Uma's — Restaurant in New York

My friend and I were looking at places to eat after a long day at the beach and we found this Uzbek/Kazakh fusion restaurant on Rockaway Beach. The decor was vintage, the lighting was dim, and the service was nice.

We’ve never had this cuisine before and it was truly a great first introduction. We ordered the red lentil soup, pelmeni, and manti with butternut squash. These dishes were quite hearty and flavorful, despite being so vegetable forward. Uma’s described the pelmeni and manti as large dumplings, and they certainly delivered on that aspect. I really like the touch of detail with the caramelized onions and fresh dill, brightening the dishes.

My absolute favorite was the soup. If I could have a gallon of the coconut/red lentil soup from Uma’s I would certainly drink it all up. It was so earthy, yet creamy and had the right amount of salt for my taste.

The ice cream was also quite yummy, it was refreshing and the toasted sesame crumbs enhanced the rustic nature of the dessert.

If I come back to Jacob Riis or Rockaway Beach again, I would certainly come back to dine at Uma’s. I definitely recommend bringing friends here to share various dishes with, as it was a bit pricey. Overall, this was a great dining experience and I’m glad we got to find this gem in the...

★★☆☆☆ “Authentic… in some unintended ways”

Stopped by this Uzbek restaurant hoping for a warm Central Asian welcome and a comforting plate of plov. What I got instead felt more like a self-service experiment.

Service? Practically a myth. The waitress didn’t bother with a menu introduction — just put it on the table and disappeared like a desert mirage. Specials? Who knows, maybe they’re special enough to remain a secret, she did not bother to explain what they are.

Ordered the pilaf, expecting that classic slow-cooked harmony of rice and meat. Instead, it arrived as a pile of rice with a few random chunks of lamb tossed on top like an afterthought. Definitely not cooked together — unless “together” now means “sharing the same plate.”

As for the lamb skewer — $18 for five small pieces. At that price, I almost expected a souvenir or at least a side of enthusiasm.

On the bright side, the food looked roughly Uzbek, and I didn’t leave hungry. But overall, the place could use a little more heart — and maybe a reminder that hospitality is supposed to be part of...

We've been twice this summer and loved it! The first time we had the beef manti which not only look gorgeous on the plate but generous, succulent, and delicious pillow-like dumplings of beef studded with onions in a tender dough with sour cream and tomatoey condiment.

The fried eggplant salad with fresh tomatoes and shredded feta was YUM!

The carrot salad looked very simple but had great flavor and some MSG which is a component of the traditional recipe after I researched it on the internet. I forgot the name but we also had the butternut squash baked pastry.

Their borscht was the best I've ever had and I usually care for borscht.

We went back the second time, we had the fried potato dumplings which were good, more manti and we tried the pelmeni which were smaller but similar to the manti. I don't think you would need to order both and I think I like the manti better.

Oh, and the halva sesame ice cream = superb!

So far, it's my favorite place to eat...