Umami Noodle Bar
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While visiting in the US for a few days, my Partner and I decided we would try some local spots that caught our interest. Umami just so happened to be one of these locations The atmosphere is lovely, the decor is very pleasant, and to our amusement a movie played off on a screen to the side. Customer Service was fantastic. Our waitress was bubbly and friendly, and checked up on us often to ensure we were enjoying our time at the restaurant. We ordered between the two of us Scallion Pancakes, Gyoza, Drinks (I a Boba, and my Partner a Soft Drink) and made a Build your own Bowl Ramen. Our total was 77$ after tax. The Scallion Pancakes were alright, they were delightfully crispy, but had a very clear oily fried flavour to them, and seemed to lack overall flavour otherwise, aside from your occasional spotty bite of green onion. In my opinion, the Gyoza was the best dish we had received. Juicy, crispy, and delicious we ate those the quickest out of them all. However the portion did seem rather small for it’s almost 10$ cost. Lastly, our noodle bowls. Though the presentation is simply beautiful, and aesthetically it is easily some of the most gorgeous food I have had the pleasure of consuming- The dish falls short after that. My broth was bland, and lacked any body of flavour, the noodles were sticky and over cooked, and much more reminiscent of an instant ramen noodle than that of a homemade ramen shop. The Pork Belly I had added to my bowl was deprived of it’s usual smoky, well marinated flavour, and instead tasted of oil. I was unsure if it was fresh, or perhaps something re-seared to use. I will give it points for being tender however! The dish was not horrible, but with the areas it lacks, it is not something I could see myself ordering again without knowing clear improvements have been made. Overall, this was not a bad location. The environment was cozy and friendly, the staff was polite and helpful- but the food was ultimately underwhelming. I would like to come back to this location, as I feel it has a lot of promise. However, I would be trying another main course, and maybe some different appetizers to find what in my opinion would be the best of the best Umami Noodle Bar has to offer!
GemstoneGemstone
00
I went with my sister during the recent Pride parade and festival! Went last year, too. Last year was fine. We got noodles, we left. This year was, honestly, pretty bad. We went inside, sat down, then soon left because I had lost something while walking around. Not their bad. We come back, every seat is taken except for one table- not filthy, but clearly needed to be wiped down. We sit down, they come over in a hurry and wipe the table down. Honestly, I get it. It's pride, they're basically the only restaurant on the block. And it's a ramen shop, what more could a huge gathering of queer folk want? It's busy. I don't blame them for that. The food was great, so let's start with that. I got a huge bowl, I'll admit. I got several proteins, with a lot more eggs. It was, all in all, a great meal. What wasn't great was the fact that the pricing was so far off I had to go home and explain to my grandmother why I was 10 dollars over my budget. With the huge build-your-own bowl I got, it should have been 20 dollars if it's +1 and +2.50 for each protein and addon etc, and 13 or so if it was a single-time charge. I was charged THIRTY. My sister, who also got a build your own that should have added up to 7-12 was charged 19. They didn't even get my order right, and added bean sprouts and scallions despite the instructions I wrote on the order form. Let's not even talk about the fact that they gave us NO WRITING UTENSIL. I FILLED IN MY BUILD-YOUR-OWN CHECKLIST WITH CRAYON. We got boba, too, but they also got that order wrong, and gave me tapioca instead of the ordered popping boba. We had our forms taken, and it took them nearly a full hour to get us our food. In that time, we were brought an order of boba that Was Not Ours (and included 4 cups, not 2, all of which were not the right thing), and we were brought 3 bowls of ramen. None of which were ours. Not a single time did an employee come in to check on us, and they actively avoided coming over. We were even given 3 waters, when there were only 2 of us. Sorry for the long rant. All in all, great food, horrible service. Apparently it was an error with the table setup, but it should not have taken that long to be rectified.
JustoMyXXeJustoMyXXe
00
Honestly. We'll start with the good. The location is good. It's very central and walkable. Parking is street parking but there tends to be lots of options with ample time to park and eat. The interior is well done with well spaced tables. The concept itself of a build your own noodle is good The execution is alright. We ordered 2 bowls. Both broths were good, reasonably flavored. The noodles were kind of where this fell down. I ordered the ramen and the other was egg noodle. The ramen noodle was not springy at all and reminded me of a instant ramen style noodle. The other was egg noodles, these were better they had more chew and generally were good. The proteins were also a mix bag, the tofu was not bad, but it felt very hastily assembled and not fresh as it looked like it should be crispy and hot but was more spongee and slightly warm. Beef was had in the ramen noodle bowl as well, this was also evidently premade and was dropped in as it was also not very hot. Lastly both bowls were ordered with a marinated egg, this was good but again the temperature it was served at was cold, however if they had been able to atleast come upto temp in the broth it would have been good as it was otherwise a good soft boil. I will say the food visuals were good. Combine this with the fact that in the end the bowls were a a bit expensive and the overall size of the dishes were small was a let down. Lastly cutlery, the plastic bowls I actually liked, chop sticks also good, but the soup spoons were just jagged and far to floppy.
Christopher ChangChristopher Chang
00
I have been eating at Umami for a number of years. This is where my fiancée and I had our first date out together. We were so disappointed by the food tonight. The portion were alot less then what they used too be. We couldn't even use all the broth for our ramen in the small container we received it in. We got home and our food looked like a frozen meal warmed up. We had to put our Ramen into another bowl just so we could try and break up the pasta sticking to itself. My yellow curry was so disappointing barely had any flavor. The whole menu seemed to be reworked for the worst; increasing the price for the food all awhile making the portions smaller. They added bobba tea which is a nice flare but it doesn't make up for the lack of flavor in the food. Ramen bowls used to come with a single piece of seaweed, the cherry on top. But now it is something you need to pay extra for. The fire roasted corn which is something I always added to my ramen bowls is now just corn from a can no flavor just bland. I honestly don't think I will return for ramen again. I always talked up how Umami was the best ramen restaurant in Maine and now I can't suggest it for anything. Maybe the Boba tea, but I can't suggest it for ramen anymore. It breaks my heart writing this post, 💔 I do hope they eventually improve.
Dylan CameronDylan Cameron
00
I have loved umami for years. Since the last time I came here a year ago, I am absolutely APPALLED at the intense downgrade in everything. The service was terrible, the workers were slow even when the restaurant was near empty and rude. That’s not even mentioning the food. I have always gotten the exact same bowl, and to say I was incredibly disappointed would be an understatement. Never in my life have I ordered any chicken dish and received grilled chicken so chopped up that it resembles ground chicken, basically inedible in a bowl of ramen. How a person is expected to eat tiny crumbles of chicken in a bowl of ramen is beyond me. It was also extremely crispy, with multiple burnt pieces in it. I used to be a huge fan of Umami’s chicken, as it was the typical style of chicken used in bowls. I have no idea why they changed it but it was disgusting. The attached picture is what 90% of my chicken looked like, with probably an additional 3 “normal” sized pieces of chicken. The bowls are also supposed to come with toppings, and I only got a dime sized amount of carrots and they forgot the bean sprouts. Not to mention, the curry broth was almost inedibly salty. I am incredibly disappointed in the quality and service and I will never return.
Amanda FloydAmanda Floyd
00
We ordered chicken tenders for our kiddo and they were the worst tenders I have ever seen, like how do you mess up chicken tenders!? So brutally over done.... Okay your probably like "well that's your fault for ordering chicken tenders at a noodle bar!" but... Hear me out... We got an app, two drinks and two entrees. App was edamame, which yum can't mess it up. 1 of the two entrees were great, the other was so dry I went up to ask for some sauce and the server gave me attitude (I had been in the service industry for 12 years before becoming an RN so I know how to be respectful to the industry!) like okay .. then we ordered two more drinks after our meal and waiting OVER 20 MINUTES just to find out "something was going on in the back, here" and the drinks were never made. So we cancelled them and left, tipping 18% (which I hate tipping under 20% but my morals said "not today"). It sucks because the marg and one entree was good, but the rest was either meh or just straight up not good. Limited menu, bad service, food was mediocre... If you have the option to go somewhere else, take it! Pic of the good entreeeee (sorry I don't know it's name).
Kay ConKay Con
00
Nearby Attractions Of Umami Noodle Bar
Maine Savings Amphitheater
Maine Discovery Museum
Tiller & Rye
Quality Jewelers
2 Feet Brewing
Brewer Riverwalk
The Phenix
Walker's Garage
Bangor Farmers' Market
Antique Marketplace

Maine Savings Amphitheater
4.3
(458)Click for details

Maine Discovery Museum
4.4
(340)Click for details

Tiller & Rye
4.6
(333)Click for details

Quality Jewelers
5.0
(211)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Umami Noodle Bar
Bagel Central
High Tide Restaurant and Bar
Paddy Murphys
Blaze Bangor
Sea Dog Brewing Co
Frank's Bake Shop & Catering
Judy's
Hero's Sports Grill & Entertainment Center
Nocturnem Draft Haus
The Grind House

Bagel Central
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High Tide Restaurant and Bar
4.3
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Paddy Murphys
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Blaze Bangor
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Basic Info
Address
1 Main St, Bangor, ME 04401
Map
Phone
(207) 947-9991
Call
Website
order.toasttab.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.1
(406 reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Casual Japanese restaurant providing classic & unique ingredients for build-your-own ramen bowls.
attractions: Maine Savings Amphitheater, Maine Discovery Museum, Tiller & Rye, Quality Jewelers, 2 Feet Brewing, Brewer Riverwalk, The Phenix, Walker's Garage, Bangor Farmers' Market, Antique Marketplace, restaurants: Bagel Central, High Tide Restaurant and Bar, Paddy Murphys, Blaze Bangor, Sea Dog Brewing Co, Frank's Bake Shop & Catering, Judy's, Hero's Sports Grill & Entertainment Center, Nocturnem Draft Haus, The Grind House
