Umai Mi in Newcastle upon Tyne

Been coming to Umai Mi for years and it’s been my favourite restaurant. I came yesterday for a birthday meal, and they’ve recently changed the menu. No Donburi, no Teriyaki, replaced with bland food. Even the staple dishes was different. The place just felt sad, and honestly I’m gutted because the food has always been incredible but it has all changed. The cocktails weren’t great either. Very sad but won’t be coming back now. It’s not the same. Just feels generic.

Ordered tonkotsu ramen, firstly the ramen tastes like egg noodles way too expensive for what it is. The ingredient quality doesn't seem to be the best. It used to be better, service was fine atleast.

Best Chinese Food in Newcastle 💯

Great quality sushi 🍣 had the Salmon/Tuna Poke bowl, Rainbow roll and several Maki, highly recommend

Amazing food! lovely staff, will be back.

Amazing food! lovely staff, will be back.

The fish was so fresh and nourishing! Absolutely delicious. The server was lovely - he was particularly helpful and accommodating to coeliac safe options. The restaurant also does blue light discount too, which is an added bonus.

The fish was so fresh and nourishing! Absolutely delicious. The server was lovely - he was particularly helpful and accommodating to coeliac safe options. The restaurant also does blue light discount too, which is an added bonus.

My granddaughter loves sushi. So, about 3wks ago, we visited Umai Mi. When the meals arrived we were blown away with the presentation and portion sizes. It was delicious. The young lady who served us was awesome, very attentive, helpful friendly and polite. I was immensely impressed. So much so that while in Newcastle with another granddaughter yesterday, exploring the city, where to eat was a no brainer for me. From the moment we entered we were looked after, checked on and served by an amazing young man. Customer service at its best. And yet again the dishes were outstanding Thanks to everyone for making a great day a glorious memory.

Food was very nice and fresh !!

Wonderful choice every time I go. 2 for 1 delicious cocktails. Amazing range of food the bap is great Japanese noodle bowls have a lovely taste but are really filling.

The service was fast, except when paying. The sake was good, but the ramen noodle soups were not: the noodles were clearly pre-cooked, the broth was bland, the gyozas were mediocre, and the meat was nothing like last Thursday. Plus, there would be kids screaming in the background. I neither recommend it nor will I return.

Amazing food today service was a bit overun so had to wait a while for drinks etc but the food made up for it ! Best ramen I've had in Newcastle so far . Suitable for my 21 month old who loved the tempura fish and chips my partner loved the katsu chicken sushi rolls 👍👍

Very rude, uninterested staff that had to keep coming back to tell us they were out of what we had just ordered rather than telling us upfront so we didn't get disappointed, then brought one dish without part of what was included and when I tried to confirm if it included it they said yeah it's in there - it was definitely not so I had to ask again for it on the side. I hate complaining usually so this was awkward, and the dish ended up being slimy and not very nice.

The sushi was great, but The service is simply terrible and very low level. They served me sour beer, but they could have offered me an alternative. The waiters did not come, even when I invited them to re-order dishes. They said that they were “busy” and, accordingly, no one came later. Due to the low level of service, the establishment is losing profit. The waiters are not friendly with guests, although this is their direct responsibility. I recommend ordering food for delivery or takeout only. The atmosphere in the establishment is not comfortable.

While I can’t comment on the food, though, it did look nice. I waited 15 minutes for service after being seated today, to walk out. The staff were busy, yet I was never served. Tables that came in after me were served. Having worked in hospitality for over ten years, I can be sympathetic. But for 3 different staff members to continuously walk past me just to be left unattended is poor service.

Neat, beautifully packed sushi rolls. the katsu chicken rolls were one of the best things i have EVER eaten; they were smothered in a sweet sauce and layered with crunchy chicken pieces 😍 devine. we left the restaurant practically on a high from how amazing the meal was.

2 out of 3 dishes never arrived. Apparently order lost. Food was awful anyway. Had to leave given long wait, but was still charged for the 1 awful meal despite the 2 other dishes never arriving. Please just avoid Umai Mi. Good well run restaurants work hard at both food & service, not here though. They just didn’t care. 👎

I try my best not to leave a negative review where I can. You can find previous good reviews for this place from me. However, sometimes you just have to. Paid £4 for an apple juice which was severely watered down then it was denied Paid £4 for a mango juice, exactly the same. Menu has changed and it hasn't been updated on the physical menu for some dishes. Random chili's chucked in all over. All of the noodle dishes have been changed to the hugely cheaper egg noodles. Were not nice at all. Got my sons meal wrong so whilst all mine and my daughters food came out he had to wait for ages to get his meal. Then it was awful when it came out. We are regulars here. Or we were until the menu changed. Wait staff are lovely, absolutely no reflection on them at all.

Thank you for the incredibly tasty and fresh sushi! You always feel like you can’t stop eating something so delicious! Very clean and excellent service! The rose cocktail is such an elegance of taste and desserts. Lord, I can praise without ceasing! I will definitely come again with friends! Thank you you made my day!

Food was great but the service was dismal

Amazing food and friendly service - especially impressed with the excellent allergy care both from the staff and on the menu - top class. Had sushi today; can't wait to go back for the sizzling plates some NUFC lads were served

This was our first visit here, and we were interested to see how it was since Nudo closed and merged with it. We were very impressed! The hot plate dishes with noodles were excellent. I had chicken with black pepper and my wife prawn and peking sauce. Starters were lovely too, garlic ribs and prawn Har Kau.

Been here twice, been massively let down twice for the same reasons. Came here today with family and a friend for lunch, 1230 booking with the aim to leave at 1.45 latest. Our order was taken in an acceptable time, however one main dish order never arrived despite being told it was on its way. We shared the tables food with the person missing their lunch so they didn't go hungry while waiting. We are all quite fast eaters so were done in about 20 mins. Ended up asking for the bill before the missing dish ever appeared. Told the staff to remove it from the bill as it never arrived, no apology at all and they didn't even seem surprised. Shockingly rude, unbothered and unaware staff 🙈🙈 Won't be back, which is a shame as the food is actually quite good.

Atmosphere is difficult because we've been used to Nudo for years so sitting in Eldon Square is never going to be the same! Having said that, restaurant itself was lovely, bright and clean and the staff were all great. S&P tofu and scallion pancake was as good as it ever was in Nudo, as was the vegan chicken. It would also be nice to have the option to sub VG chicken and or tofu on the kids menu. Mine are used to ordering from the main menu and sharing but sometimes it's nice for them to order their own dish too 😊 Still have the option to order big and take your leftovers home which is a big win for us!

Our family of four, including two kids have been to Umai Mi twice in the last three months for lunch on Saturday. It has been excellent on both occasions. There is a wide-ranging menu which keeps everyone in our household happy (not easy). The service has always been top notch as is the pace at which food comes out of the kitchen. The salt fish and chips as well as the sushi range are particular favourites. Umai Mi is our go to restaurant in Newcastle for the whole family. It has taken quite a long time to find one, having had poor experiences in other places.

Delicious ramen and Char siu rice. Reasonable price, friendly staff and Kids eat for £1.

Great food, sushi was good and dedicated Gluten Free menu.

The food is great but the staff \ management is horrible. I used to visit this place on a regular basis but I've seen a change in staff and service and they are not very nice.

Having visited Umai Mi multiple times over the years, it has always been a safe go to however, tonight was a different story. I’d like to start by pointing out I didn’t even get to ordering food. We went in and were greeted by the waitress who seemed pleasant enough. I asked if we could sit inside the restaurant to which I was told no as it was cleaned ready for the close (it didn’t close for 2 hours). We were then asked to sit in the section which is in the mall, which is ok but I’d rather not if had the choice. I mentioned to my partner that I didn’t enjoy sitting there to which she interjected (without being asked) “we’ll obviously it’s a mall so you’re going to be sitting in a mall, all the restaurants are like that and what did I expect, if I’m going to a mall I’d be eating in a mall”. I politely told her I was aware of that and not to join in on a conversation she was not invited to, to which she made a loud sigh and stomped off, I went to go to the toilet and her here talking about me to her colleagues, a completely exaggerated story. At this point I got up and left Moral of the story is don’t go there anymore, the service is worse.

We used to visit this place regularly when it first opened. This evening, we wanted to grab something before the Theatre, and were surprised to see this restaurant very quiet so dropped in. Ordered food and my oh my this place has gone so far downhill it's unbelievable. First plate arrived garlic ribs, which appeared to be deep fried!, no side plates provided. Tasteless, full of gristle and closest they had been to garlic is when they had been wheeled down the veg aisle in the shopping trolley. The next plate arrived char sui bao buns, again no side plates offered. God only knows what the red watery juice was that soaked the buns and ran out all over the table when taking a bite. Grim is too good a word to use here!!!!! Final dish the california rolls, still no side plates offered but we did get soy sauce. The sushi had a bizarre chewy texture and very little taste. When paying the bill the waitress asked if food was OK, after seeing the uneaten food left on the table.i was very diplomatic in my response and she told me she would let the chefs know! All in all a horrible food experience, save your money or go elsewhere.

Visited a few years ago and it’s really gone downhill since then. The food generally was average at best and really bland. What we received had little resemblance to what was promised on the menu with key ingredients missing. The Gyozas were especially disappointing, slimy and tasteless with an overpowering vinegar dipping sauce.

Extensive menu, friendly staff and quick service. Both had sizzling hot plates which were tasty, hot and very generous portions.. We will definitely be back to work our way through the menu.

Ordered via uber eats. Food was late and the noodles were stuck together. Neither ramen dishes had any taste. Beef was dry and absolutely tasteless. Was extremely cold by the time we got the food. Absolutely shocking for the proce paid.

Fantastic service and amazing food. I'm salivating just thinking about it now. The sushi was the standout for me and I would definitely visit again and recommend it to everyone. 11/10 👌

Average food, efforts had to be made to get service throughout meal, we ate food while waiters mopped floors with bleach cleaner so felt like we were sat in McDonald’s. Were placed right outside so basically sat in a shopping mall avenue as opposed to what looked to be a quiet and nice atmospheric restaurant vibe inside. Starters and mains came almost at the same time which always gives you the impression they want you in and out, which must have been the case considering they were stacking chairs and mopping floors even though it was at least 45 minutes before closing time. Two stars I feel is a generous reflection as we would have been well with our right to up and leave amidst the stench of bleach.

I've been here a couple of times now for lunch, The food is beautiful with plenty of choice, beautifully presented it's not the cheapest place to eat but it's well worth the price, you can dine in and also take it away as everything is packed into a sturdy container. It's extremely busy at lunch time but half an hour either side there is plenty of places to sit indoor or out. Highly recommend a visit.

Food and service were great . Will definitely come back again

Originally I had in mind to go to good old Wagamamas, then I came across this place, UMAI Mi, with its vibrant Japanese theme and menu I decided 'why not?' The service was quick, friendly and the waiter was very informative. There were many, many choices on the menu that I haven't seen before, great if you're looking for something new or that bit different! The food itself, I went for the soup consisting of a rich (beef shin ramen) and creamy pork bone broth/soup stock, beef, vegetables topped with an egg. It was rich and full of flavour. Great value for money, too! Highly recommend!

Really nice food. Only reason it didn't get 5 stats is all our food came out separately and my wife waited over 5 minutes for hers after mine and our kids food had come out

Sushi was the worst ever. We threw it in the bin. Serious waste of money.

Great food! It arrived very quickly, staff were very friendly too. Highly recommend coming here. Chicken katsu curry and pork dumplings were absolutely delicious.

The crispy beef starter was lush so imagine my disappointment when the blandest ramen came out. Would go back for the crispy beef still

Food is delicious and not priced to expensive

Stunning food and plenty of it Joanne the front of house was very attentive,pleasant and polite, also explained everything to us and made the ordering process so easy. Food, like I said, was spectacular and large portions too. Prices are what you would expect to pay if not a little cheaper.? For food and drinks. Very good value for money and we will be back.

Amazing food and super lovely staff! I love all the vegan/vegetarian options and the prices are reflected in the portions and quality of the food. I came here with my dad and we both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Compliments to the chef & staff :)

A good portion for a fair price, they have a great variety of Asian food including sushi and rolls.

Been here several times before and it’s always been great. However yesterday we visited and the service was absolutely appalling. After ordering our drinks, we sat waiting for around half an hour with the menus in front of us and not one member of staff came over. Eventually, a member from our party had to go and find a staff member and ask if we could order our food. We didn’t receive an apology from any staff for our wait, and we were not impressed at all. When we had finished eating, we then had to ask for the bill and waited another 15 mins to be able to pay. It’s very disappointing as normally the service is great, but yesterday the staff were really poor.

Delicious food, good price for a sit down restaurant considering the portion size. Will be coming back

Gone really downhill. Regular for years with family of 7. Went as a couple for the first time in a couple of months. Had to sit outside in full view of the mall rather than inside with the cosy views of Newcastle as inside 'was closed' Prices have been massively hiked up. Service not at all friendly. Won't be back

Hadde en enkel lunsj. God mat, og god service.

Loved it here Fantastic food Would highly recommend

The chashu pork for the ramen was clearly boiled, the rest of the food was great though

My friends and I were down from Glasgow for the day and as the queue was too long for "Fridays" we came in here. So glad we did 💕 The three of us had the sizzling hot plates, two of us had the pulled beef with Umai mi gravy sauce and jasmine rice and it tasted amazing. Another friend had the chicken, with garlic sauce and noodles which she said was delicious 😋👌 Oh and we had a portion of chips between us which had a right kick to them. I hope you open a restaurant in Glasgow as the three of us would definitely visit it.

Every time we’re in Newcastle, we make a point of coming here. The staff and food are exceptional, the sizzling bowls are what I get every time.

Great food and drink selection, just a tad pricey

As an Asian fusion restaurant located in the mall, it is average. The sushi is nothing special, the salmon is not that fresh, but overall they taste OK. We also ordered the crispy duck pancakes, it’s not that bad, although the ducks are too dry and too chunky, and cucumbers a bit too soft, and the pancakes are obviously was bought from supermarket, not steamed or warmed or anything like that(basically the pancakes a bit cold when they served the pancakes). Jasmine pearl tea was quite good, even taste better than I thought. Anyway, this place is place is as same as I expected. The environment is quite nice though, but food quality could be better.

Joanne our server was so polite. I have Alzheimer's and it was hard for me to choose my food. We got our drinks after that we just started laughing. The meal was really nice and the staff came over ( Manager) and we had a little bit of banter. We will be back. Great fun with Joanne x Many thanks.

路过顺便吃午餐。服务很快，味道也很不错，还看到有不同的优惠套餐，很多年轻人都是组队来吃。价格也不贵。

Nice and fast professional service from all the staff. A real pleasure to eat here. Great tasting food.

Really enjoyed visiting this laid back Japanese restaurant. Staff were really friendly and the food portions were tasty and HUGE.

we had some 4/5 small plates and i was so excited about trying lotus root but that was sooo salty and fried chicken wings was also salty because of the spices they put as a garnish on top .we left most of the food. Not going again for sure.

Turned away at 9pm despite the website advertising their shutting time being 10pm … evidently if they’re not busy enough… they change their hours and shut early … money driven business don’t keep customers happy …. Sometimes a good business loses a little bit in a day to reap greater benefits on other days … reputation is everything

OK first off, the bad stuff... It is in a mall... However, after that all pretty good. Good selection and reasonable prices. Service was a great because we met what felt like the whole team... The Italian fella was our fav as he was very friendly and the (Polish?) hostess who seated us.. and Joanne who took the bill and asked us to leave this review (I said it was going to be funny but I may have let her down). The food was good, esp my sushi but didnt come with ginger (which is just weird)... and the dumplings were great tasting but could have done with one or two extra pings (add garnish guys?!).... I would say worth checking out... A nice newcastle spot (even if it is mall-ridden).

Middle of the road food. Service was great. Very average place and a bit pricey for what it is.

We came at a time where it wasn't busy so this might be different depending on when you go but we were seated immediately and food came only a few minutes after we ordered. Food was delicious and hot and freshly prepared. Comfortable seating and nice lighting Overall a great experience, 10/10

The food was so delicious! I won't give it 5 stars because some of the waiters were not really kind but anyway.. I really enjoyed my meal !

I arrived there by my own at 21:20, but i was rudely told that they closed.

We came here for some lunch (as Wagamama’s was far too busy!) and it didn’t disappoint. We had a table straight away and the menu has lots of variety. We ended up having a sharing platter with a few small plates. Very tasty and reasonable price. Thanks to our server Joanne!

Underwhelming. You know it’s bad when you’re sat wishing you went to frankie and benny’s opposite instead. Nothing unfortunately seemed or tasted fresh. Yes it was ok, it was edible but sushi from Tesco tastes fresher- sorry!

This is one of my favourite restaurants. Sushi is amazing. We came for a celebration of my sons GCSEs and the staff are lovely. Food never fails to disappoint.

Consistently great food, great staff both friendly and on the ball, my go to place

We had a lovely meal with our daughter, son in law and twin 2y old boys. Joanne our waitress was very pleasant and professional, nothing was too much bother. The food was excellent and we will definitely be eating there again.

Went for restaurant week. Though there was a restaurant week menu on and plenty to choose from, but we were still hungry and ordered more off the main menu - so it still cost quite a bit. Taste-wise, it's average for japanese food in the area. Sushi was tasty enough but the sashimi wasn't that great. Service was spot-on though :)

What a fantastic find on our mini break to the North East. I wish there were more of these restaurants around the country as, if this isn’t my new favourite restaurant, it is certainly up in the top 2/3. The menu has a fantastic range of Asian dishes, we were spoilt for choice. The dim sum and non-soup ramen were delicious. Thank you to Joanne and her colleagues for their excellent and friendly service. We will have to come back to Newcastle, if only to go here again, thoroughly recommended to anyone.

Wonderful food, attentive staff and gorgeous decor. All in all a fabulous birthday experience 🥳

The restaurant looks nice and fancy. The staff is not bad too and food arrived fast. I totally don't understand why they dont give the chopsticks in the Asian restaurant. And for ramen and sushi I had only fork. Em..how they are expecting me to eat futomaki with the fork it's a huge question for me. The same works for ramen, it's just not made for fork come on. Ramen it's another tragedy. As a big lover of ramen I was eating it everywhere all over the Europe and this was just the worst ever. It was bland as hell it's like someone just put a bit of spices in the water. Not any creamy and thick structure of tonkotsu.its just was nothing. Bamboo tasted like it was just boiled without solt and was very weird. The noodles were suuuper overcooked. It looked like overcooked spaghetti which is falling apart when u r trying to catch smth because they are so soft. Futomaki were nice,can't complain about the taste. Well I don't recommend to take the ramen here if u have ever tried a normal and reach one . So I would not visit it again.

It was the first time we have eaten at this restaurant and I think it will be the last. I don't have much complaint about the food itself. My daughter enjoyed her sushi but I have never encountered such rude service. I hasten to add this was just one staff member and not everyone who was working there. We were stunned and could not believe we had been spoken too in such a rude and condescending manner. We had never visited before and didn't know anything about the dishes on the menu. This particular woman was downright nasty. She spoilt the whole experience which is a shame. We were made to feel stupid. Not the type of individual you want working in your restaurant.

Visited for a late lunch with my sister and friend. Great food and excellent service from Elli! Thank you very much we will be back!

I never had such a terrible noodles in my entire life. Noodles were extremely over cooked that they tasted as water. You can tell that is not authentic cooked food but the food comes pre made. For the price I expect much higher quality.

Food is amazing and the service is great. Best sushi I have ever tasted. We will definitely be returning.

The food here was excellent and the servers we experienced were superb. However, we had an awkward wait of over 5 minutes when my main meal had arrived and my wife's had not. The servers noticed us looking round to see if it was coming and members of the kitchen also spotted us not eating and it was only when we asked someone why we had not been served together that they prepared and brought her meal.

Just wanted to say that the California Roll is terrible. Chicken Katsu roll was great though.

Well ive eaten here well over 20 times. Food service fantastic never let me down. Then today very poor service. Very poor attitude form the lady, tell me we can Only sit at tables outside. We wanted to sit inside like we always do. She said we cant and turned us away. There was only 6 people in restaurant, if you can turn people away business must be good. Me and my family wont return. So disappointed 😞

Won’t recommend the char sui ramen! Taste and smell was very strong. They literally just boiled the pork and served it. The char sui had no taste and tasted very bland.

Me and my partner found this place by luck, very nice staff & The restaurant itself has a really nice atmosphere. The food was absolutely amazing! Will be going back here as soon as I can!

The food is really good, we love the chicken and King Prawn fried rice. Portion sizes are good. We struggle to eat a side/starter and mains. Service is good, staff are friendly and helpful. The restaurant is in Eldon Sq, so the outlook isn't the best. But it is a great place to eat after shopping or before a theatre visit and we never had a need to book.

Overpriced for what it is, but the service is good and the food, except for the fish bites, is tasty. The sushi options are also better than that of yo sushi.

Food was nice not busy at all got a table straight away .Plenty to choose from the menu and reasonably priced

The food is really nice but the prices are absolutely ridiculous now! Almost £10 for a small eats dish? Nearly £15 for the sizzler dish which is basically rice and meat, although very delicious! I understand the overheads in Eldon Square must be astronomical. I think they need to move elsewhere before they price themselves out.

Joanne was amazing and made sure we knew just how much to order for two sharing! Great place for a catch up with friends and some sharing food !!

We ordered the black pepper beef udon noodles and shredded duck udon noodles. Both were bland and oily with little to no flavour. The black pepper beef strips were overcooked and full of gristle making them inedible. Overall for £40 was a big let down.

Always visit here for a meal whenever in Newcastle. Lots of choice on the menu and special offers on certain days (such as wing Wednesday!). Really good value for money and the portions are massive so always leave with leftovers!

Excellent HOT food - extremely good quality ingredients, good ambience in restaurant and staff are fantastic - especially Joanne who was very helpful with my 16 month old grandson who absolutely devours the food here !

The service from Joanne and her colleagues was superb. My 8-year old son really enjoyed the chicken noodles and I loved the chicken in black bean sauce. It was a lovely meal, we will definitely be back.

Very fast service and delicious food, will definitely be back

Loved it, been twice and had the king prawn and chicken fried rice and then a pulled beef hot plate. Both were amazing. Probably on the high side price wise but overall worth a visit

Amazing service by the staff and incredibly delicious food - favourite place by far in Newcastle to go for food!

Amazing food, love this place so much I went twice in one day! Poke bowls are banging, then amazing ramen noodles and DUMPLINGS to die for!! Yum yum yum! Thanks to our fabulous waitress JOANNE who put the cherry on top of our lovely evening!...

A wonderful birthday meal we were recommended to by Nudo who weren't serving til later. I'm so pleased we went here. The cocktails were dangerously good, and the food was an umami blast, especially adding some chilli oil to the broth. We chose udon noodles and I had a miso broth with pork Belly, while my partner had bone broth with beef shin. Both were excellent 👌 will definitely be back, and Uri, the waiter was friendly and fab