UMI JAPANESE Chapel St — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Not the first time to the place and visited here multiple times actually. Can guarantee won’t be coming back any time soon based on the most recent visit. Haven’t had any problem with past experience, the staff works there are all lovely except the manager. The horrible last experience came from this manager and this manager only despite the rest of the staff.

Starting from as soon as I get in the restaurant, there was absolutely no one that approached and offered any help with seating while the bald white manager made direct eye contact and was judging in a rude way with eyes the whole time when I have to look around for my friends who were already there and disturbed other customers eating experience.

While looking into the menu, we realized there isn’t anything suitable on the menu for one of our friends since she is having a stomachache. Therefore we politely asked if we can get a take away hot porridge from next door just for her as an exception. After the staff double checking with this white bald manager. He looked towards our way and gave us the most disdained and arrogant look and said no. We were shocked by the look and was so confused as we understood that many restaurants in the UK do not accept take away a from other places, and we a hundred percent respect the restaurant’s policy from this perspective which is also why we decide to ask in advance at the first place.

However, it is the manager’s attitude that made us turned our way out of the restaurant without ordering anything. He then approached us with the rudest explanation saying this is a business after we showed understanding and respect. We then proceeded to offer that we understand this is a business and will order more than enough food for the rest of us just for him to roll his eyes on us and said no. At this point we are so done with his attitude of arrogance, and decided to leave straight away without ordering anything. Then this guy has the audacity to accuse on our attitude of leaving when he is the one who has been extremely disrespectful and unprofessional as a restaurant manager since the beginning. Even threatened me to call the police after me directly addressing on his poor behavior and attitude to him. Made extremely unprofessional responses towards the customer causing a big scene in the restaurant not just to loose us as a regular customers but also interrupt other customers over all experience.

I have went through the reviews turns out there are other Asian customers who had came across rude service from this guy too. So I strongly suggest the management team to re exam the customer service and who is in charge of such highly rated Asian restaurant.

Interestingly haven’t had any similar issues previously while there was no interaction with this manager in Umi.

Overall, horrendous experience from the unprofessional white manager and won’t be turning our way back. Recommend future customers to keep away from the place while this manager is on duty.

Other lovely Japanese places such as Yamato, don Tokyo or Bentoya(actually the sister restaurant of Umi) is highly recommended.🥰

I appreciate the manipulative and subjective response from the restaurant.

As customers we respect the restaurant policy and appreciate lovely food and services from our heart.

Let’s clarify that the ‘hostile’ interaction was a response to the rude service and ignorant attitude that was offered by the manager who initiated the disrespect at first.

It is hard for customers to keep a positive view in such situations when the treatment was unreasonable and offensive.

I do believe that the attitude and response of the manager says a lot of the restaurant and is a representation of the business.

As a customer, I would kindly ask the manager to stop redirecting the problem onto customers and avoiding his own fault on initiating and escalating the issue with his arrogant attitude.

Wish the manager and the restaurant a good luck serving white customers only as a Japanese cuisine place.

The photos are some other Asian customers experience...

The food was excellent and the flavours were incredible. But the service was abismal.

First off we had booked a table for two. When we got there there were several tables for two available so we asked for the one in the window. We were told that that wasn’t possible because it was booked for later on. I hadn’t even sat down that two people came in after us, had no booking and got given that table. We were sat on a small table between two couples. Then they did offer us another small table when the people had left next to us but the point was that we would have preferred the window table that was also bigger to accommodate all our food.

The food arrived quickly and was delicious. But because the table was so small they were dumping the plates in front of us with the plates half falling off onto our laps and we were having to scrape the food from the previous plate on the new ones to fit everything on the table.

Then when we had finished someone cleared half of the table and then for the next 25 minutes we were left just sitting there, no one offered us anything else, no one came and finished clearing the table. In that laspe of time the table next to us got offered more food, got given the bill, paid, left, the table got cleaned and prepared again. At this point after trying to make eye contact and ask for the bill they sat the next people down, gave them menus, took their order. We managed to ask for the bill and it never came. We then had to stand up and stand in the middle and yet again waiters walked past and barely acknowledged us. Then they had the audacity to ask for a tip!

The service was terrible. I feel like maybe we seemed a bit cold but when we get told that the window table is booked for later on and literally ten seconds later you give it to someone without a booking then please try and make the rest of the evening nice. The staff attitude was not professional at all. We are hugely disappointed to have spent £70, then asked to tip you for horrible service that clearly made me want to walk out. Would...

Having reserved our table for two, we arrived on 15.Oct.2024, at 8 pm. We were seated at the entrance and enjoyed our first ordering: Umi Plum Tea for two, which is a cold drink composed of (japanese) plum wine and (scottish)whiskey, delicately served on two chique ice cubes (22£). The whiskey quite present, tasted nicely, but after the melting of the ice the whole tended a bit watery. Around 21:00 (we had finished our orderings but still hungry), we thought best to order somewhat more (an extra roll and some scallops). There we were told this was to be the last ordering. I was surprised, as the website mentions 22:30 as closing time. My daughter made me understand that we were the last guests present and that we probably should leave by 21:30. This was probably true, as the waiters started sweeping the floor at around 21:10 and opening the entrance door for letting the fresh air in (around +3 degrees C). This is probably "couleur locale". After this refreshing Zen-experience, I asked for the bill, which was at 188 £. Being surprised by the amount, I checked and it turned out that it was "only" 133£. And was swiftly corrected by the waitress, handing over the proper bill. Funnely, this also happened to me two years ago in an italian restaurant, then also accompagnied by a very young lady (actually my daughter). I come to think that older men, accompagnied by a young lady, do not tend to check their bill and pay whatever? But, we were able to leave at 21:25 h. Ah, yes, almost forgot; normally I tip around 10%; This time I did not, since I did not feel particularly well treated. Anyhow, upon re-checking the bill at home, it turned out that 10% "service charge" were added, "ex officio". As I said before, charming "couleur locale". By the way, I believe, when floor sweeping, it is best to put the chairs on the tables. All the best for this little...