Umai Nori — Restaurant in Washington

Good sushi, flashes of greatness in need of refinement.

Took the family to DC for a long weekend getaway. We stayed near DuPont Circle and Umai Nori was a well-rated sushi restaurant within easy walking distance.

We arrived at a nondescript entrance where a sign was posted mentioning a "soft opening." Inside, the decor was modern and clean and we were seated right away. Having traveled, we were hungry and so decided to indulge. We were not greeted with the traditional "irasshaimasei" welcoming to the restaurant and neither did the counter staff really acknowledge us as we walked to be table at the rear of the ground floor. Hospitality -1.

We ordered an assortment of nigiri, sashimi, special rolls, a hand roll, and chirashi, more than enough food for us to get a sense of their sushi chefs' skill with fish.

The takoyaki was good with enough pieces of octopus and a savory mayo drizzle. Could have used perhaps twice as much shaved bonito. Wonton soup was tasty and dumplings done right. The salad was fresh with the bright, savory sesame dressing a highpoint. The miso soup had plenty of seaweed and some tofu but was considered too salty by all.

The sushi and sashimi portions were ample but the cuts were a bit inconsistent in thickness. This was especially noticeable in the chirashi where multiple slices of each fish are presented together. The ikura (salmon eggs) were fresh and plump with no popped or flat eggs. A good sign.

Their signature item, the hand roll is a creative variation on the traditional maki handroll which is cone shaped. You can see that it draws from the packaging design of pre-packed ready-to-eat onigiri (triangular rice ball) as you might find in a Family Mart in Tokyo. In particular, see the plastic film that supports the taco-shaped roll and separates the nori wrapper from the moist fillings.

However, this curiosity is quirky and not entirely successful. First, the toppings heap over the seaweed wrapper and tends to topple when the hand roll is lifted for the bite. Second, if you hold the uncovered end and pull on the wrapper to remove it, it unsettles the fillings causing you to have to pinch the roll to hold on, further squishing out the fillings. It's also awkward to bite and, finally, expensive for the quantity.

The special rolls were all uniformly good. Well-rolled, well-filled and attractively inside-out construction. Notice again, however, the very obvious variations in cut thickness. Each section, aside from the ends, should be of uniform width. This may seem a trivial detail, but is an essential indicator dedication to the craft of sushi as opposed to simply being instructed to cut fish.

A special note on our server, Peter K. He was attentive and solicitous throughout if noticeably hyper. Training should focus on establishing a sense of ease and comfort, relaxing you and preparing you for the experience. And although his eagerness to please was never in doubt, we could tell that he was trying perhaps a bit too hard and coming across as less than confident. Peter has potential, though.

The food, already good, has potential. The setting, modern and attractive, has potential. The staff, professional as they were, have potential. The overall impression of Umai Nori is of a sushi restaurant with aspirations above its current level of execution. It is refinement of the noted points and more that will raise Umai Nori to that level.

Reveiwer note: My family and I have traveled throughout Japan for leisure and business over the years and love all manner of food from sushi to yakitori to ramen...

Absolutely delightful sushi restaurant with some of the kindest, most friendly staff you'll ever meet! I randomly dropped by Umai Nori for a quick Saturday lunch, but I will absolutely back very soon -- I was so insanely impressed by their food, quick and friendly service, and the vibes.

It was quite busy when we arrived, even though it was ~2 PM, so we were taken up to the second floor to one of the last available tables. We were initially seated at a two-person table in the corner, but shortly after we arrived, a four-person table opened up. The staff quickly cleaned off the table and offered to move us to the larger table so that we would have more space -- so incredibly thoughtful! We ended up moving over and were situated directly beneath their lovely blue skylight, which flooded the entire space with a cool bluish purplish glow. Each of the tables also had a lovely little lamp, creating a remarkably cozy and intimate vibe throughout the entire restaurant.

They have a pretty expansive menu, including both classic and fun specialty sushi rolls, as well as other Japanese classics. However, our server was super helpful in offering recommendations, so we ended up splitting their takoyaki, a tuna roll, and two of the sushi tacos (one of Umai Nori's specialties). The food all came out super quickly and was outstanding. However, before our food arrived, our server brought out several surprise rounds of free food, including a miso soup, small salad, and edamame. All three were solid; the soup was comforting, the salad was pretty standard, with iceberg lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and a lovely carrot ginger restaurant, and the edamame was topped with a delightful savory, umami, and spicy togarashi.

After our surprise round of free starters came the takoyaki, which was nice and soft, with a great crispy crust on the outside and generous portions of octopus in the center. These little dough balls were topped with Kewpie mayo, takoyaki sauce, and bonito flakes, and were all around a solid representation of this classic dish.

Then came the star of the show -- the sushi! The fish was super fresh and really well prepared. I loved the tuna roll (it's a classic for a reason), and it was so clear why the sushi tacos were Umai Nori's specialty. This unique, slightly fusion take on the classic temaki, or hand roll, was comprised of a crispy sheet of roasted nori, slightly warm, sweet, and sour sushi rice, and a generous helping of beautifully prepared fish. I got their hamachi and scallion taco, and my friend got their salmon avocado; both were absolutely incredible, and I would love to come back to get one of their 3, 4, or 5-taco sets in the future. I also loved that they included a little plastic sleeve on each of the nori sheets that you remove right before biting down; it helps to protect the seaweed from the rice and keeps them nice and crispy until...

FOOD IS AMAZING - SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE! Please read for details.

Let me start by prefacing, literally EVERYONE but our server was amazing and deserves 5 stars. My boyfriend and I came here for his bday; we’re new to the area and did research on a few places and landed on Umai Nori. When we arrived, we were greeted - EVERYONE was so nice and welcoming and we got there right at 5 and were the only ones there for a while. They sat us at a table in the corner upstairs where once my boyfriend sat, our server finally came over. Not talkative, didn’t go over the menu; at one point, my boyfriend was asking him a question and he just walked away (mind you, we’re the only ones here in this small space upstairs, so it’s hard to believe he didn’t hear him). We asked questions about the menu but he didn’t seem to know much, only directed us to the higher priced items.

We got 2 of our 3 apps out rather quickly, and when I kindly asked about the 3rd (which was edamame), he went to the computer then began to do something behind the bar. My roll was delivered and our edamame came almost immediately after that. During this time, it was another server that checked on us (the gentleman helping our server open the bar). Asked us how the food was and commented on our choice of sake. This was also the server that cleared our table in between our apps and entree.

When my boyfriend’s entree came out, he simply dropped it off and kept walking. Never once asked if he needed anything or how it looked… He spent most of the time leaning on the bar or ducked down where no one could see him (on his phone). He did finally come back and ask how it was (towards the end).

I never do this, because my boyfriend and I have both worked in hospitality and customer service for years and we’ve all had jobs we hate, but there’s no excuse for the lack of customer service or dismissive attitude we experienced tonight. It was a pretty terrible first impression and if it weren’t for the amazing food and other friendly faces, we wouldn’t come back.

I don’t want to not recommend anyone here because the food and the vibe is amazing. Maybe just ask for someone other than the gentleman with the nose ring...