Umami Buns

I’ve eaten lunch from this cart a number of times and each time it has been delicious. I’m always a little disappointed when I try to find this cart and I can’t for lunch. The pulled pork bun is my favorite and the beef one is good too. They are flavorful and filling. I’ve ordered both the fried noodles and the edamame as a side and while they are both good I recommend the edamame as it is more filling and nutritionally rich than the noodles. While I’ve seen some people complain about the price, I think the prices are pretty standard for a food cart lunch in Madison and considering the quality of the food I think it’s money well spent.

The pork buns were bland, cold and no flavors. I’m spoiled by the food trucks from seattle I guess. This one put zero efforts on their food, a really sad experience.

Eh– just ok. I grew up eating Taiwanese pork belly buns so was not impressed with their concoctions. Pork was good but seasoning and relish didn’t add to the flavor. Also ordered the spicy tofu and the tofu was HARD DRY and flavor-​less. Buns came with a side of edamame which were unseasoned… NO salt at all and were a touch dry. So sad.

Hmm. I’m on the 3 – 4 line here. It’s not that Umami Buns is doing anything wrong, and I liked the spicy tofu buns (think short, fat tacos with Asian fillings) with edamame, but if you aren’t eating meat, you definitely need to upgrade to the pricier ($ 10 vs. $ 7) three-​bun combo lest you be hungry again about 90 minutes later. I could probably have eaten five of them without too much difficulty. But the buns are fresh and inventive, you can fire them up with some sriracha, and Umami Buns was one of the tastier and better choices that I made during a snakebitten foray into vegetarianism in the cow capital of the U.S. Since I’d do it again despite the reservations, I’ll round up. As the menu is only three or four items for this truck, check out the photos and you should get a comprehensive idea of whether this looks like your thing.

I tried this cart randomly last year and have been hooked ever since! I waited the long winter and spring months for the cart to return to University mall and have been back several times since April. I love that a big helping of edemame comes as a side and that $ 10 can buy you three buns and a side. I will always recommend this cart (and the restaurant!)

I usually get these when I spot them at the farmer’s market. I love love love their pork belly and bulgogi buns. I’ve only ever had the wonton chips as my side and they’re also pretty good. It is a little pricey, but I quickly forget the cost once I take a bite out of a deliciously filled bun!

I finally, finally tracked down the Umami cart at the farmers market! My friend and I split 3 buns plus a side (edamame or wonton chips) for $ 10; pretty pricey for a food cart, but not so bad when you are splitting with another person.
We got the pork belly bun, the bulgogi bun, and the spicy tofu bun. Of the three, I was only very impressed with the pork belly and bulgogi buns. The meats are marinated well and cooked even better. I thought the additional condiments (hoisin sauce, cucumbers, etc.) were a nice touch that helped add a different flavor dimension (and crunchiness!) to the buns.
I, however, did not like the spicy tofu bun. I’ll give them credit for offering a vegetarian option, but the slices of tofu are way too thick and way too bland for the spicy sauce (which is really just mayo + sriracha) to counteract. Nice try, but I’ll pass. I was also not very impressed by the buns themselves — they were way over steamed, which made them difficult to chew.
My biggest gripe was with the slow, slow service. I understand that they make each bun to order, which is great, but if that is the case, there really needs to be more than one person in the cart. One person taking orders and one person putting the buns together would make the process go much more smoothly and quickly!
Five stars for the bulgogi and pork belly buns and three stars for the service averages to a nice, even four stars for Umami Buns.

Can’t get enough of your love, babe.
And there is certainly lotsa love to be had with an Umami pork bun. Oven roasted pork belly, scallions, hoisin sauce, and pickled cucumbers. Yep, it’s love.
The steamed bun is warm, fluffy and scrumptious, the meat tender.
Flavorfully wonderful.

Amazing buns! The wonton chips are a tad too salty but I can eat this all day, all night.

Tasty, but pricey.
I caught the cart on the weekends at the Farmer’s market. It’s pretty good, but with the price I was hoping for a little better.
Never had it at the actual restaurant, but I’m assuming it’s the same. It’s sadly just a tad bit better than the same pork bun served at Great Dane’s, so that’s not really saying much.

Wonderful! Perfect, squishy little pork buns, friendly cart people, reasonable prices. What could you not love about that?
I have only thus far tried the edamame as a side with the pork belly and pulled pork buns, on recommendation by the cart workers. All were wonderful. I especially loved the asian peach chutney on the pulled pork, it paired well with the shredded carrot and was almost a dessert to me.
You can bet I will be trying more in the future. The very near future.