Umai - Boston

I’m sorry this sushi roll (pic) is the worst sushi I’ve ever had. The problem was this place didn’t cook rice correctly. It’s wet mushy , no taste and no texture ! You can’t open sushi restaurant if you don’t know how to cook sushi rice

The restaurant has a very nice setup where you can dine on a cute porch (inside) and, through its windows, you get really nice views of the street. I have to say, the tempura shrimp is the best I’ve ever had. So crispy, fluffy, perfectly cooked and notoily at all! The edamame were good and the steamed vegetable dumplings were really good too. The makis were good but the optionsthey have aren’t the usual maki options you see in other restaurants and I feel like I would have enjoyed the usual optionsmore than the ones they offer. The fish tasted really fresh though!

Great food and okayish service. I ordered veggie tempura and a Newbury Maki. The tempura was the best I’ve had in awhile with Umai putting a variety of veggies in the appetizer. The Newbury Maki was good, a decent size, rice nicely cooked, and the whole thing tasted good. Loved the play with textures from the tempura pieces, salmon, avocado, and small roe. I was surprised miso nor a small salad was served after I ordered, but maybe those are only given alongside bigger entrees, like bentos. Service was a bit slow when I visited in the late evening (not too many customers). When I was brought the Toast machine to pay and tip, the waitress stood next to the machine watching how much I tipped, which seemed a little off to me. I’ve found most waiters will turn their heads when customers decide on a tip or aim the machine more towards the customer, so having the waitress stare down at the machine felt somewhat rude to me. Overall, Umai was good for my first experience. I’d probably visit again only after trying a handful of other sushi places in the Boston area.

Bright cozy interior and delicious, authentic food. We went for dinner after a conference and it was a perfect place to relax and hang out after a tiring day. I had the boneless chicken plate and my friend had the eel rice dish, both very good and served nice and hot. The miso soup was exceptionally flavored well. So many choices on Newberry so was happy with this surprise find.

This is a cute place on Newbury Street, which should be a caution sign to the budget gourmet. Always in search of the highest quality per dollar experience, we didn't find it here. We ordered sushi sashimi combo. The maki is teeny, and there was no miso soup or green salad included, as one usually encounters (and expects) in quality sushi restaurants. The food isn't bad but it's aggressively tourist priced on a tourist markup street, and the lack of soup and/or salad lent an aura of stinginess to the experience. There are many great Japanese restaurants in Boston, one of them not far away on Boylston Street with prices 20 30% lower. The rents must be crazy high on Newbury Street. If you've got the time to trek out to Porter, or even Cambridge Street in Beacon Hill, you'll get home with a bit more of your salary intact.