Umami Burger

Pros– Mexican coke, good service.
Cons — lack in flavor, bland food. Umami is a mouth feel not a real flavor so why have too much of it on a burger. Glad I tried it, but for sure not going again. Nothing to go back for.

I was visiting friends and family in Cali when a few friends invited me to eat at an Umami burger right after I had just finished eating dinner with my family. I went to hang with friends and ended up forcing down a burger since I had never eaten there. The burgers here are great. I tend to gauge the quality of a burger joint on a few thing but a big factor for me is if the burger patty can stand on its own. Umami burger passes that test with flying colors. They clearly do something that is different than the rest of their competition. I loved the two burgers I’ve had from this place.
I will say this about this specific location: the service needs improvement. We were one of two tables in the place on a Saturday night and it took the waiter almost 10 minutes to come over after they sat us. Our waiter was super nice but we ordered something and he brought us the wrong item altogether. Again, not the end of the world since they didn’t charge us for it. Once we needed the check, again we were waiting and watching as other wait staff in the place just stood around watching the World Cup on the many televisions.
My girlfriend also ordered the only burger there that I actually think is quite gross. The original was what she ordered and there was just an overwhelming tomato paste flavor to it. So much so that you couldn’t taste the meat or anything else on the burger. We both hated it. So maybe avoid this one burger. Overall though I loved the truffle burger I had recently and most of the others I’ve had from this place. Still doesn’t beat Shake Shack as my favorite «chain» but it gives it a ton of competition.

CONTINUING MY SEARCH FOR THE BEST BURGER EVER… This is my 5^th burger restaurant in Miami. Oh man oh man oh man. I was so excited to try this because I’ve been told that they have excellent truffle fries! I’ve never tried food cooked in truffle oil before, but I’ve only heard good things about them so I wanted to see what the type was all about! Why is truffle oil so good?
So I went with a group of 3 and we all got a different burger, paired with different fries. I think their ketchup might have a little truffle in it or maybe some truffle oil accidently got sprinkled onto their regular fries because I definitely tasted a truffle kick in them. Their smothered fries had cheese and spare ribs topped on them, yummy. It was Barbecue flavored. They have «manly» fries which had crispy onions, cheese, and bacon. The bacon was packed on top of the fries in huge chunks and had a smokey taste. Yum! And their truffle fries topped with cheese… YUM AGAIN.
I ordered a truffle burger, medium rare. The bun was something special, I can’t quite explain it. It had the slightest sweetness to it, as if barely there but you can still tell it’s there, and it was soft. Not fluffy, but soft. Kind of like taking a bite out of a Hawaiian king’s roll, except minus the super sweetness. The burger tasted great with the truffle oil, but it was kind of dry. Not juicy at all. I kept applying ketchup. It tasted good, but I wouldn’t come back for a burger unless I was just craving a truffle burger. Personally, the fries were more exciting and delicious! Haha I’m definitely coming back for the fries. They’re thin cut, kinda like steak and shake’s. OH, umami also has a Stella Artois cider beer that you must try. It’s delicious and literally tastes like sparkling apple cider in beer form.
4 stars for an ok burger but amazing fries and yummy beer

Hearing positive feedback from friends in NYC, Umami Burger was the top of my must try burger joints list. Worked out well that I was in SoBe, and was staying right near Umami Burger. The good was that I was able to try it without the 1 – 2 hour line. The bad was that it hardly lived up to the expectations. The concept of umami, MSG and truffles all sound mouthwateringly delicious to me and right down my alley. Unfortunately, Umami Burger did not meet my expectations.
For starters, I was able to try Truffle Fries, Make Em Manly Fries (cheddar, bacon, onion strings), Tempura Onion Rings and the Tots. It was quite a spread and in the end, I enjoyed the Manly Fries the best followed by the Truffle Fries. The onion rings and tots weren’t worth it in my opinion. Onion rings were pretty ordinary, and the tots were very starchy on the inside without enough crisp on the outside.
For the burger, I tried the Truffle Especiale cooked to a very juicy medium rare. In terms of size, this burger is definitely smaller than average with a small patty and small buns. In terms of taste, it wasn’t overly salty (a potential issue when dealing with these ingredients), but the flavor wasn’t really that unique or great.
Umami Burger seems like an okay place to grab lunch at if it’s a 15 minute wait but not a place worth waiting in line for an hour. I had a friend with me, who tried the NYC one, and said that the NYC location was better. With that in mind, I’ll look to try out the NYC location and seeing how it compares. I’m willing to give it another shot, but probably just not at this location.

Lot of mixed reviews here. I came here on a weekday around 5pm after the beach with 6 other people. No wait and service was great. No complaints there. Actually, no complaints at all. I had a medium rare Royale burger which was nothing short of delicious. I also tried my friend’s Ahi Tuna burger and another friend’s Manly burger. YUM YUM YUM! The smothered fries were also yummy but the truffle cheese fondue fries were my absolute favorite! I can’t wait to come back again. This is too good to pass up!

SERVICE HAS IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY! ALL FOODIES NEED TO GIVE THIS PLACE ANOTHER SHOT! IF NOT FOR THE SERVICE IMPROVEMENT, FOR THE LIMTED TIME VOLTAGGIO!!!
Food is still incredible and now they have the Voltaggio burger created by Michael Voltaggio, winner of Top Chef season six. DO NOT MISS THIS! It’s only for a limited time. It’s absolutely incredibly delicious! Beef patty covered in Gruyère fondue and prosciutto, sandwiched between two vanilla custard-​soaked buns that have been deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. It comes with a side of maple syrup, DUNK with each bite, do not spread. Genius! Ingredients are top quality and well with the $ 15 price tag. You will still be thinking about this after you’ve finished it.
SMACK PIE IS BACK! If they have it, get it. Not on the menu, you need to ask for it. It’s a pie made from what I think is granola/​oatmeal, graham cracker crust, caramel, brown sugar, butter, and sweet and condensed milk (ingredients seem to be a secret and a mystery every time I ask but that’s what my guess is). It’s not massive, I would recommend getting your own individual slice. They don’t always have it. Hit or miss.
Here is my review of UMAMI as an establishment and other do not miss foods:
I’ve had this place on my radar since the sign went up in the window before it even opened. I’m a Miami Beach local and my best friend did 4 years in Cali before moving back. She would rant and rave about how much she loved this Cali concept and the fact that it was going to be in walking distance. She had a countdown going for opening day. We were there the week it opened. Service was terrible but the food was incredible. We kept going back in hopes that the service would improve. No such luck. We started doing pick up orders.
I took multiple people here that are also fellow burger lovers to try make them regulars so I would no longer have to keep going to to that sub-​par joint down the street. While they agreed that the food was far more superior, they couldn’t get past the horrendous service. I had to keep getting dragged down the street to that place that doesn’t have many non-​beef options.
GREAT NEWS, they have cleaned up their act! The service today (server was Drago) was fantastic! My burger also came out in impeccable time.
The food here is absolutely wonderful. By no means am I a vegetarian, but I don’t always want beef. I love that there are so many other options!
AHI TUNA BURGER IS AMAZING! I prefer it without the bun.
TRUFFLE FRIES, do not miss this.
HOMEMADE KETCHUP, I’m a loyal Heinz girl but this is the first ketchup I’ve liked besides Heniz and I actually prefer it. I wish they would bottle it and sell it.
Excited to go back and try the veggie burger!
Happy this place is back on track to the fabulousness and potential I know it has!!!

I have had Umami in California previously. I know there’s a lot of hype that surrounds this burger. I’ve found it to be a good burger, but not one I absolutely crave. Recently they had a $ 5 promotion on their original burger to celebrate their 5^th birthday.
The server was very friendly and happened to be from California, and so welcomed us with some Cali love. We’re off to a good start. We ordered 2 original burgers medium rare and a side of truffle fries (just can’t say no to truffle fries!). The original is topped with shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted tomato and parmesan crisp. (Note: no lettuce, I don’t know why it struck me that there was no green in my burger). The burger was cooked to perfection and had great juiciness and flavor plus complimented by a little crisp from the parmesan and extra flavor from the mushrooms. The truffle fries were amazing.
Our food came with a trio of sauces: jalapeño ranch, garlic aioli, and a spicy diablo sauce as well as their homemade ketchup. These sauces were something I don’t remember having at a previous Umami visit. The jalapeño ranch complimented the fries well and the garlic aioli I drenched all over my burger and fries. Now, about their ketchup. I’m not huge on ketchup on my burgers/​fries, I’d much rather go the ranch way. But their ketchup was different and fresh. We asked about it and the secret (which is now not so much a secret) is little to no vinegar.
I do still think Umami is overpriced considering the size of the burger, but I can’t deny that they serve a quality burger. The also have an intriguing menu and seem to have special menus to order from so you can’t get bored with your burger. The service at this particular location has actually put Umami in a more favorable position in my mind and will have me recommending Umami more.

The truffle burger was less truffly this time :(But I still really enjoyed the burgers. We tried the Voltaggio Monte Cristo and it was also good. Deep fried bun! Smushed potatoes was a nice change from regular fries. Still one of my favorite burger places.

If you love burgers and don’t care about price ($ 15 standard), then come here. The burgers are amazing and savory. They are all a la cart, but the fries are sharing size unless your name’s John Goodman. The craziest thing to me was the truffle burger. So simple, yet so satisfying.
Today I walked into umami just planning on some sliders and half drinks for a happy hour late lunch at 3pm. My plans were immediately sent on a detour when I saw a flier for a Monte Cristo sandwich-​style burger to roll out on the 28^th of January at all it’s locations. Guess what day it is?! Not humpday, that’s tomorrow, today it was Tuesday January 28^th, 2014 and my prayers from half a decade earlier were finally answered when the last, decent quality Bennigan’s was closed down in our area, forever sending the Monte Cristo onto the extinct sandwich menu in Miami. (Yes, there’s an extinct sandwich menu.)
After sitting down, I skipped ordering water and fries and simply pointed at the flier and said, «I need this» to the server. You could tell he was creeped out by the level of excitement in my voice when ordering the Monte Cristo burger, but I didn’t care, I just wanted my order in quick and now.
It got there and let me say, not a single tastebud of mine was let down. I will be back in 2 weeks for another when I recover from completing digestion. I love you, Umami.

2.5. I think 1080 Alton Road was the site of a muppet massacre or something. I cannot seem to explain why the businesses that open here befall to such bad luck. It’s uncanny. But, I think Umami Burger will ultimately suffer the same fate as those who stood before it. Because two people spending $ 71 for burgers makes no sense at all.
The Friday night on which I ventured in, the place was a madhouse. A little unusual for a burger joint but to be expected for a trendy SoBe eatery. I decided to bide my time with a cocktail. I started with the $ 14 Medieval Smash. The grapefruit, guava, Disaronno concoction was pleasant tasting if not a little uninspired and, certainly, not worth the price tag. But, since i had nothing to do but wait, I sipped, made conversation and scouted a table. When finally one was ready, my dining partner and I made our selections quickly. I wanted the Greenbird but was told it wasn’t available. Let down, I went with plan b: the Earth Burger. I decided to make my fries manly (with cheese and bacon; mustard and onion strings were nowhere to be found) and to wash it all down a nice cold be… oh. The beer I wanted wasn’t on tap. Forget it. I’ll take a Mexican Coke.
After a wait in which I can only guess the mushrooms were being foraged for my $ 12 veggie burger, the food finally came. Oh. My fries were limp and lukewarm. For something described as ‘manly,’ I would have described as ‘Bieber-​ish.’ They tasted fine but a little heat and a crisper product (not to mention a more evenly distributed topping) would have improved things. My burger. Oh, man. This sorry thing was dry dry dry. I had to choke down my cola with each bite in order to get it down. The lettuce and tomato provided no juice to the burger and the goat cheese provided little creaminess. The avocado was sparing — at best. I would have said something to my waiter but he was no where to be found for the majority of my dining experience. I guess with auto-​gratuity you don’t have to be.
I wish them well. Really. But ghost service, meh execution on product, lack of available product, and long waits does not inspire much brand loyalty or satisfaction. And at the end of the day, for two burgers, two fries, one cocktail, a tea, a Mexican Coke, tax, and tip to equal $ 71 is highway robbery. There are much MUCH better deals (and food) to be found elsewhere.

This is the former 8 OZ burger location. When I walked in the place was empty at 1:00. Normally I would turn around and walk out, I have a rule about being the only person eating at restaurant at prime time. For some reason I decided to stay and glad I did.
I ordered the burger with short rib topping, come out perfect. My wife and daughter ordered the truffle burgers in lettuce wraps and we ordered a truffle cheese fries, which came out ice cold. They were quickly replaced with crunchy creamy truffely delicious fries.
My wife has a thing with sweet sauces on meats and the truffle glaze is on the sweet side. I noticed the truffle glaze was only on the lettuce and greens so I told her just eat the burger and dont eat any of the greens. No sooner then I said that she takes a chunk of burger and scoops up a bunch of greens with the truffle glaze on them and says it’s too sweet as she’s eating it. I gave her one of those looks and was about to say didn’t I… When then manager came over to ask if everything was ok. My wife mentions that the truffle glaze is very sweet and she hates sweet, so the manager very graciously offered to make a new burger for her and she said no that wouldn’t be right I ate ¾ of this one, I should have said something before I ate most of it. The manager insisted on making a new one stating that he wanted her 100% happy. So out came a new truffle burger with no truffle glaze. It was perfection. It had a charcoally crunchy outside and red juicy inside.
Our server was extremely pleasant and made the meal that more enjoyable. So a couple of glitches but overall a very good burger meal.
Some may complain the burgers are on the small side which they are but you go here for the taste, you are going to get a high quality great tasting burger here and something a little different that your everyday cheeseburger. If you love burgers you’ll be happy here. Also a very good beer selection I had the Matilda after they brought over several samples of different brews for me to try which I thought was also very nice.

I’m sad to give this place this rating.
I love Umami. Love at first bite on my first trip to Cali. So I have been wishing for one near ever since. Wish Granted!!!
But I must not be bias. As much as I love the food. This is not about the food. And I am not comparing this to any other burger joint. I’m comparing it to the Umamis in California.
The service is slow at best. It took forever to get menus, to give the order and to get it, and to get the check. And there were 2 other tables. I can’t only imagine how bad it must get when they have a full house.
The beer selection is poor. One thing I loved about the ones in Cali is that they have a huge selection of craft brews. Not Heineken, Corona, Miller Lite and the rest of that crap.
I’ll keep coming, if only because I love Umami. And I hope things get better. I really do.

WOW — I love Umami Burger!
I have put over 300,000 mile in the air over the last couple years and I try the local burgers everywhere I go, Umami Burger is a solid second or third on my list of BEST Burger I have ever had. If you want a truly great burger you have got to go to Umami Burger.
I have to completely disagree with a couple of the previous reviews that noted the burgers were sloppy and no flavor. It is clear they are looking for all the extra crap you get on the «new» style of gourmet burger.
In my opinion it isn’t about all the extra stuff you put on a burger, the favor of a burger is not accomplished by smothering the burger with so many different favors you really don’t taste the meat.
The first and most important part of a truly great burger is the meat and the preparation of how the ingredients are put together.
In order words, you can blend all the tastes together or you can add separate and distinguishing different favors so that you taste each item in sequence and not together, which in reality creates a different taste.
The preparation has a lot how your palette with react and tell you the favor you are experiencing.
I have tried many of the Umami Burgers and the following are a summary of that experience;
Meat Patties — Umami Burger’s patties fall apart are you start to eat them. If you get the meat cooked medium rare, which is suggested, the meat will crumble apart and melt in your mouth, unlike many burger places which their patty is very compressed and or over cooked. Too many cook have lost the art of the cooking meat for optimum flavor. All patties are about 1 inch think which provides large amounts of flavor in each bite; the meat to bun ratio is perfect.
Burger Buns — Umami Burger prepares their buns with a little truffle oil or butter and toast then with a branded Umami on the top. Toasting the bun is a nice touch as long as it isn’t burnt, and to date the buns have never been burnt or over buttered, just enough to add a small amount of sweet to the overall flavor of the burger.
Truffle Burger (Travis’ Vote #1) — Simple burger, juicy, great simple meat flavor, not over flavored with spices. Lightly salted cheese and truffle oil that makes my mouth water typing about it.
The B.U.B (Travis’ Vote #2) — Bring you appetite! This is a HUGE double patty burger with beer cheese which tastes much like a melted American Velveeta. Bacon is added, but not your normal couple of strips of bacon, they chop up large chunks of bacon so that as you bite down you get a chuck big enough to chew for a couple times before swallowing.
Truffle Royale (Travis’ Vote #6) — This burger has a BBQ kind of flavor to it. It is basically the Truffle Burger with pulled pork on the top of the patty. This provides both a flavor twist and a texture between the meats. Good burger just not my favorite.
Spicy Bird (Travis’ Vote #3) — This was an off the menu burger. Spicy turkey burger with tons of flavor. Added additional spicy to the burger, because I like my hot sauces, by adding Diablo sauce.
Ahi Tuna (Travis’ Vote #4) — Very unique burger! Think… Ahi Tuna, seared, rare inside with lots of salt and pepper out the edge on a bun with a Wasabi sauce. If you are a sushi fan you will love this!
Thin Fries — Crispy and crunchy thin fries, just like it like them… but even with truffle oil they seemed to be lacking something for my palate.
Manly Thin Fries — The better option but just many more calories, thin fries with chunks of bacon and melt cheese with Parmesan cheese graded on top. Wow… move fast or they will be gone!
Cheese Tots — Not my favorite, just 6 large Tatar Tots, that was to have cheese in the middle, none of us could find the allusive cheese and the potatoes where on the bland side.
If I have made you mouth water, then this is the place for you :-)

3 star,
NO Good:
1: drink glass so small… kind kid size. refill with ¾ ice
2: dressing spoon: very bad plastic, don’t know where they buy it,
could from the bankrupt or Mismanagement Chinese restaurant.
3: fries toooooo much salt… killing me
½ Good
1: burger bun size is very «?» big then slider only
2: inside burger all list on the menu, so can not complain why have no pickle or lettuces in side. it meaning you have to order other dish.
3: 18% tip included… not sure this is good idea. should have range from 12%, 15%, 18% or 20%…on alton rd, not on beach side crazy.
GOOD:
simple menu and service fast.
average for one person: $ 18 — 20 (with simple drink), if they have wifi provide, should let people know.

The worst experiences I had, the server was quite rude and I never got the wine I ordered. The server I had was soo rude and was pretty fake to me… Burger was not as good as the Umami back in LA.
Fried Pickles (³⁄₅) the batter was soggy but the pickle was nice but then again its pickles.
Onion Rings (¹⁄₅) the batter was so Soggy that the best part was the onion in the middle and i had to pick it out
Truffle Burger (¹⁄₅) The cheese overpower the whole burger and the meat was bland.
Overall 1/​5, i rather stick to the Umami in CA when i visit.

We visited Umami twice during our stay in south beach and both times were absolutely amazing. First time we ordered the fried pickles as a starter. Big fresh pickles and not to oily. Next I had the manly burger poutine style. Great choice if your really want to pig out! Second time I went back, I had the Cali burger. Once again, best burger in south beach. Quality and quantity of food is perfect for the price.
Service is awesome. They are really taking care of their business. Strongly suggest this place!

I like the feel of the place, it was popping on a saturday night, lots of couples on dates, small and big group of friends, families too.
Had a woodchuck and a jack at the bar ($ 19) and then sat in a booth for dinner. I have to disagree with other Unilocalers in two things:
1. Service DIN’T suck, I almost want to say it was too attentive already…
2. It was not the best burger I’ve had.
I had the Cali burger (they were out of the Green Bird) and felt the meat needed seasoning or something, it was quite bland. My friend ordered the manly burger and said it was good, definitely not THE BEST burger we had. Got some free truffle fries with a new times coupon, those were very good!
Would consider before going again…

My first Umami experience was less than stellar — the grill was out of commission, so they could only serve up salads and fried items. As a consolation prize, they gave us a round of drinks on the house, so not too bad a deal, and that would’ve garnered 3 stars alone.
I’m happy to report that Umami lives up to the burger hype! Located in the former 8 Oz. Burger Bar space on Alton Road, this place screams burgers and sports. Offering traditional and non-​traditional burgers and accoutrements alike, Umami is a welcome addition to the area.
I sampled both the truffle burger and the original burger, and I gotta give my vote to the truffle burger — cooked medium rare (a little underdone for that temp, but that seems to be the norm for burger places in this city), and topped with über-​melty truffled cheddar, between a slighty-​sweet Portuguese roll branded with a «U,» this was decadent and delicious in the best way.
The fries (the only side I’ve tried so far) are thin and the perfect mix of crispy and potato-​y. I’ve had them truffled and poutine-​style, and both ways are winners. If forced to choose, I’d give the poutine-​style fries my vote. They also have a bunch of homemade sauces for dipping — jalapeño ranch, diablo, garlic aioli, and more — be sure to ask for them, since the servers aren’t always inclined to bring them automatically.
Not one to shy away from foliage, I’ve also sampled the Caesar salad and the truffled beet salad. I love beets, and the salad was quite tasty (featuring truffled ricotta cheese, smoked almonds, and arugula), but it does not have enough of them to be labeled a «beet salad.»
Umami Burger also has a full bar, and has quite a few delectable-​sounding cocktails. I can’t quite recall what I ordered that night when the grill was broken, but I know it was tasty.
I’m definitely looking forward to getting my burger fix at Umami, and sampling more of their awesome and varied menu. Welcome to South Beach!

Good tasty burgers but very greasy on the outside. Several options including double and gourmet burgers. I got the cali burger and it was delicious. My husband got the truffle burger and really liked it. Be prepared to make a mess! The cheese is VERY melting! We ordered sweet potato fries which were ok. You have to order the fries on the side since the burgers come alone. They don’t have mayo, order the garlic aioli instead.
Expensive for one burger without a side and not an everyday burger but the experience is worth it.

This place was hot Saturday night! Literally hot as in the AC not working. That along with very loud interior talking echoing across the place and slow service at first had me ready to go across the street to Walgreen’s for $ 2 after drinking at Deweys’s special.
But the AC kicked in, the crowd settled down and our server was all over us with the origin of the name. (Thank God it has nothing to do with the University of Miami because it’s NOT all about the U.), the choices and etc
They have Mexican Coke !! (the soda) I love that stuff.
I had pretty good burger that I had to insist be cooked well done because the do everything medium rare if you don’t say something.
There was also some kind of sushi raw tuna burger on the table but my date liked so ok, plus one.
This place is not CHEAP — $ 65 for two for burgers and drink, and all I had was a coke.
But if you are a burger enthusiast you need to check this place out while on SoBe and it’s nice to have another choice of all nights eats.