Umi, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Japanese Restaurant Details

Food:

Would recommend this restaurant for its best sushi in the city. It's apparent in the quality and freshness.

Food:

Just the care taken in preparing the rice was fantastic, never mind the fish! Fabulous.

Food:

Top notch and then some! We had a party of 7 and every single person was blown away. Most of us listened to the advice of a friend and got the Omakase (chefs choice) UMI and Miyabi and it lived up to the reputation. It was a 5 course meal and later on in the meal my father received Chilean Sea bass on top of smoldering bamboo paper that have everyone jealous. I was lucky enough to get a bite and we both agree that it was the best Sea bass that we had ever had. The salmon, tuna, and all the other cuts of fish were just as amazing. They had that soft texture that makes you want to savor it, eating it slowly as not to waste it. Even the octopus was softer than what you would expect. I could go on about the Sushi but lets not forget about the desserts at the end. Lisa Ito the wife of Fuyuhiko Ito is the pastry chef but I think of her more of as a pastry wizard. Not only did she come by our table and talk to us, but after hearing about the 30th anniversary of a couple at our table and about how my wife likes chocolate she sends out some amazing Chocolate dish with "Happy 30th Anniversary" drizzled on the plate along with another chocolate piece of heaven with raspberries and green tea ice cream for the wife, and an amazing green tea souffle, rare cheesecake with golden foil that had us scraping the bowl with our spoons. The bus boy had an easy job because there was nothing left on any of the plates. All of the service was perfect and what you would expect and more from a place like this. If you enjoy sushi, desserts, or life, you owe it to yourself to go to UMI's before you die. You might want to call ahead for reservations because they stay booked far out in advance.
Enjoy!

Food:

It's okay for a special occasion. Maybe you want to impress someone with how much money you can bleed while trying to find something on the menu that's filling. Or, if you're like me, you weren't paying. Umi wants to be trendy, but what that translates to is a dimly lit attic with small portions served by waiters who can't even pronounce "omakase."

I started with some sushi: a whitefish roll with mint, and pieces of toro, red snapper, and smoked salmon. The roll tasted like a generic fish with hardly a hint of mint, and the sushi pieces were each small and only the smoked salmon had any real flavor to it. For the price, I could get a bigger piece at Sushi House in Squirrel Hill that's just as good.

For an entree, I ordered the seafood tempura. Here's what thirty bucks gets you. Start with a bowl of miso, which was good. It's a standard dish, so I hope so. Then a salad with ginger dressing, which was field greens with a single slice of cucumber and half a cherry tomato. Broke the bank with those extra vegetables. And finally, the main dish, which was five pieces of shrimp, a crab stick, and maybe five vegetables. The shrimp weren't even that big -- I could do better at Orient Kitchen or Misaki.

I will hand it to them on desserts, though. Here's one place where the value for the money almost matches. I got the banana split, which is three smallish scoops of ice cream -- differently flavored -- with bruleed bananas and a slice of banana cake underneath, topped with chocolate and caramel sauces. Really good, but not enough to bring me back.

Food:

Great sushi but TINY portions and really expensive. Better off going to Sushi Too up on Walnut, though this place definitely has atmosphere.