Umai Umai

You want to have the best Sushi in town? Come here! Nothing is better than the taste, craftsmanship, and passion Chef McCoy puts into each roll. Truly Philadelphia’s best kept Sushi secret.

Little neighborhood sushi café in Fairmount/​Spring Garden. BYOB. Very little wall art; but, candlelit and cozy. This place is super popular. You’ll need reservations, especially on weekends. I went to grab takeout on a Friday night and saw a couple told to put their name on the list and come back in an hour and a half. They were fine with it; the sushi is that good. Umai loses a star only for their lack of veg options. Only two items on their menu are veg: vegetable roll + miso soup. One time, the server offered to make me a veg tempura roll even though it wasn’t on the menu. It was scrumptious. She said that the sushi chefs are happy to make any veg roll I wish, as long as they have the ingredients. Definitely something to note!

Sushi BYO that was even tastier with every course. The appetizers are very well done and unique. I personally recommend the sampler as it gave my partner and I a lot to sample. For sushi, you can’t go wrong. Everything we had was so well prepared and absolutely fantastic. With the price and stellar service, I was amazed at what a great find this restaurant was. I’ll be back soon!

I live in Fairmount but always went into the center city for sushi. Decided to check this BYOB spot out and it ended up being the best sushi the city has to offer. Kind of upset I waited so long to check this place out and now its 100% my favorite place to go for sushi hands down.
Gets a little loud when its packed but too many pro’s to even matter.

All around great establishment, fresh fish,
accommodating staff, great atmosphere. Best sushi byob in the city.

Umai and I have a long history together. A bunch of my girlfriends used to live in the area so a few times a year, for several years, we’d get together to chat, drink (its byob), and catch up over some sushi– specifically to enjoy the famous (and the favorite amongst the group) Godzilla roll. That was 5 – 6 years ago and I should have reviewed my experiences then but here we are, years later and I am equipped with a more recent trip to my small favorite Fairmount sushi joint.
About a month ago I came here on a Saturday night with my boyfriend (his choice after hearing great things about it) for our date night. With wine in tow, we were seated for our 8pm reservation (an absolute MUST– this place gets packed and walk-in’s might have a wait of about an hour if a table opens up) and scored a great spot near the window. We started off with the half dozen oysters in shell appetizer which were nothing short of magical. Two of each choice flavored and topped/​seasoned with citrus-​soy, cilantro-​ceviche, and toban salsa. A truly spectacular dish, refreshing and light, and something that I’ll order every time coming back. We also split some salmon and eel sushi and several specialty rolls, including the 4−8−15−16−23−42, King Kong, and of course –my beloved Godzilla roll which was just as perfect as I remembered it. A great combo of savory fresh fish with sweet strawberries and macadamia bits for a nice crunchy texture. Yum! A great dinner with great service.
Thanks for staying solid all these years, Umai.

Great sushi and extremely fresh! They are also BYOB which makes it that much better. Although the sushi is a bit on the expensive side the BYOB offsets the costs. My favorite sushi spot in the city, even after the move the Fishtown we still come back! Must visit!

Eternal Sunshine roll — the BEST roll ever! I normally don’t like raw fish, but the raw salmon on top of the sushi was amazing and delicious and didn’t taste like a nasty piece of raw meat! The panko crusted flounder was absolutely heaven. The crunchiness of the flounder, pine nuts, and cucumbers complemented really well with the soft avocado and salmon.
Godzilla roll — delicious but not as incredible as the Unilocalers made it sound. I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the strawberries on top of the sushi. They made the sushi sweeter, but I like more savory sushi. The size is large though, probably the biggest of all rolls here.
Spartan roll — great but the beef was a bit too salty for me. Really unique that it has beef though, which I’ve never seen for sushi. This sushi was simpler and less sweet/​flavorful than the other rolls, just mostly strong beef taste and salty. If you like drier sushi, you might like this roll a lot.
Oyster shooters — kinda weird, slimey, and a bit acidic. Just not for us. We don’t see the hype about these shooters unfortunately…
Incredibly SLOW service, but you just gotta be patient. Order an appetizer because you will wait a long time for sushi (like at least 45-​minute wait), but the servers were really nice. The place was tiny and packed, despite that my date and I came on Tuesday night. The place is BYO and appears to be a quite popular date spot, though it’s pretty loud.

Best Sushi is Philadelphia. Hands down. This is a small sushi restaraunt located in the fairmont area. I love the fact that is located out there, because you can actually find street parking around it. It is a small intimate place, so don’t expect some large sushi restaurant. It is a dimly lit place and perfect for a date!
We initially started with the edamame, which was fairly standard. We seem to like edamame in general as an appetizer prior to sushi, so it is something I would get again. We then jumped into the sushi. The specialty rolls are actually really good… and kind of expensive. You do get a fairly large roll — usually around 5 – 6 rolls. Like everybody else says on here. get the Godzilla roll. It is really really good. They are worth it. The specialty rolls are creative and different. The other rolls are very tasty as well. What I really love about this place, is that everything tastes so fresh!
Great restaurant. I will be back. This is a BYOB. Make sure to get reservations since it is busy.

I had heard amazing things about Umai Umai from many people, so I was thrilled to try it for the first time… and wound up with food poisoning. I know eating raw fish comes with some risk, so I went back a second time and ordered Chirashi for takeout. When I got home, I was completely disappointed to see that the few pieces of fish I had received were so thin that I could see through them — as thin as the ginger.
Between those two off-​putting experiences, I won’t be back to see if third time is the charm.

Great quality sushi at reasonable prices.
Room is small but tables are well placed; service is impeccable.
A must.

Sushi restaurants in Philadelphia need to take note from Umai. Creativity, quality and freshness are unparalleled. Good service and a modern interior round out what is arguably the best sushi experience in the city. There are others that offer a nice contemporary vibe with a lot of bells and whistles but when it comes to the quality of what goes into the food, most fall short of the objective in comparison to Umai. From the fish, to the vegetables, to the meat — it’s all fantastic.
This is a place that really prides themselves on making your experience memorable, and they’ve nailed it. I’ve taken at least five people there in recent memory and they’ve ended up returning with their family and friends multiple times. Every roll here is fantastic. Instead of dousing every roll in some sort of thick goop, they allow most of their ingredients to shine through in perfect harmony. Just go here. Bring a decent bottle of white… Leave the yellowtail at home.
Suggested wines:
Ghost Pines Chardonnay ($ 14 – 16)
Mâcon-​Uchizy Cave Talmard 2014 ($ 18 – 19)
Bubbly fans: Domaine Barmes-​Buecher Cremant D’Alsace 2012 ($ 18 – 22)

I came here for dinner during the week with one of my friends. I ordered the ping pong roll and 4−8−15−16−23−42 roll (didn’t love the daikon wrapping) otherwise they were both delicious. I’m not normally this adventurous with sushi. Very fresh! Excellent sushi. Small interior with friendly staff. I will be back!

We always do a Sushi dinner every New Year’s Day. Ate here once before so I decided to make this the first dinner of the year. I was not disappointed, the sushi here is fresh, well presented and served by a friendly server. Place is small so make a RSVP.
If I was to find a fault it would be with the overall up keep of the place. Maybe it’s me but a little paint and and a little scrub and rub goes a long way with me.
The restaurant opens at 5 pm (and dark) so most will not notice the scuffed up walls and the front door mat that could use a little vacuuming/​steaming. I know none of this changes the taste or service of the food but when there are $$$ posted on your site I expect top notch and that includes the total package.
Yes I will return because I love the restaurant’s in the Fairmount area and I am a big Sushi lover.
By the way I am a big believer that you get what you pay for… dinner for two…109.78 no alcohol… again sushi was great and service was cool lets just spruce the place up a little.

Stellar sushi. Great for a cozy date for two or a double date. Always take people visiting from out of town that like sushi.
Best salmon sashimi in the city.
Can’t beat the BYOB!

I have so much love for this place.
Went for a pre-​concert dinner with girlfriends and had a truly flawless experience.
Sushi was, as you can tell from previous reviews, unique, fresh and delicious. Favorites included the designer rolls: Pingu, Traffic Light and our favorite: Krakken. But don’t skip the traditional rolls either as they are equally as fabulous. Our favorites included the Philadelphia and (shockingly) the vegetable (which we mainly got to be «healthy»!)
Service was excellent, prices were reasonable. I can’t wait to bring people here again soon!

This sushi spot blows all other out of the water in my book!
This is a lovely small neighborhood spot that is dimly lit, perfect for date night, or brother-​sister dinner, or bachelorette pre party sushi (all going on during my visit!). Really a casual spot for whatever you want it to be. Make a reservation to maximize your enjoyment, however, because this spot fills up quickly.
First, pick a bunch of stuff to order. Don’t forget the appetizers. Everyone around us seemed to be eating the oyster shooters, but we opted for the tuna bibim. This was awesome and I wish I had a whole bowl of it all to myself. It was essentially bibimbap with raw tuna seared on the sides of the sizzling hot bowl, mixed together table side.
All I could do while waiting for our sushi to come out was stare in awe/​drool over the rest of the restaurant’s food. The sushi is prepared flawlessly and just looks beautiful. As far as the fish-​it is melt in your mouth perfection. Also, do not leave without eating one of the designer rolls! These are by far the best designer rolls I’ve ever had. They are creative, well crafted and just downright delicious. We loved the spirited away.
Best perk of the whole deal: BYO. Of course.

Celebrated a friend’s birthday at this cozy sushi BYOB. If you have a party of 6, this works out perfectly to try everything: the rolls now come in 6 pieces (except Traffic Light (8)). With 4 gentlemen and 2 ladies at the table, I had to channel my inner «Black Widow» (the competitive eater Sonya — ScarJo is way out of my league!) and consume my share!
Appetizers:
* Oyster Shooters: $ 12. (3) Oyster & sea urchin set in citrus-​soy with salmon & quail egg.
* Seafood Paella: $ 26. Scallops, mussels, shrimp, mixed vegetables in green curry
The oyster shooters looked gnarly and tasted great (really hard to describe!), and the Seafood Paella had great heat and flavor.
Banzai! :
* Spirited Away: $ 11. Sesame crusted tuna, red crab, cucumber, avocado, chili-​soy
* Henrietta: $ 14. Lobster Tempura, Mango, Spicy Tuna Tartare, Avocado, Cashew, Eel Sauce
* Godzilla: $ 10. Shrimp tempura, eel, avocado, strawberry, honey, roasted macadamia bits
* Poseidon: $ 11. Shrimp tempura, spicy red crab salad, avocado, eel
* Spartan: $ 11. 24-​hour miso marinated beef tenderloin, chives, shrimp tempura, paprika aioli
* Krakken: $ 12. Shrimp tempura, eel, avocado, soft shell crab, cherries, worcestershire aïoli, almond bits
* Eternal Sunshine: $ 10. Panko crusted flounder, cucumber, avocado, salmon, apricot-​miso, blueberry-​balsamic, pine nuts
The only one that didn’t stand out was the Spartan Roll. Probably because I tried it last and my tastebuds were already euphoric from the earlier rolls! But wait, why are you reaching for the menu …
Banzai! Round Two: Where do you guys put all that food?! :
* 4−8−15−16−23−42: $ 12. Tuna, Salmon Yellowtail, Avocado, Mango, Lettuce, Pickled Daikon Wrap
* King Kong: $ 10. Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, cucumber, avocado
* Ping Pong: $ 10. Crispy Spicy Tuna, chives, Spicy Mayo, Pineapple Salsa
* Spicy Tuna: $ 8.
* Crispy Spicy Scallop: $ 8.
I really loved the number roll … (am I the only one who hasn’t watched Lost?). After all the taste and texture from the designer rolls — the «simple» spicy tuna and crispy spicy scallop served as great palate cleansers.
Service:
Extraordinary! Our waitress was very patient with describing the rolls and graciously provided a repeat rundown of what’s what. Our excessive «genki» also led to a party foul: a spilled glass of wine … desecrating plate of sushi (thank goodness it was only one roll)! It was immediately whisked away to be replaced with a fresh plate.
Next Time: (Because one can only eat so much at once)
* Udon: $ 6. Thick flour noodles, shrimp tempura, chives, spice
* Pingu: $ 10. Flash fried red crab, chive, & cream cheese roll, red crab salad, potato crunch
A friend lauded the udon soup, and I made the horrible mistake of dismissing the Pingu as «just a Philly cream cheese roll». Dishonor on me and my cow!
Lessons Learned:
* They now accept reservations (?!).
* Try small batches of rolls. My «Intro to Umai Umai 101» felt like a gastronomic cram session — I truly enjoyed the experience, but would like to pay more attention to the details of individual rolls.

When friends suggested going to Umai Umai, I couldn’t turn down sushi, especially in my hood. Everyone found it hard to believe that this Fairmount gal had never been there before. What can I say? I’m more of a Doma chick.
To be fair, I only had the King Kong roll. It consisted of 5 pieces of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, cucumber, avocado. It was kind of like a basic roll steroids. The fish was fresh, but the roll was pretty small and it fell apart right away after being dipped in soy sauce.
I’d give them another try, but I’m still on Team Doma.

Situated on the corner, the entrance is quite deceitful!
I went to enter what looked like an entrance but lo and behold is only a large window!
A girl at a table inside saw that I was confused and motioned me to the side. Unfortunately the entrance did NOT become more clear.
There was a door with a small awning that looked like it opened into someone’s house!
FYI: BYOB establishment! (recommend making reservations)
This venue offers a decent amount of seating but is a bit tight.
Ordered:
Rock Shrimp Tempura crispy rock shrimp tempura, coconut aioli, endive: Delicious!
Large salad with ginger dressing – the dressing was done just right and the serving was larger than I anticipated (in a good way)
Nemo roll: snow crab, avocado, & crunch wrapped in cucumber, spicy mayo: the roll is actually held together with a peeling of cucumber! It was great and fun to watch chef prepare the cucumber
Service was friendly, swift and great
If it wasn’t for the confusing entry I would h ave given this venue a 5!
Put up a sign or something?!
Would like to revisit this location in the future :)