Umami Burger Pasadena
| Address: | 49 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105, USA |
| Phone: | +1 626-799-8626 |
| Site: | umamiburger.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
ES
Esther Kim
According to Umami Burgers website, umami is an ingredient-activated taste sensation, often referred to as the fifth taste. Founder Adam Fleischman designed a burger that maximised this umami flavour and that is what led to Umami Burger. I came here with a couple of friends because I had a BlackboardEats coupon... but of course I forgot to use that coupon when I was here :( It is sad but at least I had a good meal here. Since the restaurant is located in Old Town Pasadena, your best bet for parking would be one of the public parking garages. Parking is free for 90 minutes, which is always nice. We parked at the one on Green/Raymond and walked on over. I love the chalkboard sign that they have on the sidewalk that tells you to love yourself like Kanye loves Kanye. So good. They were promoting the Sunny Side Burger... it must have worked because that is what I ended up getting! There was a little bit of a wait when we came since they were packed. There is both indoor and outdoor patio seating, but they are quite popular so you may have to wait if you come at a busy meal time. We started off sharing two orders of fries: -- TRUFFLE FRIES: thin cut fries with truffle cheese We did not really care for the cheese and the fries themselves were just normal. Definitely needed ketchup (which they make inhouse, nice!) -- SWEET POTATO FRIES: signature sweet salt You cant go wrong with sweet potato fries! We liked these for sure. With the word "burger" in their name, Umami Burger is obviously famous for their burgers. They say that their beef burgers are designed using a fresh blend of beef, coarsely ground in house and seared to medium rare on a hot plancha. Each burger is also made with their signature Master Sauce and Umami Dust in order to deliver the maximum amount of Umami flavor in every bite. Not sure how maximised the Umami flavour is in their burgers, but they do taste good! We got the following: -- (EK) SUNNY SIDE (AKA TRUFFLE ESPECIALE): parmesan frico, fried egg, truffle butter, truffled arugula Quite delicious! I love fried eggs on burgers and this was no exception. The parmesan frico was nice too and the burger was very flavourful. -- (JC) GREENBIRD: turkey patty, crushed avocado, green cheese, butter lettuce, sprouts, green goddess Definitely looked healthy! I would not order this burger for myself (too green!) but my friend really liked it. -- (GY) SLOPPY MAMI: mix of lentils, mushrooms, tomatoes, Umami crema, cheddar, jalapenos, onion strings, served open-faced This looked really good. Love onion strings! My friend liked her burger, although (no surprise) it was pretty messy. While I am still somewhat mad at myself for forgetting to use the coupon, since this place is a bit pricey, we did all enjoy our food (minus the truffle fries) and have a good time. Our server was nice and friendly and I am down to come here again.
JR
JR C
We all know about the Umami Burger invasion of LA. You make a fancy burger and charge a fancy price for it. Everything is ala cart so you must also order fries with that. Old Town Pasadena is the newest Umami Burger location and its been here for less than a month now. Front Desk Service looked like they were still trying to settle into their vibe, but our server, Elizabeth (electric purple hair!), was spot on and ultra-accommodating. We were so glad to be seated in her section during one lunch hour. She was the gleaming star during our visit here. -=-Cordon Bleu Burger-=- I had to try something new and this limited edition chicken burger with a bechamel white sauce was yelling to be tried. It will be my first time trying something other than the beef here, but it didnt turn out too well. The bechamel sauce was a bit too overwhelming and soaked the grilled chicken patty. The longer it sat, the more soggy it became. By the end of my meal, I was biting into a chicken mush. This burger just didnt have it. Try the Umami, Truffle, or Manly burger first when coming here and youll probably enjoy it more. The sauces are the same old same old, but Im a saucy guy so give it all to me!
SA
Samuel Dubois
EATER BEWARE I came across this establishment while on a quest for food and it looked nice and relaxed. My mother and I ordered sweet potato fries, Brussel sprouts and two "famous" umami burgers. The burgers looked good with many of our favorite toppings. The Brussel sprouts and the fries were standard however the burger was almost intolerable. I tried to find what was responsible for this travesty by tasting the ingredients individually. To my astonishment almost every part of the burger was subpar. The bun was crappy the "umami ketchup" tasted of spoiled tomato sauce and the meat was tainted with a similar flavor that one can asume they are attempting to pass off as umami. To conclude PLEASE do not support this establishment, we must allow it to die off and play its roll in darwinistic capitalism. About the author: I love food of all different price brackets from 3 dollar In and Out burgers to Michelin Star Eaterys.
KA
Kaitlyn Vogel
The food was SO AMAZING. Burgers were cooked to perfection, they all had a great taste profile with the 4 or so other toppings. We had an order of the truffle fries that my fiancé had been raving about! Our only complaint was that it seemed dirty; dust coming/hanging from vents, the plates they left out looked dirty, and the hanging lights could use some TLC. Overall, its a great place. They serve alcohol, and have a great cocktail list. There are desserts, though we didnt look at that-the burgers fill you up! A little cleanup and this would be a wonderful spot!
JO
Joshua Thomas
You know, Ive been to two other Umami Burger locations and theyve blown this place out of the water.. The onion rings, which I usually die for, (mind you, Ive been to Umami Burger over five times now) were pedestrian and over crispy. The burger was missing the Umami umaminess and was, seriously, so so. The service was ok, but lacked what Ive had in the past.. I recommend the Santa Monica location and the one in Irvine. Try those instead. This is the restaurant I look forward to most in the world and, today, I was disappointed.
BR
Brad Berry
Delicious burgers, friendly service, and great outdoor seating on one of Pasadenas most lively streets. The building is a landmark on the national historic register and the space is pretty neat (thought we didnt spend any time inside). Im only docking a star because the temperature of my burger was a little cool when it was served to me and the burger was a little underdone (it was ordered medium-rare). Great spot for a date night.
AB
Abe S
Took a friend here for the first time and the food was just awesome! The sliders give you a great chance to try multiple burgers, the onion rings are one of the best, and the chicken wings are great! Service here is really awesome too. Ask for Edward and hell take great care of you! I think this place doesnt get as crowded as the other Umami burgers, and it has a more modern look and feel too.
CH
Chad Breece
Umami burger always has something new and interesting on the menu. This is not the type of place you go to in order to get your basic American burger (although you can), you go here in order to find a new way to eat a burger. The service was good and the food was good but it was definitely pricey. I would go back if I was really in the mood but otherwise there are better places.
