A few outdoor tables on the sidewalk (as of October), nice service, pretty solid food. Enjoyed the squash manti. read more

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I was pleased to see such a different type of restaurant in Rockaway. I enjoyed the food experience. I will definitely return.

You've probably seen those reviews that are too bad to be true. Not only was the hotel furniture outdated, but the front desk clerk was rude, the breakfast contained only stale bagels, there were bedbugs, there were drug deals in the parking lot, and the wi-fi was sluggish. During my long wait for food at Uma's, I had time to contemplate the ethics of giving a one-star review knowing that the cuisine had to be better than the dreary service. Uma's refuses to give solo diners a table, which would have been more tolerable if the bar where they are relegated was more spacious and wasn't adorned with a used water glass. The refusal to take my order, or even make eye contact, got my walkout clock stirring. Just before I escaped to the Q-53 bus, I was finally acknowledged. The bad news was they were out of plov, so I ordered manti. A couple minutes later they told me they were out of that also. The repeated recommendation for the filet mignon kabab made me wonder if they had nothing else in stock. I got the lagman soup and the manti. The soup was action-packed, with beef, noodles and vegetables providing an impressive ratio of food-to-liquid. And in the ground lamb-filled manti, even the onions were attention-grabbing. Uma's has some virtues but it also has the kind of aloofness usually associated with later stages of the gentrification cycle. read more

Best food ever !!! the plov is great and so is the rice and potatoes. Would recommend this place to anyone. Unique foods not found anywhere else. read more

Passed by their beach-side location, which was too cold to stay at. Randomly found this location while looking for an indoors place to eat; several tables with an intimate setting for a relaxed meal. Was able to get the last two-person table in the corner (nudged cozily in front of the door). Small yet specialized menu with interesting meals I've never had. Settled on the Manti With Meat ($10) and a glass of wine ($9). Portions here are amazingly large; four giant dumplings encasing a fistful of meat each. Rich flavor in the meatballs, though the casing comes off easily as you take each bite. Wine is served in a small tumbler, but paired well with the meal. Service here started off well, but I believe they forgot our order at some point. Took about an hour for the food to arrive after questioning the staff about the wait. However, unlike a recent experience I had with forgotten orders, the staff here comped our drinks and apologized repeatedly. Appreciate that kind of care for customers, so would return if in the area again (possibly at their beachside locale). read more

Uma's - Green tea - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

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I've thought about this restaurant often since I went. Absolutely delicious, unforgettable food and atmosphere. Eating here helped me feel closer to my roots if even just for a few hours. Loved it, will definitely be back again! read more

Uma's - Manti With Squash - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

Really glad that we got to try Uma's on our day trip to Rockaway Beach. Very unique Russian/Uzbek food in a trendy space. The restaurant is decorated with surf stuff. We had a bottle of rosé, dumplings and beef with rice and chickpeas. Everything was delicious. I would highly recommend that you visit. read more

Starving after a nearly 2 hour long subway ride to visit Rockaway beach, my friends and choose Uma's for a lunchtime feast. Expectations were high and only heightened by the Michelin guide recommended sign displayed in the window, yet quickly dashed as we entered and were greeted by buzzing flies. I ordered the Manti with meat, which comes as four large meat dumplings served with a yogurt sauce. Unfortunately, the filling was dry and tasteless, leaving much to be desired. On the other hand, it was a good portion size for $10 and left me feelings full for hours after (which is no easy feat). The halva ice cream was the highlight of the meal - deliciously creamy, packed with sesame flavor, and big enough for three to share. Service was mediocre and a little slow, which was somewhat baffling given that there were only two other parties. read more

Uma's - Halva ice cream - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

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I'm a huge admirer of the Eastern European food but this place doesn't represent Uzbek cuisine at all! The Plov is greasy, bland, there are zero original spices, chewy meat, did I mention greasy? For the price they charge they should hire an actual Uzbeki Chef who knows how to make authentic Plov. Borsht? Nowhere near of the actual Borsht that East Europeans make. Very disappointed as I'd like to support local businesses but this one is quite a let down. Basically if I never had Uzbeki or Russian food before maybe I would've loved Uma's but being Russian I can definitely tell apart the real deal. If you want to try the closest to authentic Russian or Uzbeki cuisine you are better off going to Brighton Beach. My suggestion to the business - get a Chef who actually knows Uzbeki cuisine and it's spices, tone down on greasiness, make a real Borsht instead of the watered down version. Thanks for reading! read more

Urmas. Is. A. Goodplace. To. Go. To. Enjoy. With family and friends. And. Grandma

Take the Rockaway Ferry from NYC and visit Uma's. Have the Carrot and Labne Salad or the Borscht to start. Follow up with Manti or Kebabs or one of their amazing specials. read more

Love this restaurant! It's a strange combination of surfer bar and down home Uzbeki food - one of those "only in NY" type of places. I've visited a few times, and had a blast every time. I came once with a big group, and the vegan in the party had a great meal! There are lots of veggie options, and things where you can cheese on the side. The beef stroganoff special on my most recent visit was probably the best version of that dish I've ever had. It was spiked with anise, and served over light fluffy mashed potatoes. Incredible. Squash manti are a must have, as well as any soup. The Lagman is really, really good, and a mushroom barley I tried was delicious. Scallion pancakes are incredible! Finally, they have a great selection of beer and wine, and a fun laid back atmosphere. Always great music, and surf videos on in the background. Love this place, always a pleasure to visit! Pro-tip: take a seat at the bar if it's super busy. The people there are cool, and you can watch the surf videos! read more

Nice place for some Russian and Eastern Europe style dishes. A little over the top on the cilantro- but I'm fortunately a cilantro fan. Convenient hours where a lot of places are closing earlier. Casual atmosphere and good service. read more

Great meal after the beach. Loved that we could walk into this restaurant at 6:30 PM on a summer Sunday and actually get a table. Both the beef dumplings and squash dumplings were great. Each dish is 4 huge dumplings for $12 - a very nice value, especially given the quality. Coconut lentil soup and scallion pancake were also very good. Good service and clean bathroom. Definitely will return. read more

If you see something, say something! Worst place ever! If I could give zero stars, I would. The daughter of the owner is the rudest​ person ever! She yelled at an older couple who asked to turn the music down "a little" (which was extremely loud). The hostess/daughter then turned the music up and told the couple that if they did not like the music, that they should "get the hell out of here." She then yelled and threatened the other staff. I told the hostess that she appeared to be nuts, and she stated, "I have been committed twice already." Wow! Surprised this place has any customer's left! Never got to try the food, because we left. But I am sure the hostess would have done something with it anyway. Do not turn your back on the hostess. Better yet, just do not go and find a safe place to dine. read more

I am dumbstruck today. Walked in and it was crowded, but there were 4 tables empty or just getting up. No one greeted me, so I looked around for a hostess. Found someone & asked for a table for 1, since I was alone. We have no tables she said. I pointed to the 4 vacant ones. "Sorry, we can't let singles sit her tonight". We need the tables to have 2 or more! I could not believe my ears. Rude, short handed, unprepared, and unprofessional. The foods not good enough to accept that kind of treatment. read more

Took the ferry from NYC. We stopped here and the food was great. I'll make a return trip. If I'm further impressed, might give another star. The food was a combination of Afghani, Jewish and Russian. Different from anything else I have tasted. I will return. read more

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We went to Uma's yesterday and unfortunately had to drop the score. From walking in we felt like we were being rushed through our entire lunch. Only 9 people in the restaurant and we kept being ask if we were done. Also, the choices seemed to had dropped in the menus and had many flys by our table. Although the food was delicious it would had been nice to eat in peace. I really dislike giving negative reviews however how else can one improve read more

Salads are the best here: carrot, silk road, uma's. Pumpkin fried manti are also amazing. Perfect for dinner after a long hot day at the beach. There are two outside tables. read more

It is nice to have a healthier option for lunch when at the beach, as opposed to burgers & fries. I ordered the chicken shish kebab with rice & beans. It was a perfect portion size and really tasty, with the meat well seasoned. The only negative was the server took down my name incorrectly so was shouting a different name for ages. When I tried to enquire if it was mine he said it was for the other name. Only after 3 people in front of us got their order and me asking if they even had an order under my name (they just looked at me confused), did I actually get my food, 10 minutes later. Thankfully it hadn't gone cold. read more

Uma's - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

I was not familiar with Russian food but taste like more Asian Flavor using fresh veggie and creation ! Near beach location is +++ read more

Uma's - MUST HAVE A Manti With Meat : steamed Dumpling &. Plov : national dish of uzbekistan food - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

Tasty, huge portions. Polite, caring service. Always careful when packing the "take home" parts of an order.

I been coming to this place since I moved to rockaway really love this food. Today was pretty much the worse Service I ever experienced waitress had a terribly attitude I asked her about my order and she was rude to me Told me it takes 20 minutes but there was no one in the place except for us and the couple next to us but she was nice to them I guess because she felt they will tip her better than me not sure why Very disappointed I won't be coming back read more

I really had an awesome time here. The meals on the menu are pretty affordable. I came with my husband and ordered the manti with butternut squash along with the filet mignon kebab. Both were very flavorful and definitely satisfied our hunger. I am glad that I trekked out here. Our waitress was really nice as well. The decor is pretty cool, like a lounge, but with exposed brick and cool artsy lightbulbs. You could tell that each piece chosen to furnish the restaurant was hand picked and well planned out. I definitely want to come back. read more

This place is great after a long day on the beach! My friend ordered the goulash. We had Coconut Lentil soup, shrimp kabab, Shrimp & Veggie stir fry. All good. Rosé was great. read more

Uma's - Korean Carrot salad - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

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This place is AWESOME! Just had lunch(takeout) and everything was spectacular. Delicious home cooked taste, nice portion size. Friendly Service. Don't let the unusual menu descriptions stop you from trying this place. It's one of the best places in Rockaway. Reasonable prices too! read more

I love Uma's! Delicious samsa, oliv, bichaki salad and of course super delicious halva ice cream! Always friendly service and this relaxed "beach style" atmosphere! read more

Uma's - Samsa - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

Uma's was a good experience. The food came quickly and was very hot. We ordered the Uma's salad, lamb bone broth, manti with beef (pictured), and pelmeni. The Uma's salad was delicious, and was made with perfectly cooked eggplant. The lamb bone broth had a strong marrow flavor and was nicely herbed, and came piping hot. The manti with beef was my favorite. It was served with a delicious sauce of tomato, pepper and onion on top, which was milder than expected. The pelmeni were a bit softer than I like and a couple of them fell apart as I was lifting them from the plate. Perhaps they were boiled a bit long. We also ordered coffee which was mediocre, but at $2 a cup with a free refill I wasn't dissapointed. Would go back. read more

Uma's - Manti With Meat - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

Went there last night and my stomach had been a mess since then. Either the food was not fresh or it had some ingredient that was not fresh. Disgusting!! read more

Love this place. Quaint little spot with great food. I always get the scallion pancakes and the brownie. I honestly have enjoyed everything on the menu. Staff is friendly. Beer is good. Price is fantastic for the portions. read more

Uma's - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

Still one of the best ethnic joints on this peninsula, and well worth the price. I would recommend getting the Plov as it is both a filling and healthy dish. read more

Uma's - Plov. - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

Coconut-Lentil soup is to die for. Thanks to my awesome waitress Sarah for this recommendation. It was a very busy Saturday night, but she had everything under control, being super attentive, friendly and funny:) I will definitely be back and bring my friends. A true far Rockaway gem read more

Maybe the best meal I had in a long time. So many salad options but we decided on the Organic kale and chard. This salad was the best salad I have ever eaten in a restaurant. We also ordered a special on the board, Golubsy - cabbage and grape leaves stuffed with beef and rice! They were delicious- Perfectly flavored. Our entire meal from salads, soups and enter was simply awesome! First time here and can not wait to return! Server pleasant too! read more

Fantastic borscht, a really great menu, everything was delicious, my server was very nice, reasonable prices, all-around great and I will definitely be back! read more

Lovely place. The Silk Road salad is something I could order everyday. It's well balanced and dressed= tomatoes, cucumber, dill, green onions, shredded feta, Cubanelle peppers thinly sliced, lemony light seasoning....excellent! Beef manti is the bigger version of the pelmini. Beef manti is steamed, pelmini is boiled both topped w this really good tomato sauce(not much of it) and sour cream that is lemony. I preferred the pelmini. It.s smaller (two bite kind of a thing) lamb broth has two pelminis...the broth is mild but pleasant. I dig it all. read more

Can't believe it took me a year of living in rockaway to finally try this place. The food is to die for! The flavor in every dish is amazing! Highly recommend the umas salad and the butternut squash dumplings! read more

There is not enough stars to rate UMA's. I'm hoping the Apartment above becomes available so I can move in and simply eat UMA's food EVERY SINGLE DAY!! Akmal the Head Chef and his kitchen team are the Best Around (like an orchestra making music to your mouth) along with the servers in the dining room with Sara and Stephanie leading the team are number one at customer service. You don't have to believe me. Just go there ONE time. And your hooked. She got you. I'm am proud to say that I am officially addicted!!! read more

Uma's - Soup - Russian Near Me - Rockaway Beach, New York

An amazing place for super fresh food. I don't know much about Uzbeki food but I know a little about Russian food. And the secret sources of much of the best of the latter have been the Central Asian Republics that now adjoin it and were once part of the tsars' or commissars' empires. And Uma shows this to great effect. The key: everything is fresh and home-made, subtly spiced, and ample in proportions. Case in point: Do not confuse these manti with Turkish manti. These are the size of baseballs and served with a subtly spiced sour cream sauce and filled with mildly spice and succulent beef. A friend and I--both with hearty appetites--were almost bested by the 4 on the plate. The mid-afternoon feast they were a part of were enough to sustain me past dinner. The kim-chi salad was fresh and crunchy with bits of napa cabbage, cucumbers, shredded carrots and bell peppers. Mildly vinegary marinade but with a kick. The samsa--a kind of hand pocket--was flaky on the outside and filled with lamb, beef, and onions. The spicing of the filling was related to the manti but more intense. The lamb broth was subtle yet rich and the dumplings (2) in it were enough to give a foretaste of the manti, though not on their epic scale. Prices were in line with the portions but the fresh, homemade culinary mastery make this a stone bargain. It's a bit of a schlepp but well worth the trip. Oh, and did I mention you can park your surfboard right outside on the rack. After a day on the waves, this will bring you to satiety. Full bar. read more

This is a unique example of how you can take Russian / Uzbek food, and make it trendy and appealing to International crowd. This is one of a few inexpensive Russian restaurants / bars where I would not feel awkward / embarrassed to invite young American friends to have a beer before heading to the beach. Great job to the creator of this concept! PS: food is obviously great (try Plov) and location is kid friendly too! read more

The meals were underwhelming. A lot of meals offered was a gentrified version of Caribbean meals. I ordered the salmon kebab (4pieces with a slice of bread)and it was barely anything in the box. I also ordered the dumpling broth soup and there were no dumplings,2 pieces of carrots and a 3 bits of potatoes with a big bone. Very underwhelming!!! The staff was efficient and friendly, tho. read more