Umiko | Restaurante Japonés — Restaurant in Madrid

Let’s start by the end. 295€ One could think it is not that much in a place like this, but when you agree with the waiter on a 80€/person menu you don’t expect a bill over 190€, am I right?

So when the bill came and my husband and I realized that it wasn’t a fix price menu and that they charged us by item, one by one, we asked the waiter what happened only to listen that he didn’t know what we were talking about because he was just bringing the bill. Ok, fair enough. We then called the manager who didn’t care that much and said that such a thing wouldn’t have happened if he had been our waiter and that, probably, was our fault because we kept eating and never said it was enough… are you kidding me??!

On top of that he asked us to point who had been our waiter (a very uncomfortable situation) and didn’t offer a solution. Not only that, but when paying (to another different waiter… no idea either why so many waiters…) and we expressed our confusion and discomfort he said that, maybe, next time we should clarify everything in advance. Ok, enough is enough.

Although the food wasn’t bad, the service was terrible and the experience horrible, mainly, because they made us feel stupid. The worse thing? When talking to my uncle’s husband he said that he experienced the same thing (he, an executive having dinner with a few clients), so we kept wandering: is this the way they do business? Play dumb while charging a fortune to clients who will never go back and who left the restaurant angry and confused??

I don’t know, but I think nowadays there are too many good restaurants with an extraordinary staff in town to stand with such an unpleasant situations.

Thanks for ruined our...

We were a party of 6. This is recommended on the Michelin guide and I always expect a lot from restaurants with this distinction. We were all pretty much unimpressed.

We allowed them to recommend basically an entire meal. Most dishes are either small portions or shareable. Easy to have a good meal and try many options.

They serve a blend of traditional Japanese dishes alongside some very fusion-esque dishes. They don't seem to have nailed their focus.

They reject bringing you soy sauce for the sushi since that's the traditional Japanese way of enjoying it (which is fine BTW) but then they bring out dishes with ingredients that would never show up on a Japanese menu. Not sure where those traditional views went.

Anyways, the best dish was their Toro Temaki that was exactly what you expect. Delicious and fully recommended. As for the rest? Nothing to write home about. A lot of failed fusion attempts where maybe presentation was their focus over yumminess?

Wine list is good, they come from smaller wineries and the price is fine. We had two great bottles of wine.

Lastly, price. Not sure how, but all of us left satisfied (not to be confused with full) and ended up paying 60€ per person. Some of their nigiris are tiny in size (which, again, is fine) but they are very expensive.

I wouldn't be back and, not sure what the Michelin guide saw here. Will probably be removed soon if they...

Terrible booking experiences. I tried to book a reservation online for my bachelorette party, but accidently booked the wrong date, as the calendar was flipped from what I was used to. I canceled it, then had a friend try to rebook, but she did the same thing. We could not cancel the second reservation, as it was under the same name, for the same time, and the system believed it was already cancelled.

So we tried going by the restaurant to tell them in-person (I was traveling through and don't speak Spanish, so unable to have cell phone service to call). They were CLOSED when they stated that they would be open. I was unable to tell them to cancel the reservation, as it was closed. I even tried to eat here that night (with my bachelorette party), but they were closed on a day stated open.

Then they emailed me about the wrong date reservation. I told them I didn't want it. It was within the free cancellation date (I have this confirmed with their stated policy for a weekday and the email time stamps). They charged my credit card a 75 EU cancellation fee, even though it was prior to the deadline.

I tried fighting it with my friend, who speaks Spanish translating, but they will not comply. They last said they are "looking into it", but haven't replied in over a month. TERRIBLE SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE. AVOID THIS PLACE...