Umai Omakase — Restaurant in Verona

DONT EAT HERE IF YOU LIKE SOY SAUCE WITH SUSHI! This is the third time I have eaten here and while the fish is fresh and the rice is good, they do not put enough soy on the sushi. So this time I politely asked for soy to dip and was refused. I then asked if the chef could kindly coat some on the sushi for our omakase plates. It came back with just additional rice vinegar splashed on top. We were hungry so we ate it but all we could taste was vinegar. I showed the waitress that it was not soy sauce that was added but just vinegar. I am Japanese and have eaten sushi in Tokyo, Kyoto and all over the world. I am very familiar with real sushi chefs painting soy sauce on their pieces or using salt or uzu only and I gladly eat those well balanced pieces. But even in Japan if the customer wants extra soy or even if they want wasabi on top of what the chef has put on they do it, sometimes reluctantly but never rude about it. I never write bad restaurant reviews as sometimes places have an off night but the owner made a point to come to our table and lecture me and was so rude to me and my wife. We were expecting a wonderful evening out with good food, not to be demeaned by the owner. He did not want to hear anything I had to say and pointed to his tiny packed restaurant saying that they all like sushi his way and he did not want my business. Reminds me of a certain character serving soup on...

The only way I can describe what I just experienced at Umai is I felt like Charlie in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, except with sushi.

I’ve traveled and eaten at some of the best restaurants in the country, I can say with confidence this was my favorite meal of them all. The Omakase is a necessity, it really felt like we were on some kind of an adventure. Each different piece had a flavor or texture I never knew existed, and tasted better than anything I’ve eaten.

I was honestly shocked to see it didn’t have 5 starts until I read the two negative reviews. What those people fail to understand is that Umai is not your usual “grocery store” style sushi place. Its honestly admirable to find a restaurant that prioritizes quality over quantity; and the attention the chef put into crafting each individual roll for us made us feel like royalty. They would rather turn away customers than risk delivering anything less than an absolutely perfect meal.

The only downsides are I can’t adequately explain the incredible experience we had at Umai, and of course that I can’t eat...

I went here for lunch with a friend on a weekday afternoon when the restaurant opened. It's located in a small strip shopping center with limited parking, but on a weekday it was no problem. On a weekend you may have to use the nearby municipal parking lot.

The restaurant is relatively small inside, with seating at the counter, high top tables, and regular tables. The counter is reserved for omakase, but you can also get omakase at the tables if you dine with someone who wants something else.

The seaweed salad we got as an appetizer was fresh and delicious, as were the edamame. Since I ordered the 18 piece omakase, we got a huge bowl of edamame at no extra cost. We also received two bottles of water for free.

The omakase was superb, and my friend's sushi roll was also quite delicious. The omakase was served first with 10 pieces, and then with another 8 pieces. $150 for 18 pieces is not inexpensive, but the quality and originality were terrific.

The menu is quite extensive for such a small restaurant. Definitely a great place for omakase and...