Umai Sushi Hibachi — Restaurant in Florida

I had not experienced this restaurant and was excited to walk in their door. At first I inquired about sitting at their Hibachi grill and we were informed they have all the same menu items that can be ordered from a regular table.

We had miso soup to open our meal. We got an side of kimchee to share. I ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice and my partner ordered the Mango Fried Rice. We tried both and though my dining partner preferred the mango--I really was pleased with pineapple. The fried rice was perfectly filling! Perfect because I ate every bit of this generous helping. The fried sauce was so soft and voluminous, with yummy bits of fried egg like treasures within. With white sauce I requested and dressed it with I was on cloud nine!

I liked the way that out server said the words, "You're welcome." A bit sing-songy, and I loved hearing it that way as much as it seemed enjoyable for him to say it as he walked away from our table each time.

Our server said in a very clever and funny way after we settled the bill, "See you... Tomorrow!" We laughed and enjoyed the thought. I forgot my eyeglasses case on the table as we exited, and our server ran it right out the door to my grasp!!

So, we did return the next day because we just felt called to try some of the rest of the menu!

I ordered Mushroom and Vegetable Soup with Tofu, an order of the Soft Shell Crab Appetizer, and the Sushi Cake Roll (complete with a cherry on top)!

I am impressed with the food coming out of this very nice restaurant! Beautiful atmosphere inside. Staff are cordial, straightforward and in a good mood. Everything tasted fantastic. Can't wait to return to try more!

Update:

We returned for Pad Thai but we realized it was not a dish they offer on their menu. Instead we ordered the Stir Fry Udon Noodles with Vegetables. It was so, so good! We wanted to lick our plates when we were done but knew that would not have been proper. At the last minute we decided to order green tea flavored ice cream with tempura and it arrived to us with great presentation! We were very satisfied with our...

Very bad experience today.

I had the Steak Hibachi lunch, and it had a very bad taste. I started with the side vegetables and not only were they over cooked but The sauce had a very unpleasant taste.

I took in a piece of the steak, And immediately I could taste the meat was bad and was just covered up with the same sauce that the vegetables had.

I stood up en went straight to the cashier to pay and leave. The waitress approached me and asked me about the food because I had left my table 2 minutes after they brought me my food. I told her that I did not like it, —she responded why?— And I simply said it had a very bad taste.

After that she just started speaking in her language to the cashier turned around and left. For a moment I thought they were going to give me credit for the food (although that was never my intention).

instead I got the invoice with an attitude which I found it to be kind of funny because it should’ve been me who was offended I went ahead and paid and left.

I am not...

I generally only review a place if they've genuinely impressed me or was seriously terrible. For my first time eating at Umai, the experience was outstanding! I had both their soups (I don't eat too much salad) to start with and WOW. I am very picky about miso soup and theirs was outstanding. The other (beef broth) soup was excellent as well. Our server was one of the most friendly and humble guys I've ever met, very well cultured and a delight to conversate with. In fact my father and I ended up staying almost 20 minutes past closing just talking with this guy. My chicken teriyaki, fried rice, vegetables and noodles were just out of this world. I'm a skinny guy and usually don't eat more than about half of what I order but I seriously could not stop eating everything on the table! By the time I left I had found my new favorite restaurant in St. Augustine and gained a great new friend, our server, Hendrick. Thank you so much again for the experience and I plan to reach out to you...