Umi Japanese - Pittsburgh

The staff at Umi were amazing! I booked this reservation earlier in the week as a surprise for my wife. I wanted to honor her with a special dinner. The day of the reservation, Jeff called me and asked if there was anything we are celebrating. I told him no, just wanted to make it special for my wife. Later on, our afternoon plans got changed and I messaged the restaurant to see if we can come in earlier. I spoke with Ashley and she was so delightful. When we got to the reservation we were greeted with such kindness. There was a card on the table welcoming my wife to Pittsburg. Ashley was an amazing server, she explained everything and was a pleasure to speak with the whole time. Jeff came and greeted us and spoke with us too. The food here was outstanding. All the sashimi was perfectly planned and prepared. Everything melted in your mouth. The red snapper and truffle was my absolute favorite, which Ashely recommended. When I thought of something special, they really outdid themselves. Never have I had such a great experience as I did with Umi and the staff. Please come to the restaurant and have an experience you'll never forget. I felt like I was surrounded by with friends and family that really cared.

We struggled to decide on dining family style vs 7-course omakase vs 11-course omakase. Ultimately, we decided on the 11-course omakase and don't regret our choice. It was delicious and well paced. A great way to spend an evening.

The 11 course meal was delicious. The fish was very fresh and we enjoyed our anniversary date. The only reason I scored lower is because the presentation of our courses was the same for roughly half. I was told that the creativity of the plating was also a must see but that wasn't impressive, especially for the price. But, I would 100% recommend for an out of town date night like ours was. We are from Michigan and someone local said it was a must do. The restaurant is cute and the mood was just right. Parking was easy in Shadyside too.

Disappointed that you cannot just order sushi or Maki rolls as in the past. Currently, You have three choices for an entree and you must order one of those before you can order anything else.

My partner and I got the 11 course omakase. The fish was very good but it was sadly overwhelmed by the sauces and toppings. The balance just wasn't there. Every time time a course came with a truffle topping, I found myself having to eat the truffle topping first and waiting for the taste to subdue before I ate the fish, otherwise I would only taste truffle. The same thing goes for how much sesame oil the use and sadly it was 3 or 4 dishes almost back to back that used sesame oil. Unlike the truffle which I could identify a way to eat without overwhelming the fish, it was impossible to get around the sesame oil that the courses were doused in. In the end, only half of the courses were truly astounding when eaten as they were presented which left me feeling a little underwhelmed. That said, our server was wonderful, the ambiance was nice, and it was a good night overall. I just can't see myself going again anytime soon because even if the environment is great, the food didn't justify the price.