Umami Asian Fusion

This was our first time here, we ordered medium size (10 pieces) Korean fried chicken; half soy garlic and half spicy. I think some of the dishes are expensive compared to the portions. My husband ordered beef bulgogi and he liked it. The atmosphere was amazing, it was clean with a hand washing station which is so awesome!

Everything about this restaurant is PHENOMENAL! First and foremost, the atmosphere is great; It's sleek, clean, and comfortable. The menu has so many great choices, and the food was delicious. My husband loved the spicy pork bulgogi, and I loved the sweet beef bulgogi. To be completely honest, the star of the show is the Korean Fried Chicken....It will change your life, TRY IT. The staff are friendly and gave great recommendations. This is a hidden treasure in the South Nashville area...My sons who are 4 and 6, also had a great experience here, so it's a great spot for families with small kids.

BEST KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN IN NASHVILLE! If you are in a rush or HANGRY, please be patient. Korean fried chicken takes 30 minutes to be ready. During rush hours, it will take awhile for your food to be served. Even on Friday night, there are 2 servers working. I would say it is worth the wait. I have been dining here for 2 years and food tastes exactly the same! That is consistency in recipes. I highly recommend Korean Fried Chicken and Jalapeños poppers. It is more of a family friendly restaurant. Expect some loud noise.

I’ve wasted so much of my dining life not getting to know and enjoying Korean food! Not anymore however! Umami is awesome! Their Korean Fried Chicken (spicy) is one of the best things you’ll eat in ALL of Nashville! Not hyperbole. Sure, enjoy some “hot chicken” in one of the ubiquitous hot chicken places, but for some chicken that’ll quite possibly change your life, go to Umami and get their Spicy Fried Chicken! While you wait 30 minutes for them to make that Fried Chicken from scratch…try one of their amazing apps! I recommend Kimchi Fries, Gyoza, and/or Shumai! Their Fresh Rolls are pretty spectacular as well. Life’s short…eat here. Often.

Food came out perfect and fast! The owner was very nice to my friend and I, made sure we were enjoying ourselves, and that everything came out correctly. I purchased the Beef Bulgogi and have nothing bad to say! The menu had so many options to choose from, and everything looked so good! Will definitely be here again! They play Kpop music as well, which I enjoyed.

Terrible terrible service! It was my first time ordering from here and the attendant was so rude and unprofessional! I went to pick up my order and then asked if I could have some hot oil. She then told me it’s an extra charge and I said, “ oh I didn’t know, this is my first time here.” Then she said, “yes you did, it was there for you to add on on DoorDash”. If I said I didn’t know, how will you be arguing with me that I knew?!! I ordered 3 plates of fried rice for my family and 2 were full and the 3rd plate was 1/4 of the plate. I brought it back to show the attendant and she said “so you want more rice?” I said yes please. She added the rice, brought the food uncovered and showed me. I said it’s fine and the she dropped the plates on the table and walked away without covering it back, bagging it or saying anything else. I complained about her service and she said “the service is not good to you! I don’t explain myself, I just give you what you need.” To make matters worse, the food was not good and just overpriced for what it was. Someone had recommended I come here and I was beyond dissatisfied and disappointed.

We stumbled upon Umami after needing a plan B since plan A restaurant was closed, and we are so happy we chose this place! Huge menu of Asian food. We got the Korean fried wings (worth it!!), bulgogi chicken, and a roll. Michelle the owner and bartender was so sweet too. We can’t wait to go back!

Most of our dishes tasted fishy and only one MIGHT have had fish sauce in it. When we walked in the door we weren't met by anyone welcoming us in nor telling us what to do. Person who finally created us was behind the bar and never smiled once. If I didn't have over ten years of restaurant experience myself, and in management I might add, I might not know any better. But, I do and I know how important relations are between guests when you first walk in the door.

Great Sushi and Hibachi restaurant! Our chef was very friendly and entertaining. The sashimi was also fresh and served with a smile. The service was very courteous and attentive. We will definitely return soon!!!

We visited for trivia and had a great time! It was also half off wine (Tuesday), however their wine prices are not listed on the menu, which made it a bit cumbersome to work out which wine to order. I ordered the boneless wings and did half and half. So crispy and yummy! The spicy isn't very spicy at all, but still very tasty! The pieces of chicken are big so I definitely could have gone with a smaller order. Kimchi fried rice was also good. Server was great and kept everyone's orders straight even though we had a large party. It was loud for trivia but we had so much fun!

Update: Still the best place for Korean Fried Chicken wings in Nashville! I love them so much that it's the only order my partner and I ever place here. The price has gone up a bit since pandemic spiked supplier prices, but they are worth every penny! The owner, Michelle, is super friendly and accommodating. Note - They will not serve their wings without sauce or with the sauce on the side! Some things to know: PARKING & ACCESS - There is a small open parking lot right out front that is attached to a large garage. There's also street parking on Porter House Drive. The main entrance is facing the parking lot on the corner of the building (to the right). INTERIOR - The space is mostly one large room. There is a large projector screen that plays music videos (mostly kpop) most of the time or sports games on special occasions. There are also several mounted TVs around the restaurant. If there's not a big game, the music is normally whatever MVs are playing. There's also a sink for washing your hands in the corner by the projector and restrooms - love the easy access for messy wings! ORDERING & SEATING - Umami is a table service restaurant. There is normally a sign at the entrance telling you to seat yourself or wait for a hostess. Often, the owner, Michelle, will call out "sit wherever you like!" from behind the bar. There are barstools at the bar, bench seating against the wall with windows, and metal chairs for all other tables. Waitstaff here are always friendly, but they often seem understaffed. Don't hesitate to politely grab their attention if you need something! This is not a place that will check on you every 10 minutes. OUTDOOR SEATING - Umami also has a nice covered patio available with large picnic tables. This is a great option for good weather! RESTROOMS - There are two large, gendered single-person restrooms down the hallway next to the hand sinks. The women's restroom has a large counter in the middle that may make maneuvering a bit tight for larger patrons or patrons who use wheelchairs - just something to be aware of! SENSORY NOTE - With the TVs, music, music videos, and some color-changing lights ("Umami" sign by the bar and one light near the entrance in the ceiling), Umami can be overwhelming sometimes. If you are a person who is sensitive to lights or sounds (its me, hi), you may want to consider this before sitting down. Michelle and the staff are very kind - I'm sure if you needed to move seats or request that a TV is muted, etc, they would be willing to accommodate you as long as they aren't super busy! Despite all this, I've never found the interior to be too loud - just a lot going on!

Umami is like visiting your favorite auntie's kitchen, a warm cozy place where loved ones gather. While it can get busy and the wait can be a bit longer, the server here is awesome and stays on top of things. Food came out at a reasonable time and wings do take a bit longer (as stated on the menu) so plan accordingly when ordering. We put an order as soon as we were seated. I recommend doing half spicy and half garlic to try both flavors- this is easily one of their best dishes here. We also ordered chicken katsu, gyoza, pork ramen, beef pho and kimchi fries. Do not skip the kimchi fries! This was a flavor bomb and one I'll be getting each time. The beef pho was a little disappointing as the broth was not what you'd expect with typical pho broth. This broth was a bit cloudy instead of clear and really seemed like they used their ramen broth but with a slight difference in flavor. The pork ramen is good and the broth fit the flavor profiles you'd expect. Ultimately, the pho was not bad, but just don't expect your normal beef pho flavors here. Both soups were huge in portions so be hungry when ordering this or plan to share. Overall this is a solid spot for a variety of quality Asian dishes!

Went around 4:30 pm on a Sunday and had no trouble being seated. Service was good, the server was attentive and was helpful with the menu. The sushi was delicious. The ingredients were fresh and both rolls did not disappoint! The beef pho was not that great, the dish lacked flavor. Overall would return for the sushi and service!

I love this place so much. As soon as you walk in the vibe is great and everyone is so friendly. The food is also AMAZING! I've had almost everything on the menu and I still don't have a favorite yet. BUT my most recent one that was really good is Spicy Hulk roll. They also have multi Soju flavors which is hard to find in other stores so thats always a plus! I recommend coming here if you want good food and friendly people!!

Probably the worst experience At an Asian restaurant. I ordered the seaweed salad, wich was mushy and nasty. The crab Rangoon, horrible. The "popular" chicken wings, I ordered spicy, but I didn't think that meant they smeared hot chilli paste all over the chicken? I returned the chicken for non spicy, then waited another 45 min with no food. While an entire family that walked in after me had ordered,eaten and left. While I sat there still waiting for my food. So I walked out and left; I left $20 on the table for the expensive nasty seaweed salad and stale expensive crab Rangoon. Never coming back

Service was good but the food is very expensive and mediocre at best. The sushi is good though just very expensive. The ambiance is good with music and friendly service.

Excellent dining experience! Came in for lunch. Got the lunch portion Pad Thai with egg roll. Very flavorful and authentic! Portion was perfect, garnish of bean sprouts and shredded carrots and red cabbage added nice touch. I especially enjoyed the sweet Thai tea. From this Southern Californian, local folks from Nashville TN must try this! Bravo!

Umami is still my go-to spot for some Korean Fried Chicken wings! Hands down, the best! Service was always A++. When we went, it was Michelle working. I asked why she sent her waitress home because she wasn't feeling well. I appreciate a business that doesn't force anyone to work when sick. I enjoy the big projector with K-pop playing. It just makes the ambiance for me. The chicken is super crispy and moist, and the soy garlic is pure magic!

Food was great but my seared tuna had a piece of plastic from like a bag of bread , waitresses just took it off the plate & still charged us for it! But overall everything was good they had kpop playing which was a vibe!!!

Glad to see this establishment survived covid!! Because the chicken wings were the bomb!! I had the seafood ramen... Definitely a winter dish. And needs more seafood in it. But was so delicious! And maybe I'm a bit country but I really wanted to eat it with some cornbread LOL now those wings... make them spicy and keep them coming! They were the bomb! My daddy got pad thai with extra broccoli... well thanks Umami!! Now I have to make a decision as to whether or not I'm going to get the wings out of the pad thai now! But either way whatever I get from here is going to be good! And the staff is incredibly considerate thoughtful and friendly! This is always going to be a fave

BEST KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN IN NASHVILLE! If you are in a rush or HANGRY, please be patient. Korean fried chicken takes 30 minutes to be ready. During rush hours, it will take awhile for your food to be served. Even on Friday night, there are 2 servers working. I would say it is worth the wait. I have been dining here for 2 years and food tastes exactly the same! That is consistency in recipes. I highly recommend Korean Fried Chicken and Jalapeños poppers. It is more of a family friendly restaurant. Expect some loud noise.

Everything was just right. Great Hibachi entertainment & food! I had the chicken & my husband had the filet mignon & lobster. It was all delicious. We will definitely go again.

This is amazing!!! I came here almost everyday for lunch and It was phenomenal. The food was great! The service was amazing. And the vibes and the ambiance and just the kindness of the employees was perfect.

This place was a cute space with so many options for alcohol I was super excited. The gyoza were amazing and I loved the crispness of them. Sadly the ramen was bland. It reminded me a lot of chicken noodle soup in the flavor department but was definitely a far cry from what I had wanted. May go back to try sushi but will not be ordering it again. Also when we got it Togo they put noodles and all in a container instead of separating the noodles from the rest which made the noodles to limp and stuck together when we tried to serve them.

The food was excellent! The Korean Fried Chicken is definitely worth the 20 minute wait. I could swim in the delicious sauce.

I am in disbelief I'm literally writing this in my car as I just walked out of the restaurant. We've eaten here in the past food was good no issues. We liked it because they offer unique foods and variety that are harder to find around Nashville. A month ago or so our friends came here and the server literally lost their credit card. They handed them an empty checkbook and tried to gaslight them saying our friends put it in their wallet and probably forgot. They kept looking around the restaurant and found nothing. No remorse at all. Fake a** apology. No offer to compensate a drink even. Today we decided to give them another shot even after what happened to our friends bc we liked the food. We sat ourselves as they ask you to and we sit down for not even a full 30 seconds and a ROACH runs across the table. I'm definitely never coming back again. I wish I could've gotten a photo or video but the thing ran so fast I could barely comprehend what I just saw.

Great sushi and red curry. Conveniently located in Lenox village it's close to home. Service is great and consistent.

Love the food here - especially that you can get a wide variety of Asian cuisine (e.g., Korean, Thai, etc). Susan at the bar is super friendly and personable, especially with repeat customers.

Food was good but customer service was LOW TIER... LOW VIBRATIONAL... NON EXISTENT! If the customer service is poor it just destroys the whole experience.

Everything was AMAZING! We will definitely be going back very soon for the spicy wings. Delicious, spicy, and numbing. I do mean numbing, couldn't taste our other entrees at first. But worth it. Dumplings were very good! Was expecting them to be more steamed than fully fried - but the taste was there!! Ramen was good, lots of vegetables, chilis and the pork was beautifully melt in your mouth. Sauce bar was cool. Also had the tacos- not pictured. Would order again. Waitstaff was very nice! Food was a bit behind coming out - was explained a fluke. I know the wings take awhile to cook but we waited about 35 minutes before we saw food. Otherwise would be a 5 star review. But will definitely be back!!!!

Love this place! Great food and great vibes! Our server Kim is the best she's so sweet!

Food: we ordered the popular Korean fried chicken and beef bibimbap. Great portion and very tasty. I have had better Korean fried chicken, but this place is very decent. Services: our waitress was polite and friendly. The wait for the fried chicken was not bad at all.

If you want to spend a lot of money to get food poisoning, this is the place for you. Was there last night and within an hour, violently sick. Avoid this place at all costs.

Another great meal at Umami. The best wings and ramen ever. I will be there for Jazz Night this Friday night.

I've came here a few times for the Korean fried chicken and it never disappoints. If you've never had Korean fried chicken before, it's a must try - it's double fried which makes it extra crispy. It does take a little longer to get your food compared to some of the other stuff on their menu. However it is absolutely worth because the fried chicken comes out both very fresh and deliciously crisply. Both the soy garlic and the spicy flavour are great, and the spicy version is not too spicy. They do also have a sauce bar if you wanted to add other flavours as well but it tastes great already on its own.

Service was great on the to go order. But if you are looking for REAL AUTHENTIC SUSHI this is not the place. Sashimi is supposed to melt in your mouth and it was very chewy. Also, they use imitation crab in their food. Big no no. I should have known trying to find authentic sushi in Nashville but please do not go here for that. You may be safe with the wings or ramen but this is not authentic Japanese cuisine.

The food was absolutely amazing! Clearly the best crab Rangoon I've ever had, definitely made fresh but the star of the meal was the Korean Fried Chicken. The 30 minute wait was so worth it! The chicken has a crispy skin and the meat is so full of flavor and very tender. I can't wait to come back!!!

We absolutely love this place! The food is always amazing. Service can be slow but it is not due to the people that work here. The owner and servers work so hard to give good service but are unfortunately grossly understaffed at no fault of their own. I have been coming here for several years and it is always worth the wait. If you're impatient, order everything ahead of time and you will always have a great time.

After many trips to Umami, I have fallen in LOVE! Not only is the owner lovely but I have found some of my favorite items locally and order it regularly. First of all, their Chicken Wings are still my favorite in all of Nashville. The soy garlic is my favorite but you can't go wrong with either. I also LOVE their tacos. It took me forever to try them and I'm so glad I finally did. My first impression of this place was very wrong, the food is incredible! If you don't find what you love at first try, try something new. There is definitely something for everyone!

My Fiancé has a strict gluten free allergy and they make it so easy to order food and they are so polite!

This place is located in Lenox village, so prime location for people living in that neighborhood to just walk to for dinner. As far as parking, there are some parking spots available for the shops and restaurants there, but more are in the attached garage. While I didn't actually try the ramen, it smelled quite good. We had some of the signature rolls, which didn't disappoint. While they are a bit on the pricey side per roll, there are some unique ones. For the spicy lovers, spicy hulk was tasty. For those that like sweet better, mango tango was also quite good! Those were the two that stuck out, but any other language we had were also good.

Service: AWFUL. Friends and I have been here about 6 times (only because we like the trivia host that's there on Tuesdays) and each time the service has been terrible - not so much on the end of the servers but the fact that the kitchen is eternally slow and obviously disorganized. If you have people ordering from both the sushi and hot menus you can expect that the sushi will come at least 15 mins later than the other food. Each visit has been progressively worse, with this being the final straw, hence this review. On our most recent visit, one dish came out 15-20 mins after the others at the table. When I asked to speak w a manager they made excuses saying that everyone in the kitchen makes something different so things come out at different times. Unacceptable. People go out to dine together, not to take turns watching each other eat. Ambience: Neutral. It's a normal restaurant, not much to say. It appears clean and the dishes and silverware are well maintained. Food: OK. I've had better, I've had worse. It's a bit pricey for what it is, considering almost everything on their menu can be ordered elsewhere for cheaper and in larger quantities with the same or better quality and taste. $10 for THREE rangoon. Cray. All in all I think if this place wasn't convenient for the people living in Lennox Village they probably would have fewer customers as between the habitually poor service and the just ok food they're certainly nothing to write home about.

Our favorite spot. Top Korean fried chicken in the Nashville area. Also loved their kimchi fried rice.

I like it Super diverse menu, very good food, sports on TV and nice beer selection Their wings are amazing

Love coming to Umami! The service is always excellent and the wings are the best!! Trivia night is lots of fun! You won't go wrong coming here!

Really great wings! Highly recommend visiting if you are in the area. Good drink specials as well

This is a great sushi spot! They have a great variety of beer and the sushi is fantastic. It's a perfect spot for a low-key sushi night. Try the umami sushi!

My favorite restaurant in Nashville! My fiancé always orders the Kimchi Pork Stir fry and I order everything on the menu.... Everything is SO GOOD!!!

This is the cutest local restaurant/bar! Great food, great service, and an overall friendly atmosphere. Umami is something this neighborhood really needed.

We just moved to the area and received multiple recommendations to try Umami. We have now been every week since and every experience has been great. Kim has repeatedly provided excellent service and the Korean Fried Chicken is exactly as good as they say it is. Could not recommend enough!

Best wings and sushi! Service is always great! Love the bartender she is always friendly and remembered everyone's names.

Best Korean Wings in Nashville. Great service and atmosphere for a restaurant in Lenox Village.

The wait time on food was very long. The restaurant was not crowded but I think they had a lot of to go orders. One of the people that was with me got her sushi last. By the time she got her food, the rest of us were already done eating. I ordered Korean wings (spicy), the spicy hulk roll, and spicy tuna roll. The wings were good although I have had better. They weren't spicy at all, unfortunately. The spicy hulk roll and spicy tuna were delicious. Everything was fresh and tasted great. My boyfriend ordered kimchi stir fry. I expected it to be very sour because of the kimchi, of course, but it was enjoyable. Lots of flavor and a big portion.

Service can use polishing, plus it's be nice if they carried brown rice. As a vegetarian, I enjoyed: - Edamame - Ambiance - Hipster sushi - Pad thai (no eggs!) - Red curry - They were out of Spring Rolls but will try them next time. - I am sure anything else can be made as vegetarian also, just ask!

I am a Nashville resident of ten years and I am not exaggerating when I tell you that Umami is my favorite restaurant I've visited while I've been here. Michelle and Steve not only produce an extraordinary quality of food for an incredibly affordable price, but they give the greatest service that I might have ever experienced at a restaurant. You're missing out if you don't visit. Seriously, go right now. Run, don't walk.

The Korean Hot Chicken Sandwich is our go-to item here! Well cooked and just the right balance between hot and Korean flair.

Been here for dine in and take out all have been disappointing. Tonight's takes the cake for the worst service I've ever had anywhere! I went here for trivia for a birthday party. Trivia was fun and great. The service was an absolute nightmare. I arrived before trivia started. Did not get any drinks for over an hour, the whole table didn't get drinks. No water nothing. While other tables were seated and given water and drink shortly after. By the time we got our drinks the food took another hour to come. Our food arrived after trivia was over. During this time multiple tables came in and got served drinks and food, at least 3 tables I could see. Now for the food. The rolls repeatedly fall apart and or our soggy. The chicken katsu was an appetizer size and cold. Then took another 30 mins just to get checks. Absolutely worst experience ever.

Apologies, for the atrocious review I left - voice to text did not servw me well and while I usually go back over, I got such an impression I voice to text it while I was driving. I got this response from the manager. " you know we were busy, I was helping with to go, answering phone, making drinks , because my attention was not on you at all time and you feel the need to attack me personally online, that's just sad. I hope you have a wonderful 4th, please don't come back to my restaurant no more, we are all friends here At umami, and you are not welcome." I have never had that response from a manager, ever. Usually people can take constructive criticism. I have had a lot of really great sushi and this was not it. The rolls consistently fell apart. There was no mention of spicy mayonnaise in my roll and it was so spicy even with the jalapenos off I could not eat it. I asked questions about things because I wanted to make sure I was ordering the right thing and I was met with disdain. She felt I was attacking her personally, which I was not, but that is how I felt I was treated, and that is what Yelp reviews are for. I've worked in the restaurant business and I understand what it's like to be busy. I'm sure they have good days and I'm sure sometimes their rolls are good. Everything I had was only so-so. No worries Umami you told me not to come back you won't see me ever again.