Umami Burger – Irvine

The only burger I like here is the one with the sunny side up egg. It’s really good, but it’s pretty much the only good thing on the menu. Truffle fries are a little too much for me, and the maple bacon fries are good for the first few bites then they get sickening. Service is friendly, though!

I got the manly chicken burger and after I was served the wrong burger TWICE, my heart attack on a plate had arrived. It was the messiest, greasy-​est thing I have eaten in a while. It left me wishing I had ordered a salad… or maybe the Turkey burger the other reviews mention. Sadly, I went home unsatisfactory and with a stomach ache :/

The quality of the burger is no where near as good as umami burger in (SLS) Hotel las vegas. the burger in this location (Irvine) Felt warm but under a heat lamp warm not fresh. so disappointed. Plus total rip off
2 tall bud lights 24.00 dollars at umami
4 tall bud lights 24.00 at Dave and busters
And that’s not d&b happy hour price

Oh my goodness. Delicious I’m not sure how I have never been here before but this place is the bomb for lack of better adjectives. I had the truffle burger which was basically the best thing on this earth. It melted in my mouth, and the maple bacon fries… Hello heaven. Okay this isn’t a place one comes often when living a healthy fit life but when you want to cheat you come here and don’t hold back. 10 stars for the truffle burger.

This is my first time at this Umami Burger location. The restaurant is a lot bigger than their surrounding locations in LA. Tons of seating, so I don’t anticipate that seating is ever an issue here.
Definitely recommend their truffle burger and/​or truffle fries! You can’t go wrong!

Yesterday was the first time eating at this location and my second time eating at UB.
Last night was packed since there was a large crowd due to Joe Rogen performing at the Improv. With that said I really have to give it to my server and the bartender Sarah who did a wonderful giving me an experience.
I got the Cali Burger with sweet potato fries… Wow the sweet potato fries were addicting, I literally had to push the plate away from myself!
Thank you Sarah and UB.
This place gets 5 starts from me!!!

Funny enough, I’ve actually never been to an Umami Burger in all my life and this was my first time coming here. I was pretty excited to check out this burger chain concept and see what it was about. Perhaps, hype?
I went with a friend around 7ish (and it was a Wednesday) so it wasn’t busy at all. We were seated immediately and the waiter was very attentive and nice so brownie points for good service! My friend and I shared each other burgers but we both ordered the Umami and the KBBQ with a side or truffle fries. When it came, I was stoked to try it all out… especially the truffle fries. Hehe.
Honestly, I thought the burgers came out alright. I was kinda surprised by how small the portion sizes of the burgers were and with that price, I was expecting a little bit more. Though, it was decent and messy to eat! I did wish my burger was served hot and fresh but I think because we sat outside, it kinda tasted a bit cold in my opinion. For my KBBQ burger, I was hoping that there was fresh kimchi inside my burger but I wasn’t too pleased by the kimchi at all. Kinda tasted a little old? Or something but it threw me off. The umami was better in my opinion because there was fried onion in it hehe. The burgers already came in with fries but we both couldn’t finish it AND the additional truffle fries that we ordered so we had that to go lol. The fries were good. It’s cut like those fancy boughie restaurants where the fries are super skinny and thin haha.
Overall, I now know what is Umami burger and I know to expect if I do end up coming back. Lots of parking at this location!

12/​06/​2013
We were up in Irvine for my cousin’s graduation & decided to check this place out. i heard this is/​was a very trendy place. I ordered the Sunnside Burger which includes Parmesan frico, fried egg, truffle thyme compound butter, truffled arugula, truffled aioli. The burger was small, tasty & decorative. They leave a grill mark of a «U» on the top of the bun which is pretty neat. The place was fairly packed for a Friday afternoon.
I just wish they had bigger portions but my overall experience was good!

Is Umami worth the hype? I would say so.
My friends and I came here on a Saturday evening (around 8:30 pm) and were immediately seated in a comfortable booth by the bar area. Our waitress was super accomadating and when I asked what was the most popular, she said the Umami, Truffle, and Manly burger. I decided to try out the Umami burger, and my friends tried the Manly burger and the Black Bean Burger (for my veggie friend).
All burgers came with a small order of thin fries. Crispy and beautifully complemented with the sauces. There were: the Truffle oil Ketchup, garlic aoli, jalepeno cheese, and buffalo spicy sauces. As a ketchup fan, I really did love the ketchup.
Umami Burger: ⁵⁄₅ Perfectly balanced flavors. There was the patty (I ordered medium well), one shitake mushroom, tomato, a crisped cheese (parmesan frisco), and the sauce. Heavenly.
My friends’ orders:
Black Bean Burger: ⁵⁄₅ — The best burger my veggie friend has ever had. She was super impressed. From the potato bun to the patty, she says everything complemented each other.
Manly Burger: ⁴⁄₅ — Not the best burger and at the price for it ($ 14), it was alright.
I gave –1 star simply for the fact that I had to ask for the sauces and napkins.

Umami Burger is one of the few restaurants in the Irvine Spectrum Center that is open past 10pm, the other two restaurants being the Cheesecake Factory and Dave & Busters.
Having been to other Umami Burger franchises in California, this one tastes just like the other ones. It is good that they have live bands performing on certain days of the week.
We weren’t offered cheesy tots here nor were we given the different sauce options for our burgers. Service was mediocre. Is this Umami location worth visiting? It’s a pass for me. This place is better for grabbing a drink and socializing with friends before your movie starts

Finally got the chance to try Umami Burger. It was pretty hard for me to choose a burger because I don’t like onions, cilantro, pickles, or garlic. LOL but thankfully they have the Alton burger for a limited time. It isn’t on the menu. The Alton burger includes beef & bacon lardon patty, cheddar cheese, miso-​maple bacon, smashed cheesy tots, fried egg, fried safe, and coffee ketchup. Omg it was so good! The burger also came with fries. The ketchup provided tasted nothing like Heinz ketchup. It was very different and I didn’t like it that much, so I ended up eating the fries by itself. The portions were very fair that I was definitely full afterwards. The burgers here are a little pricey though. The Alton burger was $ 14.
The seating area includes indoors and outdoors. I really like the design of the restaurant. The service was great. The waiter was very nice and attentive. I also noticed that the songs played here are super old lol
4 stars! I’d probably give fewer stars if I ordered a burger from the menu. The Alton burger was amazingly good. Try it!

Chalk another one into the pile of «places I was sure I had already reviewed but it turned out I didn’t.» That’s right, chalk it into the pile. I know how idioms work.
Been here twice now. Umami Burger it so confident in their burgers, they brand them with that silly U on the bun. They also basically make the burgers the entire menu. So if you are coming here, better be in the mood for just burgers. Although as my wife pointed out, the place has «burger» in the name so it really should be obvious that’s why you’re here.
Service is pretty bad. It’s weird and slow and they don’t really check up on you. Our lady last time did sort of check up on us, but not in a «hey, how’s the food?» kind of way, more in a «I will quickly grab your water to refill before you can talk to me» kind of way.
But can the service be saved by good food? Do chickens harvest gold on the moon? I don’t know, I’m tired and asking stupid rhetorical questions.
Burgers I have tried:
–Manly: Pork lardons bring a nice crunch and fatty flavor, balanced well with the cheddar cheese.
–Sunnyside: Egg used properly. It’s runny enough that you get the funniness but it curdles up easily enough that it’s not a total mess. Plus they don’t do too much with the burger that the egg flavor gets lost in there.
Other food is okay. Onion rings aren’t the best. I do like that they give a nice variety of dipping sauces, with the real standouts being the truffle ketchup and jalapeño ranch which bring just enough kick to the classics to make them worthwhile.
It’s an alright place that is enjoy more if it was counter order style. They actually seem to put care into the makeup of each burger to make sure the flavors all balance and keep each selection unique.
You get 3 stars Umami Burger. 3 out of 6. Imma go to bed now good night.

Umami at the spectrum is great for after hour events like live music, karaōke on Thursdays nights and open mic nights! Their burgers? Good beef, cool novelties (like fried cheese) but not worth menu price. 13 bucks for their basic burger and fries? Meh. 6 bucks for bottled bud light? Budlight?! It’s not THE place for burgers, it’s the night time chill out place WITH burgers.
Come after work for happy hour and events, not for lunch unless you really want a burger and hate Ruby’s Diner for some reason.

First time here and won’t be my last! The location is awesome. In the heart of the Irvine Spectrum near the theater. The layout is nice, padded seats line the restaurant and there is a small stage!
We went Saturday night for dinner around 7 pm and were seated right away. A little after we sat down the musician started playing and he was really good! He even offered to play people’s suggestions :-).
Our waitress was very cheerful and enthusiastic, which really helped keep the mood up! I ordered the ahi burger and it was delicious! Reminded me of sushi since it was topped with some type of ginger and wasabi sauce. Don’t worry, the wasabi was not too spicy. If I can handle it anyone can.
There were some other burger options. Next time I think I will go for the turkey burger. We had a coupon so I went with the more expensive one this time ;-)
See you soon Umami!

Umami Burger creates inventive and extraordinary burgers in a hipster emporium.
I am certain you have heard of these guys years ago, most likely around 2009-​10 when the original location on La Brea in Los Angeles opened with incredible fanfare. I was instantly interested in trying Umami Burger but the drive to LA seemed silly for a single burger. Thankfully due to Umami Burger’s viral growth rate they opened a locations in Irvine and Costa Mesa, but if I could go back in time I would certainly have made that trip knowing what I do now. I have been a steady customer since the opening of the Costa Mesa location and will remain a loyal lover for years to come.
The flagship burger is the one I suggest to all Umami vrigins as the parmesan crisp, shiitake mushrooms, roasted tomato, caramelized onions and house ketchup on a brioche bun is everything the restaurant is about. I however have since gravitated to the Truffle Burger as the mainstay choice as the aromatic scent of the truffle oil is more additive than crack in a urine soaked alley. I try to get one monthly to keep the fiending at bay. The (now) chain is constantly upgrading and reinventing burgers and even now offer a signature burger for The Black Keys.
A matter important enough to mention is the off menu items. I know that there are several, and they rotate in availability which is unfortunate as one of the best burgers you will ever try is their take on Tater Tots. Made with a sour cream infused center, these Tots will blow the doors right off their hinges. Truly a must try.
Another must is the KBBQ Burger featuring a Gochujang glaze, caramelized kimchi, sesame aioli, Korean ketchup, and a scallion-​cilantro salad on their signature bun. This is slowly becoming my favorite of the Umami Burger offerings that to the complex and delicious flavor profile that is curious without being confusing.
Although I think I will continue to frequent The Camp’s Umami Burger thanks to the less annoying clientele, The Irvine Spectrum’s run of new and interesting restaurants replacing old and tired mega-​chains is encouraging.

People rave about unami burger being a hit or miss and for me it was just a big fat disappointing.
I got the truffle burger which had truffle oil, truffle cheese and I added a egg to it. When I bite into it I knew it was lacking in salt and flavor. It was just a piece of meat with no seasoning. Tasted like a lifetime of sadness so disappointing I almosted wanted to cry almost.
For sides, we got the truffle fries, maple bacon fries, and tempura onion rings. The onion rings didn’t hold to well abnormally large in size but not enormously delicious more like size over quality. The maple bacon fries were pretty good it was like a maple bacon donut in sweet fries except with the over glaze with maple the sweet potato becomes soggy. I like the truffle fries the best it was nice, garlicky, crispy, thin, its best to eat this quick since the cheese seems to congealed.
Unami you have failed me not sure if I would go maybe only in times of desperation.

It was my first time trying Umami Burger and it was surprisingly good.
I expected the bun to be super dense (from how they look in pictures) but it was actually very soft! The toppings were a great combination but the real winner is the sauces they have on the table! I’m not sure what they were but I loved the burger with the orange and white sauce they had; definitely gave it that extra kick.
In regards to service, it was alright. The host, Ashley, was very friendly but our server didn’t really seem too enthusiastic.

Umami is an ingredient that is suppose to activate the sense of taste and to make us crave for more. However, at this location I was epically not impressed at all. It has sadden me that their concept started to fail especially when the chef needs to make a huge batch to serve many consumers (not just at the restaurant, but also at the Improv). I’ve been to the one located in Costa Mesa and it hits the spot a lot better. The techniques has sadly gone to waste and instead of being the «better burger» that they stand for it became one of the worse. The service is also lacking here. They are not on top of taking care of the customers like their other locations and they can careless if you needed anything.
Burgers (that I’ve had):
Umami Burger — topped with roasted tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, parmesan frico, and Umami Ketchup. Nope! Nope! Nope! I can’t do this.
Manly Burger — the meat is topped with house-​beer cheddar cheese, a spread of mustard, Umami Ketchup, smoked-​salt onion rings, and bacon lardons. This is one of my favorite burgers, but I was truly upset that I could not taste any of the flavorings or anything. I felt like my heart just broke because it did not turn out the way it was suppose to be.
Truffle Burger — toss this baby in truffle aioli, truffle glaze, and house truffle cheese. You take that bite then you stop because you go «WTF» what happened? Then you double check to see that the buns came out soggy and the burger tasted like frozen meat. WHY!
Sides (that I’ve tried):
Thin Fries — you can’t go wrong here! Thin and crunchy. Just the way we like it.
Truffle Fries — thinly cut fries that is topped with truffle cheese and chive. Its not bad, but then after a while the sauce looks like it turned into Jell-​O. I don’t even know if that is even possible.
**NOTE: DON’T Forget they have a secret menu! I would tell you what to get, but then it won’t be a secret anymore hehe: P
Overall, Umami Burger used to be that gourmet burger that gave you the perfect mouthful of flavor. But now it feels like I am eating a microwaved frozen burger that came from the grocery store. I feel so sad because I really liked this place. Overall, I still will tell people that the location in Costa Mesa is better, but if you want to eat from where it was once originated then you must go up to LA.
AS ALWAYS, NOM FOR LIFE!

Umami burger is known for their burger logo on their burgers. Not only do they look good, but taste delicious! I prefer to get their umami burger + truffle fries. These combo is my all time favorite!
The burger is cooked just right with juicy meat. The bread for here burger is crispy and not too dry-​just the way I love it! The truffle fries are just too good. Try it!
I wasn’t that hungry today but when I spotted this place at Irvine spectrum center, I went ahead to order their truffle fries to-​go today (sudden craving) and I’m so happy! Fries over guys. JK. The server who helped me was named Heidi, she was kind and approached me immediately she saw me. My order came out in about 7 minutes.

So many Things going on — too many to count
Here are the highlights
Perfectly toasted bun
Wonderful mustard
Juicy burger
Savory bite after bite