Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar — Restaurant in Madison

Went to dinner last night with a friend, and we still don't even know what to make of our experience at this restaurant! With all of the great eating options in Madison, we will definitely not come back to Umami. We ordered the pork buns, and ramen. When we tried to order a bowl of soup to go to be taken home to my friends husband, we were told this was not possible. When we asked why, the waitress told us that the to-go containers didn't hold the soup well. We thought it odd, but moved on and ordered our dinner. The tonkotsu ramen was bland and basically contained only pork and noodles. The veggie ramen was also bland and one-note, and the only veggies to be found were some mushrooms that tasted like they were reconstituted. In both bowls, the noodles chewy and not cooked enough to be considered al dente. (The pork buns were very good however!!) Food aside, the real reason we aren't coming back is the service. We were at the restaurant a little over an hour, and were rushed all the way through by the staff. From the waitress who asked repeatedly while we were trying to read the menu if we were ready to order, to the staff gathered around the POS station, glaring at us after we finished our meal, as though mentally willing us to leave so they could turn the table, it was kind of uncomfortable. In a weird twist, when we were done with dinner, a waiter came by and asked us if we wanted to take our soup to go. While the soup was not something we relished taking home, we wanted to see how they handled the whole "our to go containers are not suitable for soup" dilemma. When we asked why this was possible with our soup we ordered in, but not for take out, we were told the same thing, that it was an issue with the containers..(uh, ok). Then we were told that in Japan, ramen was never taken to go, so that was another reason we couldn't order it to go. It was very confusing, because while this was being explained, our soup reappeared on the table, in the inferior containers, ready for us to take home. Also, most of the items are not Japanese in origin on the menu - so this is a strange sticking point. Since we are in Madison, Wisconsin, so I am sure Japan would forgive our uncouth ways. Soon after our soup was brought back to us to take to go, we were asked by management to vacate the table, because they had a party of four waiting for our table. We told we could move to another table "if we wanted to continue to sit and talk", but at this point, we realized that we didn't want to be there as much as they didn't want us there . (Again, we were there just over an hour! from the time we sat down to the time we left) Between the bland soup, the strange reasons for letting us order some to go, and the obvious disapproval from staff for our not realizing that we needed to just scarf down the food and LEAVE, I can safely say that I won't be coming back...

I've been going here for dinner probably 4-5 times a year since they opened. It's consistently pretty good. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's a little on the just ok side. I typically always get the tonkotsu ramen. It's usually a very rich flavorful broth, but on occasion can be a little flat on the flavor side. This can always be rectified with a spicy bomb, though. The dumplings are almost always great. The pork belly buns are usually awesome, although the rice buns themselves are sometimes slightly dry and chewier than would be ideal. They make one of my favorite cocktails in town, the ocha-mark. It's basically a variation on a julep with Maker's, green tea and mint. Consistency varies on this as well depending on who's behind the bar. My girl really enjoys the lychee martini which is too sweet for me but has good lychee flavor. Ambience is pretty standard Madison, loud and crowded. It's cozier than most places though due to the low ceilings. They have those high powered hand dryers in the bathrooms, so if you're sitting in the back you get to hear those things going off regularly through your meal. You get used to it I guess. The patio is great even though it's right off Willy St. I've only had brunch here once. I thought it was pretty good and interesting having the Asian flavors mixed with standard American breakfast dishes. My girl is more of an eggs and bacon kind of person, so we haven't been back, although I'd like to go. The staff is generally friendly. I don't know what's up with the consistency here because while I can't speak for the back-of-house staff there are at least two people out front that have worked there for years. Maybe they're the owners, dunno. Overall, I would recommend Umami. I've never had a bad meal here, only those that weren't as good as others. There are several other places in town to get ramen but this...

Had a great lunch here with some buddies. I got the Tonkotsu ramen with additional pork belly, a spice bomb on the side, as well as a side of the pork belly pork buns. The ramen broth was flavorful and not overly rich, the pork loin slices in the ramen were tender, and had a great flavor. The pork belly wasn’t as fatty as I usually prefer, but still an excellent addition to the dish. The noodles are made in house according to the menu, and were the perfect vehicle for the delicious broth. I finished the entire bowl, which is not typical for me as I usually get full halfway through a bowl of ramen. I owe this meals total completion to the moderate size of the bowl (my preferred size), but moreso to how delicious I thought it was. I saved no room for dessert, though it was kindly offered.

Aside from the food, both the location and the service were excellent. The building itself is a lovely house looking building surrounded by many trees and overgrown vines around the outside. It was too hot to sit outside on the patio when I went, but the ample shade would make it a great outdoor dining option as the mid day temperature cools down. The only thing I would mention is that parking can be difficult as there wasn’t a parking lot I could find for the restaurant, and street parking for this location was very crowded partly due to the other nearby businesses with limited or no parking. Despite this, we were lucky to find a spot not far from the restaurant, so maybe it’s not as bad as I think it is.

Sydney (Syd) was very attentive and provided her own sense of humor and flare in her interactions with us. We also appreciated her patience and help with the menu as we decided what to omit or add to our meals.

Will definitely...