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If you've never been, here's what to expect: There are very few things on the menu. You come here for a burger and fries. These are gourmet, unbelievably delicious burgers sold at a premium. They have fries and onion rings, a few sides and ice cream sandwiches that are the umami burger of ice cream sandwiches, which is to say, awesome. Beer and wine only. Great beers.
Umami burgers are relatively small. They leave you wanting more, which I have to admit I prefer to the alternative. I don't want to feel gross after my meal. This is not Johnny Rockets (blech!) I leave Umami Burger plotting my next attack.
When Umami is firing on all cylinders, it's orgasmic. It's on the rare side of medium rare. In fact, there should be a little puddle of blood. The Port & Stilton (my fav) has just the right amount of sweetness and tanginess. However, the other night our burgers were a tad overcooked and they skimped on the onions and stilton. It dropped the burger from forsake-all-other-burgers to just pretty good. Hopefully, that was an aberration. Just look for a pool of blood and you'll know it's right.
I don't have anything against Umami Burger. In fact, when Matty L called and invited me to meet him there with Sam and Adam, I was excited to give it another chance. This time, the turkey burger. What was good about it was that it was pretty tasty, and when I was done I didn't want to crawl in a bunk for nap time. That said, I still just feel that it's a little bit of robbery to serve a $10-$12 burger and make people pay extra for a side salad or fries. I don't understand where they think they can get off...
Anyhow, the burgers are certainly decent, but you're better off at Golden State where the burgers come with a smile and you can spend $12 on lunch, not $20. I don't know why I'm suddenly so adament about this, but if I'm going to be paying gourmet prices, my food should taste unbelievably wonderful and gourmet. Fry those potatoes in duck fat and give me a massage while I scarf my burger. I gave Umami a second chance, but I'm not sure it'll get a third.
Came here a few nights ago. I guess Cobras and Matadors gave up their spot for Umami Burger. I never really cared for Cobras and Matadors anyways.
The Umami Burger seemed a bit under cooked. It was tooooo red and raw. But I did eat it and I ate the whole thing. The Manly Burger was a far better tasting burger and the meet was better cooked.
The onion rings were the best rings I've ever eaten and the ice cream sandwich was delicious.
I'll come back. I happened to like this place, no matter if my burger was under cooked.
In the same week, I had the opportunity to compare 25 Degrees with Umami Burger. There were clearly no losers in this contest, and the true winner was my stomach.
But there were distinct subtleties that favor 25 Degrees (although I'm probably more curious to re-visit Umami sooner than 25 Degrees).
If I favor Umami more than 25 Degrees, it's solely because of the range of specialty gourmet burgers they offer. Probably close to ten.
Whereas I went to 25 Degrees with a date, I went to Umami with a few buddies after happy hour. We decided to order four different burgers, and then split each into quarters so that we could taste more than one. I imagine this is what the four musketeers might have done if they stumbled upon Umami (although our d'Artagnan broke the camraderie by eating half of the SoCal burger by himself).
Along with the SoCal burger which I didn't get a chance to try because of d'Artagnan, I favored (in order)...the No. 5 fresh pork five-spiced burger, the Port & Stilton burger, and then the signature Umami burger.
The biggest disappointment is that these burgers are pretty small. Like the size of a McD's quarter-pounder. I could have eaten two myself, but that would have cost the equivalent of about 5 quarter-pounders.
The ambiance was OK...nothing special. Same with the service.
By comparison, Umami offers many more specialty burgers to choose from. I like that...a lot. And that's why I'm anxious to go try a few of the other burgers like the Hatch and Truffle burgers. (But read my 25 Degrees review, and you'll see why I still liked my intial 25 Degrees visit more.)
I have to say, it was disappointing. The SoCal burger had a great, unusual taste, but it's incredibly difficult to eat and it ends up a shattered mess on your plate. The fries and onion rings were just average. And the paltry portions of the sauces are just ridiculous - who has ever heard of making someone pay for extra ketchup? For fry lovers, that's essential and it should be unlimited! (And, people, please - for around $10 a burger, you can afford to give out free ketchup.)
The atmosphere and decor are great, but the vibe is a little bit self-satisfied and it's expensive for what you get - and it never feels good to leave a restaurant thinking that.
Had diner here last night - very laid back atmosphere
I had 1/2 truffle burger and 1/2 lamb burger - both delicious~
our table also ordered thin fries, sweet potato fries and tempura onion rings
thin fries-not french thin more like regular size fries from fast food places
came with ketchup that tasted like it had some truffle oil
sweet potato fries - normal, also came with truffle ketchup
onion rings - the best!!! mmmmyummyy - very light airy and crispy fresh and came w regular ketchup no truffle oil
the bottle of white bordeaux was a little boring but good enough...
would definitely return!
oh yeah - SERVICE=GREAT!
I think this place offers such potential but the quality suffers compared to the La Brea location.
Went for the happy hour they advertised on Facebook. First you have to sit at the bar, so the bar sometimes fills up and you're then unable to get the happy hour. That's kind of bogus. Even if no one is sitting at the tables.
The only burger featured during happy hour is the Smash burger which has more onions than meat. It also comes with American cheese and pickles. It was my least favorite of all the burgers I've ever had at Umami. The seasoning was bland, and even an onion lover like myself could go without the quarter pound of onion.
I remember being told at the La Brea location that you can subtract but not add/substitute. Well this place wouldn't let us take pickles or onions off. So we had to literally just pick them off. Not a big deal for me, but I know some people would flip. I guess they're going the Father's Office Nazi route--too bad
The location and set up is still way better than the La Brea one and they have skinny fries which I love.
As a huge Umami fan, I was so stoked when this place opened up much closer to my house.
Went on…
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I came here last night to try it out. It was a long drive from Pasadena... possibly one of the reasons for the low(er) rating. There was traffic, which made me impatient (I was starving while driving there). We were seated right away when we got there, thank goodness. But parking took awhile to find.
I got the Kombu #3, which included the hatch burger, onion rings, and a pale ale. The bf got the truffle burger and hand-cut fries. The others in our party got the 3 pork burger, the umami burger, and the manly burger. They also ordered hand-cut fries and sweet potato fries.
I really enjoyed the hatch burger. It had just the right amount of spice to it, and gave the burger a great kick. What really stood out was how MESSY the burger was - the patty was oozing with juices, but probably because it was barely cooked (it was somewhere between rare and medium rare). Now, at no point during the ordering process did our server ask how we wanted our burgers cooked. Which probably would have been fine - but I happen to like my burgers cooked well-done. So this was a bit of a disappointment.
I had half of the truffle burger, and didn't think it was anything special. I liked the hatch much much better.
Now, onto the sides - OMG since when did "umami" = salty?? There was a serious overload of salt on all of their sides - whoever thought of putting salt on onion rings anyway?? And we had to literally scrape off the salt on the hand-cut fries, because it was WAY too much.
Also, when they brought our sides, they said "who ordered thick fries"... which threw us off because none of us had ever been there before, and the menu had no such thing. After some confusion we figured out "thick fries" = "hand-cut fries"... i mean, come on, your menu has like 10 items on it - can't you figure out what their correct names are?? Seriously, the service was lacking.
The umami ketchup was interesting (in a good way in my opinion, but the BF said he didn't like it). The garlic aioli was lacking in flavor. I didn't like the onion rings, not only because they were salted, but because the batter was weird - sure, the menu described them as "tempura-battered onion rings" or something, but it was a lot heavier than real japanese tempura batter.
The pale ale that came with my "kombu" wasn't very notable. Not bad, not great. One person got the espresso beer float - and he said he wouldn't order it again.
Overall, I liked the hatch burger, and would probably order it again. And I'd probably ask for it a little more cooked. And I'd probably skip the sides. Sadly, that would not be enough food to fill me up, as the burger is actually not very big at all. This is definitely not a place where you get the most bang for your buck.
Saturdays - so wonderful, yet they bring out the "bad" in "bad dining experiences." Why? Because everyone and their mothers have a need to check out the new hip restaurant in town - and that would be Umami Burger.
20 minutes to wait for a table inside - no way were were going to be sitting outside in the cold! So Ben F. and I hung out at the bar - had couple of Orion beers which were pretty tasty. [note: heavy bottles make you think you have more beer than you really do].
We finally sit. It's pretty loud inside - tons of chatty Los Angelenos and cool music in the background. I ordered the Umami with a side of onion rings and Ben ordered the Manly with a side of thin fries. We noticed our neighbors received the sides we ordered from a different waiter and we wondered if it was a coincidence. Then that same waiter presented them with OUR burgers - those sides were ours to begin with! We were given our correct side orders and proceeded to enjoy the delicious, tender, juicy burgers. Fries were excellent, onion rings were fine.
Overall verdict: I wish they served more sauce for the sides. I will order the Manly next time. I will not go on a Saturday evening ever again.
Went back for seconds. Longer wait time to be served- which means they must be getting popular here (and that's a good thing). There have already been improvements. Way more ketchup that comes in a cute glass container. Waiter was super cool; he saw my brand new powerbook and we talked about that moment when you first turn on your new computer after having a super old/out of date one. Weird, but whatever. He gets it.
The burger was even more amazing than I remembered. I ate it several hours ago and I still can't stop thinking about that flavor. That special ketchup. The perfectly seasoned fries. My boyfriend's lamb burger with tiny pieces of apricot.
Umami, thank you for coming to live in my neighborhood. When my foot is all healed I want to make sure to walk to you at least once a week. This place makes a gourmet burger. There's no other way to describe it.
I must have gone here on an awesome night. A Wednesday night, when the place was pretty empty.… Read more »
Omg my mouth just got really excited when I burped up some of those Umami Burger onion rings! Tempura battered onion rings with Umami Ketchup and Garlic Aioli!!! Yum!!! I also decided that I might just be a man deep down inside as I found the "Manly Burger" to be extremely enjoyable! Nice and greasy and delicious!
I've been looking forward to Umami Burger for awhile now and finally made it to LA to try it out! It definitely lived up to the hype! The only thing that sucked was the high price tag, especially for the size. I don't like feeling extremely stuffed anyway, but I still had room for a fish taco and some ice cream after leaving Umami Burger. Oh wells, my tummy is now looking more like a happy face thanks to Umami Burger : - )
I've developed and obsession for Umami Burger. They pack a ton of flavor into these 6oz burgers (if 6oz isn't enough order a side, but it's plenty for me and I eat alot). or would you rather be asked to supersize?
I like coming here early to late afternoon when it's not so crowed. the staff is on point and the kitchen gets the burgers out fast, great lunch option. And the place looks great. Cobras used to have walls or partial walls up, but they've knocked them all out and it's much more open. And there is a flat screen tv in the bar area now. good job.
My fav burgers so far are the hatch, socal burger (they nailed a gourmet in n out burger), and the happy hour smash burger was good (maybe some more pickle would do). I didn't care so much for the Port & Stilton (not enough onions), or the manly burger (i'd prefer thick bacon strips, to these chunk type pieces).
I'll start this out by admitting I'm a vegetarian, but that isn't the only reason for the poor review. I read that Umami had a veggie option for their signature Umami Burger, so my gf and I decided to try it out since she lives right around the corner. First, we were told they did not have the veggie burger but they could make a portobello burger instead. Ok, we said, and can we get a kombu with that burger, too (these are the haughtily-named combo meals that include sides and drinks)? Yes, the waiter said, so we ordered a kombu #1 (w/ fries and a beer) and I asked for a kombu #3 (w/ onion rings and different beer). No dice on the #3, he said. It can only be served with a different, equally-priced burger that has meat - no substitutions.
Seriously? No substitutions? Not even when there is only ONE THING on the burger menu that I can eat? And it's the same price as the burger that comes with the combo anyway?
I was informed that I could order my burger with a side of onion rings and the same beer in separate parts for only $2 more, but it seemed ridiculous to me. It sounded like, "I'm sorry, we're not here to cater to your crazy whims, non-meat-eating person, and you'll have to pay more to get less. Sorry. No substitutions."
So I ended up not ordering a beer and just getting the burger and onion rings (ultimately netting them LESS of my money, thanks). Both were greasy as hell, and I'm almost 100% certain that the "ketchup" they sparingly mete out to you is, in fact, canned tomato sauce. Try it. You'll recognize that no-vinegar, no-salt tastelessness. Good thing they only give you a spoonful (served on the spoon so you know I'm not just underestimating).
So I guess I wasn't as upset by the mediocre, overpriced food as I was by the attitude this place has. I mean, give the customer what they like and you run a good establishment. Decide you know what they need and never waver and you run a Stalinist establishment (with cheesy decor). Thanks for nothing, Umami.
I haven't had a burger in 10 years and decided one night when I was starving that this was the night.
Good things about it:
-incredible taste [I got the Hatch Burger]
-Perfectly cooked
-not too big, but very filling
-Great location [walking distance for me]
Bad things:
-no heat lamps [it was a 30 min. wait for a table inside and it was very cold that night]
-wait staff, while nice, were horribly inattentive
-Sweet potato fries were actually sweet like they had honey/sugar on them, too much for my taste
-a little overpriced
I will for sure go back there though will either wear a down jacket or wait for an inside table until they get heat lamps.
I actually really liked Umami Burger. It is still in soft opening mode but they seem fully open. This is the location of the old Cobras y Matadores and the former bistro restaurant next door, Sergeant Recruiter, has reverted to a regular wine bar.
I had the truffle burger and Andy had the Umami Burger, Truffle burger was very "umami," with truffle cheese and truffle flavor. The buns are delicious, not too doughy and not too small. They have an interesting assortment of beverages, from a California sparkling wine which I enjoyed to a range of Asian Beers. The prices are not bad either. There is a special you can get with an Umami Burger, fries and an Asian Beer.
You can sit with your dog at the outdoor tables.
A welcome addition to the neighborhood.
After my initial disappointment that uber-hip Cobras and Matadors shuttered, I was excited that this Umami outpost opened up right across the street from my apartment. I finally got to check it out last night I was, well, disappointed. Sure, the atmosphere is very fun and cool. The service was friendly and prompt. The Thai beer was cheap and tasty. But the burger and fries? Eh.
I had the signature Umami burger and while the meat was certainly juicy and tasted good, it just wasn't THAT good. As other reviewers have mentioned, it drips with grease. I know it's possible to make a yummy burger without your hands ending up covered in greasiness (Father's Office, anyone?)
But my biggest disappointment was with the fries. The sweet potato fries were great, but I had the plain french fries and they were inedibly salty (Ok, I still ate them). So impossibly unnecessarily salty -- and I love french fries AND salty things. I don't understand it -- how do you screw up french fries?
For the upscale price tag, I think this place could be a lot better. I may stop in for a drink again, but it will be a long time before you'll tempt me with an Umami burger.
3.5 Stars Summary:
If Umami was a gal. She would not have my heart. She would have my hand. To hold. And only at the movie theaters or when no one else is looking, but the moment it gets a little sweaty I'm going to let go.
Food: I had both the Port & Stilton and Truffle burger In one sitting (I knew the gal I was going with was kind of feeling under the weather so I gauged a 75% chance of having to finish her food for her. I won.)... 1.5 burgers, 2 beers, and an order of fries later I was still hungry. The burger was very edible and I dare even say borderline delicious. Yet, small. Happy Meal small. Right as I was about to peak at the "5th" flavor orgasm. It ended. The burger finished before I did. It got up, buttoned up its blouse and left me the tray with the bill at the edge of the table.
Service: No major mishaps as I've noticed from the other reviewers. Our host/server was very pleasant and attentive. However, another server came by and mixed up our order when setting down our plates Nothing a little rotating couldn't fix. They also got me the wrong bottle of beer and ended up comping it. So was the service bad? Definitely not. Just needs to be polished up tis all.
Setting: As contradictory as it may sound the patio seating seemed significantly more inviting and warm than the interior. There is too much empty space inside with sparse islands of seating. If you are going for Japanese minimal, cool. Just don't have the adjacent wall sprawled with humungo hiragana and kanji.
Wrapping it up:
Me: Hey Umami what are you doing?
Umami: It's 3am. I was sleeping.
Me: O sorry, I was thinking I would come over and we could...
Umami: Well, I'm tired. How about we get brunch tomorrow?
Me: um ok nm. have a good night.
*click*
(translation: If Umami is that 5th flavor than to me its also about the 5th choice of burger joints I would go to. My heart lies elsewhere.)
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-Valet parking for a burger joint is unAmerican. Just scope the hood and walk over. It's not like you'll put on that much weight with the tiny burgers.
-If you like blue cheese on your meat then the Port & Stilton does a pretty fantastic job of it. Just enough pungent without overtaking the other flavors.
-N/A on describing the fries. I can't remember what they taste like. That could be the answer in itself.
Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Sour and Umami.
Umami is the fifth taste. The "flavor enhancer"...
With dishes such as pulled turkey fried in duck fat, pickled okra and beets, I had high expectations for their main specialty, the Burger.
Yes, they are pricey. But once you bite into your petite work of meaty art you won't mind shelling out the ten bucks. The toppings were finely chopped and blended very well with the sauces. True to it's namesake, Umami was a delight for the taste buds.
There are several beef burgers to select from, all with very interesting taste combinations, as well as a turkey burger and a lamb burger.
Don't forget to order your espresso stout beer shake or the sweet potato beer. Though this time you may balk at the ten dollar tag. It's not as tasty as the one golden state offers. If beer doesn't float your boat, they have wonderful desserts, including ice cream sandwiches made by my one of my favorite dessert places, Milk. I tried a red velvet raspberry something-or-other that was quite like a fancy ding-dong with raspberry filling. Yum!
I only wish they had more of a flavor feast for the ears... Listening to The best of Offspring on rotation was a bit much.
After an intense amount of reticence( since I have read so many mixed yelp reviews) I decided to trek to the notorious (that word is a little strong) Umami Burger--and mind you this was there second location in Hollywood--to see for myself how pretentious these burgers were. If it's true ( yo la tengo ref. # 4) I also wanted to engage my fifth taste sensation--SAVORY.
I came on a Friday night (10/24) around closing where the Kill Bill ambiance was in full effect. Japanese decor and a little country western thrown together in a stylish way.
The Food: I placed my order for a Hatch burger with a side of malt liquor tempura onion rings and a Sparky's root beer.
When it arrived I thought the burger was very good-- a lot of flavor in the meat and the Hatch chillies enhanced the beef. The bun was excellent too, soft and warm. The onion rings were sublime, light and a little crisp. The root beer was intense and helped provide some contrast.
Overall, I would have liked a little more burger ( it was dinky). I enjoyed the side I ordered those rings were golden. A nice selection of drinks are also available which is excellent when you are not recovering from a huge hangover (thus the root beer). I plan on coming back but not until I have tried more spots.
I had the Triple Pork, not as scary as it sounds, but a damn good burger. The hand cut fries are HUGE, I mean super thick. You feel like you're biting into half of a potato. The homemade ketchup is pretty tasty, very different than any other ketchup I've ever tried.
Just got back from eating dinner there, and guess what... I'm still hungry!!! It's been said a few times on here that the portions are small, and other people have said, no no, it appears small, but will actually nicely satisfy you. Well let me tell you- I'm a rather petite girl (5'1"- in an average weight class), ordered the manly burger, shared some sides, and I am quite literally ready to go eat dinner again.
Was the food good? yes. quite good. Burger was delicious. Sides were delicious. And prices... I thought they were reasonable upon first seeing the menu, until I realized it was for an order of mini food.
Sure I might go back on the basis that it's walkable from where I live, which is always a plus- but I will never go there expecting to fill up from an empty stomach again.
Portion: Dont come here if you're hungry, burgers are on the small side.
Price: $9-$11 for the burgers (w/o fries or a drink)
Ambiance: Clean, minimalist, open, suddle Japanese decor with american flags as my wife pointed out.
Taste: I sampled The Port and Stilton Burger which had caramelized onions and blue cheese supposedly and the Umami Burger, their signature burger. Both were strong burgers with a sweet taste, but nothing a Bluenami from Islands couldn't whip.
My bill came out to $25 w/o tip and I had a beer fries and two burgers which my wife and I split. Not bad I guess.
Oh and dont pay for valet park by the good will and walk your fat ass up the street.
I went in for lunch two weeks ago. I sort of felt "rushed" even though there wasn't a lunch crowd present. The decor is refreshing--none of that trendy, minimal stuff--and I'm sure on a weekend night the place might have a different vibe.
As for the burger, there isn't much meat between the buns. And the bun, I have to admit, is the main attraction. It definitely turned my opinion of the burger. (The burger here is definitely on my top 10. In retrospect, I think I should've order two.)
I'll definitely come back another time I'm in the Los Feliz area.
Total disappointment! I had heard amazing things about the other location, but never made it out there before hearing Umami would open in my own hood.
The burger was nothing special. I had the Umami burger. it was small and practically still alive (apparently the chef recommends 'medium rare' and i wasnt given any other option.) Very greasy- enough to congeal on my plate by the end of the meal. The sweet potato fries were underseasoned, the regular fries way too salty, and the onion rings were underseasoned. Ive had far better 10 dollar burgers before.
This place has got something special all of the burgers I have tried so far have just been mouth watering perfection.
I do warn that they serve there meat rare so if you do not like pink in your patty then make sure to ask them to cook it medium.
I will go again for sure.
My first time at Umami after hearing so much about it.
Sorry, no 4 or 5 star OHMYGOD review. It IS a great tasting burger. but the size of the burger itself is just too small for the price. It's practically the same size as a Big Mac. sorry, i know thats offensive, but really.. come on for an $8-11 burger... could you spare a bit more?
Not too many ppl mentioned the beer list. They have an eclectic list of beers from Europe and Asia, but nothing too hard to find in other trendy bars and restaurants I've noticed lately. But its all priced accordingly... its another $8-10 for a bottle.
The special ketchup was different, but I dunno. Seems like this was trying to hard but not enough for the price.
This high end take on the burger and fries is satisfyingly tasty, justifying its $9+ price tag. Be forewarned: both the burgers and the onion rings are on the edge of unbelievably greasy. It's almost comical just how greasy they are, but the meat, bun and toppings are all quality. The fact that they come medium rare without having to ask is a plus.
My wife and I were pleased with our $40 meal of acceptable fries, onion rings, an umami burger, a hatch burger (noteworthy), a couple beers and a root beer float. We felt weighted down afterward, but not queasy like one would after a similar meal at a fast food joint.
Will I be back? Not anytime soon. I only need a meal this heavy once in a long while. But I'd recommend this place if you're in the mood for some high quality grease.
Oh.
Good burger.
Not so good sweet potato fries.
Sloppy Japanese on the wall.
One portion of the wall says
"sa shi su se so" which is like writing "A B C D E" in English.
They charged me for a iced tea refill....WTF? Like Iced tea is expensive...
Good atmospher 1 star
Good burger another star!
My complaint about Umami, which means great balanced taste in Japanese, is that everything was sweet.
Too much sugar in the ketchup on the burger that didn't need ketchup.
The miso on the burger added plenty of sweet goodness.
I scraped my ketchup off.
AND!
Who adds sugar to sweet potato fries?
They use the same fries that the Counter in Santa Monica uses, but add sugar.... They're already sweet!!! c'mon!!!
I guess I'm a snob when it comes to anything claiming to be Japanese, but in Japan, burgers taste like they come from cows that have been served beer, massaged and treated like royalty.
I vote for the Father's office instead.
Daaaaamn boy, their burgers are great! Not as good as 25 Degrees but it's fucking great! I've also been to the one on La Brea but good luck NOT waiting for a table!
I've tried both the SoCal and Hatch burgers. My personal favorite was the Hatch. Four different kinds of green peppers sliced and diced small like relish plus pepper jack cheese. Only wish it was spicier.
As for the sides, the fatter fries are bomb. Actually feels like you're eating real potatoes! Like onion rings? Their onion rings are cooked in a tempura batter giving it a more "fluffy" crunch. They also have their own homemade ketchup that tastes good but it don't beat Heinz baby!
: )
SHORT STORY:
Go! You will love it.
If you don't love it, just see my review about the La Brea location and leave me alone. Thanks :)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
LONG STORY:
I stopped by yesterday because I was in need of a meat fix after the burger disappointment I had the other day...and the amazing-super-long-super-late-food/booze-filled-ev ening at SHIROhttp://www.yelp.com/bi... from the night before.
Not only was I greated promptly by cheerful people when I entered Umami, I was well taken care of during my quick visit.
I was told about a few of the cool things that this location offers including the BEER and WINE, some daily specials, and some cool combo meals.
I am thrilled that they carry my favorite HITACHINO beers and some other great stuff and now thin AND thick frie options.
THANKS UMAMI!
I am one happy girl now that I found a geographically desireable way to get some MANLY meat into my mouth when the craving hits!
I will be back very soon!
TIPS:
*Take your time reading the menu. Chose wisely. If you are with other people, try to each get a different burger, share them, then order you favorites AFTER you finish those.
*Park a block or two away for free street parking and walk off the burger calories.
*Go at off hours (I went at 3pm) when you'll be sure to find a seat and ample free street parking.
*Order the MANLY and get a Cake Monkey treat to go!
Only thing I was not a fan of: The Music. Not only kinda not my cup o tea, it was waaaay toooo loud for a place during the quiet hours of the afternoon.
ENJOY!
: )
A friend and I decided to try Umami after hearing good things about the hollywood location. It was pretty early so it was happy hour time at the bar which means they offer a $5 burger and $4 drafts. We went for the $5 burger and a $9 burger with Bleu cheese and both were quite excellent. We also tried the sweet potatoe fries with aioli which was also solid.
The bartender/server was super nice and knowledgeable on all things burger and beer. The only potential downsides I found were that you couldn't alter any of the burgers and that you have to pay for ketchup and other condiments for fries. Despite these problems I'd still highly recommend giving Umami a try at happy hour.
Also for those into star sightings, Jena Elfman was getting take out from here and said hello!
This is one of the few restaurants I've been tempted to walk out of without paying. I'm no cheapskate, but nine bucks for the veggie burger (a single slice of mushroom) is insulting.
With that said, it would be thought this place is all about the presentation and service, but in fact that area is where the restaurant suffers the most. My waitress looked like Kylie Minogue with a penis and a meth addiction. I'll attribute the restaurant's worst-of-the-worst service to the latter.
Luckily, when I got home there was leftovers in the fridge.
I think this place is a bit overpriced since the burgers are smaller than average and don't come with an sides. However, burgers, specifically the truffle burger, are still very delicious with a nice sauce. There's really nothing much to say.
I figured out what the "umami" is in umami burger. It's truffle oil, and everything here is dripping with it. I think it's even in the ketchup. On a good nite, you won't notice, but on an off-nite like tonite we were covered in umaminess.
It was one of those days when I didn't feel like being vegan, and just wanted to snarf a tasty hunk… Read more »
Umami was recommended by my Chef friend as well worth a visit! Why wait I say, and off we went for dinner. I checked out the menu online and figured the right place to start was with the Umami Burger Combo #1, which included the signature Umami Burger, Fries and a Beer. The burger was great and definately made me want to come try other burgers on the menu, very juicy and flavorful. The service of the custom ketchup in the little baby food jar is awkward, but worth the effort as the ketchup is tasty too. Surprising that the beer paired with the combo comes from Thailand, but it was a good pairing!
Overall, it was a quick visit, but with good service and really tasty food. I will be returning.
Oh, on the decor front, it is a strange set up and looks a little disjointed inside, but given the tasty return on investment, I don't care!
Finally was able to get my Umami on.
I had a the Kombu#1 which consited of a Umami Burger, fries (regular thin cut) and a beer.
The umami burger was juicy and unctuous. There was definitely a really good undescribable flavor to it. I just wish the burger was bigger. It was greasy and warm and oh so heavenly.
Two of my dining companions went with Kombu#1 as well and the last one a SoCal burger.
The burgers were so good a friend of mine and I decided to split another burger this time we took the casablanca. Great burger nice mouth feel and great finish. Still lamb-y but just enough to add flavor to what you are eating. We paired this with a Hitachino beer and we were in heaven. Too bad that we still had to go back to work since it was just our lunch break.
I'll be back again when I'm craving great burgers.
The good: burger was tasty.
The bad: The ketchup is served in stupid little jars which makes it hard to get to the bottom. "Market salad" was just field greens. They were out of "hand cut" fries on a Saturday night at 8:00 yet they had skinny fries. How can that be if they are hand-cut? Burgers are fairly small. I'm a small lady and I could easily eat one and a half.
The ugly: the service was horrible! The whole waitstaff had an unorganized fumbling like it opened yesterday, but it has been several months now. I half expected two of them to run right into each other while they buzzed around trying to figure out which burgers went to which table. I would laugh, but then I would be really bummed when I realized it was my burger on the floor, and I'd have to wait another 30 minutes for a new one.
I probably wont be returning to Umami any time soon, the service was great the ambience was ok and the food was ok as well. Nothing blew my socks off. The menu is simple but what you get is seamingy not what you order. portions are small for a Los Angeles norm. I honestly love trying many flavors in one thing giving the effect of that of a weved tapestry of flavor... here, I got lots of stuff in a bun. I ordered an Umami burger... thinking hey.. its got their name on it... but was a lil dissapointed in the outcome. In the end I felt the place a bit trite and trying a lil too hard to be cool.
This place sucks! Basically White Castle burgers at exorbitant prices. The veggie burger is a slice of mushroom. For real. Just a slice. As if that wasn't insulting enough, the service is horrendous. You will leave hungrier than you were when you arrived, and you will feel abandoned and neglected. Do not go!
Location. Location.
The first Umami Burger is right near my car mechanic. That's only a plus if I break down. I do not wish to break down, nor do I want to entertain such thoughts as I'm munching on my juicy, weird ingredients burger.
Therefore the new location is better. It's also bigger than a shoebox.
I haven't yet tried out any of the cocktails, or the creepy sounding pickled sides, other Yelpers have referred to, so until further update, a solid 4.
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