Umi Seafood and Sushi Buffet — Restaurant in East Brunswick Township

I found out about Umi Buffet via Instagram. It looked like they had a very large/fresh seafood selection. Our party of 11 (8 adults + 2 kids + 1 baby) came on a Sunday at 11:30. Our goal was to get there early (they open at 11) to avoid the weekend lunch crowds since they do not accept reservations, and we were a large party. I guess it was still early for everyone else because the restaurant was still somewhat empty. But thankfully, their buffet stations were not.

My first stop was the sushi station. I got mostly sashimi (salmon, white tuna, tuna, and they even have raw scallops - but that was only okay) because all the nigiri and rolls looked like a rice. And everyone knows you don't eat rice at an AYCE buffet! No complaints here. The fish tasted fresh. I liked that they had various roe options, so I sprinkled some of that on top of the sashimi. It was very neat when we got there but I noticed by the time we were almost done, it was a little messy and there wasn't really any sashimi left, so it doesn't seem like this gets replenished enough. I also tried a raw oyster, which was fine - but I'm always weary about raw oysters and clams at buffets, so that's where I stopped. For other seafood, I had some crab legs, stone crab, abalone (never seen this at a buffet!), steamed clams, and fish. They don't offer crackers to open the crabs with, so you have to ask for it. It would have been a nice touch if you can just grab it at the station, along with some gloves. They also should have pre-cracked the stone crabs because those shells are super hard and it was hard to crack. I gave up after one but from what I ate, it tasted good.

They have a good variety of non-seafood items as well, including some soups, your Chinese takeout classics, like fried rice, lomein, General Tso's chicken, and even frog legs! I'm normally not a frog leg kind of gal but I liked these. Don't sleep on it! It just tastes like chicken. They also have hot pot, which I wish I would have tried but I was already pretty full at that point. Desserts are kind of meh but they also have fruit - specifically red dragon fruit! You don't normally even see regular dragon fruit at buffets, let alone red ones. They have ice cream, and I think I even remember seeing a Haagen Dasz one. There are unlimited non-alcoholic drinks, like bubble teas, herbal tea cans, Asian sodas like Ramune - pretty high quality! But you can only drink it there and if you try to bring it outside, it says they will charge you. All the drinks were too sweet for me though, and I also didn't want to fill up on bubble tea at a buffet - but that's a pretty smart tactic on their part.

Tables are tight, so it is a little annoying if you are with a large party. They basically push tables together to make a long one so if you are on the inside, there's not enough space for you to get up and go around everyone. Everyone has to get up in order to let you out, which as you can imagine is not great for a self-serve AYCE buffet.

Overall, the food was not anything amazing but it was good for the price. Would I come back? Probably not, only because this was a trek for me, and if I was in the area for some reason, I would probably just head to Edison, which is close by since I'm sure they'll have more options for Asian, seafood,...

Which was worse the service or the food? It’s a competition with this place. The idea of the food presented is really attractive all you can eat seafood and sushi but the quality is not good at all. After being seated me and my girlfriend waited for a server to put in our drinks order (like any other buffet-like establishment) only then never showed up so we went and grabbed our food knowing they were busy. We started off with the sushi no labels with any of the sushi so if you don’t know what the rolls are it’s a gamble with what you get. We get back to the table and our server comes and asks us for our drinks my girlfriend got water and I got a sprite. Back to the food we start eating the sushi and dare is say ShopRite sushi is better than theirs, but it’s alright there are other options. So we get our drinks and my sprite is just the seltzer, no flavor at all. I’m thinking I’ll go get some other food that’s better and come back and ask for another drink.

Attempt at Round #2 We go and look at all the food we get excited with stuff like lobster and cheese, general tso, shrimp, lo mein etc.. so we get our food and go back to the table. This is where things started to get annoying. We sit down and I ask the first waitress I see for another drink telling her it was only seltzer she looked in assuming to see if she can find our waitress and took the drink and said okay. So we start eating and the food is all bad lo mein doesn’t taste anything like it the lobster and cheese tastes too fishy even the shrimp we had, had the same consistency of chicken how? I don’t know. So the waitress that took my drink to replace it is now cleaning off the table next to me and hasn’t brought back my drink… we ask one of the hostesses who is in the area for a drink and told her that our waitress hasn’t been around and her answer was a quick “she’ll pass by soon” and walked away. So after getting frustrated I asked one of them for a manager and that’s when everything changed. They now had more time for us and there was more attentiveness and concern for the issue now that we had asked for a manager. All of a sudden there was concern that I didn’t have a drink asking me “would you like a drink?” And why are we asking for a manager.

So after a few minutes the manager came to us which was also one of two hostesses up front and asked us what was wrong after we told her she apologized for the actions of her waitresses and told me she would speak to them at the end of the night. She also told us “we are an all you can eat place whether you eat a lot or a little it’s the same price” after we told her that my girlfriend hadn’t eaten anything at all except two sushi rolls which she had to force down. But, she said she’ll see what she can do.

Outcome: She came back told us that she was able to give us 20% off and apologized. I paid my total which for two people and 20% off was still $66.51 for two people who hadn’t eaten a combined one plate.

I would not recommend spending money here especially at the value and customer service you’ll receive. You can eat at so many other places that are better than here for the price they charge.

Will not...

Another Buffet or IS IT?

worth a solid drive if you a craving something different as well as want variety.This is the place to go!!.

I came here for the Lunch and wow!! it Did Not disappoint. The original place was a Sushi grills spot and was later open to an UMi. From Then till now huge changes from brighter light fixtures to a much more cleaner feel of the surrounding.

. Clean!! when you walk around a buffet you get a sticky feeling from the bottom of your shoe. NOT HERE!! For a Seafood buffet the standard of cleanliness and care that was being taken is HUGE . For all people who are older or who are worried about being sick Umi Keeps it clean!! VARIETY- From Nigiri (fish on top of rice) to single serve Sashimi and custom rolls from the aspect of sushi, its a decent variety for a Seafood buffet but when you head onto the main floor you are walking into a variety of Colds dishes such as sea snails,Spicy cold chicken and more. Hot dishes range from your typical mac and cheese staple to pizza but the main events are truely worth their weight in travel AND in price from Pork belly, Lamb and tons of seafood this was to every point DELICIOUS. Unlike typical buffets UMI emphasis on flavor of and the texture of the dishes they put out and it all doesn't start tasting the same which happens often at buffets. Some inclusive things you SHOULD know which was a HUGE plus . All you can drink Bubble Tea!! Ramen freshly made to order!! AND hot pot. IF you Love local hot pot places but kinda feeling empty? Umi doesnt disappoint! individually portions all their raw ingredients and keeps them refrigerated for hot pot and when you request a hot pot they do have handful of flavors you can choose from.

Staff was friendly concise and consistent !! why emphasize on service? Because good service is what can make or break you food experience!! my waitress was named (Jolina) and from the moment I sat down, there was constant interaction making sure I was taken care of until the end of the meal. The Staff was constantly on the ball with all their tables but importantly their staff members walking the main floor to make sure everything was filled and kept tidy which was really refreshing!

Pros: Food Waste kept to a minimum Clean Great Service Great Variety

Cons: Some items were just not up to par BUT pay in mind this is a buffet spot they cook in bulk and they have MANY other things if you dont like one thing!

Overall, Come Here!! to enjoy a variety of food for a solid price...