Umi No Ie

Reviews

• Grace M.

  star star star star star 6 June 2026

  Quaint, adorable spot for authentic Japanese home cooking. The portions are small so be prepared to have to spend some $$$ if you're hungry, but the flavors are INCREDIBLE and we loved so many dishes that we had to keep trying more.
  
  Favorites were: pork belly, salmon rice with broth, watercress salad, eggplant, beef and potato stew, lotus root. I'd definitely pass on the karaage (ours was really bland), but we loved everything else we ordered!

• David T.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 31 May 2026

  Reading the reviews and looking through the photos, we came in with high expectations. In short, the place was much overpriced for the portion and flavor. It was surprising that the place was almost empty when we went at 7pm on a weekend night. I'd say the only positive aspect was getting the tatami seat, that's it.
  
  Didn't really had much to say about this place except I feel it's much overpriced. Everything in my photo was mediocre at best, even below par. I'd not recommend it or return as the other reviews and photos are very misleading, in my opinion.
  
  Food 2.5
  Value 2.5
  Ambiance 4/5
  Service 3/5

• Erika L.

  star star star star star 24 May 2026

  This place is not your typical restaurant. It feels more like you're in someone's home. The standout for me is that it's never crowded and the dishes are simultaneously homey and unique. Everything is cooked to perfection and you can get harder to find dishes like bitter melon. That being said, it isn't your typical restaurant, service is on the slow side and food takes a bit to come out. But, completely worth it in my opinion. Come here to savor some great sake and a nice, slow dinner.

• Patricia C.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 15 May 2026

  Really wanted to like this place but it fell really flat.
  
  We were looking for a place to eat on new years day, so a lot of places were closed. We called to make sure they were open, and when we arrived, there was only one party there. The place is super cute and cozy, dimly lit with nice relaxing music in the background, and the one party that was there were Japanese, so I had high hopes! Lots of space too, the restaurant extends all the way to the back where there are several tables.
  
  As a lot of people mention in their reviews, there is only one person in the kitchen (which is an amazing feat but sucks when it's busy!), and from what I saw that day, only one server as well (not sure if it was because it was new years or what). The server wasn't the warmest of all people so I thought they lacked on the service side, especially for a Japanese restaurant (they are usually EXTRA nice and courteous!). Anyway, they have a regular menu and then a today's special menu. Everything seems pretty affordable at first, but I have heard from other reviews that the portions are insanely tiny. We decided to go with their $35 tasting menu, which consists of 5 dishes, it sounded like the best option for the best value!
  
  First dish: appetizers of seaweed, edamame, and potato salad. Nothing special, very small portions. Literally 5 edamame pods, and completely bland in flavor. Potato salad really lacked the sweetness that most japanese potato salads have, which comes from the mayo!
  
  Second dish: Beef/Potato stew (Nikujaga). This dish was actually pretty good, not too salty and had the right amount of richness to it, but it was mostly potato chunks and very very very small and lean sliced pieces of beef on the bottom. It also came out lukewarm, which is super terrible in my book.
  
  Third dish: One spring roll. This is the only dish I didn't get a picture of, but it looks like a regular deep fried spring roll. I think it was slightly undercooked or maybe the wrapper was too thick because some of the outer ring of the wrapper was a little mushy. Couldn't really taste what was in the filling :( I would have much preferred something like a Gyoza (people have said it was good!), rice ball, or Karaage, which is more typical of Japanese bar food.
  
  Fourth dish: tender pork belly. This is their famous dish. Pretty sizable chunk and it was decently tender! But I can't believe this is $22 on their regular menu, I hope it's a much larger portion size!
  
  Fifth Dish: Goto Udon. A special udon from goto island in agedashi fish broth. I thought the broth was actually pretty darn delicious and full of flavor, but the noodles were really bleh. Didn't really pick up any flavor from the broth, and didn't have enough of a bite. Not sure if this was freshly made noodles or just noodles from a package, but it tasted like the latter.
  
  We also got two hot sake bottles, and they were $13 each I think, pretty steep! I think we paid over $100 for both of us, and it might not sound like a crazy amount, but I didn't think the food was really that great unfortunately. So much potential to be a great place though.

• Emily J.

  star star star star star 14 May 2026

  WOW-ZA. No wait, cozy Japanese home style cooking and SAKE.
  Tired of the wait at Decibel? Need some real good Japanese food served with your favorite bottle of sake that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg?
  Welcome to Umi No le.
  
  We tried the following:
  
  Agedashi Tofu: GIRL, sweet and savory broth served up with a tofu skin that protects that soft goodness. YES - a winner. A definite YES for a starter.
  
  Karaage: Japanese fried chicken is arguably better than Korean fried chicken. (Just don't tell my fellow Koreans I said this.) They definitely have the recipe down to a salt from the crispy outer skin to the soft, melt in your mouth inner chicken. It's delicious. A MUST-HAVE.
  
  Tender Pork Belly: Don't like pork belly? I don't care. You'll LOVE this. Oh so soft and melts in your mouth. $22 was well worth every bite. It's not over priced, it's delicious!
  
  Eel Omelette: I don't like eel BUT I think they might have changed my mind with this dish. No words to describe, just try it.
  
  To top it all off we had a 720 ml sake for $50 and yes, my night was complete.
  
  Perfect for a date spot. Perfect for 2 or 3 friends. Don't be the large group that takes up all the tables. Seating is limited.
  
  P.S. Dan, don't kill me if this place starts packing up because of me. Hehe. xxx