Service was great with attentive server and bringing out dishes. The lunch omakase was by far the better one compared to the dinner set. Fun interactive experience for the lunch omakase with different dipping salts, and making your own sushi with rice, seaweed, and assorted season sashimi pieces. Dinner set was nicer in terms of presentation, but not as satisfying with the amount of food provided and cuts of fish offered. Great place to try though for lunch if you're a fan of aesthetic and sushi!
Camden G.
The food is awesome and so rich in flavor and this place really shows the lavors of its country and the service was fantastic and there is a lot of space to eat and talk with your friends and family. They also love to check up on their costumers which I think is lovely and just overall the service is pheomenal. Everyone should visit.
Varand O.
Service was fantastic. Decor was modern spin with Japanese elements and minimal. I would say it was sheik but cold (not in a bad way). However, it needs to have people in it so that it works. On our dinner, we were one of 3 parties. There is a lot of open space (as well as a large bar and a larger sushi bar). Food was very good. The chef showcased some aesthetically pleasing courses. Above all the fish tasted great - went down even better with sake! Not a value option, but would consider returning to celebrate an occasion.
Airi G.
Between the Umaya omakase lunch and the chef's choice Yume menu, it's hard to pick which one I liked more. The lunch omakase was a fun option because you made your own hand rolls with all the ingredients they laid out before you. There were 12 different sashimi, sushi rice, nori, very low sodium soy sauce, and 5 different salts (kombu, ume, matcha, sakura, and yuzu). The Yume menu was a course meal with so many delicious items and some that even brought back nostalgia for me. My mom used to always make me chawanmushi as a kid and this one, I have to say, tasted even better than hers with the silky texture and mix-ins. I also really enjoyed the broiled fish which they change seasonally and ours was miso black cod. It was unforgettable. If there was an option to have it as an entree, I would not hesitate to order it. There were also 12 pieces of sushi of which I surprisingly liked the bluefin the best. That's not to say the others weren't good, because they were, it just stood out a lot more with how tender and thick the cut was. The ambiance of the restaurant is very relaxed and intimate, so it's perfect for date night or a fun hangout with friends. Parking would be street if you're lucky or at a nearby structure and then walk from there.
Michelle C.
I've never experienced omakase like this As soon as you walk in, your eyes are immediately drawn to the whimsical umbrella ceiling, then down to the gorgeous, backlit bar. This is a spot that would be great for a girls' night out, a dinner date, or a business lunch. We ordered the Umaya Omakase, which was a tray of chef's choice sushi accompanied by nori, rice, soy sauce, and various salts to make our own hand rolls. It was such a unique experience and incredible presentation The service was also top-notch. My partner dropped his chopstick on the ground, and I swear as it was dropping, our server was already on her way with a replacement pair Save this spot! I'm already planning my next meal back
Valerie V.
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE! It was my first time trying omakase and it was a great experience. The lunch set was $60 per person that comes with fish, soy sauce, different types of salts, rice and seaweed. The staff was also very sweet and welcoming explaining how everything works. The ambiance was gorgeous. We went at noon and it was just us and another party. There's plenty of street parking right in front of the restaurant.
Maxwell Anderson
Last year, my wife and I went to Umaya for dinner few times. There were hardly any customers. We ordered sashimi as an appetizer and then some sushi. They were rather ordinary, like what you could buy at a Japanese supermarket. The presentation lacked finesse, and I doubted if the chef was Japanese. We glanced at the special roll menu, but they seemed like mall sushi rolls and didn't pique our interest. We thought we wouldn't come back to eat here again. However, recently, I ended up dining here with some business associates by chance. The prices felt slightly higher, but the sushi this time was definitely better than last time, probably because there seemed to be some professional chefs at the sushi bar, and maybe they had added some new items to the menu. It seems worth coming back again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Max A.
Last year, my wife and I went to Umaya LA for dinner twice. The impressive interior decor stood out, but there were hardly any customers. We ordered sashimi as an appetizer and then some sushi, which were rather ordinary and didn't seem like anything special, similar to what you can buy at a Japanese supermarket. The presentation of the sashimi lacked finesse, and I doubted if the chef was Japanese. We glanced at the special roll menu, but they seemed like mall sushi rolls and didn't pique our interest. We thought we wouldn't come back to eat here again. However, recently, we ended up dining here with some business associates by chance. Surprisingly, the sushi this time was exceptional, with presentations that were traditional yet modern and innovative, resembling beautiful works of art. There seemed to be a new chefs at the sushi bar, and the vibe was different from last time. If given the opportunity, I'm considering using this place for a dinner with our company clients. Taking into account the previous experience, this time I would rate it two stars.
Megan H.
What a spot! The interior is beautifully decorated for a night out with friends or a date night. Service was great! Our drinks were always being refilled. Parking will have to be street parking or valet located down the street. OMAKASE LUNCH SET ($60) -comes with 12 types of fish/proteins, a bowl of rice, and a stack of nori so you can make your own handrolls! -loved how interactive it was and being able to try various types of fish -includes 5 types of salt (kombu, matcha, sakura, yuzu, and ume) to sprinkle on top of your roll CHEF'S CHOICE - YUME ($120) -great variety of textures/flavors in this set! -Nimono (Stewed Veggies) -Chawanmushi (Steamed Egg) -Yakimono (Broiled Fish) -2 rounds of sushi (6x each) -Osumono (Dashi Broth) -Dessert (Pudding)
Kristine J.
I personally really liked this place. The ambiance is super cool! The sushi was amazing! What high quality! I thought my ramen tsukemen was pretty good too, though maybe a tad salty. My fiance said his ramen was ok and he got the basic tonkotsu for a good measure against the other ones he's tried.
Making your own handrolls is just so much fun! You definitely need to check out Umaya in Koreatown for an amazing omakase experience! They have different sets for their lunch and dinner courses, with the lunch course consisting of making your own hand rolls paired with their own in-house salt blends for $60, and dinner consisting of a full coursed meal for $120! The handrolls for lunch were so fun to make, and you can really customize it to your taste. For the dinner set, we loved the small plates they gave us beforehand like the seasonal vegetables, broiled fish, and chawanmushi which was so silky. The 12 piece nigiri set was absolutely delicious; the fish was so fresh and beautifully plated, making it taste that much better! The ambiance here is really elevated, making it great for a perfect night out in Ktown! There's a bunch of street parking nearby and they have lots of seating as well. Definitely recommend checking out Umaya the next time you you're craving sushi and want a great omakase experience!
Michelle L.
Tried their new omakase menu (Chef's choice Yume and Omakase Lunch) and had an amazing experience! Chef's choice Yume: The chawanmushi is one of the best I have had. Not a big fan of the broiled fish. Very high quality fish for the sushi sets. The second set has the toro with truffle and uni with caviar which are my favorite. The dessert was perfect for me, not too sweet and the custard was really smooth Omakase Lunch: Amazing presentation! Love the 5 housemade salt seasonings that comes with the Omakase Lunch, the flavors are unique (matcha, sakura, yuzu, ume, kombu) Service: 10/10! Our server was very attentive and and described every dish and type of fish to us really well. Ambience: Beautiful ceiling decor and cozy lighting, nice bar seating, perfect for a date night Pricing: The $60 handroll Omakase Lunch is a steal! You get 12 different types of fish (one of the is Tamago) and seaweed and rice to make your own handroll.
Gloria L.
Great spot for fresh sushi and a unique, build-your-own hand roll lunch experience! Parking is tough since it's all street metered parking but they also have valet parking during dinner time. For $60, you get their hand roll omakase which comes with 12 different types of fish, nori, sushi rice, dashi soup, and a salt seasoning platter. The experience is pretty fun and a cool concept, but I would rather watch it being made for me like at kazunori. I thought some of the fishes tasted mediocre but I liked the blue fin tuna and salmon. Their Chef's Choice menu for $120 was my favorite. The chawanmushi, which was a steamed egg with shrimp, eel, and ginkgo nut was really good! Following that was the grilled salmon and two omakase nigiri platters which I loved. The fish were all really fresh and already seasoned and my favorite was the uni and blue fin tuna. The dessert was a custard pudding that was super silky and delicious. Overall a delicious experience!
Lucia L.
CHEAPEST OMAKASE IN LA?! I strongly believe that quality omakase shouldn't have to be the most expensive, which is why I was so excited to try out the $60 lunch omakase from @umaya_la . The concept reminds me a lot of the omakase from Ume Williamsburg in LA, with a prepared set of different cuts of sashimi that you eat on its own, as nigiri, or in a handroll. Similarly, the set comes with miso soup, nori, rice and an assortment of salts. Overall, it's considered VERY affordable for a LA omakase experience, although I would only recommend this if you're not a sushi/omakase purist. While the overall quality of the fish was fresh and very well cut, I didn't find the execution as graceful, with components arriving randomly (for example, our wasabi and ginger arrived halfway through the meal) and descriptions of the fish/dipping salts being delivered sloppily or forgotten. I didn't like that they wasted one item on an egg roll, and there was one fish that got swamped in a strange XO/chili crisp like sauce. I get that this new lunch omakase concept is new (and perhaps the server as well), but I do think it needs a lot more refinement before being marketed as omakase.
Vivian P.
I won the giveaway on their Yelp for the new omakase menu and it was amazing!! My husband and I used it for my birthday and when we got there around 7pm we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. We tried the chef tasting menu and my favorites were the mini squid nigiri and toro with truffles on top! Their service was impeccable and we never had to flag them down. It's in LA so you'll have to find parking on the streets or there's also valet. We didn't have any trouble since it was a Tuesday night.
Service was great with attentive server and bringing out dishes. The lunch omakase was by far the better one compared to the dinner set. Fun interactive experience for the lunch omakase with different dipping salts, and making your own sushi with rice, seaweed, and assorted season sashimi pieces. Dinner set was nicer in terms of presentation, but not as satisfying with the amount of food provided and cuts of fish offered. Great place to try though for lunch if you're a fan of aesthetic and sushi!
The food is awesome and so rich in flavor and this place really shows the lavors of its country and the service was fantastic and there is a lot of space to eat and talk with your friends and family. They also love to check up on their costumers which I think is lovely and just overall the service is pheomenal. Everyone should visit.
Service was fantastic. Decor was modern spin with Japanese elements and minimal. I would say it was sheik but cold (not in a bad way). However, it needs to have people in it so that it works. On our dinner, we were one of 3 parties. There is a lot of open space (as well as a large bar and a larger sushi bar). Food was very good. The chef showcased some aesthetically pleasing courses. Above all the fish tasted great - went down even better with sake! Not a value option, but would consider returning to celebrate an occasion.
Between the Umaya omakase lunch and the chef's choice Yume menu, it's hard to pick which one I liked more. The lunch omakase was a fun option because you made your own hand rolls with all the ingredients they laid out before you. There were 12 different sashimi, sushi rice, nori, very low sodium soy sauce, and 5 different salts (kombu, ume, matcha, sakura, and yuzu). The Yume menu was a course meal with so many delicious items and some that even brought back nostalgia for me. My mom used to always make me chawanmushi as a kid and this one, I have to say, tasted even better than hers with the silky texture and mix-ins. I also really enjoyed the broiled fish which they change seasonally and ours was miso black cod. It was unforgettable. If there was an option to have it as an entree, I would not hesitate to order it. There were also 12 pieces of sushi of which I surprisingly liked the bluefin the best. That's not to say the others weren't good, because they were, it just stood out a lot more with how tender and thick the cut was. The ambiance of the restaurant is very relaxed and intimate, so it's perfect for date night or a fun hangout with friends. Parking would be street if you're lucky or at a nearby structure and then walk from there.
I've never experienced omakase like this As soon as you walk in, your eyes are immediately drawn to the whimsical umbrella ceiling, then down to the gorgeous, backlit bar. This is a spot that would be great for a girls' night out, a dinner date, or a business lunch. We ordered the Umaya Omakase, which was a tray of chef's choice sushi accompanied by nori, rice, soy sauce, and various salts to make our own hand rolls. It was such a unique experience and incredible presentation The service was also top-notch. My partner dropped his chopstick on the ground, and I swear as it was dropping, our server was already on her way with a replacement pair Save this spot! I'm already planning my next meal back
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE! It was my first time trying omakase and it was a great experience. The lunch set was $60 per person that comes with fish, soy sauce, different types of salts, rice and seaweed. The staff was also very sweet and welcoming explaining how everything works. The ambiance was gorgeous. We went at noon and it was just us and another party. There's plenty of street parking right in front of the restaurant.
Last year, my wife and I went to Umaya for dinner few times. There were hardly any customers. We ordered sashimi as an appetizer and then some sushi. They were rather ordinary, like what you could buy at a Japanese supermarket. The presentation lacked finesse, and I doubted if the chef was Japanese. We glanced at the special roll menu, but they seemed like mall sushi rolls and didn't pique our interest. We thought we wouldn't come back to eat here again. However, recently, I ended up dining here with some business associates by chance. The prices felt slightly higher, but the sushi this time was definitely better than last time, probably because there seemed to be some professional chefs at the sushi bar, and maybe they had added some new items to the menu. It seems worth coming back again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Last year, my wife and I went to Umaya LA for dinner twice. The impressive interior decor stood out, but there were hardly any customers. We ordered sashimi as an appetizer and then some sushi, which were rather ordinary and didn't seem like anything special, similar to what you can buy at a Japanese supermarket. The presentation of the sashimi lacked finesse, and I doubted if the chef was Japanese. We glanced at the special roll menu, but they seemed like mall sushi rolls and didn't pique our interest. We thought we wouldn't come back to eat here again. However, recently, we ended up dining here with some business associates by chance. Surprisingly, the sushi this time was exceptional, with presentations that were traditional yet modern and innovative, resembling beautiful works of art. There seemed to be a new chefs at the sushi bar, and the vibe was different from last time. If given the opportunity, I'm considering using this place for a dinner with our company clients. Taking into account the previous experience, this time I would rate it two stars.
What a spot! The interior is beautifully decorated for a night out with friends or a date night. Service was great! Our drinks were always being refilled. Parking will have to be street parking or valet located down the street. OMAKASE LUNCH SET ($60) -comes with 12 types of fish/proteins, a bowl of rice, and a stack of nori so you can make your own handrolls! -loved how interactive it was and being able to try various types of fish -includes 5 types of salt (kombu, matcha, sakura, yuzu, and ume) to sprinkle on top of your roll CHEF'S CHOICE - YUME ($120) -great variety of textures/flavors in this set! -Nimono (Stewed Veggies) -Chawanmushi (Steamed Egg) -Yakimono (Broiled Fish) -2 rounds of sushi (6x each) -Osumono (Dashi Broth) -Dessert (Pudding)
I personally really liked this place. The ambiance is super cool! The sushi was amazing! What high quality! I thought my ramen tsukemen was pretty good too, though maybe a tad salty. My fiance said his ramen was ok and he got the basic tonkotsu for a good measure against the other ones he's tried.
Restaurantji Recommends
Making your own handrolls is just so much fun! You definitely need to check out Umaya in Koreatown for an amazing omakase experience! They have different sets for their lunch and dinner courses, with the lunch course consisting of making your own hand rolls paired with their own in-house salt blends for $60, and dinner consisting of a full coursed meal for $120! The handrolls for lunch were so fun to make, and you can really customize it to your taste. For the dinner set, we loved the small plates they gave us beforehand like the seasonal vegetables, broiled fish, and chawanmushi which was so silky. The 12 piece nigiri set was absolutely delicious; the fish was so fresh and beautifully plated, making it taste that much better! The ambiance here is really elevated, making it great for a perfect night out in Ktown! There's a bunch of street parking nearby and they have lots of seating as well. Definitely recommend checking out Umaya the next time you you're craving sushi and want a great omakase experience!
Tried their new omakase menu (Chef's choice Yume and Omakase Lunch) and had an amazing experience! Chef's choice Yume: The chawanmushi is one of the best I have had. Not a big fan of the broiled fish. Very high quality fish for the sushi sets. The second set has the toro with truffle and uni with caviar which are my favorite. The dessert was perfect for me, not too sweet and the custard was really smooth Omakase Lunch: Amazing presentation! Love the 5 housemade salt seasonings that comes with the Omakase Lunch, the flavors are unique (matcha, sakura, yuzu, ume, kombu) Service: 10/10! Our server was very attentive and and described every dish and type of fish to us really well. Ambience: Beautiful ceiling decor and cozy lighting, nice bar seating, perfect for a date night Pricing: The $60 handroll Omakase Lunch is a steal! You get 12 different types of fish (one of the is Tamago) and seaweed and rice to make your own handroll.
Great spot for fresh sushi and a unique, build-your-own hand roll lunch experience! Parking is tough since it's all street metered parking but they also have valet parking during dinner time. For $60, you get their hand roll omakase which comes with 12 different types of fish, nori, sushi rice, dashi soup, and a salt seasoning platter. The experience is pretty fun and a cool concept, but I would rather watch it being made for me like at kazunori. I thought some of the fishes tasted mediocre but I liked the blue fin tuna and salmon. Their Chef's Choice menu for $120 was my favorite. The chawanmushi, which was a steamed egg with shrimp, eel, and ginkgo nut was really good! Following that was the grilled salmon and two omakase nigiri platters which I loved. The fish were all really fresh and already seasoned and my favorite was the uni and blue fin tuna. The dessert was a custard pudding that was super silky and delicious. Overall a delicious experience!
CHEAPEST OMAKASE IN LA?! I strongly believe that quality omakase shouldn't have to be the most expensive, which is why I was so excited to try out the $60 lunch omakase from @umaya_la . The concept reminds me a lot of the omakase from Ume Williamsburg in LA, with a prepared set of different cuts of sashimi that you eat on its own, as nigiri, or in a handroll. Similarly, the set comes with miso soup, nori, rice and an assortment of salts. Overall, it's considered VERY affordable for a LA omakase experience, although I would only recommend this if you're not a sushi/omakase purist. While the overall quality of the fish was fresh and very well cut, I didn't find the execution as graceful, with components arriving randomly (for example, our wasabi and ginger arrived halfway through the meal) and descriptions of the fish/dipping salts being delivered sloppily or forgotten. I didn't like that they wasted one item on an egg roll, and there was one fish that got swamped in a strange XO/chili crisp like sauce. I get that this new lunch omakase concept is new (and perhaps the server as well), but I do think it needs a lot more refinement before being marketed as omakase.
I won the giveaway on their Yelp for the new omakase menu and it was amazing!! My husband and I used it for my birthday and when we got there around 7pm we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. We tried the chef tasting menu and my favorites were the mini squid nigiri and toro with truffles on top! Their service was impeccable and we never had to flag them down. It's in LA so you'll have to find parking on the streets or there's also valet. We didn't have any trouble since it was a Tuesday night.