The best Japanese restaurant I've been to in Scotland so far. The staff were so attentive and so nice, they guided us through all the things in the menu. The food was absolutely amazing and such good value for money. Truly such an amazing experience, so glad we chose to have dinner here! Would highly recommend!
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Before you go
- Style
- Casual Japanese: sushi, ramen, katsu, bento and special rolls
- Setting
- Small shop-front room near Charing Cross with Japanese murals, flags and lanterns
- Known for
- friendly service, good-value sushi and special rolls
- Signature dishes
- Crispy duck special roll, Tempura-fried California roll, Beef brisket curry, Spider roll, Green dragon roll
- Prices
- Herald review: crispy duck platter £15, beef brisket curry £13, California roll £8.50
- Lunch
- Lunch bento sets available
- Payment
- Accepts contactless and Apple Pay (Apple Maps)
- Also
- Herald review advises asking for a proper table rather than the wall shelf seating
Glasgow restaurant
Umami
Opening hours
- Monday: 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Tuesday: 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Wednesday: 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Thursday: 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Friday: 12:00 – 10:30 PM
- Saturday: 12:00 – 10:30 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM
Overview
Umami is a small Japanese restaurant in a shop-front unit at 523 Sauchiehall Street, just off Charing Cross. The menu runs from sushi and sashimi to ramen, udon, katsu, tempura, kushiyaki skewers and bento boxes, with special rolls such as crispy duck, spider and green dragon. The Herald critic Ron Mackenna reviewed it, describing a Japanese-feel room with cartoon murals, hanging flags and lanterns, and singling out the friendly, fun service (5/5). He found the food fresh and the prices good value: a crispy duck platter at £15, beef brisket curry at £13 and a California roll at £8.50. His one gripe was being steered to a wall shelf table when better seats were free, so ask for a proper table. It opens for lunch and dinner Monday to Thursday (12-3pm and 5-10pm), and all day Friday to Sunday.
Reviews
Class ! Friendly service , relaxed atmosphere and the good absolutely banging ! My missus loves raw fish sushi and myself not at all, however there’s lots of choice. The spicy beef ramen was excellent and for my good lady had the summer salmon roll which she loved. Leona who served us was lovey and attentive. Highly recommended.
Read on Google MapsWelcoming staff, lovely to hear Japanese chat from the kitchen, waitress with impeccable manners who even poured my soy sauce and told me what each part of my bento box consisted of, the freshest produce, decent price point and even lunch deals Mon-Fri 12-3. You can tell that the agedashi tofu had just been fried that minute, and the tempura was light and crunchy..all very fresh and beautifully presented. Seaweed had that bite to it which tells of the freshness too. Even the chop sticks had a very fine point to them so picking up your food was a breeze, unlike other places which have those thick round, cheap, slippery ones. The miso had branded bowls and ladle too, everything had been considered. I was growing so despondent at finding excellent Japanese in the city and now I’ve found it! A hidden gem and they deserve their success. I ate alone and felt very welcome and comforted, next time I’ll bring all my friends!
Read on Google MapsThey do sushi cake !! I made a special request of ordering a sushi cake for collection as a surprise for my partner’s birthday, and it was better than I imagined. I allowed them to have free creative will with the design. I have a photo to show this. The staff were so kind and went above and beyond. Beautiful presentation, delicious fresh sushi, and they even included complimentary drinks, soy sauce, ginger, wasabi, and chopsticks. The whole experience felt really special, even as a takeaway. I highly recommend this place for both the quality of food and the outstanding service.
Read on Google MapsI would give 10 stars for food if I could . It took me longer while to try this place and now the only regret is I haven’t done it earlier. Food was amazing so fresh and tasty. The best one I had in Scotland . Now this is my favourite place for Sushi .
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