Be sure to try the el jefe! ;) * transparency: i visited Umi twice, while visiting Pittsburgh every week for a matter of months during the fall of 2012. Umi was one of our team's favorite venues. read more

Based on past Yelp reviews, I had two main concerns with dining at Umi: the expense and the small portion sizes. Luckily, neither of these turned out to be an issue. In fact, my boyfriend and I were able leave feeling satisfied and without spending over $100 (not including tip). Although I had heard rave reviews about the Omakase tasting menu, we decided to order off the menu. We went with the Vegetable Tempura appetizer and ordered the sushi and sashimi platters to split as our entrees. The platters both came with miso soup and ginger salad. The sushi platter came with one small 6-piece maki roll and 8 pieces of sushi. The sashimi platter was presented in a bowl of ice and consisted of five varieties of fish. Everything was very tasty and obviously high-quality. A pic of our order: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/umi-pittsburgh?select=AhZ3Ixr2boyQFTtvVKeQHg#AhZ3Ixr2boyQFTtvVKeQHg At this point, we had eaten Vegetable Tempura, Miso Soup, Salad, and a variety of sushi and sashimi. We were still a little hungry, but decided some dessert would do the trick. We observed what some of the diners around us had ordered, and decided to go with the ice-cream sandwich dessert. If the sushi and entree portions here are considered small, the dessert portions are definitely normal or even large. The table next to us had ordered a delicious looking banana sundae with three scoops of ice-cream, and I've heard the chocolate pretzel dessert is awesome too...next time! When it was all said and done, my boyfriend and I had ordered two drinks, an appetizer, soups and salads, two entrees, and dessert, all for about $98. Not too bad, and probably comparable to other high-end restaurants in Pittsburgh. My only complaints...I wish the lights had been a bit more dim, and we were absolutely freezing during our meal. It seemed as though a door or window was open somewhere behind us and was letting in a gust of wintery air. However, the ambiance overall was very enjoyable, and I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a date night or special occasion. The free valet parking is a great perk too. read more

Umi - Sushi Platter and Sashimi Platter - Japanese Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sushi is, by far, my favorite cuisine, and to eat my top food in this exceptional space was a five-star experience. Umi was filled, but not crowded--relaxing, but not silent--aesthetically appealing, but not pretentious. Our server, Larry, was phenomenal. The meal was so well-paced, and he was informative, friendly, and humorous. Everything was certainly delicious though no better than my local sushi joints. My neighborhood haunts are filled with fresh, scrumptious sushi, so I'm surely not complaining--just noting that the sushi isn't above and beyond everywhere else in the country. My only other issue is that Umi is on the third floor. This information isn't abundantly clear on the website, and no elevator was seemingly available. While I'm imagining the restaurant makes accommodations, I don't like when public spaces fail to offer full accessibility. read more

I would give Umi ten stars if I could. I know people like to bitch about the size of what you get but I really don't enjoy gagging on giant, overstuffed sushi rolls. The quality of the product is incredibly good and this is a place that I would eat anything from their menu. I am not a sushi connoisseur at all but I know what I like and I love Umi. I would always recommend asking for Larry because, in my opinion, he is the best server in the city of Pittsburgh. I would put him up against the best in any city. He is personable, hilarious and professional and he is one of those people who it's evident loves and respects his profession and he understands it goes so far beyond just taking orders and putting them on a table. Other restaurants should take note. Actually, Larry should be a service industry consultant because he is really an incredibly wonderful server. Love him and love Umi. read more

I'm really struggling with my rating for this restaurant because the food tasted good, the service and space were both excellent, but the pricing was outrageous for the tiny portions. So outrageous that I will definitely never return unless I have a gift card or discount. My husband and I had the 7 course ($90 each) tasting menu and we were still hungry when we left. I read other reviews and was prepared to see tiny, yet expensive dishes. So luckily, we had a gift card that allowed us to enjoy this experience at half the price. Each of the seven dishes tasted great. They weren't exceptionally presented, but that doesn't really matter to me. No joke, every single dish that came out was only, ONLY 4 bites! (Maybe one of those dishes had 6 bites, but still) So lets do the math: 4x7=28 bites in the entire meal. Each dish was delicious, however. They really know how highlight the flavors of the different fish. My overall rating would probably be 3.5 stars. The food is delicious, but expect to leave hungry. read more

Got the 11 course omakase, prob the worst omakase experience I've ever had. This place def isn't authentic and caters to the clientele of the area. Almost every dish was sweet and nothing was "fresh." If this is what is considered to be the best in the 412, save your money. Oh and we essentially got the same dish twice except they added raw garlic slice on top of the fish. This place gets 2 stars bc they had hibiki. read more

Umi - Gtfo here with cream cheese on ordering omakase? Cream cheese?????? - Japanese Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We spent 200 dollars for their two people dinner special and was expecting something fresh and fulfilling. However this is nothing can be called Japanese cuisine. If you ever been to Japan or even nyc for some real Japanese food, you would be disappointed coming here. read more

4.5 instead of 4 stars. To be honest, the food is not the best Japanese food you could find, but the space, the service and the ambience make up for it. You can find customers of all ages, from young couples to friends to families, and they are all very nice, respectful people just trying to have a good time with good food (unlike at its cousin restaurant in the lower floor). Other than the nigiri and rolls being fairly small in sizes then everything else was in decent portion, and the taste passed the check. If you come just purely for the nigiri then I recommend booking a reservation to sit at the chef's counter and watch him work while eating for an enhanced experience. read more

When I was in University, the art professors were very fond of the saying, "You can't polish a turd." Umi was recommended to us as a very authentic Japanese experience. It was not. Nor was it an authentic American Omakase experience let alone a Japanese one. for a mere $149 you can get 4 sashimi dishes, of 3 paper thin slices of very basic fish (escolar, mackerel, and I think hake or red snapper? or maybe it was flounder) drenched in sweet soy sauce and another chef's special sauce topped with something "innovative" like a small dollop of foie gras or grated ginger), a bite of lobster a bite of wagyu, I think we even got a salmon sashimi plate that tasted like costco farm raised salmon, there was another less than memorable dish or two, I don't know. Plus the pièce de résistance, a 5 piece nigiri set of a repeat of all of the same fish as the appetizer courses. I do not believe this is the fault of the sushi chef, who believed in his ability to create sauce. It's a matter of a general manager or owner trying to inflate sales by using a chef's artistry with sauces to cover up the fact that they are serving run of the mill and mediocre quality sushi at Omakase prices with no understanding of what Omakase means. This was clearly not the Chef's choice, but an over decorated menu developed by a staff trying to dress up a short budget sushi menu to make a "5 star restaurant" using servers who watch way too much food network. 3 out of 5 don't recommend it. The value was beyond subpar, even paltry. Obviously they're confident the clientele has no idea what they are ordering. if you've eaten sushi in NYC, L.A. or Tokyo, please don't go here. The fish was fresh but nothing special, we never once saw the sushisan take a single piece of fish out of the hoshizake. It seemed to be prepped in the kitchen and sauced or finished by the chef out front. read more

Umi does high quality sushi and omakase but it is such a limited menu outside of Omakase. They have other items after you order their set menu...gets boring and not worth the $$$$$. My husband and I went with friends, great once, but not a place to continue going to without the freedom to choose what you like . read more

We got the 11 course Omakase for $130 each as well as edamame. The atmosphere was quiet and nice. The quality of the sushi was incredible. It tasted fresh and you could tell the chef really put his time into it. The downfall of the meal was that so many courses are served as sashimi with oils. While they tasted DELICIOUS, many of them seemed too similar. I enjoyed the taste and the quality of the Omakase, but I still felt hungry even after dessert. I feel like if more sashimi was placed with sushi it may be a bit more filling. I would definitely come back to Umi for some amazing quality sushi. However, unless the menu changes for the Omakase, I will probably stick to ordering pieces and rolls. read more

The best meal always!!! Better than Nobu and Morimoto!! Hidden gem in Pittsburgh. Do yourself a favor and get the Omakase. If you come here and order "normal" sushi you are missing out. My all time favs include the yellow tail with jalapeño, squid pasta and sewara... oh and toro tartar of course!! read more

Best restaurant in Pittsburgh. The average yelp score in the 4-5 range, juxtaposing this restaurant with dozens of other restaurants in Pittsburgh, is absolutely ridiculous. If most good restaurants in Pittsburgh end up averaging 4.3-4.5 stars on yelp, this place is probably around 6 stars. Yes, it is pricey. You can't eat here every night. Yes it's worth every penny. The staff here make it a truly remarkable experience - when you have guests from out of town, if you can afford it, bring them here and go Omakase - it is an experience you will not forget. read more

Amazing meal. Best sushi and Japanese meal I have ever had. Tops sushi restaurants in Manhattan, including Nobu. Excellent service and nice quiet atmosphere. Worth the trip. Highly recommend the 11 course menu. read more

Been a year since the first time i went to umi with a friend - my wife and i hit it this time and i felt really silly when the bill came. Best sushi in pittsburgh? Uh no. As other reviews stated; hilariously over priced, small portions, sushi is drowned in sauce and on this night, service not up to the crazy prices. Drinks served from Soba are outstanding though. After we had already thrown $100 into the food i accepted that i was not gonna be anywhere near full - i like eel so i ordered a couple pieces for $5 each. When they delivered the eel, my wife laughed at the eel slivers that might be categorized better as molecular gastronomy. Im not gonna document each item - but their rainbow roll - once again, small amounts of fish, lots of rice and veggies for $27. Now go have the same roll at penn ave fish or little tokyo lebo and you get a generous roll of fresh fish for half the price. Understandably you may want to see for yourself - just go for a lite appetizer at the bar instead of dropping a small fortune for an underwhelming dinner. read more

Wow, this place is off the charts spectacular. We went with the eleven course setting which I initially thought would be a little much, but was definitely the way to go. The old fashioned was a 10 as well. read more

We really, really wanted to like Umi. But it's drastically overpriced for the quality and portions offered. Perhaps we would have had a better experience if we'd chosen the $90 per person tasting menu -- but we just didn't feel hungry enough to merit what we thought might have been too much food. So we ordered some rolls and appetizers instead. The one thing that struck me as awful for such an expensive, otherwise nice restaurant, is that they are serving pollack instead of crab. Perhaps crab is not in season, so by all means serve an alternative, but POLLACK? Pollack is cheap and lame. It's the hallmark of cheap sushi joints -- so I would have been fine with the pollack if the sushi had been 1/3 the price (it's called "kani" on the menu -- I felt stupid when I realized that, I never would have ordered it). It seems to me that Umi is taking advantage of the fact there isn't much sushi competition in Pittsburgh and serving meh sushi with pollack to a population that may not be the wiser, and charging an arm and a leg. Our meal was more than $100 and it was just a few rolls, an appetizer and drinks. read more

I always make it a point to try two types of restaurants when I am in a new city. One being the local flavor and the second being their so called best Sushi/Japanese Restaurant After doing a lot of investigating I found the Big Burrito Restaurant Group, they have six different places to eat with cool names such as Kaya, Eleven, Soba, Umi, Mad Mex, Casbah and all had pretty good reviews on Yelp. Not that I specifically go by Yelp to make my choices but it is one of my tools Anyway this evening I went to Umi. It is located in the same building as Soba and you walk to the third floor. After reading the reviews, I was worried about not having reservations, but knew I could always sit at the Sushi Counter if it came to it. Upon entering the Sushi counter is in full view with a podium to the left where the host stands. I said one please, (place was empty) and he said I could have a table or sit at the sushi bar with a $50 minimum. Well I wipe my ass with $50 so it did not matter and I decided to take the table. The place is small, it is cute. I ordered hot tea and water. First to note that tea was lame. Not your typical green tea or roasted tea one would get in a Japanese/Sushi restaurant, more like a Lipton tea...oh well I started with the Shrimp Gyoza. Bad mistake, they were browned on the outside but raw parts of the inside. The dipping sauce on the side was just plain bad. Next came the squid "pasta" with garlic sauce. It was four or five thinly sliced pieces of squid with garlic sauce on top of them...boring presentation, equaling a bore to eat. Miso soup arrived next and I never had a pathetic miso in my life. Even the dried packages you buy at the Japanese supermarket are tastier than this. I was amazed, horrified, miso so bad tako su (octopus salad), make with broccoli and sauce, to be honest I thought it was stir fried the sauce was so deep on this salad. The Spicy tuna roll was one of the second worst I have had in the United States. I had a better Spicy Tuna Roll in Vientiane which is the capitol of Laos. The presentation was horrible; taste was boring, not spicy at all. Man one of the top three worst I ever had. Sushi ordered the following 2 pieces each Tuna Yellow Tail Salmon Egg Sea Urchin Unagi Salmon Smoked Salmon In regard to the sushi and all of the food above, on their menu and on their website they have the following: umi is proud to feature many items previously unavailable in the area, our commitment to quality ingredients assures freshness. our fish is flown in from across the world for our pittsburgh location, allowing us an uncompromised selection -- at times leading to slightly higher pricing to ensure freshness and quality. we continue to introduce the area to new ideas and new concepts in dining. we thank you for your continued support and hope you enjoy your meal. if there are any special requests to make your dining experience more pleasurable, please ask. we will try our best to meet your needs I challenge the Big Burrito Group on removing that due to it being bullcrap. I have had over 500 different tastings throughout the world at different Japanese Sushi establishments, I know about quality and about price. This entire meal with tax $124. 12. I am fortunate enough to be a "have" and the price is not what upsets me. What rubs me the wrong way is that for such poor quality of food and mediocre service they use the line that "our commitment to quality ingredients assures freshness. our fish is flown in from across the world for our Pittsburgh location, allowing us an uncompromised selection -- at times leading to slightly higher pricing to ensure freshness and quality." Oh stop the fraud right now! Just stop it! I will say that the people of Pittsburg are kind, they are nice people, they deserve much better. My review of Umi is boo hoo, would have given it one star but will give it two because I did not get sick. For anyone that knows Japanese food, or food of quality..go elsewhere read more

I feel conflicted about Umi: while it has a lot of care and attention to detail such as smooth black stones to rest chopsticks on, tatami seating, concise but nice menu presentation etc. it seems to lack value on the food end. I greatly appreciate omakase options on a menu as I like this traditional Japanese style of conversation of chef to customer via food. As well their maki and sushi/sashimi section contain a selection of items that are a little more diverse than the average Pittsburgh sushi spot like Japanese uni and a seaweed-out roll with shiso inside. But I have to agree with some other reviewers that the price point is skewed. I will say that our server was knowledgeable -not being caught off-guard by anything I asked- attentive, personable and gave recommendations based on a clear interest in the food being served which I find is crucial for me to trust my server. The interior was clean and had a consistent theme carried throughout the restaurant of a peaceful night garden, which made sense for the cuisine. Of the two cocktails I tried, the Thai Mule stood out as excellent despite not having a strong presence of the described Thai basil and the Szechuan Sour was good. The the sushi shari is probably my personal favorite in Pittsburgh, extra salty and vinegary without being mushy, and the pressure in forming the other sushi items was precise. However the "new style sashimi" was underwhelming. read more

I took my boyfriend to get the Omakase dinner at Umi as a Christmas present - it seems like the best location to go for a special occasion, something really memorable. We made a reservation for a Saturday evening, and got a little dressed up - with the dim lighting and sleek decor, it's fun to wear something here besides regular ol' jeans. The host was very friendly, taking our coats when we arrived, and our server was equally gracious. Umi is a place with truly skilled service, one of the few places I've eaten in town with utterly professional staff. They are knowledgeable and skillful, and they added tremendously to our dining experience. The Omakase dinner is pricey, I think around $85 per person for seven courses and dessert, which is what we got. The eleven-course meal, at around $130, just seemed like too much for our first try at this. Alas, time has passed since our meal and I failed to write the courses down anyway, but here's the general scoop: Most of the seven courses were prepared raw. I'd say five out of seven. There were 3-4 sashimi courses - just raw, unspeakably fresh fish dressed delicately in various sauces and flavorings. One course was gently fried tempura rock shrimp, another was cooked - I want to say black cod, but the rest were sashimi or sushi, appearing incredibly simple but tasting complex. We took our server's recommendation for sake - it was pricey, but floral and delicious. My boyfriend raved about the meal as each course came and went - we both had a wonderful experience. I will give it five stars, but I hesitate only because it was such a pricey experience. I have no doubt that the fish was impeccably fresh and certainly worth paying for, but the bill for two of us was well over $200 including the sake. And the food, while excellent, was extremely light and delicate. Now I'm not a big fan of being stuffed to capacity, but with an $85 meal, I hoped to have a little bit more food. I was also hoping to have a little more variety - perhaps this was my ignorance, but I was surprised that 4 of the courses were sashimi - just four thin, amazing pieces of fish on a plate. They were all wonderful - but it was a lot of sashimi. I was hoping for something more substantial, more bold, perhaps? But that doesn't change the fact that every bite of food we did have was of impeccable quality. I'd recommend omakase only to those who are celebrating a special occasion, love raw fish, and are willing to pay over $100 per person for food and drink. I think in the future, I'd come back and just order a variety of sashimi and maki. And Umi was a class act, from start to finish, with outstanding service and chefs who are clearly passionate about their product. read more

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet because it was simply incredible! Seriously folks, if you're looking for a nice night on the tahn, look no further! And my words of advice: DO THE OMAKASE TASTING MENU! There's really nothing more to tell you other than you will find it incredible, I guarantee! The Omakase tasting menu is either a seven course or eleven course dinner with dessert. It's indulgent and worth every penny (at $85 and $130 respectively). The plates served to you are small, but honestly not as small as I thought they'd be and the desserts, seriously, massive! We had the salmon tartare, sawara seared with hot sesame oil, fluke sashimi, black cod with miso, tuna shashimi rock shrimp tempura and an array of sashimi (toro, snapper, salmon, tuna and saward). Honestly everything was fantastic and fresh, just like fish should be. Like I said, the desserts were all amazing and most of the choices were very rich. I really enjoyed the chocolate maki and the inventive house made ice creams. The overall experience blew me away. From the service, to the food to the atmosphere it's a perfect 5 star place and if you live here and haven't been, don't wait any longer! read more

I'm so incredibly blown away right now.. I've been wanting to try Umi for about 2.5 Years now. Finally... WOW, such an amazing meal(s). We ordered in many rounds. Soups, umi cocktails, salads, sushi, sashimi, maki rolls, miso cod, edamame, and soba noodles. Each dish was prepared, cooked, and plated perfectly. I enjoyed the favor profiles of each dish and drink. Everyone working there welcomed us: Danielle, Mr. Shu, Larry, Mrs. Shu, and Jesse. These staff members are incredibly knowledgeable and are clearly proud to work their jobs. The staff, the food, and intimate atmosphere combination make for the perfect dinner. I was so impressed. Can't wait to go back and enjoy another evening! read more

My husband and I came here for our first wedding anniversary. We had a three-month-old who was getting baptized in the morning, so we had to bring him. For a high-end restaurant, they really worked hard to accommodate the fact that we had the baby and didn't feel judged. We were able to enjoy our delicious sushi in a great atmosphere. MUCH better than overhyped Nakama. read more

VERDICT: The best meal I've had in Pittsburgh! Yes - this beats out the likes of Casbah, Eleven, Nine on Nine, and Tamari. FOOD: Excellent. Having heard enough good things, we opted for the Omakase (chef's choice). Course after course of sensationally prepared sashimi and nigiri-sushi, with sauces that were flavorful enough to set off the fish, yet delicate enough not to overpower it. Mr. Shu presented us with Maguro (Tuna), Hamachi (Yellowtail), Hirame (Fluke), Kanpachi (young Yellowtail), Saba (Mackerel) and a few others. Miso soup, of course. There was one cooked course - a buttery soft fillet of cod that simply melted in the mouth. The culinary delights continued with desserts. I got the chocolate maki, which was rich and delicious. Thankfully, it was also the only time that maki made any sort of an appearance at the table. Truth be told, I was a little apprehensive that the Omakase would include a few courses of maki, especially since the table next to us seemed to be busy wolfing down California rolls. All in all, an excellent tasting menu. Portion sizes were just right, with enough food to leave you happily sated, but not stuffed. I was surprised to see reviews complaining about the small portion sizes - sushi is not something that you traditionally expect to find in Cheesecake Factory size portions! SERVICE: Service was about average. Servers were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, but a little on the slow side. We had a reservation and we were seated within a few minutes. It took us a little while after we were seated for them to get our drink order and there were a few other times when we were looking for a server but couldn't find one. AMBIANCE: This is really the only thing I'd knock about Umi. I feel like they had the potential to really go for an upscale Japanese look and didn't. Instead, it feels a bit haphazard, with a mish-mash of a traditional and contemporary that doesn't quite mesh. It's by no means bad though - it was comfortable and enjoyable - just not up to its potential. BOTTOM LINE: This is a place you can take your friends who are visiting from NYC or Philly and have it more than hold its own. Do yourself a favor and skip the grocery store rolls and go for the Omakase. read more

Hands down best sushi experience in Pittsburgh. Went here for my boyfriends birthday and had an AMAZING Omakase meal. Will be back! Small and intimate environment. Just amazing! read more

So, this was my third trip to Umi in as many years and this time we splurged on the 11-course Omakase. The big daddy. We were, to say the least, excited to experience Mr. Shu's wild ride. Meh. Of the 11 courses, 7 were three teeny shreds of sashimi dabbed with sweet soy and then topped with a micro-garnish. Was the fish excellent? Yes. Did it taste good? Yes. The miso cod was as yummy as ever and who doesn't love bang-bang bang shrimp, but there was literally nothing on the entire menu that made me say WOW! Also, the service was achingly, mind-numbingly slow (not the server's fault, he couldn't bring out food until it was ready). It took us over three hours (and too much sake which we mostly were drinking out of boredom and hunger) to work our way through what could not have amounted to 10 ounces of food, total. Somewhere around course 8 we realized we were still really, really hungry and that there was no hope of that changing (particularly when the dessert course consisted of three tiny bites of candy). We left there $450 poorer (if I had realized the sake our server recommended was $50 for each tiny bottle I'd have not ordered more) and stopped on the way home for cheeseburgers. The atmosphere was, as always, lovely (the tables in the back are the way to go) and our server was fantastic, we actually had a fun evening, but I don't think I can ever justify a return trip for the cost - it's just not worth it. read more

First off, I cannot comment on the food. I went on a Sat at 6.00 thinking it was early enough to not be too busy. I had checked THEIR website about reservations and didn't see anything so assumed they didn't take them. We wanted to sit at the bar anyway. When we got there, the place was about 1/2 full at best. He told us there were no open reservations until 9.00 (then why is the place half empty?) That was fine by us, we wanted to be at the bar which had NO ONE AT IT. He told us that to sit at the (empty) bar, we had to spend $50/person minimum. WHAT?! Now, I was prepared to spend some money, believe me, but what if I don't like the menu or I run out of time for dessert? So, we weren't allowed to sit at the bar or a table. We were pretty shocked so went somewhere else that didn't have a minimum spending to sit at a fuller bar. I will never go back. They completely turned two cute girls away that were ready to spend probably $80 in 45 min and had a pretentious attitude about it. read more

Very tasty food, but nothing spectacular is the final verdict I have to give to Umi. We did the full tasting menu which had plenty of food and sashimi. The combinations of the cuts of fish with the sauces the chef adds do taste delicious, but as it went on, it became clear that almost everything had a sweet flavor. There wasn't a lot of distinction from 1 fish to the next. Presentation was also very simple, I feel like more could've been done than 3 pieces of sashimi laid next to each other. As I said it did still taste very delicious overall, but for a 5 star, I would expect a little more in terms of presentation and creativity for the price point. read more

Delicious sushi, very professional wait staff, but probably won't go back for a few reasons. The restaurant is in Shadyside on the top floor of a 3 floor building. Get ready to walk up two steep flights of steps. I hope you have a reservation, because there is no waiting area at the top. You have to walk aaallll the way back down 2 flights of steps and wait at the bar, then walk back up when your table is ready. They won't let you sit at the sushi bar unless you order from some special menu. It was just silly. Wife and I each got a Sushi platter entree ($30). It came with 8 small pieces of nigiri sushi and a salmon roll cut up into 6 small pieces. Each piece of nigiri had a different garnish on it, such as garlic aioli, cream cheese etc. This was a nice touch and enhanced the flavor a good bit. It really was good sushi, but the quantity was about 4 nigiri pieces short of acceptable for me. On the plus side, the platter includes miso soup & ginger salad. I'll say this is a nice place, but it's just not for me. I'd rather go to Sushi Kim in the Strip, get twice as much sushi for the money and have a table right away. I spent over $70 here and left hungry. How can I possibly go back? read more

Tasty & fresh sushi! The food is very nicely prepared & laid out before you with a fair amount of simplicity, no really outrageous creative plating going on. The menu seemed fairly traditional, I don't recall seeing the more "Americanized" (what I consider) "crazy" rolls that many trendy sushi restaurants (like NYC's & PHL's Haru) offer. And don't take that as a bad thing. While I'll happily admit to liking those "crazy Americanized" rolls, its nice to find a great more traditional place out there. From what I understand Mr Shu is very stringent in regards to his sushi standards, to the point that he does not allow his sous chefs to prepare sushi if he is not around to supervise. The restaurant itself is small & cozy (& up a loooooooong flights of stairs) & without the loud banging tunes you find in the more trendy restaurants so that a great conversation is possible to have whether you're there on a date or catching up with a friend. I wanted to try the omakase, but opted against it as Umi was my second dinner of the evening (I'm a pig, I know), however I have heard pretty mixed reviews on whether or not its worth it. The service was simply OK. Kind of slow. No, more like definitely slow. Nothing special. Still gave the waitress a 20%+ tip though so obviously I still wouldn't call the service horrendous. read more

My friend and I went there last night and it was so good I can't stop thinking about it. Even if I could stop thinking about that dinner, I'll be reminded of it every time I check my bank account balance because Umi must be the Japanese word for "you think you can afford this, but you cannot." I will absolutely dine at Umi again. I wish I'd ordered the Omakase, which is $85 but provides a sampling of everything and from the other reviews here it looks like a lot of people recommend it. I advise ordering the Omakase because while $85 seems pricey, you're bil is going to be close that anyway. I know I keep talking about money and it makes me sound like a peasant, but having abject sticker shock at the end of any dining experience is never fun. It was, however, worth it. My friend and I ordered a bunch of different things and everything was EXCELLENT! We had: vegetable tempura miso soup white tuna sashimi which basically melts in your mouth tuna tataki salmon with mushroom sashimi sawara w garlic ponzu which was good but we found the garlic a little overwhelming california rolls tuna and cucumber rolls spicy tuna rolls at least 4 carafs of sake I highly recommend this place, this would be a good place to go on a date if you aren't paying or if you are traveling with a corporate credit card. MAKE RESERVATIONS. We were there on a Wednesday and the guy who answered the phone to take my reservation acted like he was doing me a favor to fit me in. It was a little crowded, but we were able to sit at a tatami table. Pro tip: Wear pants. A family w kids sat at the tatami table across from us and it was a bitch to get out of the tatami table while wearing a maxi dress without flashing everyone. Which is impressive since it was a long skirt. In summary: Go to Umi, but only if you aren't paying. Trust your servers recommendations, and get the Salmon & Mushroom sashimi read more

Wow, those are the smallest sushi rolls I've ever seen! Came here with a party of 4 and got to sit in the cool area where you can sit on the floor (there's a section of the floor cut out so you don't have to sit indian style. The food was good but I think Chaya has better sushi. The only roll that stood out was the spider roll. I also tried some of the teriyaki steak and that I must say was pretty delicious. If I come back here it would have to be with someone adventurous enough to try one of the tasting meals with me but otherwise I will stick with Chaya in squirrel hill. If you're looking for a nice date place that serves alcohol then I would recommend it. Side note: Great customer service! read more

Probably the best sushi experience I've ever had. Splurge and go for the 11 course tasting menu for some incredibly delicious surprises. The cost is not about the amount but the quality and flavors. The service was tremendous as well. read more

Absolutely delicious - and the prices is pretty up there too. We had the 5 course chefs special. Everything was perfect. The service was beyond superb. What a lovely place. If I lived in PGH I'd visit this place more often - if my checkbook would allow for it. Pricey, fancy, fresh sushi - small servings - remember that if your hungry. read more

My wife Karen and I have traveled extensively to experience the best restaurants in the world including Le Taillevent in Paris, the French Laundry in Napa Valley, and the Inn at Little Washington in Virginia. At none of those restaurants did I feel compelled to finger lick the plate. At Umi, while experiencing an Omakase, the sauces were so miraculously delicious that I was willing to endure that embarrassing humiliation several times. The waiters were very understanding. read more

The sushi was good, but not the best I have ever had. It was the most expensive for the least amount of sushi I have ever had. The service was good, but for the atmosphere, amount of food and downtown location, it will be the last time I visit. read more

I ate one of the top 2 meals of my life in this restaurant. It was the first time i had heard of "omkase" (or chef's choice of many small courses), and despite the hefty pricetag, I was celebrating and opted to try it. oh. my. god. an absolute slamdunk. I can't imagine going here and not getting that unbelivable sampler. my mouth is watering as i type. read more

Anyone who says that there's no good sushi in Pittsburgh (and I've heard you say it, folks, right here on Yelp!) hasn't been to Umi yet. I'd been mostly satisfied, sushi-wise, by quality if standard places like Little Tokyo in the South Side and Chaya in Squirrel Hill before I went to Umi with my roommate last Saturday. The first major difference between Umi and the places mentioned above: price. Umi, a Big Burrito joint, is much more expensive than other sushi places in town. That said, if you have the dough, go for the $75/person omakase. We enjoyed eight courses (7 dinner + 1 dessert course), each one subtle and well-seasoned and incredibly fresh. (Now we're broke, but that's my cross to bear.) The black cod and the nigiri course were stand-out favorites. The prices on the a-la-carte sushi, in contrast, looked only slightly more costly than others in town. The second difference: innovation. Sometimes, I just want straight-up, unadorned sushi, and when I do, I doubt I'll come back to Umi. However, if I'm looking for a fine dining experience, one where the ingredients are creative and innovative, I'll definitely return here. One of the best meals I've had in PGH yet! A final caveat: don't forget to make a reservation. The restaurant was packed when we were there, and due to its small size, I doubt they can squeeze too many walk-ins in on a busy night. read more

We really wanted to like Umi since there were many good reviews. Unfortunately, we will not go back there. Each potion was very small and expensive. One of dishes we ordered was 'spicy tuna salad' and what it came was tiny potion of marinated tuna. It was good, but that's it. No greens whatsoever. Most food came on a boring plain white plate: just like something we use at home everyday. I probably would not care if it was $10 meal, but since they are charging a lot of money, presentation could be better. Selection of sake was disappointing as well. They only had one mediocre quality sake and one type of sho chu. Perhaps customers prefer drinking something else. Wine and Spirits Store on Penn Ave has much better selection of them. Having said that, all seafood was fresh and good quality. So if you don't mind spending a lot of money to taste small potion of good quality seafood, Umi is a good place for you. read more

We were in town for the Pitt game and were really craving sushi so we decided to try this place since it was highly rated on yelp and listed as one of the top 25 restaurants by Pittsburgh Magazine. It's in a cool neighborhood with free valet which was nice since the parking was tight. The restaurant is upstairs above Soba (which was also on the list and looked good). The environment and decor is very nice. Really relaxing and cool set up with great art and ambiance. We went right for the omakase as other patrons suggested. It was good, 7 courses plus a desert. The desserts however, were very good. We had the banana split and the pretzel with chocolate ganache. Both were very delicious but the pretzel stack really blew me away! I couldn't stop! I would suggest this place for locals as well as visitors. Try it out! read more