Umi Sushi Bar & Grill

This is my spot now. Great late night happy hour starting at 9:30 on the weekends. The spicy tuna rolls are legit. They have a DJ that plays music in the bar area and its always a energetic crowd on those nights. Sushi is good, and they always have some creative special rolls on the menus.

As far as lunch goes, this place is always empty in that off-​putting sort of way. Despite the lack of patronage, the service is inattentive and cold. The fish is flabby, oversauced and unremarkable. The price is reasonable.

Ask for Catie (yes, with a C!) she is unbelievable at her job. Outstanding knowledge of the menu and a delight to have as our server. Friendly, smart, and not to mention an impressive vocabulary. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a server incorporate the word «unctuous» into their description of a sushi roll before, but it totally worked. The happy hour specials were awesome, the service was spectacular and we will definitely be back (and requesting Catie when we return!) fun fact: on Thursday thru Saturday they have a 9:30−12 reverse happy hour also with a DJ! Definitely check this place out. From underrated to unforgettable, we give it four thumbs up!

Food is great! We have been here a few times at happy hour to get some cheap large hot sakes and rolls. The waitstaff has been very nice, but a bit slow. Try the Who Dat Roll. Super yummy.

So not good. I mean, I felt bad for the staff because of the quality of the product they have to sell… They tried though, and that was nice.

I ordered a Spider Roll and a Caterpillar Roll and both were terrible. The fish/​crab tasted rotten, and the eel made me nauseous. They should not be charging $ 12-​$ 14 for these rolls, which is pretty cheap already, so that’s saying something. It’s a nice building with a full bar, so I’m sure it’s a fine hang for some, but do not order sushi from this «sushi restaurant».

Wow, loud electronic dance music… really loud… like WTF! Loud… I used to frequent this place often but the quality had slipped, to the point going to the local grocery store to pick up sushi in the cooler was the better quality option.
I decided to give them another shot and found the chefs plate was a series of redundant soggy 3^rd rate cuts, for $ 40 I would expect some premium cuts of fish… these were run of the mill at best… as if this was not bad enough, the sushi arrived before the wasabi and ginger, so the food sat on the table for 15 mins before they could manage to deliver wasabi.
on a bright note the beer was cold; and I didn’t seem to get food poisoning.
if Sushi is an art of the pallet and the eyes these folks are scribbling on a big chief pad…
Andre; my wife and I dined on Friday Nov 20

This is was our first time dining at Umi and I’m a sushi novice, so our server Catherine was super awesome and helpful with suggestions on what to order and what wouldn’t freak me out! We went with our two boys (13 and 6) and had the Amazon local deal for dinner for 4, which includes 2 appetizers, 4 rolls and 2 desserts. We are totally stuffed and have happy tummies! Appetizers were the dumplings (yum!) and calamari (delish and tender) — the rolls we chose were the longhorn (absolutely amazing-​next time we will get two!), hot mama (so good), the hot as hell without jalapeños (my husband is a wimp! — but it was still tangy and had a great spice to it) and we got the rainbow roll (which I bravely tried thanks to Catherine for being my cheerleader and it was fresh and more traditional. We were able to get a very rare sampling of black tuna that they just caught the day before and as far as the other fish, my husband said that it tasted very fresh!). Dessert (as if we needed to eat more!) was the tempura cheesecake and tempura banana with vanilla ice cream (both were very delectable but I’m a sucker for cheesecake so I’ll get that again for sure!).
Overall, I was very impressed with the restaurant, the service, and more importantly the food! The restaurant was clean and decorated awesome (Halloween décor aside, which btw was awesome and I got some ideas for my house for next year). We will be back!

Definitely a sushi «bar» as the name states. The place at first seemed more alcohol oriented then food… the waitresses were dressed kind of provocatively which emphasized that feeling for me.
We came in for lunch and it was fairly empty, even though the restaurant is fairly large. The dim lighting might have had something to do with it. From outside you couldn’t see anything and the décor inside was pretty nice but not presented well at lunch due to the darkness.
Although the food turned it all around for them. Up till then based on what I was seeing I had slight doubt but the food was great! The salad was ok, the miso soup was nice and flaverful. The rolls changed everything!!! It was top class for that price. Nice and fatty, juicy, and spicy!
They get the 4 star cause I can tell this is more of a night time place in which I can see it being a very fun and lively place, which also happens to have great sushi

I was there when I was on my way to Corpus Christi from Dallas. It was just very crowded everywhere in Austin, and I didn’t have much choice. In any case, we chose this restaurant for our lunch.
The restaurant was very decorated. We were greeted at the front door. To our surprise, we were the only party in the restaurant. Well, too late to go anywhere else. Looking at the menu, the door were pretty pricey. We were thinking that that’s probably typical for Japanese cuisine. We then ordered 2 rolls — back in Plano, Allen, McKinney, places like Densetsu, Shiwase, Wasabi had pretty large portions, so we held on to our ordering.
Finally, our food arrived, we were a little surprised by how small the portions they were. The taste were actually not bad, but not as good as those mentioned above. But, it is considered very pricey as compared to them! Checked out the pictures I uploaded.
It was just an OK experience. Probably this is the limited places that you can get good sushi in Austin?!

Went here with a Groupon and was happy with the outcome. Sushi is average but good, waitstaff was friendly. Restaurant looked clean. Not a great location at all.

I’ve ordered the hidden dragon roll, shrimp dumplings, sweet shrimp and spicy tuna tacos. Of these items the tacos were pretty good! Interesting taste and I enjoyed the sauce. I wasn’t a fan of the roll but maybe I chose the wrong one. Not sure I’ll give it another try, but if I do I’ll update my review.
Presentation of the food was great considering I ordered through a food delivery service!

Very attractive space, particularly the main restaurant, with a hip, trendy vibe. Service was lightening fast, and the sushi was as fresh as a pet goldfish just fished from the bowl. Didn’t taste like goldfish, though, particularly the specialty rolls with wonderful combos of aquatic dwellers. We had a rainbow roll and a big easy roll. I’d recommend both. The sake flight was a new twist, tasty and fun. The tempura veggies were light and not greasy, although the shrimp was a different sort of tempura batter that was better suited to catfish. The tempura banana dessert was meh, greasy, unfortunately, and the predictable whipped cream and chocolate drizzle did nothing to enhance the dish. Would return though, overall an enjoyable meal. I’d skip dessert next time.

I wish they had pictures… it would have really helped with my ordering.
I ordered what sounded to be delicious. I was wrong.
They have a lunch special menu and if I can remember there was section B where I chose 2 rolls.
I’ll state something that is my opinion: I do not like California rolls!
So, after I ordered I was very disappointed to see that the two items looked exactly like California rolls. I didn’t want to waste the food and I also didn’t want to take it home either. I forced myself to eat it. The beer helped with washing it down… yaaay beer!
My friend was nice enough to share at least one roll from each of her choices that she ordered. She ordered correctly.
Would I go back? I’m not sure. I really really hope they consider putting pictures of the rolls on their menu to help their customers with choosing wisely.

This is my FAVORITE sushi place!
After being told about this place several times from a good friend of mine, she finally brought me on a rainy day and I’ve been hooked ever since. My boyfriend and I always take advantage of their happy hour every single Saturday (with some Fridays mixed in, of course.)
I have tried several rolls, mainly the ones on their happy hour list, and have happily settled on choosing the same two every weekend. Their Longhorn Roll is a fried roll, drizzled with soy sauce and stuffed with cream cheese. You can never go wrong with cream cheese! My other favorite roll is their crunchy roll, which is so simple and fresh that I crave it all the time. They never skimp on the avocado that comes inside the roll.
My boyfriend loves their spicy salmon roll, which is basically what it sounds like, and their Hot Roll, which is another fried roll that has a hint of garlic and a hint of sweet.
You have to take advantage of their fried calamari during their happy hour. They give you such a large portion and their remoulade sauce served on the side is to die for.
During their reverse happy hour on Friday and Saturday night they have a live DJ and super cheap drinks. This is when the place can get packed, but we have never had poor service. On our last visit it was busy but our waiter was so apologetic. We have always had excellent service and we have been seen by several different staff. They really take care of you!
I couldn’t recommend this place more. Definitely check out their happy hour menu when you can. They have a lot to offer on it.

We love Umi! After a meh first experience, we’ve been back for happy hour several times. Friendly service, good (American) sushi, and apparently a DJ on the weekends.
It’s definitely not Uchi, but it’s perfect for an affordable happy hour treat.

This place is kind of far out, but was still absolutely HOPPING at a later-​night seating (around 9pm). It was also incredibly loud, like eating sushi in a nightclub blasting house music. Not my favorite for atmosphere. And it was absolutely packed with. .. a younger crowd. My guess is folks come here for. .. that. Because it’s probably not for the food, or at least not the sushi.
We tried 4 different rolls, and the hake collar, which was ok, if a bit salty. We also wasted our time on a ridiculous tiramisu dessert, simply because our Groupon came with a dessert. Just. .. why?
I’ll cover the rolls individually:
The best was the Obake. I could actually taste the fish in it, and the flavors meshed pretty well. The Big Easy and Crouching Tiger sounded good, but the fish was lost in the complication of the roll. The biggest offense, however, was the house special Umi Roll. It’s almost like they pureed a bunch of fish into a mush and wrapped it in a vegetable. It was nearly inedible.
Overall — if you want to have mediocre, fairly pricey rolls in a nightclub atmosphere, or if you’re nearby and nothing else is open that late, go on in. But don’t make a special trip or anything.

Super happy with this place-​we moved here in December and have been trying to find a sushi restaurant off the beaten path and this is it!
We sat at sushi bar, and at first I was disappointed that I didn’t see a Kani salad on the menu. it was clearly not a problem as the chef was happy to whip one up and it was fabulous!
Great selection of rolls, reasonable price and quaint atmosphere –will definitely be back!

I’m a sushi novice. I haven’t given it many chances. Came to Umi on a Friday night with a few friends who love this place. We got there just before the Reverse Happy Hour started, 9:30-close on the weekend. The restaurant is in a strip mall right off I35, but the interior and restrooms were much nicer than I expected.
The happy hour menu is very extensive, with awesome deals on rolls, saki, apps, and other alcoholic choices. We opted for carafes of saki and some Asian beer. My favorite food item was the Tiger Eye roll which was smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, and jalapeño. Husband liked the Spicy Tuna roll and beef skewers. Neither of us like raw sushi, so it was nice to have a variety of choices. The Crunchy roll wasn’t amazing, but everything else we tried we enjoyed. The price was great too, so so affordable! Reverse HH is the way to go!
Service was ok, and they had a live DeeJay which was interesting. I would recommend Umi for a good sushi spot on the south side.

I am somewhat of a sushi snob, but sadly, of late, my paycheck doesn’t match my palate, so I am always on the prowl for quality to sushi at a budget price, which led me to discover this hidden deep south-​side gem!
My brother and his girlfriend took me here one Sunday evening as we were all starving and since I live in the Arboretum, it was going to be at least a 30−40min trek back up MoPac, so they took me to their weekly go to, Umi! It is located in an unassuming strip mall, but once you go inside, it is surprisingly nice and chic! The best part is, when we walked in around 9pm the DJ was already making the place thump with some amazing house music usually found on W 4^th St!
The place is clean, especially the restrooms, which I always think is a good gauge of most restaurants’ quality standards. The staff seems a little stand-​offish at first, but I think that is more a cultural issue rather than a caliber of service one.
The price-​point here is a little elevated if you come for a standard dinner, but if you take advantage of the reverse happy-​hour (9:30pm-Close) you can definitely get more bang for your buck! We started off with sake bombs, $ 6.95, which gets you a pint of beer and a full carafe of sake!
Next, we had the 3 standards that my brother and his GF usually get: The Shaggy Dog, The Spicy Roll, and The Longhorn. These are off the specialty roll list on the HH menu, but you can save a solid $ 2/​roll! We tried the Tiger Eye Roll just to experiment, but sadly, this was the only roll that really didn’t do anything for me. The Shaggy Dog and Spicy Rolls were good and filling, but the The Longhorn stole the show! Everything happening with this roll and in my mouth was fantastic perfection! Honestly, when I make my way back down here, I will be treating my champagne taste to a sake bomb and Longhorn Roll budget meal!
SAKE SAKE SAKE! BOMB BOMB BOMB!