Need to update after having better experiences. In particular, Umami offers an awesome restaurant week special. Even my favorite restaurants tend to disappoint me during restaurant week. The portions are small, not nearly as good as usual and often aren't what the restaurant usually serves. They're dishes designed to be made in bulk, and probably cost less to make. Umami's restaurant week is superior in that they serve the most popular dishes on the menu, unchanged, for a great price - at $25, it's amongst the cheaper restaurant week meals. The buns are phenomenal. I got the Korean beef and ate it in about two bites. The pork dumplings were very good and the Tonkotsu ramen was amazing. I don't remember it being so good! Definitely worth purchasing a spicy bomb. Enough food in there for two meals. Took awhile to seat us but both the hostess and our waitress were friendly and smiled. Glad to see the improvement! read more

The food is good, but the brunette, plain-faced hostess ruined it. After the bartender informed me that my order had been misread by the kitchen and I was given a small and not my large order of dumpling, large to follow when ready, he asked her if he should comp me on the large upcharge, or $2. She snarkily replied in a nasally and uptalking way, in direct earshot halfway down the bar, "no way, absolutely not!" I hope she's not a manager. She then proceeded to trash talk previous customers and generally create an intolerably annoying atmosphere for those customers unfortunate enough to be inside and in hearing distance. When I received my bill, no accommodation of the fact that I had been inconvenienced or forced to endure that woman. Umami, you have good food, but get your staff straightened out. Don't hire these rude prima donnas. read more

I. love. Umami. It's actually the first restaurant I ever went to in Madison, which really set a high standard for future dining ventures :) Whenever my boyfriend and I can't decide where to eat, we default to Umami. We usually order bottomless matcha tea (though I've tried a few of their cocktails and they're all delicious), the pork & chive dumplings, and the ramen special with a spicy bomb. They have an awesome option to split a ramen entree with extra protein (2 eggs, more pork belly) for just a couple dollars! The service is always great, the ambiance is cozy, and while I haven't tried the patio yet I am DYING to do so. Oh, aaand they have brunch on the weekends, which has literally changed my life. I want breakfast ramen and egg & bacon dumplings for every meal, not just every brunch. read more

Umami always delivers when I am hankering for some solid food. My go to dishes are usually the pork burns along with the chicken and shrimp dumplings. I feel the pork buns are some of the best in town. The fattyness of the pork offset by the sliced cucumbers and hoisin sauce make it incredibly addicting. This time, my girlfriend and I also went with the tuna poke. Served with some variation of a chip, the tuna was fresh and evenly sauced with soy and sesame oil. While I still feel the pork buns ruled the night, the poke was a nice change of pace. Umami also is one of the few places that serves up Hitachino beer (little owl) so that is always a plus. read more

"Let's get some Japanese food" "I love sushi" "I meant ramen" "Oh" I wrote a bunch of paragraphs about how the ramen here is between decent to great. It's probably too salty for Midwesterners. It might be too fatty, too. For me, I'd rather have more salt and fat. The bao, mantou, or steambun however you want to call it - those guys were good, too. But I don't really write reviews to tell people what's up and convince them to go to places. Food inspires me to talk about things. And Japanese noodles in Wisco is a good start. Asian noodles riff off each other all the time, and they're constantly changing and evolving. Ramen itself was an import to Japan, and it has been undergoing more changes to its formula than almost any food. But Madison doesn't seem to take many food risks. This is a ramen shop that would be equally at home in Milwaukee or Chicago, but it's here in Madison. This place could be uniquely Madison by sourcing its products more locally (go RP's) or it could portray the idea of what Madison food *is*. That second idea is interesting in that to me Madison food at the moment is Wisconsin food in general. It's the Old Fashioned. We have a burgeoning 'food scene' but that's for hipsters and exclusionary. There are a few standouts like Pel'Meni or Banzo, but in general it seems like most places in Madison that have tried to do something different and not established can't find any traction. I was going to bring this back to Umami and how I wish they did hipper ramen like you see in bigger cities, but I think that's an unfair burden. This is Madison, and foreign food is foreign food. We can't have too much of that. I digress. I'm sure I'll eat here again and I'm sure I'll talk more about Madison food. Some other time tho. read more

Blah blah blah. I went here and had the pork buns, pork dumplings, pickled vegetables, and miso ramen. Not a single thing was worth the money and I don't plan on going back to see if there's anything else on the menu I would like. A ramen restaurant that can't even get ramen right is sad. Seriously the soup had very little flavor at all which was surprising considering everyone on here said it was so salty. I borrowed my friend's garlic bomb and it didn't help at all. All of the ingredients were subpar which is not acceptable given the price. There's something wrong when you can't tell the difference between bamboo and chicken in look, texture, or taste. They just throw in a chunk junk seaweed that was tasteless. All of the sprouts were broken and looked old. No one at the table was satisfied with their soup. The dumplings were just fine. Not great but by far the best thing ordered. The pork buns I saw featured in the Isthmus food issue (maybe?) or one of the Madison magazines. Dough was stiff and dry, meat had an odd taste, way too much hoisin, and I think there were also pickled cucumbers in there that made these things taste like dessert. Exactly what I wanted....dessert pork belly. I feel like never ordering pork belly in this town again since everyone thinks that as long as the dish has pork belly you don't have to make sure anything else actually tastes good. We want good tastes with good ingredients...not this overpriced garbage. Seriously, look at the pictures people have posted and see if it even looks good. I promise it tastes worse than it looks. Also, apparently they can't split the check because their machines aren't capable of doing it and even though it was very clear we were two couples the waitress never mentioned it. Weak. read more

Completely disappointing. I had my doubts when we had trouble finding the place at night because the only sign they have is wooden with an inscription of a bowl in it. Then we get inside. It looks pretty nice, that kind of urban hipster looking with a bar that seems pretty popular these days. Being the decisive people we are we order with relatively alacrity and then proceed to wait close to 20 minutes for our appetizer and then another 20 minutes for our entree. This is completely unacceptable, how long can it take to prepare a bowl of ramen? As for the taste, the pork belly appetizer was pretty good though I found it kind of skimpy on the pork and really, how do you mess up pork belly? Our bowls of ramen on the other hand were atrocious; muddy looking broth, a little too salty and basically no other flavor except a bitter aftertaste. The pieces of meat were equally flavorless and boring. The service however was good and when we complained the manager came out to get our opinions. Frankly, the food was beyond redemption, no amount of critiquing was going to allow the chef that prepared that ramen to cook something delicious. read more

My fiance and I traveled from Chicago to Madison to enjoy the Labor day weekend. After a quick search on new restaurants in the Willy St. area, I decided that we should check out Umami. We wanted to like this place more, but the service just won't allow that to happen. Positive: *The food - we truly enjoyed everything we ordered. The pork buns were light and airy. The chicken dumplings with the spicy sauce were tasty and each of our bowl's of ramen were perfectly seasoned, (the spice bomb was necessary to add that next level of heat). *The host guy was nice and helpful and seemed like the only person to have any sense of hospitality about him. (Our server was nice, but seemed to be reeling from a long day and didn't give any sort of personalized service). Negative: *The service - why and how are these people working in the restaurant industry? The bartender seemed to not only hate her job, but resent every person that walked in the door or tried to order a drink. She never said "hello, how can I help you?" Just walked up and looked at us to order a drink. She never said "Thank you" or even presented a check to us. At 8:30pm (the restaurant closed at 9pm), we saw her come out from behind the bar to tell people walking in that they weren't accepting anymore walk-in's for the night... She also repeatedly told servers to give their last call to their patrons - Maybe she had after work plans? Because she definitely didn't want to be there any longer than she had to. Everyone else seemed aloof or non-caring. The restaurant industry is about hospitality, and it completely baffles me when people are hired who obviously can't stand being nice to other people. Go for the food and opt for carry-out to save the headache. read more

We had a wonderful time tonight at Umami during Restaurant Week! We've never been here before, but I hope we'll go again many more times. I should mention that usually I hate Chinese steamed buns ... mostly because I think the texture is odd, and the ones I've had before were filled with weird tastes that were new, but unappealing. NOT HERE. I was sad I only got to have one bun as part of the Restaurant Week menu, but never fear, there's a food cart right by my job! I got the spicy tofu bun and loved it. It was not spicy enough/as spicy as I was expecting, but it was still tasty. Then I got the vegan dumplings -- excellent as well, but they kept falling apart. Then, a veggie ramen bowl. It was a perfect summer night, and a little chilly, so the ramen was also perfect. It got pretty heavy and salty for me by the end but I loved all the veggie flavors and noodles. I also love the noodles are made by R.P.'s ! Lastly, I tried the black sesame mochi. No complaints here! Our waitress was nice, location was great, etc. Thanks Umami! read more

Oh my this was good! I don't usually like ramen but this was special. As were the pork "buns" and the mushroom arugula salad. We shared those three dishes with great satisfaction and left a little room for dessert. (It was one of the pork ramens; I asked the very helpful waitress which was the least salty.) The pork bun was beyond scrumptious, full of flavor and tender. The bun itself was a perfect texture foil. I wanted the other one, too, but left it to hubby. (2 in an order.) The soup had rich notes without that oversalted bitterness; the noodles had a bit of tooth and our added snow peas gave some crunch. Four small slices of pork meant we each had some. Could have used a few more noodles too. And the egg was good--but just half? Need that protein! We left the salad to last and it had a nice kick. The mushrooms were juicy and a good contrast. The chocolate cake was actually better than the green tea creme brulee. Both were rather small and the brulee was more pudding-like than brulee-like. The cake was moist and not overly sweet, with a dollop of ice cream and whipped cream. I would give 4.5 stars if I could! read more

On your first trip to Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar, you may drive by without realizing you've passed the restaurant - at first glance, it appears to be a residence. Upon closer examination, you will see torches, patio furniture, and diners enjoying delicious cuisine and beverages. We started our evening with saketinis (the Lychee was especially delicious) at the sleek bar inside the small restaurant. After a brief wait for a table (there is limited seating, but without reservations on a Saturday night, we waited less than 15 minutes) we were seated on the patio where we enjoyed the lighted torches and wooden bench seating. Umami offers a variety of salad options, featuring such ingredients as mushrooms, walnuts, cranberries, and fresh arugula. The Ramen options include meat as well as a vegetarian option. I had the miso ramen, which was rich and flavorful with green onions, thick broth, and slices of chicken. I didn't save room for dessert, but I'll definitely be back to Umami to try their selections on another occassion. The food and drinks were delicious, and the ambience was unlike any other restaurant I've been to in Madison - understated, classy decor; spot-on service; and an overall upbeat, fun vibe. read more

I wasn't really blown away by Umami unfortunately. I thought it was fine...nothing spectacular but certainly edible. I LOVE the outdoor seating and the location but my ramen was actually a bit bland and the chicken in my ramen was beyond tasteless. I will say the broths did have some dimension but it was sort of marred by the bland chicken. The buns were the food highlight for me-I'm a fan of anything with hoisin and the pork in the buns was fantastic!!! Would I go back? Yeah I guess so. Would I be thrilled to be going back? No, not particularly. read more

Don't be fooled as you pull up to Umami. The restaurant looks like an normal house on the outside, but inside there is a small bar and about a dozen tables inside. Umami's bar has a nice selection of sake, sake mixed drinks, and a good selections of beer. It's not too big, but it's big enough to mingle and make some new friends. One thing I didn't understand is how you could not take your bar tab to your table. The bartender made me close out and pay before sitting down to order food. The food was decent. Nothing to write home and tell everyone to fly out to Madison to try their food. The best thing we had were the steam pork buns. Pretty traditional. Nice steamed bun, with a nice slice of pork belly served with scallions, cucumbers and hoisin sauce. The dumplings weren't anything special. Tasted like frozen pot stickers from the store. We had an order of pork and shrimp, and I probably had a total of 3 whole shrimps in 4 potstickers. The ramen was decent. I'm glad we ordered the other food because this is probably the smallest bowl of ramen I've ever had. Noodles were cooked well, but I think i had two strips of bamboo shoots and half a cup of noodles. The tonkatsu soup was lacking on the pork flavor. It had a good color, but was really light on the fatty pork flavor. Overall, Umami was delicious for the area and it could be a lot worse. If I am ever back in Madison and I need a bowl of ramen, Umami is the place to go. read more

This gem was on my list for some time now. Stopped in with my girl on a Tuesday night. (Last night) once we walked in, there was a small line. However we were seated quite quickly. Still could not believe how packed for a Tuesday night! I like old houses revamped and zoned for restaurants. Decor was nice and simple. Waiter was very kind and helpful. Beef Bun apps were Freaken amazing!! The Ramen noodles were definitely home made. My mother makes home made for her chicken soup. Ramen Noodles were not as starchy. In short, the Miso Ramen with added pork was fantastic!! Can't wait to go again!! read more

The word "ramen" usually conjures up 10 cent instant noodle packs you can buy at the gas station; the main food staple for many college students. However, ramen at Umami is anything but that. My boyfriend and I split a bowl of tonkotsu ramen and a small order of pork and chive dumplings. The dumplings were good, but nothing to write home about. The ramen was pretty good, although the broth was a little on the salty side. I was skeptical about the flavored egg at first because I hate eggs, but I tried some anyway and it was pretty good. The seaweed and braised pork rounded out the flavors in the ramen. Overall, I would recommend Umami for their ramen. read more

Fantastic vibe being built in a house. I haven't been to a restaurant that has been converted like that before. Living in Japan town in San Jose and being spoiled with amazing eats there. Umami puts time and effort to deliver great food and atmosphere. It can get busy so be sure you plan to go early or later ! I'm a late night crowd so hitting it up late was fantastic felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Got the vegan dumplings and hot buns. Very flavorful and was spot on. Also had the vegetarian ramen. Usually hard to find something that hits with strong flavor notes so I'm happy to say they know what their doing read more

This house-turned-restaurant has character. Though it has a tiny parking lot connected to its driveway (looks like it belongs to a house), I don't mind walking a few minutes from street parking to get here. The saketinis are super sweet. I got the Tokyo Snow Pear, which is apparently one of the least sweet cocktails, but it was still super sweet. It wasn't my kind of drink, but it's interesting. If you're looking to try out an exotic drink, their menu has many choices. Get the dumplings (technically potstickers)! Each of the sauces is good, and the dumplings themselves are delicious. Be warned that if you are not accustomed to using chopsticks, don't start with dumplings. To better your enjoyment, just stick to a fork with these slippery snacks. The buns, in my opinion, are a waste of money. They don't offer that much food (~$7-8 and are pretty average). I would rather spend more money on the ramen. It's a good portion, and they know how to cook. I got the ramen with pork belly, and I couldn't get enough. The first time I came here, I went on a weekday night and had no wait for a group of 6. However, the place gets more crowded on the weekends. I recommend calling ahead of time to see how long the wait will be. read more

I've eaten at Umami at least ten times. Why do I go back? Here's why: (1) Pork buns. These are the best I've had. Try for yourself: have the pork buns at Graze (or wherever you eat pork buns), and then have them at Umami. Umami's are better. I'm not trying to start a pork bun war, I'm just sayin'. (2) Tonkotsu ramen. This is Umami's signature ramen, so rich and delicious. And that egg everyone's talking about? Get yourself one. De.Lish.Us. I've never lived in Japan, so I have no idea how Umami's food stacks up against the ramen served in traditional Japanese homes. But I do know this: last year, I was seriously considering becoming vegan, full time. But I couldn't do it, because I knew I'd never have Umami's pork buns or tonkotsu again. True story. Go, enjoy yourself. read more

Food: 5 Service: 4 Uniqueness: 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------- So I didn't know what to expect from a ramen joint in Madison Wisconsin but the steamed buns from their food cart by the campus were incredible. As a result my wife and I went to check it out and we're blown away. This place is on par with ramen in San Francisco or Seattle and is probably one of the best places in the midwest. Definitely try the buns. The porkbelly buns are standard and tasty but the unique ones are the spicy beef buns with cucumber kimchi and spicy mayo. Those are delicious. The tonkatsu ramen is outstanding! The broth is rich and flavorful and the noodles are perfect. The other ramen broths are ok. We've tried several of the others which are good but not nearly as noteworthy as the tonkatsu. read more

Before I get down and dirty here with my pretentious opinions, let me start by saying Umami is definitely as close to authentic ramen as you can hope to find this side of Chicago. I had the tonkotsu ramen and it was plenty good. If you've never had the real thing (or you have, and now you're jonesing hard for anything resembling it) go forth, shell out twelve bucks, and enjoy the experience (if you don't mind your beers on the warm side, enjoy it with a draft, too.) Umami is tasty, and you could really do a lot worse. However, I have a few not-so-quibbling quibbles. My biggest complaint concerns ramen toppings (or the lack thereof.) Umami doesn't offer any of the traditional ramen condiments you might expect with your bowl of soup if you've had ramen in Japan (or heck, even in a large American city.) If you're going to call yourself a ramen bar, you really have to offer 7-spice pepper (shichimi togarashi), pickled ginger (benishoga), and toasted sesame seeds on the table. With all due respect to Umami's right to charge a dollar for a side of sriracha and red pepper flakes, serving supposedly legit ramen without offering the 3 cardinal condiments (for free or otherwise) is kind of like opening a burger and fries joint while being unaware of the existence of ketchup. Tonkotsu ramen especially just isn't authentic without pickled ginger on the side, and the fact that Umami doesn't know this is frankly kind of weird. Less significantly, for $12 I'm not expecting a veritable trough of ramen, but I'd at least like the bowl to be more than half full - we are talking about broth and noodles after all; this is the cheap-arse, midnight staple food of drunk salary-men, not haute cuisine. My final verdict: Umami is imminently edible, but not remarkable. The ramen could stand a more reasonable price, given the product, and it absolutely suffers from the lack of traditional compliments, but it has passably authentic, good, deep flavor. I can recommend it once, just for the hey. ...My water glass did smell like mouth, though. read more

My daughter wanted to have ramen noodle restaurant style, which we have had before at other restaurants in the area. She said her bowl was on the salty side and didn't even finish the bowl as it was too salty. Don't think we will go back again. read more

Cozy ramen bar serving limited but perfectly nice menu of ramen, dumplings and pork buns. There is a children's menu with nice selections, but if you think you are going to get chicken fingers and pizza, go elsewhere. Our well-behaved seven-year-old was perfectly fine here. Decor was spare and certainly kept some of the spirit of the original house. read more

Walking in felt pretty special - there's a bar to the right, a seating area in the middle, and a fair bit of al fresco seating to the left - a nice option for those perfect Madison summers. The walls have some interesting bits of art like slabs of wood dipped in paint that enhance the atmosphere. We tried the Tonkotsu Ramen and it was really salty. I liked that a soft-boiled egg came with it, but it tasted like it was made earlier that day and reheated. Same goes for the noodles. I could be wrong about how they do the prep, just going with my tastebuds here. For me, the only benefit of going out to eat dumplings, buns, or ramen are to experience the freshly made kind without the hassle. So when the Ramen ingredients tasted assembled rather than made-to-order it was truly disappointing for me. I don't think I'd be back for the food. The saketini menu looked interesting, and we went with the Tokyo Snow Pear. It wasn't too sweet which was good, but I mostly tasted pear juice and slightly flat soda water. It's possible that by this time my senses were dulled from all that salt. If there is a next time, I'd go with a beer. read more

I'm so glad we stumbled upon this gem. Located in an old house turned into a restaurant this place has lots to offer. We came for lunch on Sunday. It was pretty crowded but the staff was nice and we ended up not waiting too long at all. I started off with a guava mimosa! Just based on that alone I would be back. Yumm! They had regular mimosas as well as mango and peach ones. The Bloody Mary was intriguing as well with a quail egg but we passed on this Sunday. Our waitress was nice and quick to take our order and refill waters. She even made us kid friendly chopsticks for the 8yr old in the group. We started with the beef buns which were very good. I want to try the spicy tofu ones next time. For entrees I had the tofu kimchi hash and my boyfriend got the brunch ramen. Both things were very good and cooked perfectly. There are also dumplings on the menu which look amazing and veggie and began ramen as well. I was very impressed by how many vegetarian and vegan options they had on the menu. I will definitely be back with my veggie loving friends to try them out! Can't wait to try dinner and their other cocktails! read more

Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar - Tofu kimchi hash - Chinese Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I came here with a large group and ordered their miso ramen with a hokkaido cocktail. My drink was delicious and I would love to come back and enjoy their drinks. There were several more on their list that I wanted to try. However, the ramen was nothing special. It wasn't exciting. We also split some appetizers which were dumplings and pork buns. The pork belly buns were also just okay, not flavored enough, and I prefer the Graze's. read more

I reviewed this restaurant and interviewed the owners for the upper midwest food magazine the "Heavy Table" in honor of Umami's 1 yr anniversary. It is now a year later and I am still thinking about some of the dishes I ate, and plotting a trip back to Madison. While the ramen (especially with the amazing "flavor infused" egg!) and the paper thin, crispy dumplings were delicious; the top dishes on MY mind are: 1. The only seafood on the menu, tuna poke ($10), is a must. Sashimi-grade ahi tuna is served with seaweed salad and apple cucumber slaw in a sweet soy sauce, atop crispy pork rinds. It's a balanced bite of salty / sweet and crispy / meaty each time. 2. The pork buns ($7) feature roasted, thick, juicy pieces of Berkshire pork belly and pickled vegetables in a homemade hoisin sauce stuffed inside a fluffy steamed gwa pao bun (Taiwanese clamshell style). If you prefer spicy over sweet, try the ones filled with Korean beef. 3. Finally, although you are sure to be full, the green tea crème brulee ($6) is a flavorful end to a savory meal. To read the entire review in the "Heavy Table", which includes the story of how two Chinese-American friends in Brooklyn who 10 yrs ago regularly played basketball together and daydreamed about opening a dumpling shop, moved to Madison to make it a delicious reality, here in the link: http://heavytable.com/randy-ng-and-michael-ding-of-umami-in-madison/ read more

Tonight, we were chased away from the bar by the trustafarian bartender with dreads*. Apparently, the bar isn't first come first serve like it is every other night of the week and we learned that the hard way when she ridiculed us for not checking with the hostess first. Really bummed because we've loved coming to this place regularly for the past year! There's no doubt that the food is great - delicious buns, savory ramen, and the drinks are solid. Unfortunately, the service is very inconsistent. They care about their guests even when it's pretty clear they're overwhelmed (note: it's a small space) but some deal with it much better than others... We'll be back to see Ashley and the terrific servers, but aren't interested in service with that sort of attitude again. *I have no problem with dreads just pretentious "hippies"... (: read more

This place receives stars for their APPETIZERS!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the appetizers especially the pork buns. YUMMMMM. However, that's where the positives end. The ramen was a salty mess. If it's going to be salty, at least be flavorful but it wasn't even that! Bland and salty!!! You pay for a spice bomb which is a tiny little cup of sriracha. How about leave a bottle of sriracha out like any other restaurant? You ain't that fancy. Service was blah. The kitchen staff and the owner are great I hear, I believe that. But our waitress at the time was .... stupid to say the least. But hey, service is always a hit or miss at most places. Anyways, if you go here, prepare to spend quite a bit of money for mediocre food. read more

I have a lot of five-star reviews, but I guess I like to review GREAT experiences. :) To be honest and up-front, I used to work at Umami when it first opened. It's been quite a while since then, so I feel fair in writing my review because my husband and I still love to eat there and order carry-out. The only downfall there is that I can't have the Hanami Blossom Sake-tini. Our absolute favorite item on the menu is the new beef buns. They are AMAZING! Though it's tough to give second seat to the original pork buns, because those are fantastic as well. The fluffy rice buns are yummy and it seems the proportions of ingredients are right-on (at least to my palate). I love the hand-made dumplings. My favorites are the chicken and mushroom ones with your standard soy-vinegar sauce. They are served right off the fry pan- delicious! I don't often order the ramen, but customers raved about it when I was there. The Tonkotsu is my favorite, and I am a sucker for the flavored egg. Order an extra, and add the pork belly! You won't regret it. Finish your dinner with the green tea creme brulee and you'll have had an awesome meal. :) read more

I wasn't as big of a fan of this place before, but I've come around more lately. Speaking objectively, this is probably the best place to get ramen in town. Their broths are rich in both texture and unique flavor and their noodles are filling yet bouncy. I don't find their toppings to be very good most of the time, but that's not as important as broth. I personally prefer Ramen Kid, but I don't think a lot of people would agree with me. What I like even more are their pork buns. Two thick, melt-in-your mouth slices of braised pork belly with sweet, salty hoisin sauce and two paper-thin slivers of briny pickles to balance out the fattiness from the pork belly are nestled in a soft, sweet, and fluffy steamed bun. They're heavenly! I'm not the biggest fan of their brunch because the broths available at brunch are weird (soy milk in my ramen?!), but I like the omurice because it's full of bacon and it comes with a delicious salad of spring greens and lime ponzu sauce. Overall, I'd say Umami is a fun place to eat. Their dishes are creative and unique. *UPDATE* I recently returned because I was craving their thick tonkotsu broth, but I found it to be kind of flavorless. I was really disappointed, and I'm not sure if it's because they've gotten worse at making broth or because I've recently been eating really good ramen elsewhere. Their noodles are still pretty good though; they're not overly soft. read more

The food was really good. The Ramen (miso and tonkotsu) had a rich broth with plenty of noodles and spices. There was not a huge amount of meat in either soup, but there was enough to add some pork flavor to it. The dumplings were very tasty-- plenty of filling inside and a crispy exterior. My favorite were the pork and shrimp. They had a different flavor than the standard pork and chive, while the pork didn't overwhelm the shrimp. The buns were probably the highlight of our meal. We had the pork belly, bulgogi, and pulled pork buns. All had great flavors, sauces, and balance of tastes. The buns were perfectly soft but still held up well beneath the fillings. The worst part of the meal was the service. It seemed everyone in the restaurant had to wait at least an hour for their meal. I'd recommend this place for the merit of the food, but if you need a quicker meal, you probably want to go elsewhere until you have a long time to commit. read more

Oh snaps y'all... There is a good ramen shop in Madison. My husband and I wanted some ramen to warm us up and this place delivered! We had the brunch ramen which was packed with wonderful flavors that hit the spot! Can't wait to go back read more

Brought our daughter here for her birthday last Friday.. not my first time at Umami's but I'm happy to report they still deserve a place in my category called "worth the extra mula". We had the dumplings and the special, which this evening was the Porks noodle ramen. My wife order the veggie version of the soup. It always helps the review when I am truly hungry, and I was this evening. Anyway it's game over to Umami just on the dumplings and the lovely crisp Pork mini bites that highlighted the hot, healthy bowl of ramen. Perfect cold night feast. Oh and the pork buns were excellent as well. Umami's hits the mix of alternative / comfort food taste just right. Japanese Lite yes, but frankly, there is nothing wrong with that. For me, Umami is a once-in-a-while treat because of the prices, but one definitely worth having every now and then. TIP1; take home your unfinished broth/stew (the bowls are large); mix it with about anything pasta/rice/veggie/legume at home and enjoy a 2nd round bonus. TIP2; avoid peak hours, Umami is still very popular and I like the vibe a little better when the staff isn't overrun and the noise is normal. read more

The atmosphere, as Melissa J mentioned, is stylish. The lights are fairly low and the noise level is relatively peaceful. It's a very nice and subdued place, which is probably what you'd expect of a more upscale Japanese restaurant lacking a hibachi grill. I went for the grand opening tonight and I was only slightly disappointed: they have a fixed menu with some limited items. There's appetizers, salads, dumplings, ramen, and some desserts. However, there's only several listed for each type. The drinks list is also fairly limited, but if you're into beer and sake-type drinks, you'll be fairly pleased. There are some alternative beverages, but don't expect a lot of soda, wines, or other types outside of this. I got myself a glass of the Chardonnay and the tonkotsu ramen. The Chardonnay was a terrible mistake on my end of things: it doesn't seemingly pair well with anything on the menu, so it was a poor decision, in retrospect. Not their fault on this one. The tonkotsu ramen was good, but not great. It was very mild and soft, but lacked a special flavor. The noodles were good and the char siu pork was incredible. I'd wished they'd put some more in because it'd certainly add some more flavor to the broth. The service was a little spotty, too: it took us a few minutes to be noticed by a staff member who just told us to sit at a bar. Then, when we did, it took about 15 minutes for us to be asked about ordering anything. I understand it was the first night and some things were probably getting worked out, though. Overall, it was a great atmosphere and decent food. A little expensive, but not the worst. I'd come back. read more

Tried to get a reservation on Friday at 6:30pm for a group of ten. They prefer not to have big groups early but the hostess called me and tried to work it out. We ended up splitting the group up by choice but they were very accommodating. It was very busy but the waitress was very attentive and made sure we were well taken care of. We always go there for pork buns and ramen and they didn't disappoint. Also love their ginger lychee soda. Must try their dumplings next time. read more

I *love* Umami. Let me count the ways: 1. Even when we get food (dumplings, buns) to go, they are amazingly delicious! Somehow still hot when I get home, tasty, in-tact, perfect. 2. Easy for everyone from vegans to omnivores to eat here. 3. Great service. 4. Good portion size. read more

Seriously, I don't understand how the chef got onto the cover of the 'Madison' magazine. That magazine just lost credibility in my opinion. I'm not saying that I know everything about noodles and dumplings, but having lived in an Asian country (Korea) and eating my fair share of noodles and dumplings in others locations around the world, I have to say this place has one of the saltiest ramen I have ever eaten in my life. The salty taste of the broth was just too overwhelming that I couldn't appreciate the flavors I would expect from ramen. The waitstaff, drinks, and environment are very pleasant and should get high marks for that but their most important focus should be on their food in which they fail to do. read more

THE best food in Madison. Hands down. I dream about several dishes off the Umami menu. Must haves are the tuna poke, the cold noodle special and my absolute favorite thing in the world: the beef buns. Their flavors are unlike anywhere I've been. The staff is all friendly and attentive, the patio is awesome for spending time enjoying your dinner outside, and the drinks are fun and unique as well. Some other reviewers mentioned the pricing being high but I've never noticed it being anything above reasonable. No doubt you should check it out! read more

Finally tried Umami last night after walking past it a thousand times. Great decor and atmosphere - cool bar area appears to be an addition on the back of a house that has been converted into seating space for the restaurant. The interior was clean and hip and unexpected based on impression from the outside. Menu was fairly small and to the point: comprised of starters, "buns", dumplings, and ramen. Hubby and I were starving and ordered spicy pulled pork buns to start with. They came out within 3-4 minutes and were very tasty. We opted to share a large order of dumplings (pork and scallion?) and a bowl of ramen. Dumplings were good - took a long time to come out. Our server had warned us of the delay - about 15 minutes she said. They actually took closer to 25-30. Came out VERY hot (Seriously, be careful!) and were pretty good. Nothing wrong with them, I just expected them to be... better. We had just had VERY GOOD dumplings at Ha Long Bay the week before, so I may have been biased. The Tonkotsu Ramen was served in a big bowl - enough for us to share, although a bit awkward to each be slurping noodles out of the bowl in the middle of the table. Great warming and filling broth, pork, bamboo shoots, a soft boiled egg. We didn't add any "toppings" to the ramen, but I was intrigued by the garlic bomb and would probably get that next time. Overall, we left happy and with full bellies for a decent price. I'll probably return for my very own bowl of ramen. read more

Really enjoyed this place. Its a small location, was a home at one point and parking can be tricky. We got lucky with one of the few spots in back. The place is small so does not hold a ton of people. The menu is not loaded with options, mostly appetizers, dumplings and variation of ramen. But everything was super good and for sure made right on sight. We started with the tuna poke that some of the best I have ever had, then some of the little pork bun sandwiches which were great and the platter of pickled vegetables. I had the house special pork ramen with some extra eggs in it. Super good broth. No too rich or fatty. Good house made noodles also. Our party of five loved everything we had. Service was great. Would for sure go here again., read more

Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar - Tuna Poke and the pickled vegetables - Chinese Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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