Umami Burger – Williamsburg
“The burgers are delicious and the atmosphere during social hour is catching.”
“Manly Burger was also a hit also, especially since I'm a bacon lover and this burger comes with the bacon lardons, onion rings & cheddar cheese baby!”
“If you're looking for a delicious, juicy, flavorful burger, YOU HAVE GOT TO COME TRY the burgers at Unami Burger!”
Umami Burger – Williamsburg
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I will begin this review with I will be back so consider me a regular from now on.
Our server Maurice who greeted and seated us with the warmest of welcomes was super friendly & very knowledgeable, Maurice gave us a quick bio on what Umami represented and why the name Umami was chosen then we were given recommendations on Cocktails and food and a few minutes to soak it all in and make a decision.
Maxed back & totally relaxed because the Umami atmosphere has got just the right everything going on for it, perfect lighting (dim enough to put you in a chilled out mood, where I could actually see my menu without putting on my cellphones flashlight, the music selection was a very nice mix of chill house music which was playing at a comfortable level so you can hear your company without shouting.
Cocktail Drinks were some of the best I've had to date so you know Ill be back since that's my thing! I had the Maple Bacon Old Fashioned & my company had the OH Henry, we both sampled one another drinks and we were both highly impressed with the flavors and smoothness of each of these signature cocktails so these will always be on our reorder list because they're that good!
We absolutely loved the Maple Bacon Fries (this is an outstanding dish of fries that is a must try and do not pass by!
Truffle Fries were perfectly done but not as outstanding as the Maple Bacon Fries.
Manly Burger was also a hit also, especially since I'm a bacon lover and this burger comes with the bacon lardons, onion rings & cheddar cheese baby!
The entire burger, fries & cocktail drinks combined made this is a rich on flavor and hearty meal!
The Ice Cream sandwich was rich, decadent and large enough for us to share but alas we were to stuffed to finish it in its entirety.
So Umami is a 5 star winner in my book and therefore we will be a regular here.
It looks like some of the hype of Umami burger has fizzled out, given that I walked in with a party of 8 on a Saturday night and we were seated immediately. We were all curious to see what all the fuss was about and after our experience I'm not surprised that this place has gone down in the ranks. They have quite a few types of interesting burgers, meaning toppings and extras, but overall we weren't amazed. The beef is tasty which makes me thing good quality, so that was not a disappointment. I had the truffle burger which boasts all things truffle from the aioli to the cheese. I didn't find it to be full with flavor the way I would have wanted, but instead a bit too greasy. Truffle usually means "whoa" but it certainly didn't stand out. The rest of us agreed with our variety of burger, including the classic which comes with a unique Parmesan disc as an added cheese element. Also, they were on the tinier side.
I'm glad I tried it but there are better places that I'd rather spend that much money on. Also- the fries were a disappointment, and for a burger joint that's a serious no no!
Not the best Burgers but this place is convenient if you want to avoid the crowd in Williamsburg and in the meantime stay close to the vivid areas
Much nicer interior and lighting than the West Village.
Truffle burger: once upon the time there was a great burger… not anymore. The bun is different (tougher, thicker), the burger not medium rare, plus it doesn't even stay together.
Service painfully slow.
So why 3 stars? Its still a decent burger. However, Umami Burger used to deliver one of the best burgers in the city. Long time loyal to the West Village location, I used to consider their truffle burger a masterpiece. Since the company sadly changed the bun (a choice I will never ever understand), the burger has gotten worse. The bun for a burger is as important as rice for sushi. I wish the company agreed with me.
Caught between a 2 and a 3.
I got the Hatch, he got the K-BBQ. Both patties are crumbly when bitten into. I expected a burger to hold up but I was disappointed to see both were falling apart. For about $13 an order you'd hope you're getting one grand slammin' burger but sadly, it fell short. One thing that really threw me off guard was the burgers' temperature: not hot. What the whaaat? I'm so confused with this. Dare I even say the burger was rather cool? (Not the good kind.) So what's the saving grace? Their maple bacon sweet potato fries.
Shucks. It's a 2 after all.
Juiciest & best quality burger! I convert lots of my friends into Umami lovers. My favorite go to burger is the truffle burger. DECADENT I love the truffle fries too. I mean I love anything truffle. I love their dips. I love pretty much everything about Umami. The servers are always pleasant. They asked you if it is your first time dining in. This is the only place where I will have a rare burger because the quality is unmatchable. I've only visited one other location but completely prefer the BROOKLYN ONE! WOo HoO The only thing I am not a fan of are the desserts. I've never had dessert there but from the looks of other tables and the menu I could go somewhere else for dessert I don't mind.
Quintessential three-star establishment – nothing offensive or wrong, but nothing particularly exciting. The throwback burger was decent – quality beef, and probably would have enjoyed it a lot if it wasn't overcooked to my medium rare order. The french fries are shoestring style (not my favorite to begin with) and were limp, oily and undercooked. The truffled beet salad was quite good, but a bit too saturated with dressing. Pretty solid beer selection. I found the vibe/decor odd and a bit off-putting – kind of like in an outsider conception of what Brooklyn is. I mean, really… an LA-based burger franchise, when we have such fine home-grown options? Just another example in my voluminous personal catalog of "why trust anything that started elsewhere that I already know we do better in NY" (see, e.g., pizza, bagels… actually, pretty much everything).
This was my 2nd foray to Umami burger, the first being in lower Manhattan. We had a fair experience there, it was busy and our food came out in random order. We understand that can happen. They got my friend's order wrong but we also understand that can happen during a busy time.
Yesterday we went in during a slower time, around 2 pm in the afternoon, at the Williamsburg location. There were plenty of empty tables. We were seated a table near the door and it took some time for our server to get to us. She did greet us and let us know she'd be with us as soon as she can and she was very friendly.
When she arrived at our table, she was very cordial and helpful with selecting our drinks. One of our party wasn't drinking however, but it took some time before we got water brought to our table. We ordered a Caesar salad, two orders of fries – one standard, one truffle, a cali burger, and an regular umami burger. Water also was very infrequently refilled and our friend ended up drinking our waters because she had finished hers.
We got the salad first and it was dressed well (not too much or too little dressing), and topped with a few appetizing white anchovies. Unfortunately as we tucked in, the salad was gritty, like clams with too much sand. We figured someone had forgotten to wash the greens and tried to eat a little more but it was just too gritty. We returned it and advised our busser that the greens were gritty.
Our food soon followed. Our friend had requested her burger cooked medium and we had requested medium rare. Our burger came out medium. Not dry but not a bit of pink. The fries were a little cold. Otherwise the condiments were tasty and had the burgers been cooked to order, I imagine it would have been yummy.
After we were almost done with our meal, the busser brought us a replacement salad. Having finished our meal, we thanked them for the replacement but sent it back to the kitchen. We never asked for the salad to be replaced and requested it just be taken off our bill.
When we got the bill the salad was still on the bill. We were tired of being the bad guys so we just decided to pay for it. We asked they split the bill by taking our friend's two items and putting it on a separate bill. However, when it was returned with our cards, they had split it incorrectly. We again, just figured it out amongst ourselves and quickly left.
Overall, I feel like Umami burger could be great, but the staff from the kitchen to the front of the house seems a little absent minded and the management disorganized. The salad could have been great if they'd just taken the time to wash the greens. The burger had all the right elements but was cooked carelessly and not to temperature. The service was friendly but not attentive. The busser didn't communicate with our server about our salad. Lots of small misses that made for a less then amazing meal. For the price point, I expected better. My friend commented we could go to the shake shack and get better for less money.
I hope they can get some of the kinks worked out! For now, I will probably try places that have more consistency.