Dale Tompkins
I normally like to give a new place a couple of months before writing a review. I have now been to UMI multiple times and have enjoyed the experience each time more and more as I make my way through the menu. UMI uses a higher quality and fresher sushi ingredients which give the rolls a much better flavor. I recently had a Japanese friend in town so I took him with me for dinner and he loved the hell ramen. He really enjoyed the flavor combinations and the spice level. I met Summer on my last visit and enjoyed getting to know her and her story. I am excited to have some variation to our normal food choices here in Lake City! They also have some great lunch specials if you are looking for a quick lunch option. The restaurant has an underwater theme, UMI means sea in Japanese. It is a small restaurant and for those with sensory issues thanks to the higher ceilings the noise level is manageable. On one of our visits the restaurant was packed but it was still a pleasant experience.
… moreC Porter
We had a family dinner after church and really enjoyed the food!! We especially like the udon noodles, and the ramen was exceptional!! Our server was Christine and she was spot on with recommending and describing the appetizers!!!
… moreLeah Nydam
Japanese restaurant next to Starbucks. Small but adorable atmosphere! Variety of dishes to suit most: Ramen, hibachi, sushi, sashimi, udon. Prices were reasonable, portion sizes were normal to large. Hubby had the salmon special (salmon roll, salmon sushi, salmon sashimi) that had an awesome presentation! The salmon was very fresh, melted in my mouth. I had the Hell Ramen; spicy enough for those that love it. The Ramen was fresh, hot, and delicious! Too much for one meal, I took home a little less than half. For the coming cold weather, stop in for some awesome Ramen! We will go again when we come back to town!
… moreEdgar Orduna
Stopped by because I thought AKI ramen opened again. Was greeted by Hana! Supper sweet and friendly. Got the seafood ramen and although it is not the same as Ake the broth is very tasty! Parents lined the volcano roll. Will definetly stop by again!
… moreBrittany McLean
Brought my daughter here to celebrate her 11th birthday. Had a fabulous time! We had the California roll, Brenden roll, veggie sushi platter, and the Hawaiian roll. All were so fresh and came out quickly. We also had the veggie and tofu ramen and my middle daughter had the hell ramen. 10/10 so good! My fiancé also had the chicken and filet mignon hibachi. He said it was the best he’s had in a long time. The service was amazing and the staff was so attentive! Will definitely be back. ☺️
… moreN E
Really good sushi, ramen and appetizers! Also great atmosphere and service.
… moreCassondra Oetken
My daughter and I dined here tonight for the first time. The atmosphere is very comfortable and esthetically pleasing, we definitely ordered a variety of things(tad bit glutinous) but we wanted to try multiple dishes. We ordered krab rangoons, tempura veggies, edamame and coconut shrimp, although the coconut shrimp isn’t what we’re used to, it was still tasty. For our mains, I ordered the mignon/scallops hibachi with ginger salad and the fried noodles, the scallops were a tad bit overcooked but they were still tasty. My daughter got the New York yaki udon and she really enjoyed it! Our only issue was the takeout we ordered for my hubs, he doesn’t eat rice so we ordered double veggies on his hibachi meal no rice, however it came with no veggies and all rice (we should have checked before we left) he was also missing his miso soup, mistakes happen and we know that but I did call to let them know what happened. They handled the situation very professionally, apologized without any excuses. They offered us a meal the next time we come in which is certainly appreciated thank you for the great meal and stellar service, our waitress was awesome and very attentive with refills, plus the hostess checked on everyone to make sure everything/everyone was doing good! we will be back to try some more goodies indeed, thank you again!
… morechristopher wilson
My experience with the chicken and steak hibachi was quite underwhelming. Everything we ordered was barely average, and for around $30 per plate, I expected something more impressive. This was my first time trying U Mi, and I was surprised to find that I was charged extra for the (fried) rice; every hibichi I’ve ever been to always includes it as part of the meal.
The service was also severely lacking also. When our entrees arrived, we had to ask for silverware. Later, when the waitress brought our soups, I requested a drink refill. I mentioned that while the stainless cups were nice, it would cause the staff to check for refills more frequently, as they can’t just see thru the cup. Unfortunately, we ended up having to get up and approach her while she stood by the counter, despite the restaurant only having three tables occupied. She filled my drink without apologizing and simply handed it back to us, leaving us to walk it back to our table.
In summary, if you’re looking for decent hibachi in Lake City, I recommend Wasabi next to Publix, where you can pay half the price.
For an authentic hibachi experience, drive down to Gainesville and visit Yamato’s, where they cook fresh in front of you, offer the same price without the extra charge for (frying) your rice, and even give you a free entree on your birthday. Sadly, my birthday dinner tonight was a letdown. Oh and no childrens options, so my 7 year old was forced to prefer a $28 meal.
… moreJesse Davis
Great first visit for date night! Comfortable seating, really good sushi and our server was super sweet!
… moreAndrew Gebrehawariat
waitress Aubrey was very professional, timely with each menu items to our table and the warm welcome in and greeting was phenomenal from Aubrey, we even observed her bounce around helping her co workers with their tables as well. She is an asset to your U MI establishment. Looking forward to her waiting on us in the near future
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