fresh, delicate agedashi tofu and 2) spicy roasted garlic pork ramen. So much flavor and speedy service. If you care about food pics, the large windows allow for great lighting! read more

Umai - Age Dashi Tofu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Possibly the best ramen in Chicago!!! I was blown away by how delicious the tonkatsu ramen was. I got it with the black garlic oil on the side and that added a great flavor addition. First, the broth is super rich and flavorful. They have plenty of pork belly so that's a nice plus as well. The ramen is cooked perfectly to chewiness. I personally love udon so I actually ordered it with udon noodles and I cant recommend that more. The service isn't great, as some of the waitresses were not very happy to answer questions... but the ramen definitely makes up for it so I can't wait to come back!! read more

Umai - Tonkatsu ramen - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

1st time and it's good. Popular place portion is large and the music is not too loud which I like. read more

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Love Umai! Super low key spot that offers an extensive menu of sushi, ramen, udon, and other Japanese dishes. Everything we got was delicious as we tried a bit of everything. The service is outstanding, the owners are so sweet, and we are always greeted with a smile!! The perfect spot for a quick dinner or takeout sushi. The space is small but inviting, making for the perfect date read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've tried nearly every ramen place in Chicago but somehow missed Umai. It's definitely an underrated ramen shop! The restaurant wasn't packed when I stopped by for lunch on a weekend so we were able to be seated immediately. The service was prompt and responsive with water, ordering, getting our check & to-go boxes. For an appetizer, my friend and I ordered the lollipop wings. I would probably skip that next time since they were overcooked and dry. For my entree, I got the spicy roasted garlic pork ramen. All of the toppings were perfectly cooked, the broth was rich, and the ratio of broth to noodles was just right. I really had no complaints. I would be willing to come back and try it again and recommend it to anyone looking for a solid ramen spot. read more

Umai - Spicy roasted garlic pork ramen - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place has a large variety on their menu and eveything so far has been delicious! I really love that they allow half rolls for some specialty rolls which is what we got here. The surf and turn is extremely delicious has has some unique flavors and textures from the apple and yuzu, as well as the seared beef on top. The interior is super cute and the service is always speedy and friendly. read more

Umai - Takoyaki (octopus) - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I really wanted to love this place, but it's very average to me. It's very close to where I live and I always pass it by walking around. It's almost always packed, so I had to come in and try it with a friend. Things I loved: the shrimp shumai, spicy wings, miso soup, and eel sushi pieces. What I didn't love though was the hand rolls and the other sushi pieces. I ordered miroawase and spicy tuna roll. I thought as far as sushi comes, it was subpar. It was just lacking in flavor and freshness when it comes to the fish. The pieces are almost too big too where it's not as enjoyable to eat in one bite either. The ambiance is nice, but if I go again, I'd probably consider trying something else. Prices are a little high but expected for the area too. I will say that leftovers do pretty well. read more

Umai - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois