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Umi Sake House

2230 First Ave
Seattle, WA 98121
Phone: (206) 374-8717

Ratings & Reviews Summary for Umi Sake House

What Users are Saying:

  • Prompt seating
  • Make reservations
  • Romantic
  • Good for groups
5 Star Rating
 
(31 reviews)
4 Star Rating
 
(2 reviews)
3 Star Rating
 
(9 reviews)
2 Star Rating
 
(5 reviews)
1 Star Rating
 
(2 reviews)

User Reviews for Umi Sake House

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/03/2008 Posted by shakalfra

My first real experience with sushi was at Umi Sake House and has since never been surpassed. The fish was very fresh and the rolls were amazing. I recommend the California Crunch. This place is very busy so I recommend reservations. It's worth the wait though because the food is incredible!

Pros: Freshest sushi in town

Cons: Crowded and busy

3 Star Rating: Average

06/06/2008 Posted by SocialiteInSeattle

I have only been to Umi once, that was enough for me. The food wasn't too bad but for what you get it is pretty over priced. The service was not that great but the ambiance is wonderful. It has such a chic modern feel. The music was entirely too loud though. I don't mind loud music, just not while I eat or am trying to have a conversation with the person in front of me. Overall though I would say it is better then some of the other sushi places in seattle, it just would not be my first pick.

Pros: Great decoration and style

Cons: over priced with too loud of music.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/13/2008 Posted by theloft

I LOVE UMI!!!... The flavors are so unique and the fish is fresh. Try the camamari salade... It'll knock your socks off!!!...The cocktails are divine.. What more can you ask for!!!

Pros: Cute staff

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/23/2008 Posted by c3b

Umi is simply the best Sushi in Seattle!!! I have been eating Sushi for 23 years and I think Umi is my favorite place in Seattle by far. I've tried all the other well known places but nothing has even come close to the flavors and the atomphere you get at Umi. The menu is great and the service is even better.. There is one waitress there who always remebers us and is happy to see us, even if we don't sit in her section... Now thats a friendly!!!... Try the cucumber saki martini and the calimary salade.

Pros: Freshness

3 Star Rating: Average

04/08/2008 Posted by jade97

This was the first time I'd been to Umi for happy hour. Earlier in the year we had dinner there with another couple and had a great time. Service and food were great. We tend to follow Billy wherever he goes. He wasn't there today, and I don't know if that indicates anything. But the waitress my friend & I had was completely witchy in that "I can't spare you the time of day" sort of way. Lindsey, dear, I'm in the service industry too, and I know about good customer service. We were unable to catch her when we were ready to order (blew right by us 2x and must not have heard the "excuse me, miss?"). We snagged the GM who sent her over. She didn't even wait to hear the entire menu item when we wanted to add to our order (spicy tuna is not spicy ginger chicken no matter how you cook it), and rushed us at happy hour last call. Can you at least pretend to give us a moment before you snap up all the menus? Benefit of the doubt, maybe she had a bad day. But check that at the door. Happy hour food is a great deal. Next time i can hope for a different server.

Pros: happy hour , food

Cons: waitress

2 Star Rating: Below Average

04/01/2008 Posted by wondrousworld

We had a bad experience recently DESPITE having reservations at Umi Sake House. Four of us were to shown not to a table, but two tiny loveseats facing a coffee table. This was definitely not what we wanted. When we asked for a regular table, the hostess refused with snooty "you should've asked for a regular table." So rude! Well, how is one to know! One would assume the tables are regular! As expected, the low coffee table was not conducive to a lot of roll eating, we got bits of sushi and sauce all over ourselves. Worse yet, when the decibel level rose later in the evening, we had to hunch WAY over just to hear our table mates across the coffee table!

Pros: lots of variety in sushi rolls, including some "nouveau" rolls

Cons: bad hostess, be aware of very low coffee tables to eat off of

2 Star Rating: Below Average

03/12/2008 Posted by SushiFan13

Not only is Umi overrated, the sushi is bordering on gross. The fish is fresh and high quality - don't get me wrong - but all of the rolls are covered with spicy mayo and often deep fried. Forget about getting a nice clean roll with the taste of the sea. Walking out of this place, your mouth will burn like spicy mayo...you will barely even taste the fish. I honestly don't know what the owner was thinking when he or she developed this menu. I've noticed this place is getting emptier and emptier as months pass. I hope management reads this and takes the opportunity to fix a place with a lot of potential. The sushi at Wasabi, Ohanas, Red Fin, Ototo, i love sushi, Shiro's, and even Rice n' Roll is better AND cheaper!! Unless you have a craving for mayo and deep fry (then go for fish n' chips), go to one of the aforementioned places, all of which are a better experience in my humble opinion.

Pros: Sake

Cons: Everything else - spicy, fatty sushi

3 Star Rating: Average

01/06/2008 Posted by 212pu

I went with a lot of friends(10+) for dinner on Saturday, and we weren't happy with our experience. Our waitress was not friendly,even though she should've known she would get big tip from our table. She rushed us to order, then we waited long until the sushi came. Umi Sake also has a weird policy for groups; 3 of our friends didnt come, but we had to keep ordering food until we covered the amount that our 3 friends would spend if they come...so our waitress kept asking (almost forcing) us to order more and more, even though we were already full. I would rather go to WASABI BISTRO next time, their sushi and service is so much better than this place

1 Star Rating: Not Recommended

12/03/2007 Posted by benrawk

Umi Sake House is pretty nice, and most of the food we had was pretty good, but one particular event that took place means I will not be returning. One of the diners in our party ordered a particular sushi roll. The roll took a long time to arrive (everyone else was half-way through their meal). Several bites in, the diner issued yelp and pulled out a piece of glass from her mouth! That's right, there was glass in her sushi. Luckily she was not injured, but this is beyond unacceptable. We notified the waiter, and the manager came over and gave us a half-hearted appology and mumbled something about "free dessert". Needless to say, this particular diner did not order dessert. A bad dining situation was made worse by the nonchalant way the staff handled it. I cannot reccomend Umi Sake House as I am not sure I can trust their food or their staff.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

2 Star Rating: Below Average

11/26/2007 Posted by yogilexi

This place has a nice ambience. We did not experience what the other reviewers were raving about when it comes to quality seafood. In fact all 3 of us were truly dissapointed. We like the miso soup but the sashimi were not all that fresh and the cod was burnt. It didn't help that we were waited upon by a waitress with an attitude. I may go back again but perhaps only for happy hour not dinner.

Pros: perhaps happy hour

Cons: bad service and mediocre food

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

Editor's Review

Casual Japanese Izakaya-style dining goes upscale at this trendy-but-welcoming Belltown sushi and sake house.  See the full editorial review.

Insider Tips

Save Money

Happy hour runs from 4pm to 6pm daily and until 8pm in the front section. A late night happy hour runs from 11pm to 1am on Sunday through Thursday. All offer deals on sake, cocktails, sushi and appetizers.

More Insider Tips

Restaurant Information

Parking

  • Metered

Hours

  • Daily 4pm-2am

Payment Types

  • MasterCard
  • Visa
  • American Express

Cuisines

  • Japanese
  • Sushi

Meal Price

  • $$

Amenities

  • Open 7 Days
  • Bar Scene
  • Group Dining
  • Happy Hour
  • Private Rooms
  • Late Night Dining

Recognition for Umi Sake House

2006 Editorial Winner - Happy Hour

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