Umami Burger Marina

Reviews 6

JO

Jonathan Kong

Looking for a weekday (relatively) late night snack? Well my friend and I had just finished sampling rums at the cove and the list of places to eat past 10 was almost non-existent! Then Yelp showed us that Umami Burger was open! And less than 7 min away? Down. We got there with 25 minutes till closing and were welcomed towards a couple seats at the bar. With such a vast menu of burgers and good eats we let the bartender pick our meal with the "trust us combo," which meant our burger, fries, and beer was up to the selection by the staff. With our fate left in the hands of our friendly bartender my friend and I started to realize just how vast their beer selection was! I noticed a couple of my all time favorites, the scrimshaw and the celebrated Allagash Curioux and I secretly wished for a the Curioux. After a few minutes of discussing their beer options with the bartender my friend Mika suddenly stopped mid sentence to share that she could smell the burgers-no more talk, food was coming- the bartender simply laughed as he brought us our food. I ended up with the Hatch burger- a juicy medium rare burger, topped with 4 diced/chopped chiles, and smothered in house cheese. The rest of my combo came with classic fries and a pint of allagash white that truly pulled the whole combo together. For less than $20, this was an amazing meal. The Hatch was filled with flavor in every bite and I could tell my friend was really enjoying her Classic burger because both of us when from being fully of chatter to complete silence with the occasional "omg so good" from Mika, haha. So if youre looking for a delicious late [weekday] night meal, definitely check out Umami Burger- amazing food, great beer, and all at a decent price!

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SO

Sonya Li

I wasn’t impressed with my first visit here but I decided to give it another try. My partner and I ordered the “Trust Us Combo” which is the chef’s choice of burger, fries, and a drink. We ended up with up orders of thin and sweet potato fries, the Manly burger, and the Original burger. The thin fries were good but it’s the ketchup that makes it. I don’t want to understate this, so to put it bluntly ketchup is a pre-requisite for everything. It’s made in house and so good that it’s the best thing about this place. Adam Fleischman has been known to call it “burger crack” and I swear it’s exactly that. Perhaps everything that comes out of the kitchen is underwhelming because ketchup is an integral component of every dish. The sweet potato fries came with a dusting of brown sugar. While it did smell amazing we found it unnecessary because the fries were already sweet enough. The manly burger came with beer cheddar, bacon lardons, and smoked salt onion strings. Much to my dismay the bottom bun was soggy and the bacon was too salty to the point that I couldn’t taste beef or much of anything else. There is an exception to every rule and this is the case where ketchup did not help. I had a much better experience with the Original which came with Parmesan crisps, shitake mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and caramelized onions. You can taste the sweetness in the Portuguese style bun, the tang in the tomatoes, earthiness in the mushrooms, and the beef actually tastes like beef. The flavors were good but it’s not the Christ on toast that people make it out to be. Sure, I’ll splurge on a bottle of ketchup but the burgers are not worth it.

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MI

Michelle Leung

Overrated - somewhere between 2.5 to 3 stars. Ive been wanting to try Umami for the longest time, and finally did this past weekend. Expected, we waited about 30-45 minutes for a table for four - its much easier to get a table for two. I ordered the Truffle Burger (since I love all things truffle) and my bf ordered the Bacon Wrapped Scallop Burger. For our sides, we had regular fries and smushed potatoes. Truffle Burger I did not taste the truffle in it AT ALL. It definitely wasnt "umami" at the very least. Tasted like a regular burger, except that the buns were extremely soggy from all the juices. I wouldve liked my buns a bit toasted. Also, the garlic aioli did nothing for the burger, couldnt get taste it. Scallop Burger Bf was not pleased with this and barely finished half before he gave up. He said that it was tasteless and bland. Regular Fries They were definitely regular. Nothing special. I prefer In N Out fries, or garlic fries from Gotts. Smushed Potatoes No place does it better than Gregoires in Berkeley. It was definitely, but tasted like baked fingerling potatoes. Ehh.. Overall, not impressed at all. Perhaps I had my expectations too high? I wouldve much rather went to In N Out or Super Duper for a more appetizing burger at a fraction of the price.

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RH

Rhia R.

On here, the hours show that they open at 11am. We got there a little after and they apologized and told us they wouldnt open until noon. Okay, sure. Good thing the movie my friend and I wanted to watch was at 1. Wed have to rush ourselves through lunch because of the fact, which I was hoping not to do. At least I took the liberty of looking at their menu prior to my visit. Plus, we were still among the first customers inside when they finally opened. I got the Truffle Burger and the friend got the Manly Burger. We also shared an order of cheesy tots and took some truffle fries to go for the movie. Oh we fancy, huh?! The TB was down right scrumptious. Simple as hell, but were talking about truffle here. It didnt need anything else. I was hoping the portion size would have been slightly bigger. As for the tots, those were also delish. But were we supposed to get other condiments served with it besides their Umami ketchup? *checks out another persons review* Hmmph. I guess Ill have to come around again for a second opinion, and most definitely another Truffle Burger.

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KI

Kimberly Ann Graham

Upscale casual burger joint with exceptional food! probably the best burger I have ever had. Simple menu features 10 unique burgers, including a turkey burger, an Ahi Tuna burger and a vegetarian burger. All of the components are made fresh in house daily! From the sauces on the table to the meat itself which they grind to suit daily on the premises. I had the manly burger and I dont think Ive ever realized how much of a difference that freshness would make. A generous burger without being ridiculous. We also had the truffle fries and they were quite good. At the end of the meal, we were brought a dessert menu. the offerings there were ice cream sandwiches. again all ingredients made fresh daily in house. Irresistible! I had the daily special which was a sandwich made from 2 homemade chocolate cookies with salted chocolate ice cream sandwiched in between. YUM! They also have a bar area where you can sit serving beer and wine. I had a glass of their Seghesio Zinfandel from Paso Robles. A great wine.

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MA

Marc Chou

Outstanding food. The burger was juicy and the fries were tasty. However, I gave this location specifically a 1-star rating due to the very poor customer service. We had made a reservation for 5 people, and once we arrived, no one tended to us (even though there were open tables). After finally getting a table, we felt unwelcome the entire time by many members of the staff. They were rude, barely paid attention (we didnt get utensils until after the food came and had to ask for them), and we felt rushed. We looked past the fact that two of their menu items were out, but one of the party members had ordered a salad, and it never came. I work for a Fortune 75 food service company, and am extremely disappointed because the food was so promising, but that can only get you so far with the wrong people in place. Ill go to Umami again, but probably never to this location again.

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