Umami Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar

I only like sushi when it’s done well; this place is fantastic! Will definitely become a regular. Can’t wait to try the other menu selections!

Simple and beautiful restaurant with excellent service, fresh and delicious Asian food expertly plated at reasonable prices. It was our first time and will definitely not be our last.

Visited with my 7^th grade daughter on a Saturday, we were not the only father-​daughter group there. Sushi was very nicely done, a good selection and reasonably priced. The waitress was a little busy, but attentive, and took the time to teach my daughter how to use chopsticks. I think it’s a 3.5 star, I’d definitely go back again.

Have recently started going back to Umami in hopes that the wait staff has gotten better. Thankfully it has. The past few times that I’ve been there I haven’t even seen the rude waiter/​waitress. The food is still good and I can tell that they have definitely been trying to better their customer service. Still doesn’t feel like the friendliest place but they have certainly improved from last year!

Came here for dinner for the first time.
The menu seems to encompass all asian.
I ordered the sweet and sour chicken — thinking thai style with sliced chicken mixed with onion, bell pepper and pineapple.
Instead I received a deconstructed sweet and sour chicken. Fried chicken balls on a plate with sweet and sour sauce in a cup. No vegetables.
The hot and sour soup was good.

While staying in exton for work, a few of us decided to try this place for a group dinner. It was really great! It’s BYOB but there is a grocery store next door that sells wine and beer.
We got an assortment of sushi rolls, fried rice and Mongolian beef. The winner was the sushi. The other dishes were just ok.
All in all, this is a solid choice for the area and one I can see myself visiting again.

Got take out. was very good. good value.

Umami. A pretty small place but it has character. The sushi was meh. The rice was okay, but the fish was not the best. I loved the California Roll though. If you’re looking for a quick sushi dinner, and you don’t care all that much about the quality, this place is quite ideal.
The service was pretty good. They checked in a few times. Overall, Umami was okay, so I gave it 3 stars.

Nothing stands out here — sushi is mediocre, other dishes like pad thai uninspired, strip mall location and dull interior. If you have any kind of chops with respect to Asian food, sushi, Thai, and Chinese, you will be disappointed. If you are from the sticks and think a piece of raw tuna on your plate is something exotic, you may still be disappointed. That being said, it is better, very much so, than chains like Applebee’s…
Is that damning with faint praise?

It’s a really cute place in a strip mall. I ordered the red curry with shrimp. There were lots of large shrimp in the dish, which was great because usually you get only a few. The veggies also seemed fresh. I just wish the flavor and spice of the curry were more on point.
My husband ordered the chicken with garlic sauce, and it was really good but it came out lukewarm.
Most dishes were around fifteen dollars. There are no free refills and it’s BYOB.

About 3 stars. I’ve been to this place 3 or 4 times. In my opinion, it’s hit or miss kind of place. First time we went for sushi which were ok but not much impression. Another time some coconut soup, rolls & vegetarian fried rice –it was pretty good. Third time… I have no recollection because it’s that uneventful kind of meal. Today, I ordered vegetable lo main to go– while the noodles were cooked ok there were barely any vegetables-​maybe 4 semicircles of paper thin zucchini, few broccoli, some remnants of carrots and mostly canned little corn & chestnut. Should’ve made a picture of it. Meh kind of place.

This restaurant is very overrated. On the Unilocal search it said Hibachi but when I arrived there was none. Waited for 5 minutes to be seated. Then got seated and I was brought a flat diet coke. Asked for water 3 times before arrived. Ordered gyoza appetizer and was 6 little pieces for 6 bucks. Ordered teriyaki steak for 18 and had to pay extra for a small cup of rice. $ 29 bill for a meal that was for a child. I could have ate 3 of these meals. Went to pay and had to wait another 5 minutes and cashier was unhappy that I had a $ 3 Unilocal coupon. Find somewhere else. Going to order a pizza for dinner now

With how often I eat here I am long overdue for a review of this little gem. The sushi lunch special is excellent value and always delicious. I highly recommend expanding into the specialty rolls as well they never disappoint. Tiger roll is my absolute favorite. I can’t speak for anything but the sushi because I haven’t ordered anything else in the probably 50+ times I have been here because it is just that good, there is no need. Keep up the great work!

Great Sushi! Had the salmon avocado hand roll and it was perfect, we also had the kamikaze, rainbow, and a Philly roll and the sushi was fresh and delicious. Though I thought the rolls were a bit small they were very tasty. Loved the BYOB since we already had a wine bottle in the car. Will definitely be back.

Han Dynasty has become the 800 pound gorilla in Chinese dining in this area. It’s authentic and Americanized menu, along with the quality of its food, has helped it grow into the powerhouse it has become.
Once upon a time, Exton was home to the only Han around. Now that it is so popular, getting food to go on a busy Friday night we had over an hour wait, forcing us to seek other options as we were hungry. That’s how we ended up at Unami.
I’m not a sushi eater but am told it’s an excellent sushi restaurant. I wanted only Americanized Chinese to go.
The food came out quickly so we were on our way to take it home to enjoy.
The Won Ton soup was disappointing. Mushy noodles, so-​so broth.
Egg Rolls were great. Crispy, tasty. Excellent with the hot mustard they included in your bag.
General Tso’s Chicken was good. I know it has a billion calories but it was done just right. In fact, it could have been even a little more spicy for our liking.
Shrimp with garlic sauce was fair. Not spicy. Shrimp was so-​so. Sauce so-​so. Not great.
Judged against Han in particular, for Americanized Chinese specifically, next time I’ll pass and just go to the best in the area. I’ll just do it earlier.

Honesty I don’t get the 3 ½ stars 4 maybe. The service was ok, but the fish is so fresh. This place is great for both sashimi and speciality rolls. I recommend the amazing roll that lives up to the name. I use Unilocal for everything, but it absolutely wrong when it comes to this place. We never would have tried here if we went off the reviews and I am so glad we didn’t.

I just joined Unilocal after several years of reading up on people’s comments to find great eats in the Philly area. Decided to jump into the mix to add my two cents for what it’s worth because hey, I like to eat good food just like all of you. Moreover, I love sushi. I’ve been to many establishments in and around Philly and in my humble opinion, Umami has the best quality sushi pound-​for-​pound. I typically dine in or take out at least once a week.
So what makes Umami’s sushi so good and how can I make such a bold statement? I’ll explain. Yes, the have fresh fish. Any self-​respecting sushi establishment does. I wouldn’t bother writing this review to rave about fresh fish. Here is why Umami succeeds where others fail:
1. Their sushi rice — Excellent balance and consistency, always served at the perfect temperature
2. Consistency — There’s that word again. Never had a bad meal and I’ve eaten here countless times.
3. Sushi rolls. The traditional rolls are done properly, not doused with spicy mayo and other sauces. The specialty rolls are also well prepared, and although they are not my wheelhouse the Tiger roll is divine. I’m more of a salmon and avocado hand roll guy.
4. Soy sauce. I add this only because I’ve been to some sushi joints where they add something to the soy sauce and it’s just plain wrong. Don’t mess with my soy sauce.
5. Miso soup. I know, it’s not sushi but you can easily mess this up. Umami does not.
If you’re wanting to get you sushi fix on or just looking for a new place to try out, Umami is highly recommended. The place gets packed during lunch and dinner rush so reservations are recommended during peak times.
Happy sushi-​hunting my friends.

Ambiance — 4.5 Stars: I do like the interior of this restaurant, cool décor. Modern but still classic at the same time. Its comfortable. More upscale than a traditional Chinese restaurant.
Service — 3 Stars: Their service isn’t great. You do have the ask the wait staff for something multiple times, and they will forget portions of your order. Some of them don’t understand or speak English very well.
Food — 4.5 Stars: Umami has an interesting menu, most of it is what I would consider modern Asian/​American, comparable to PF Changs dishes. It’s more of an «Asian Bistro», definitely not authentic Chinese or Szechuan. With that being said, their food is still very good. Everything is prepared well, and seems fresh. It’s not your normal Chinese take out restaurant where you’re not sure if what you’re eating is actually chicken or not.
They have a nice variety of Asian foods, some of which are a fusion of multiple areas. Some Thai dishes, some Japanese dishes. A lot of really good choices.
I have not had their sushi, only their hot dishes.
Plating — 4 Stars: They plate their dishes quite nicely, aligning with the more upscale feel of the restaurant.
Cost — 4 Stars: It’s slightly more expensive than your standard Chinese fare, but the quality justifies the price.
I would recommend Umami to anyone looking for an upscale Chinese restaurant, and is looking for something similar to PF Changs but with a bit more traditional feel. Overall very good, a solid 4 Stars.

It’s a solid 4-​star joint. Not 5 stars, but 4.
Sushi was fresh and there’s a pretty good selection. But I would avoid going here on a date in the evening. I tried this and they like to pack you in next to other tables even if the restaurant is mostly empty. Also no music makes it an awkward place to eat.
A few simple tweaks could go a long way. But ultimately, I’m addicted to their sushi and may need to attend therapy.

In town on a business trip craving sushi, so of course I turn to Unilocal.Well, what’s funny is that I looked at two other sushi places in the area before this one, both of which had higher ratings. Umami’s sushi menu blew the other ones out of the water for me. I didn’t even get past the current sushi specials, I already saw what I wanted.
I call in a to-​go order with the friendly girl on the other line. My pick was the Bumble Bee roll: shrimp tempura, spicy salmon, avocado, kiwi, wrapped in soy paper, topped with spicy mayo and honey wasabi mayo. That second mayo seemed interesting. I ordered both sauces on the side just in case. Picked up my order and redeemed my Unilocal check-​in discount without any trouble.
The sushi itself was great! The sushi chef was good and followed instructions, putting my sauce on the side. (It seems this doesn’t happen as often as it should.) The kiwi gave it a slightly refreshing kick to balance out the spicy mayo. (Honey wasabi was NOT for me, yuck.)
Since I’ll be on business here for a while, I’m naming Umami my go-​to for sushi.