The ambiance was so beautiful. I didn't have a reservation but they gladly seated us and helped us find a table. I love the view of the garden from the cafe. I loved the Genmaicha tea. It was a very beautiful and unique experience. read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The tea snacks are elegant and delicious. The servers are professional and obliviously love their job. The location is perfect. Love the design and quiet atmosphere of the restaurant. read more

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Serene location with an enchanting zen ambiance. Indulged in the finest matcha tea, tea cake, and miso soup. Highly recommend for a peaceful solo meditation meal or a delightful experience with a loved one. read more

Umami Cafe - Miso soup, matcha tea, tea cake - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Wow. That's the first word I said when we arrived to Washington Park in Portland, OR (I know right, how offensive to name a park Washington in Oregon!). This park has some of the largest trees I've ever seen, but the real attraction is the Japanese Garden located at the top of the hill, and upon entering the garden you can't miss Umami Cafe. It's glass windows and architectural design immediately pull your eyes into its direction and it is a must stop on your tour of the Japanese Garden. You MUST buy tickets to the garden and it's recommended that you make a reservation at Umami. I'd suggest stopping at Umami first for tea and relaxation, and then take your stroll through the garden. You will feel at ease, calm, and renewed! My wife ordered the savory option on the menu. I liked how it was an interactive food experience because she had to pour the green tea over her food. She really enjoyed it! I went with their seasonal tea - a smoky flavored tea that was aged in whiskey barrels. It paired well with their sponge cake. The teas we ordered also came with 2 additional seepings so we decided to order their brownies while we enjoyed the rest of our tea experience. Overall we had a wonderful experience at Umami Cafe and would go back to try other teas on the menu before walking through the garden! read more

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i loved this experience, it felt like something very traditionally inspired and it was in an absolutely breathtaking area. the restaurant is just gorgeous. service here was attentive and informed, they have a long wait list so try def are trying to pump you in and out but it doesn't seem like that. the food here is great, it's light and is true to traditional japanese cuisine, they let you have 2 tea refills and the tea is impecable. overall has an amazing dining experience here and would definitely come back if i'm visiting the gardens. read more

Umami Cafe - matcha and kinako mocha - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Umami Cafe used to be a delightful experience when visiting the Japanese Garden. Those running the place apparently have a death wish. They're replaced orderly sit-down service with noisy bunches of customers crowding the space while scanning for seats. And, worse, they've replaced ceramic tea sets with paper plates and cups. The soul of the place has been hollowed out. There really now is no reason to go to the Umami Cafe unless one has a craving for the ambiance of a chain coffee shop. read more

Overall, this place is fine but severely overhyped. There is no reason for it to be so hard to get into with reservations on weekends filling up a week in advance. It's not like this place does anything particularly unique, it's not like they do a whole tea ceremony for you or explain anything about the tea or the history of the confectionary they serve. It's just high quality tea (that you can pretty much get at any specialty tea shop) and some authentically Japanese confectionaries (that are externally sourced), served in a very clean, sleek, and modern looking setting. The view from the all glass tea house honestly wasn't even that great. All in all, while everything was high quality, this is by no means a must visit. read more

Super cute cafe in the Japanese Gardens. I had green tea and enjoyed it very much. The miso soup and rice was very tasty. My wife had the low in caffeine tea and fruit/nut bars. They were delicious! read more

Umami Cafe - Two tea sets - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Got done with the Japanese Garden earlier and stopped by the cafe. Checked in at the front if any tables were available. Hostess said there might be a table and I could put myself on waitlist to receive a text. I was lucky to get a table. I ordered the Matcha & Hojicha Brownies and boyfriend got the iced mecha. I loved how they have the towel you can use to sanitize hands. The brownies were a nice treat - they were not super sweet at all. The mecha didn't have a particular taste to it. It was nice to sit in the cafe - it was an open space and loved being surrounded by the greenery of garden. Highly recommend to stop by cafe if you get the chance. Be sure to make a reservation to secure a spot! read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Good place and I don't have major complains, many of my friends like this place. As Japanese native, presentation can be better, (picture looks much better), shocked to know they serve miso soup + rice, rice dumped into a soup and price point for what I am getting. But enjoy matcha brownie for sure. read more

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It's nice to have a Japanese cafe within the Japanese Garden as I think it really enhances the overall experience. The vibes of the tea cafe, complimented by the outside garden really bring a zen experience to your visit, especially for those visiting Portland. It is not the most bang for your buck, as it is a bit overpriced, but the service is excellent. In relation to the whole experience, I would give it a 3-star but due to the quality of the dessert I had, I am giving it a 2. I got the tea set with a watermelon kanchen (watermelon combined with agar agar). I am actually not a big tea person (I did this more for the experience), but the tea was actually quite refreshing. I got agar jellies to bite into before each sip which made the experience better as the tea was quite calming. However, the watermelon dessert was inedible. When cooking with agar agar, if you put too much, the texture of the food you're cooking with can become too coagulated, creating a crumbly texture. The watermelon kanchen was 85% jelly, 15% watermelon which not only made it lose points on taste, but also severely on texture. I would not recommend that dish to anyone. Ultimately, I still recommend going for the vibes, just maybe try a non-jelly option. read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Put our names on a waitlist of 1 hr but got seated in 15 min. We opted for the ochazuke (rice, chicken teriyaki, seaweed flakes with tea poured over) and miso soup and tried almost all of their sweets - 2 different kinds of mochi, mochi ice cream fight, matcha brownies. We loved the flavors of everything we tried. Service was speedy and on point. read more

The tea was good however the dessert was whatever, nothing special. I can get it at a Japanese supermarket. For the price that they charge I expect something better. There is also a time limit that you can stay. Wouldn't come back. read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Was able to snag a same day reservation here on a Sunday! It was a lovely experience. The outside seating is so beautiful and serene. I would definitely go again. The tea and pastries were good but I think the main focus is the atmosphere and the convenience of being able to enjoy some tea surrounded by such a beautiful garden. read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

A tranquil, peaceful cafe experience. The menu is small, but the treats have a big taste. We all ordered difference tea sets and desserts. Everyone also ordered miso soup and rice, but unfortunately they ran out of rice. Service was attentive, they filled our tea sets when we ran out. A lovely experience all in all. read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I thought the food was really unique. I got the chicken with matcha tea. I never had the experience of putting matcha tea into rice but it surprising went well. It had wasabi and furikake which went well with the rice. The chicken pieces were really small but I thought it was worth a try because it was a nice experience. The service was good but it was really packed so it was really busy in there. I really like the design of the place which had a lot of window to get a good view of the garden. read more

Umami Cafe - Chicken rice bowl with tea - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Cute little Japanese cafe in the Portland Japanese Garden, but perhaps a little overhyped? I highly recommend getting a reservation - I was too late realizing that this cafe existed and wasn't able to book. However, I put myself on the waitlist as soon as I arrived and left my phone number; I walked around for 30 minutes and received a text alerting me that my table was ready. My table was on the patio, which I would have preferred anyway to enjoy the scenery and beautiful weather. They were unfortunately out of the chicken teriyaki ochazuke, which I was hoping to get for lunch. Their dishwasher had broken, also, so everything came out in disposable dishes, except the tea. I got the miso soup and rice, matcha & hojicha brownies, and mecha tea. The mecha tea was piping hot - but it was matcha-y and delicious. I loved the brownies, too! Sweet without being too sweet. Now, I was still hungry so I ordered the daifuku mochi - super soft, sweet red bean interior. Also lovely taste. All of this came out to a little over $20, which I think is reasonable for being inside a beautiful garden. Service was pretty efficient (which I would expect, as the desserts they serve are pretty simple) and friendly, which I appreciated! I would recommend a quick stop here if you have a reservation, but I wouldn't fret if you're not able to get one! read more

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Umami is not just a cafe, it's an experience. Most of their teas are not served outside of Japan and were delicious. I really enjoyed my matcha with the miso soup (with rice). Since I was eating a vegan diet my food options were limited to everything in the picture, but all of their items looked delicious! Nora, our server, was so knowledgeable and kind. We had such a great time and will be back! read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Good concept. Atrocious Execution. Two hour wait for some nasty lukewarm tea and a ball of gelatin. Miso soup not traditional. Poor employee attentiveness, waited a long time just to get a check. Menu did not have ingredients, half ass listed allergens. Asked the waitress if anything was vegan and she responded "I think yeah they're gluten free." Clearly not knowledgeable/or I had misunderstanding. GF/V is not the same. For Portland it seems odd not to know this. My Japanese friend came here and was a bit mortified. The cakes were coming out of some tupperware. Where's the kitchen? Strange to sit people at a tea bar to make them watch employees unpack Tupperware and wash dishes. I just didn't get the hype. Should've just stayed out in the beautiful garden. Would highly NOT RECOMMEND. No offense. Honestly felt bad for the people who worked here. Uncontrolled chaos. read more

Umami Cafe - Oh dear - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The food was definitely overpriced, and the tea and agar jelly was just average. Although the service was prompt and everyone was very polite, I wouldn't suggest coming here unless you want to sit, rest and enjoy more of the atmosphere rather than having a delicious snack. read more

If you're planning a trip to visit Portland's Japanese Gardens, I cannot recommend visiting Umami Cafe enough. Traffic is high around the gardens so you have to make a reservation for the cafe ahead of time - and parking is tight, so give yourself about 30 minutes to park and walk up to the cafe as they recommend. The tea was fragrant and the traditional sweet pairings were a delight. read more

Umami Cafe - Peach Sencha and mochi - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The Umami Cafe is located inside the Portland Japanese Garden. It's really nice to have an authentic Japanese cafe here. The cafe is surrounded by the beautiful trees of the garden and is designed after Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera temple. The menu is limited and is mostly light snack such as castella cakes and mochi. They do have fried rice as well. Most of the items have tea pairings. The tea is from Tokyo-based Jugetsudo tea company, while light snacks come from Ajinomoto as well as several local Japanese confectioneries. I tried the Hojicha with Yakitori Chicken Style Fried Rice. The fried rice was nice and light. It was good in flavor and it went well with Hojicha. You get two tea steepings per set and I definitely took advantage of that. The Japanese green tea was so lovely and sipping it made for such a relaxing time here. I enjoyed visiting Umami Cafe and it was definitely a nice place set in an equally nice (and beautiful) garden. read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I really liked my experience at Umami Cafe, but I can see people's frustration with the reservation. We got there around 1pm on a weekend, and got told that the wait time was an hour. When we came back around 2pm, the Cafe put out a sign saying they were fully booked for the rest of the day. So I recommended that you put your name down first before you walk around the Garden. Also, we found out that Umami cafe sourced their pastries from a local cafe called Behind the museum cafe. So if you can't get a reservation at Umami Cafe, I recommend you to check out Behind the museum cafe in downtown portland. read more

You can't visit Portland Japanese Garden without stopping by the Umami Cafe!! One thing I do need to point out is that you need to make a reservation or have your name at least on the waitlist as it is a very small cafe with limited seating. I ordered the Sencha tea which came with some sort of pound cake. The tea came in a little tea pot, and if you want more tea you remove the lid, and a server brings you more hot water. The tea was good and cake was moist. Honestly Umami Cafe was a great way to end a our day after walking around the garden. It is such a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere. Do yourself a favor and check out the Jap see Garden and end the day with Japanese tea. read more

After learning about the mochi here, I booked a reservation a month ahead and came on a rainy day after touring the Portland Japanese Garden. Umami restaurant is perched at the top of a winding pathway. Housed by glass walls on all sides, it's not a large space but the open feeling comes from the views and high ceilings. A customary Japanese tradition of providing oshibori was presented uniquely by dropping a white tablet into water. As it soaked up the water, it "bloomed" into a square towelette. Cool. Also cool was having a woven basket under the chair to keep my handbag cozy and off the floor. Loved that extra touch. We ordered the hojicha tea with fried rice, a vegetarian version and yakitori chicken. Both came pretty quickly to the table and the tea was piping hot served in a dark ceramic tea cup. This was delicious and welcomed on such a chilly day. After seeing the colorful veggies and hijiki in the takikomi version, I had buyers regret especially as I didn't have as much veggies or any hijiki at all in the yakitori version. Flavor wise, I prefer my fried rice more savory than sweet and the serving bowl was kind of small, but it did pair well with the tea. Dessert was a yuzu custard tart and the aforementioned mochi. Both were beautifully presented, but the hands down winner for taste was the mochi with its delicate sweet peach flavor and soft yielding texture. The yuzu custard was a little disappointing mainly because the crust was over cooked. The custard was citrusy tart and would have been fine alone. Service was friendly if inattentive ... the host just pointed to our seats without escorting us there while our waitress wanted to take our order before we had really looked at the menu and we had to ask to have the water glasses refilled. For more hot water, we placed the tea pot cover on the table as a signal, and the waitress appeared promptly. Overall, a lovely place for Japanese tea and sweet treats. read more

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Very neat little spot if you are going to the Portland Japanese Gardens. Other reviews mention booking ahead, which you should certainly do if you plan to go here. We were visiting Portland and on a whim decided to visit the Gardens. That said, there was no planning ahead of time! Do not plan on going here for a meal. This would be a great after lunch snack with tea. Loved how they incorporated into the Gardens and offered traditional options. read more

Umami Cafe - Matcha tea and a special soup they had with chicken, wasabi, etc. interesting flavored soup! - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I enjoyed the vibe and aesthetic of this cafe. Located inside the Portland Japanese Garden. I do not recommend it for big parties and I highly suggest to make a reservation before coming in. There were more than 10 of us, including children. Unfortunately, they couldn't accommodate all of us. Only 5 of us were able to dine in while the rest walked around the garden. We were seated at the bar area, but would have loved to be by the windows to get a good view of the greenery surrounding the area. We got the matcha with chocolate mochi tea set. I liked it, but my 14-year-old did not appreciate it, mostly because she is used to lattes and the one they serve here is made traditional style. The mochi was good, but nothing special. Overall, she felt like we could have gotten the same set for less elsewhere. I do not regret coming here because it added to the experience of being in a Japanese garden. I'd say it's worth a try if it's your first time here but probably not coming back again. read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Cute cafe at the Portland Japanese Garden. Based on my experience, service was fine, but on the slower side. Matcha with Ukishima $14: Shade-grown leaves are harvested, dried, and ground into a fine powder, providing matcha's jade color and savory, grassy flavor. Here, the matcha is paired with a traditional Japanese confection called Ukishima. This steamed cake is moist and sweet, made with red and white adzuki beans. It's not the most worth-it deal, but the tea experience was nice. Mugicha $4: Made from roasted barley, this naturally caffeine-free herbal tea is refreshingly aromatic and delicious. It is gentle on the stomach and relaxing. Served hot or iced. Actually, this was really good as a hot beverage. read more

Umami Cafe - Matcha with Ukishima & Mugicha - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

It is inside of Portland Japanese Garden. We came after the adventure in the garden. It was a perfect weather in to sit outside with the beautiful views. We have ordered the Adzuki Cheesecake, Matcha & Hojicha Brownies, and Genmaicha & Manju. Everything was really good! Our server gave us recommendations on the hot tea! I would definitely go back just for these delightful sweet treats! read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Umami café is beautifully located and just as gorgeous as the mapping and architecture as the garden. Don't assume that you'll be able to just walk in for a visit given the very limited seating and busy lines. I noticed in my hot king visit at least four to five patrons trying to be seated without much luck. Upon entering the customer service was exquisite. I had decided to treat myself for a self date, some tea, some quiet, and a bit of a sweet dessert, but nothing overwhelming. I personally love Japanese teas and appreciate the earthiness of a genmaicha. Their service didn't disappoint and the manju though small was packed with subtle sweet Mung bean much like a Filipino hopia. Presentation is clean, streamlined, and precisely what's expected for Japanese cafe. The design on the pastry matched the exterior outdoors with shapes of leaves echoing sweeping orange and burnt yellow foliage cascading incredible open windows view. This place is for snacks not for a full swarthy meal so another thing to consider. My servers were diligent, very kind, consistent, and professional. Seating was a 2-3 minute breeze given my online reservation. What takes a star away is actually the other clientele and the volume level that can build in the cathedral ceiling like cafe. If like me, you get seated next to loud chatty people or people with rambunctious children, the tranquil and serene vibe will definitely be impacted. Otherwise, a stellar lovely experience and I'll likely visit again on a warmer day. read more

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Four stars for experience and overall vibe!!! Very nice experience if you want to for a moment escape and enjoy a afternoon of tea but small space a lot of people so noise level not optimal but pricing was totally fair!!! Great tea too but definitely recommend trying once? Oh and the Mochi!!!!! Highly recommended!! read more

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What a pleasant find when touring the Portland Japanese Gardens. A couple of notes: 1)Very limited seating so on a busy day you'll need a reservation; 2) make your reservation when you first enter so that by the time you are finished touring your can enjoy the gardens further with some tea. We were hungry and made our reservations upon entry and toured the gardens (they texted when a table was available). Minimalist decor with glass walls to continue your enjoyment of the gardens around you; done in the style of Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera temple. Limited menu options. I ordered the Sencha with Chicken Fried Rice. Its a Tokyo-style tea set. They provide 3 pours of the tea and the fried rice portion is perfect for a snack. I very much enjoyed the tea, rice & ambiance. In addition, servers were very friendly. A great way to end your time at the gardens. read more

Umami Cafe - Sencha with Fried Rice - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

So chill. Service ....10. Ambience....10. Matcha....could be sweeter (is that bad?) miso happy! read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Please make a reservation ahead of time. Our experience without a reservation was less than pleasant. Not sure if this is a good experience for folks with kids. The Japanese gardens are an amazing experience though. read more

A truly exceptional experience. The staff was great, food was amazing, and the views are out of this world.

This little tea house is great for the experience, although it can be a little pricy looking at price:value ratio when it comes to the tea-- it's more for the experience. Definitely check it out if you're looking for a unique experience in the Japanese garden. We came around 1pm on a Friday and there was no wait. Tea sets that come with a small tea pot, cup, hour glass for timed steeping, and a small pastry ranging from $11-14 depending on the tea set. I chose the Sencha set that came with a light tea and semi-sweet sponge pastry. I personally really enjoyed my experience since I find comfort in tea as it reminds me of my mom who's an avid tea drinker, and the yellow sponge pastry was familiar, airy and light. The pastry is not overly sweet as most Asian desserts are not as sweet as American desserts. We stopped here first before trekking into the garden, but it would have probably been more ideal to explore the garden first and end at this tea cafe to warm you up after your outdoor adventure. For those that haven't been to this garden, there's also an entry fee that's ~$17 for adults (less for students) before getting to this tea house. read more

Umami Cafe - Sencha Tea Set $12 - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

So I don't really like tea but I felt like I'd give this place a try. As expected I did not like my tea but they were super fast and friendly and I think if I did like tea, this place would have been great! It's a relaxing spot and a great way to end a day at the gardens! read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

It's a shame this establishment has a three-star rating. The Umami Cafe is the perfect addition to the Japanese Gardens in Portland, OR. Before we started our walk, we left our names on the list of the cafe. Please note: wait times can vary from 30 - 90 minutes. I would take this into consideration if you plan to spend time here. The menu is simple and offers something for everyone! We ordered the Matcha with Spring Shibori Set ($14) and Sencha with Castella Set ($12). The castella cake tasted just like the one we had from Japan - fluffy yet dense. The red and white bean paste in the Shibori set was a great compliment to the matcha tea. Again, too pretty to eat! It was a little pricey, but you're nestled in the most beautiful space with something to warm your tummy. I wouldn't say it is family friendly, only because I'd imagine it would be a tight fit with strollers. Nonetheless, it's worth a shot! I'm not sure if they do takeout, otherwise, it would be nice to roam around the gardens with some tea and sweets. read more

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Toured the garden today and had a reservation for lunch at the Umami Cafe. The garden was of course wonderful, but they have added three gift shops which gave it a bit of a Disneyland flavor. The lunch in the cafe was good. We both had the chicken fried rice which came with tea which we both enjoyed. Photo attached. The service was odd which is why the rating is not higher. In spite of several tables being open we could not be seated until the dot of our reservation. There was a basket under a chair which was explained as 'for our things' and the service was not warm and welcoming as I have come to expect inJapanese restaurants. The tea service came with two refills which were precisely tracked by the staff. Overall, the room has beautiful light and was attractive, but felt like there were too many tables so felt crowded. When we left no one wished us well as it usual in Japanese restaurants. I would go again if i happened to be at The garden but won't go out of my way to visit. read more

Umami Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The service was peaceful and the views were serene! I got the sencha tea with chicken fried rice Which was $14. The price was a bit high for what it was and the portion, but you're also paying for the environment, so we treated ourselves. The fries rice did not taste greasy which I normally find it fried rice. The tea tasted pure. They staff was knowledgeable on all the questions we had. read more

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