Umi Hotpot Sushi & Seafood Buffet — Restaurant in Deptford Township

First impressions - gorgeous restaurant but….

TLDR; poor quality, expensive, not worth your time even if you’re local anyway.

I went into the bathroom shortly after arriving and someone had defecated on the toilet seat - it was cleaned off the seat but clearly the remainder was left around the bowl portions and underside of the seat, so staff was definitely aware of it but just not that interested in cleaning it off.

Second, food swung between mediocre or completely appalling. Appearance of the food was pretty good and looked great however -Items were incredibly bland and lacked flavor(the kimchi had NO flavor whatsoever), sushi quality was poor (easily the worst eel I’ve ever had, crab was subpar and contained pieces of shell in the crab salad dish, size of rice on the nigiri was shameful, sushi roll proportions were incredibly small) and temperature of “hot” items were lukewarm at best and completely unmemorable in taste(steamed bok choi was cold, dumplings were unimpressive, egg roll was mush inside). Variety was impressive but for a 38.99 entry price you’d expect to see that (interesting bar items included scallops, frog legs, snails, pork belly, oxtail stew). Desert items were mediocre, the flan offered was completely rubber baring impossible to actually cut with silverware and had flavor reminiscent of unflavored gelatin.

In the “all you can drink boba” section the drinks were fine - but good luck getting a straw. Our waitress snubbed us when when originally attempting to flag her down and later returned to us with a single straw between the two of us, and my partner was actually given one by a separate waitress who we had managed to get the attention of - which brings us to the next issue; The waitresses. They swung generally between uninterested and actively rude, glaring at other patrons and cartoonishly snarling if not on their phone texting. Multiple times I’d witnessed one spilling leftovers and wiping away with a dry cloth, others dropping trash just for another to pick it up. There was one waitress that actually seemed interested and concerned for people and did ask us if everything was okay while we were leaving (possibly noticing we spent ~20 minutes total and got maybe two plates each before we agreed to leave) but at that point - already paid and doubt it truly mattered.

There was notices posted about an automatic 12% gratuity to be added for every bill and I can 100% believe it’s a direct result of the common opinion that there is no reason to tip here for not only a lack of service but lack of...

Extremely Disappointed with the Service and Treatment

Our visit to this restaurant was an extremely disappointing experience from start to finish. As a same-sex Black couple with two daughters, we felt disrespected and unwelcome, and the overall service and food quality were far below expectations.

To begin with, the food was subpar. The ramen lacked flavor, and the individual preparing it appeared to have little understanding of our requests. Despite clearly articulating what we wanted, nothing was prepared to our satisfaction. We left the restaurant feeling unsatisfied and ended up cooking at home afterward.

The service from the waitstaff was equally disappointing. The waitresses were rude and unprofessional, adding to an already frustrating experience. However, the worst part of the evening came when we received the bill. We were charged for four adults, even though we dined with our two daughters, aged 10 and 12.

When I pointed out the mistake, the waitress called the manager over. Instead of addressing the issue professionally, the manager questioned whether I was sure my daughters were children and not adults. I was asked to confirm their ages multiple times, which I did. Shockingly, the manager turned to my daughters and asked them directly about their ages, which was completely inappropriate.

This behavior was not only insulting but also deeply disrespectful. It felt as though we were being accused of lying or trying to deceive the restaurant. The manager’s explanation—claiming he wasn’t sure because my daughters were tall—was entirely unacceptable. Regardless of their height, I, as their parent, clearly stated their ages.

Even after expressing my concerns, the manager failed to apologize or take any accountability. Instead, he simply repeated the total on the bill, dismissing my concerns entirely. At that point, the issue was no longer about the incorrect charge—it was about the blatant disrespect we were shown as a family.

As a paying customer, I should not have to justify my family dynamics or the ages of my children. The audacity to question me and then speak directly to my children in such a condescending manner was unprofessional and invasive. This experience was not just disappointing but also incredibly disheartening.

We will not be returning to this establishment and cannot recommend it to others. Respect, professionalism, and basic courtesy should be the foundation of any service-oriented business. Unfortunately, this restaurant failed...

A friend of mine had brought me to an amazing sushi buffet where you ordered the sushi fresh at the table and they had other all you can eat dishes such as chicken katsu made fresh to order and brought out to your table. I loved it, it was the best I had ever been to.

He told me he found a new place that was even better than that place, Umi in Deptford. I was excited to try it out and we ended up there last night.

The place was PACKED. I mean you could barely stand in the waiting area or outside, it was a Saturday night around 5pm so that makes sense, but clearly they are doing something right about people seem to like it.

Dinner was $38 dollars a person, with tax and tip $45. They have a pretty large selection including some things I dont think any other buffet I can recall has including a ramen bar, unlimited bubble tea, Lobster, Crab and of course, sushi.

I will start my negative review by prefacing it with this: I am not a fan of lobster, crab, shrimp, crawfish etc...all the exotic seafood type stuff. So I stuck to dishes like:

Sushi which was fine, nothing to write home about, very average quality.

Chicken and broccoli, general TSOs etc...Below average quality

Dessert what I thought was vanilla pudding was banana pudding, yuck, Tiramisu that was not very good and cheesecake that was average at best.

Needless to say I will not be returning as I found all the food I had to be at best average, at worst below average in taste and quality. But take that with a grain of salt as I did not eat many of the things alot of people typically like here.

We went with 6 people, the couple that originally took us to the other buffet - they say this is still their absolute favorite buffet ever, another friend loved the lobster and ate a ton of it and even tried the ramen, he said he would definitely return.

Me, my girlfriend and another friend were on the opposite side and felt it was very below average food and we would not be returning.

Staff was friendly and attentive, decor was...