Umami Asian Cuisine — Restaurant in Bellevue

I have to be honest about this one. I was greeted and seated buy a smiling hostess which was refreshing. A good start for sure. But after a good hostess and a friendly server: the rest was unimpressive. I've been to a lot of Asian restaurants. From East Coast to West cost - my favorite mid-range sushi spot is still Umiya in Las Vegas; so possibly I come with a bias. But Umami left me disappointed frankly. I was not impressed with my food. The Rangoons were good, and the Miso soup was good. But the rolls I ordered fell flat at best and literally! I ordered the Shrimp Tempora Roll and the Rock-n-Roll roll. They came six pieces each. Other than having the Masago on one (Barely noticable. I had to look REAL hard) they tasted the same, looked the same, and had negligable difference in the presentation. So, I may get some push back on what I'm about to say but as far as taste, flavor, and portion for price - the vendor who makes sushi at the base Commissary has Umami beat hands down!! The portions are double at the base vendor and maybe $2-3 more at most. I was not pleased with Umami nor impressed with my order. I ate it because I was hungry for one, and I didn't feel like driving elsewhere. The saving grace for me was the server, Ryan! Kudos to Ryan. He was welcoming, warm, personable, professional, and he was attentive without being overbearing. I know there is variety on the menu, and I only had 4 items, but I was not impressed. Because of the server Ryan, I would give it one more try. I am skeptical, but so far, I can not recommend Umaya for the $35 I paid for 1 person (I got an order of rangoons to go!) :-). They'll get 1...

Oh my god! What a gem in Bellevue, Nebraska! I haven't had their "kitchen" dishes, but their sushi and sashimi is amazing. The sushi rice had excellent texture with just the right amounts of vinegar and sweetness. The uni from Japan with a crisp seaweed barrier (which I've never had before) was one of the best sushi pieces I've ever eaten (and up till now the best sushi I've had was probably at Sushi Den in Denver, CO). The uni was sweet and melt-in-your-mouth soft. Sometimes uni has a bitter aftertaste, but there was none of that here. The unagi also was very nice, roasted and glazed with their unagi sauce. Other pieces I tried were the salmon (yum), king salmon (softer and more mild than the regular salmon), lean tuna (classic but you can test a restaurant's quality standards with it... and here it was delicious), hamachi, saba (very different from restaurant to restaurant, Umami's was briny and firm and also very good), and the ama ebi (sweet shrimp that is served with the heads fried and brought separately). The wait staff were friendly and helpful. The kitchen and sushi chefs were also fast. We went on a Sunday afternoon, probably one of the worst times to visit a fish (or any) restaurant, but Umami was excellent AND busy. People arrived for dining in before they opened their doors, and they had a steady stream of takeout orders as well. Very impressive. The only real negative point I have is that they play elevator or shopping-mall type music in the restaurant. Other than that, I...

The food is the star at this restaurant, the chef is a big time chef who's worked at some very fancy spots throughout the country. it's a bit out of the way/off the beaten path if you dont live in Bellevue but it's definitely worth the visit.

There are a LOT of menu options and variety from your more Americanized/cooked sushi, to more traditional sashimi, and even some non sushi options like pad Thai. The sushi is easily in the top 5 in the area I would need to taste side by side to determine where in the top 5 it belongs but it may even be the best sushi spot in the area. I would recommend this as a place to take someone new to sushi too due to the variety of options or as a place to appease a variety of pallettes.

The food being the star here does mean the ambience and service takes a hit in my review. The staff were friendly no issues there but this is also not the place to go if you're looking for excitement. The location alone makes it less desirable, and once you get inside it definitely matches. It feels like a bit of a mom and pop sushi spot and doesnt have the exciting atmosphere of blu or Hiro88. That said it is a good spot the have a good conversation with a friend due to it being quieter.

Over all a must visit if you live in Omaha and like sushi, if you live in Bellevue it's the best Asian spot for lunch or dinner and even if you're not in Bellevue it's worth a drive for...