Umi Restaurant
| Address: | 5849 Ellsworth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA |
| Phone: | +1 412-362-6198 |
| Site: | bigburrito.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | Closed 5–9PM 5–9PM 5–9PM 5–10PM 5–10PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
CH
chris elms
Top notch and then some! We had a party of 7 and every single person was blown away. Most of us listened to the advice of a friend and got the Omakase (chefs choice) UMI and Miyabi and it lived up to the reputation. It was a 5 course meal and later on in the meal my father received Chilean Sea bass on top of smoldering bamboo paper that have everyone jealous. I was lucky enough to get a bite and we both agree that it was the best Sea bass that we had ever had. The salmon, tuna, and all the other cuts of fish were just as amazing. They had that soft texture that makes you want to savor it, eating it slowly as not to waste it. Even the octopus was softer than what you would expect. I could go on about the Sushi but lets not forget about the desserts at the end. Lisa Ito the wife of Fuyuhiko Ito is the pastry chef but I think of her more of as a pastry wizard. Not only did she come by our table and talk to us, but after hearing about the 30th anniversary of a couple at our table and about how my wife likes chocolate she sends out some amazing Chocolate dish with "Happy 30th Anniversary" drizzled on the plate along with another chocolate piece of heaven with raspberries and green tea ice cream for the wife, and an amazing green tea souffle, rare cheesecake with golden foil that had us scraping the bowl with our spoons. The bus boy had an easy job because there was nothing left on any of the plates. All of the service was perfect and what you would expect and more from a place like this. If you enjoy sushi, desserts, or life, you owe it to yourself to go to UMIs before you die. You might want to call ahead for reservations because they stay booked far out in advance. Enjoy!
DA
Dan Pencoske
Its okay for a special occasion. Maybe you want to impress someone with how much money you can bleed while trying to find something on the menu thats filling. Or, if youre like me, you werent paying. Umi wants to be trendy, but what that translates to is a dimly lit attic with small portions served by waiters who cant even pronounce "omakase." I started with some sushi: a whitefish roll with mint, and pieces of toro, red snapper, and smoked salmon. The roll tasted like a generic fish with hardly a hint of mint, and the sushi pieces were each small and only the smoked salmon had any real flavor to it. For the price, I could get a bigger piece at Sushi House in Squirrel Hill thats just as good. For an entree, I ordered the seafood tempura. Heres what thirty bucks gets you. Start with a bowl of miso, which was good. Its a standard dish, so I hope so. Then a salad with ginger dressing, which was field greens with a single slice of cucumber and half a cherry tomato. Broke the bank with those extra vegetables. And finally, the main dish, which was five pieces of shrimp, a crab stick, and maybe five vegetables. The shrimp werent even that big -- I could do better at Orient Kitchen or Misaki. I will hand it to them on desserts, though. Heres one place where the value for the money almost matches. I got the banana split, which is three smallish scoops of ice cream -- differently flavored -- with bruleed bananas and a slice of banana cake underneath, topped with chocolate and caramel sauces. Really good, but not enough to bring me back.
A
A Private User
After years of eating sushi only for the sake of being trendy, I am now finally able to eat it because it is fantastic. I took my boyfriend to dinner there for his birthday since he loves sushi. I was really nervous because, at the time, I hated sushi and I didnt want him to be dissappointed to find this out. Luckily, I explained my trepidation to our server and he walked me through the rest of my meal. This guy read my mind. I started with the tuna tataki. It is five thin pieces of lightly seared tuna with some kind of sauce. I dont know what the sauce is but honestly, it just doesnt matter. It instantly became my new favorite find. We also had some rolls that were perfectly sized. You know how you put a roll in your mouth and it takes up all the open space? Not here. I got a little cocky and tried sushi at a restaurant near my house after that, only to find out that no one in Pittsburgh is interested in serving such high quality fish. I still may not be a sushi fan, however, I would eat it seven days a week at Umi. My world has been rocked.
A
A Private User
My background: Recently moved to Pittsburgh from NYC. My benchmark sushi restaurants are: Shimizu (Tokyo-Shinbashi), Mizutani (Tokyo-Ginza), Sugiyama (Manhattan), Kuruma (Manhattan). What I ate @ Umi: Omakase, $380.00 after tip (for two people). Out of the $380, approximately $100 were attributed to alcohol (decent variety of ginjo and daijinjo sake). The course included 5 tsumami (4 raw items, served as sashimi+ponzu style and 1 gindara marinated in sake+miso mixture then broiled) and sushi (7 pieces). The quality of the fish used is undoutedly the best in Pittsburgh. (Chaya is sometimes comparable in quality/freshness, but it serves items that are nearing the end of its life) Thoughts: Ponzu over a varierty of fish gets a little boring. Sushi is well put together (shari construction and taste) for an American institution. (a miracle, really, in Pittsburgh) Overall fish quality is quite good, but nothing special. Cost performance, in my opinion, is not great. If I had 40000 JPN Yen, I would be able to
A
A Private User
Went to this place with my friends. Everything we had was amazing. The appetizers were delicious. This is what I ordered: 1. Miso Soup: Was awesome!!!! very flavorful. My only complaint is there wasnt enough Wakame for my likening. But over all, it was AWESOME!! 1. Black cod with Miso: This fish was cooked perfectly and literally melted in the mouth. The flavor was mild and perfect. 2. Tuna Tataki: This was slices of Ahi Tuna slightly seared from the outside and rare in the inside. It was to die for!!! 3. Shrimp and Asparagus Maki roll: Probably not a great choice to begin with, this was okay, nothing to rave about. 4. Fuji Maki Roll: This had Crab and avocado and sesame seeds on the outside. It was delicious!!! 5. My friend had the assorted Sashimi. The serving was huge so i got to try some of his stuff. The white tuna was delicious as was the salmon.
A
A Private User
Is there any way to give a place zero stars? How about negative stars? Umis expensive, with poor quality sushi. One of Pittsburghs worst places to eat, Umi would be a run-of-the-mill "sushi" restaurant in any other part of the country. The restaurant decor has obviously been well considered, but the food is poorly prepared, and ridiculously overpriced. Umi is the fake nails and breast enhanced version of a Pittsburgh eatery. It may pretend to be classy, but it lacks the cuisine and refinement of a real sushi establishment. Its all show, and not much of a show at that. I wouldnt eat there again if you paid me. Seriously, pay me; I promise I wont eat there.
JV
JV G
Left starving after spending $120. The worst part is that they put toppings on the sushi nigiri platter (come on! good fish needs no topping, in fact, it is an insult to nigiri to top it) without mentioning on the menu. It would have been better if the server warned me. I would guess that the fish on each sushi weighed half an ounce or less, so although it was good fish, it left me supremely disappointed. Good parts: service (minus no warning of uncalled for nigiri toppings), dessert was delicious and a good portion size, ambiance is great. Come on Umi, I expected better! Wont be returning.
