Umami Burger – Palo Alto

Service — honestly some of the worst wait staff I have ever dealt with. Took 10 minutes for the server to even greet us at our table, another 5 minutes to get our water which was never refilled and once or order was taken another 15 minutes to get our food. In total 30 minutes from sitting down to actually eating.
Food — I got the Manly Burger, which was ok. The bun was incredibly soggy and falling apart at the first bite. We also ordered onion rings these arrived undercooked and after everyone at the table had finished eating.
Overall — not a very good experience and will not be returning or referring any of my friends to this establishment.

It was my first time at umami. I had an umami burger and truffle fries to go. The burger was delicious and juicy. The truffle fries were amazing! It comes with four sauces: ketchup, some lemony one, house spread and jalapeño ranch. My favs were the lemon and ketchup ones. I will definitely come back!
The servers were very attentive and patient. It was my first time and they went over the menu with me! Thanks!

Very tasty options; decent beer selection. Especially good burgers for going carb-​free with a nice lettuce wrap. Unfortunately their burgers are super expensive even compared against burgers of similar quality — The Counter or Super Duper Burgers — so it hard to give a high rating. It is still a guilty pleasure to eat here when I don’t have other options or feel like splurging on «just a burger».
Also, their sweet potato fries are good, but coated in cinnamon (?) and brown sugar … so that removes a lot of the incentive to get them over regular fries if you are watching carbs.

Had a savory Manly burger the other night. Very good. The chunks of pork were a little over-​cooked but the ingredients meshed well.
The malt-​battered onion rings were perfect.
I started with the arugula beet salad and while I’m not a goat cheese fan, this goat cheese was mild, smooth and perfectly complemented the salad’s other ingredients.
From the truffle fries to the bundaberg and arbita drinks, everything was delicious.
The hostess was a tad persnickety about the wait time in that l’m-pretty-so-I-don’t-need-to-be-friendly sort of way but it’s all good at Umami.

Umami had been on my list of places to try since I moved to the area over 6 months ago, and last weekend was finally the lazy Sunday to try it. My husband and I arrived around 1 pm and were seated immediately. I do like the décor of the place — its like a library! Odd choice for a burger place, but as a librarian, I liked it :)
Our server brought out four house made sauces and they were pretty much the reason I ordered fries. All the burger options looked good, but I choose the truffle burger with a half order of fries. It took longer that I expected for our food to come out, but when it finally did, I had mixed feelings. The burger patty was really tasty and covered with delicious drippy cheese. The bun, however, bummed me out. It was too dry, I think, and stood out as the weak link. Fries were a great vehicle for the sauces, but nothing special.
Umami burger was tasty, but not craveable. I’m not opposed to returning, but next time I want a burger and fries, I’ll probably just go to Five Guys.

Delicious, innovative, and juicy burgers!!!
We also got fries, onion rings and a side salad. All were satisfying but not as unique as the burger or the dipping sauces you get when you set down.
Great place for a date night. And an excellent place to try if you love truffle things (they have a fantastic truffle burger and truffle fries)!
Our total for 2 burgers, side fries, onion rings, and a side salad rounded out to $ 37

Umami Burger is a must try. They serve burgers with what seems to be a Japanese twist. I’ve tried the ahi tuna burger, umami burger, and Korean bbq, just to name a few. All were delicious. Be wary as they serve their meat patties a medium rare. If you want it otherwise, be sure to let them know so they may be able to accommodate you.
I come here for their cheesy tater tots. I’m not sure if that’s what they’re called, but that’s what they essentially are. Tater tots cooked with cheese on the insides dipped into one of their house sauces! Delicious!

Came here on a Thursday night around 8pm with some friends and were seated right away.
FOOD — 3*** — we had the Manly burger, Umami, and Sunny burger. Medium rare was a bit too rare. Medium was a bit burnt. The burgers were not bad but probably would not go back if I was craving burgers. The size was a bit on the small side.
RESTAURANT — 4*** — super cute décor. Shelves with books like a library but I wasn’t sure how it fit with a semi-​asian-​influence burger cuisine. Our waiter Juan was so nice and friendly and enjoyed his service.
PRICE — 2** — personally not a huge fan of trendy burger places because it never feels like the meal is worth the price. $ 10+ for a smaller fancy burger and no sides is a bit disappointing. Add sides and a drink and easily it becomes $ 20 per person which is just a very expensive burger meal.

Finally made my way out here. My friend loves it here and he drove us there on a Saturday evening close to closing time. It was empty at the time and parking was simple.
I tried the truffle burger and got the truffle fries. Both were very bold and rich in flavor, but tasted very good. The portions are a bit small for the price, which would probably be my only complaint.
The inside of the restaurant kind of looks like a little library, cute.
The buns were sweet and held their shape well. The dipping sauces for the fries were also good. I hope to come back in the future, though I don’t frequent Palo Alto too often.

Ooh Mami, these burgers are good!
Umami Burger is our typical burger spot that my hubby and I come back to time and time again. Located in downtown Palo Alto, the restaurant isn’t very big so wait times can be excruciating long. Parking is a nightmare, but at least the area is pretty to look at. Inside, you will see a library-​like establishment with bookshelves upon bookshelves of thick encyclopedias. It’s a cute look and a good way to keep you preoccupied.
My hubby and I have been here a few times, but it had been many, many months since we have gone back. Funnily enough, our waitress for the night, whose name is Karen, instantly recognized us anyway. Even though our memory wasn’t as good as hers, we were certainly flattered that she remembered us. Awesome customer service!
The menu at Umami has gotten larger over the years and now showcases more burgers than before. But my hubby normally chooses the manly burger and I get the sunny side burger. We also got two sides of fries: maple bacon fries and truffle fries.
Our fries came out first with a plate of sauces like ranch, spicy Chipotle, and house ketchup. The maple fries had this interesting sheen to it because of the syrup. Made with sweet potato fries, the dish is definitely on the sweeter side, but the savory bacon balances it well. The truffle fries were simpler, but nothing short of delicious. The layer of cheese was never too heavy and the chives gave the dish a vibrant color.
The burgers weren’t too big in terms of size, but the patty was super thick and juicy. My hubby’s burger came with a side of crispy onions that elicited a nice crunch in each bite. My burger was bit more complicated, topped with a sunny side egg and crisp arugula. The bitterness of the arugula greatly elevated the creaminess of the runny yolk and the tender patty. The juice coming from the meat made for quite a mess, but who cares when it was so delicious?
We scarfed down our burgers in no time and were way to full to eat anything else. Umami is certainly not meant to be eaten often, but for an indulgence, you certainly can’t go wrong!

Over-​priced and not worth it
The wait staff here are actually pretty nice, so it’s not really their fault. The portions are bigger than I thought, especially the onion rings which were huge! The fries also came with 3 kinds of dipping sauce, which was interesting (I think it was ranch, truffle, and spicy chipotle?). The burgers are juicy, but it wasn’t That good.
Overall, a good place to check out once.

Came here for lunch and was sat down at a table immediately. We got the Umami burger, Throwback, and the maple sweet potato fries. Both burgers were juicy, spread with perfect amount of sauces, along with separate spoonfuls of the house made ketchup, mayo, hot sauce, and ranch sauces. The sweet potato fries were sweetened with maple syrup, but way salty, probably from the bacon bits? We couldn’t finish it in one sitting because it was too salty, but that’s the only reason it’s one star off this review. I will definitely come back to try more burgers.

Thoughts while staring at the burger: «Did the burger get smaller? I know my hands didn’t get bigger…»
Side: Truffle Fries– thin cut fries with house truffle cheese, topped with chives. I can taste the truffles– but the cheese isn’t spread out to the rest of the fries. I wish they shook it up a bit to get it even with the fries, so that when one takes the top fries, not all the cheese goes with it to leave the remaining fries cold, without the cheese blanket.
Burger: Manly Burger– house beer-​cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, smoked-​salt onion strings, Umami ketchup, mustard spread. First of all, the best part of the bacon, was the fat that melted on my tongue. I’m so dead serious, next time, I’d just like the fatty bacon bit parts please. Too bad Umami won’t let us alter any of their food to how we’d like it.
WiFi: I’m not sure… we weren’t looking for WiFi :) We talked across the table with one another.
Customer Service: Hostess got our name and number, texted us when table was ready, sat us down and dropped off the sides of of sauces. No muss, no fuss :) Waiter, quick service. I can’t really say it was great and I can’t say it was bad. But will say that it seemed like he was rushing us when we finished our burgers but still working on our fries.
Parking: I always park on the sides, after 5PM there’s no time limit. But there’s plenty of garage spaces as well as curbs and sidewalks. I do recommend parking a few blocks down. The walk before would help you to see the neighboring food places as well as walking back, because, well, let’s face it, you just had a burger, you’re going to need to walk it off.
** The phone that called us and the number that texted us were two different numbers. When the text and phone ringing went off, I was thrown off to answer the 650 number to the pre-​recording and while I was listening to the recording my phone goes off again with the text— only to hang up to see the text with a different number.

First time at this branch and it was great! It was my parent’s first time and they were satisfied with how good everything was. When we arrived we were a little confused about if we went into the right place because the first thing we noticed was how the interior looked like a place where people would go to have coffee and study.
The server was very attentive and gave us a quick run down of the menu before we ordered. We ordered two truffle burgers, a Ahi tuna burger, and an order of truffle fries. The truffle burgers were juicy and cooked to our liking. The Ahi tuna was like a tuna tartare but lightly seared top and bottom so it did not fall apart easily. The pickled vegetables matched it perfectly. And lastly, the truffle fries were a must have with the burgers! I just love the flavor of the truffle cheese sauce.

Pros:
Sunny Side: the reason why I personally enjoy the burgers here is their umami flavored burgers. Their seasoning is just right where you can actually taste the natural flavors of the beef patty. And I highly recommend keeping your burger cooked medium rare to truly taste the natural juices. And if you order the sunny side burger, it comes with a runny egg that’s adds more goodness to each bite.
Service: the workers were attentive and very welcoming.
Cons
Truffle Fries: the fried potatoes were a let down compared to their delicious burgers. My fries were served soggy and the truffle cheese sauce were too rich for my preference.

I’ve been going to Umami Burger for the past few years and I felt like their quality had been dropping, especially at the SF locations, so I didn’t have high expectations when I came to eat here recently. The one thing that makes this location stand out is the way it looks — like a library or study hall. The look of the place is definitely unique and different from other burger joints.
I usually get the Umami burger but I decided to switch it up this time and order the truffle burger. When my burger first arrived, I noticed it looked much bigger than the burgers I’ve gotten at Umami before, which was a pleasant surprise. I took a bite into it and it did not disappoint. It was cooked just perfectly, medium rare (getting an overcooked patty was always an issue at the SF location) and the flavor of the entire burger was so on point. Maybe it was because I was so hungry but this burger was ten times better than all the burgers I’ve had at other Umami locations. My friend and I also ordered the cheesy tots and truffle fries and they were both delicious.
Our server was very friendly and came back to check up on us just frequently enough, especially since my friend and I stayed there for awhile. I really liked how they put out all the dipping sauces for us right after taking our order. I remember having to ask for it at other locations.
Thanks Palo Alto Umami Burger for restoring my faith in this chain! I’ll definitely be back here in the near future.

Get ready to be truffled. Truffle burger, truffle cheese, truffle in the ketchup. I’m pretty sure there’s mister fans just spewing a fine layer of truffle on everything. That’s okay with me because I feel like burgers and fries are appropriate places for truffle oil. If you put it on my pizza I’m going to slap you, but that’s another story. I got the umami burger and loved it– though i could only eat half. That’s because we ordered truffle cheese sauce fries, tempura onion rings and a salad to share for starters b/​c we were starving. Everything was delicious. Service was great. I’d come back!

It was an underwhelming experience for my friend and I at Umami Burger. She was somewhat excited, but I was hyped up because I had been waiting for this experience! First off, truffle fries. The truffle cheese sauce is almost the same color as the fries and there were a few teeny tiny slices of green onion. It didn’t look very appetizing.
Burgers were okay. My friend had the Sunny side and it was quite messy, but of course due to the oozing egg. I had the throwback and while the flavor of the pickles and mustard were present, the meat was dry. And the taste of truffle lingered way too much for my taste. The size of the burgers also threw us off as they are not cheap. Not sure if I’lld be back, but I heard the sweet potato fries are good!

I had heard about Umami Burger in Chicago and wanted to try it out for myself while in CA. This Umami Burger is located on the stylish University Ave. of Palo Alto. The area is nice, and there’s lots to do around the restaurant. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated in a bookstore-​café theme, with a skylight to flood in natural light.
I came here with a large group of friends before a Stanford football game. If you’re looking for cheap, quick burgers, this is not the place for you. Umami Burger definitely sells unique, gourmet-​style burgers. It’s a little pricier, especially considering the portion size, so to be honest, I wasn’t really feeling it. I ordered the truffle burger — which was delicious! — but my total for just this came out to be around $ 16. Which did *not* include fries or any sides. The burger itself was rich in truffle flavor, the buns were toasted well, and the meat juicy. I also tried a friend’s truffle fries, which were kind of cold when they came out and did not taste anything like truffles. This also was a stingy portion.
Overall, 2 stars on food, +1 for interior/​location.

Was soll ich sagen. Hatte den «Manly» Burger mit einer Portion Süßkartoffel-​Fritten und bin dann jetzt wohl auf ewig für die standard «Fastfoodburger» verdorben. Es war viel los und entsprechend etwas laut, darüber hinaus haben die Burger auch ihren Preis, aber alles in allem ist der Umami Burger seine Preisklasse wert. Der Burger war medium gebraten und super saftig, der Bun im brioche-​style leicht süßlich ohne den Fleischgeschmack zu übertönen und die Pommes die besten Süßkartoffel“chips” die ich bisher hatte.
Wenn man Burger mag und die Möglichkeit hat, sollte man sich auf jeden Fall mal einen Umami Burger gonnen. Es lohnt sich.

Umami = delicious, that savory taste!
Burgers are cooked medium rare unless specified
Cali burger — drenched in sauce, comes with lettuce and tomato (stewed?)
Truffle burger — smell of truffle, savory cheese melted all over the patty
Cider beer — beer on draft always compliments a burger
Maple bacon sweet potato fries — super savory and tasty, a bit over drenched in oil at the bottom. The bacon pieces are chopped up, oily, and sweet