UMI Hotpot Sushi and Seafood Buffet — Restaurant in Town of Greenburgh

We went at lunchtime on a weekend and there was no wait to be seated. But, it progressively got busier so it would be a good idea to come earlier. On weekends, Umi serves an all-day dinner menu at $39.99 per adult with drinks included for dine-in. Note there is a 2 hour time limit for dining in.

Starting with the options for drinks, Umi offers hot tea and a variety of sodas but also a freeflow fridge for boba tea (taro, Thai tea, mango sago), fruit drinks (peach, grapefruit, mango), and popular Chinese beverages (winter melon juice, Arctic Ocean/mandarin soda). The drinks are all nicely chilled with a good balance of sweetness. The Thai tea with a full flavor and jelly-like boba pearls was the best out of those we tried. The mango sago is definitely worth a try too and we learned it's made fresh in-house but, as more drinks were replenished in the fridge, we noticed its once lovely mango pudding flavor became steadily diluted. We would not recommend the taro milk tea as it unfortunately tasted overwhelmingly artificial.

The wide variety of options continues to the food: sushi rolls (ranging from the classic California rolls to unique creations), sashimi, multiple types of seafood (most notably: whole crabs, crab legs, abalone), hot dishes (including the typical Chinese American buffet fare such as General Tso's chicken and fried cream cheese wontons), ramen on demand, soups, and finally desserts. This list doesn't even begin to adequately describe everything available and one of the great things about Umi is how many choices are offered. Standout hot dishes to us were the dongpo pork (braised pork belly), fried chicken wings, and creamy walnut shrimp. The dongpo pork had a perfect crust on the outside giving way to tender, juicy meat on the inside all with the rich flavor from being simmered in a slightly sweet sauce. The fried chicken wings were delightfully crispy and seasoned well. Similarly, the creamy walnut shrimp was tantalizing with its mix of savory and sweet, crunchy shrimp with the smooth sauce.

However, as with most buffets, we found that the majority of items are just okay - nothing bad but also not particularly good. I personally thought some dishes, such as the ramen, fried rice, and even the sweet-and-sour chicken, were too lightly flavored. We would not recommend the ramen where the light pork broth dulled the overall taste, the noodles lacked an essential snappiness, and the chashu was oddly spiced. Also, much of the fried food (french fries, fried banana, fried dumplings) appeared crunchy but, alas, was actually rather soggy. (Except for the fried chicken which miraculously retained its crispiness.)

It may be a hit-or-miss for some things but, most of all, you can feel the thought and love that went into Umi. The interior is whimsically decorated (upside-down umbrellas on the ceiling, faux greenery, gold-platted figurines, patterned partitions) and all the food is clearly plated with care. The sushi rolls are especially beautiful with each one having little flourishes (one had pink rice intermixed with white rice to form a yin-yang symbol!) that highlight the effort of the chefs. This creativity and effort carry over to other features of the buffet: the soy sauce innovatively being in a drink dispenser and the flow of how the food is arranged. The staff were attentive and friendly, clearing away dishes, refilling everything quickly, and checking if we wanted to order any of the on-demand items.

Overall, Umi offers the extravagance and wow factors of Las Vegas-style buffets combined with an accessible, small-town cozy feeling. At this price point, convenient location, and with great staff, I am sure Umi is well on its way to becoming a local fixture and hotspot. Umi embodies the best features of a buffet: there's something for everyone and, while (predictably) not every item can be of the same quality, there are enough tasty options to always leave you feeling fulfilled. I would highly recommend trying out Umi, and I know my family will be back to try out the hotpot aspect...

I was really impressed with the service at UMI Restaurant. I've visited twice now. The first time was around 8:10 PM, and perhaps because it was close to closing time, the dishes weren't being refilled, and there weren't many options available, so my experience was just okay. However, my experience this time for lunch (around 1:30 PM) was completely different. There was a wide variety of dishes to choose from, and aside from a few seafood items that weren't the freshest, most of the food was excellent. The hot pot was particularly noteworthy – all the ingredients were very fresh, especially the lamb and fatty beef, which were of very high quality. The servers at this restaurant are also great. Both times I visited, they promptly cleared my plates and proactively refilled my drinks, which made me feel very comfortable. Additionally, there was a minor incident during this visit. After paying, I accidentally left my wallet in the gap between the seat and the wall. I went shopping at the nearby HomeGoods and only realized my wallet was missing when I was checking out. When I returned to UMI to look for it, the manager was very patient in helping me check the surveillance footage and even allowed me to review it with him. Through the footage, we discovered that I had inadvertently dropped my wallet in the seat crevice. I'm very grateful for their help. Overall, the service attitude at UMI Restaurant is excellent, and the variety and freshness of the lunch dishes were very satisfying, especially the quality of the hot pot ingredients. If they could further improve the variety of dishes during dinner hours, I believe they would attract even more customers. This pleasant lunch experience significantly improved my impression of UMI, and I especially want to thank the manager and all the service staff for...

Ramen bowl contains reboiled/reused glued chicken meat, egg, and stale seaweed. Whatever customer doesnt finish, they'll collect it and replate it. As for the crab claw meat, an imitation crab meat has diced finely into tiny squares, then re-stuffed by injecting into crab claws. The pretty crayfish may look appealing but it has been remarinated in sauce to disguise the putrid smell. Raw scallops (sliced thinly) burned my tongue upon touch - it has a taste of 2-day old fridge sushi. Again, they use a sauce to mask the rot. Wait staff is a hit or miss. Some pretend to be friendly and knowledgeable but they don't speak a word of English. I asked for coke, they respond yes but nothing comes to you. They are snippy when they are asked to repeat themselves. If you come to America and you want repeat business, treat your patrons with respect. This establishment will continue to feed the unsuspecting American folk rotten food so nothing goes to waste. I see right through the facade because that's the abuse I faced. It's a disgusting practice that I've noticed in ALL sushi buffets. If you don't think China is out to destroy Americans, think again. They're slowly poisoning us through All-You-Can-Eat buffets. I am genuinely ashamed of my Chinese heritage because of these unethical practices inflicted by...