Umami in Manchester

Went there as a group of 8 people. I would say it is a hidden gem on Oxford Road, Manchester. The food were very nice. The Prawn Tempura is the best I ever had. As you can see in the photos, the colour is light, dry and crispy. Other restaurant's Tempura are dark, soggy and greasy. The other one you must try is the Braised Beef Rendang. OMG the beef is so soft and tender. Once eaten you will never forgets about it. Trust me.

Great restaurant tucked away on Oxford Road, hidden gem. Tasty food, affordable prices friendly staff. Highly recommend the salt & pepper squid and tempura prawn for starters. The beef rendang dish and katsu curry mains are well portioned and great in flavour. I will revisit.

great food for amazing value - the lunch deals are so cheap and portion sizes very good. my favourite is the chilli beef ramen as its a rare pink sirloin steak on noodles with a perfectly cooked gooey ramen egg but the char siu ramen or rice, and chicken katsu curry are also sooo good. my favourite sides are the prawn katsu or tempura and the salt and pepper squid. I took my vegetarian colleagues here for lunch and they said the veggie pad thai, nasi goreng, vegetable ramen and monks broth were also great. they rotate the lunch menus around weekly so you get to try a bit of everything but you can still order anything from the evening menu. they also do a takeout rendang beef and rice lunch deal for £4.95 which is insane. unfortunately they have 2 entrances that are both easily missed but if you find it, you wont regret it!

Avoid this scam. They charged me £10 for a handful of rice and vegetables. What a joke.

Favorite place in Manchester. Understated and friendly, great prices and amazing food.

Can’t fault this place for lunch.

Great place. Not very pricey and usually free. Had been with a group of 6 and had a great experience.

We ordered pork ramen, fried tofu and pad thai. A lovely place to have dinner with your best friends

I was blown away with the food here. Bags of flavour, amazingly presented, and for such a reasonable price. They dont serve alcohol but the waiter was more than happy to put some beers behind the bar for us and serve them for a small corkage fee. Me and my girl are heading back to Manchester next week just to go here again. It was that good! If you're going to a gig at the Deaf Institute like we were, eating here before hand is a MUST. Thanks guys, awesome stuff!

First time visiting with a great lunch offer of 2 courses for £10.95. Friendly staff and efficient service went down great with the 10 people in our group. The king prawn katsu starter was a big portion, followed by the chicken pad Thai which was very tasty. Will definitely go back again and like to try the evening meal.

The taste of the dishes is very good. But there is a waitress with a very bad attitude, like I owe her a million dollar.

Tasty, fresh food served quickly by friendly staff but if you want to drink alcohol with your meal, you'll have to take your own! £5 "corkage" on a standard bottle of wine or £2 for a small bottle or can of an alcoholic drink.

I come with my wife. We ordered food at 6pm, and waiting for 1 hour and 20 mins for our dish. It's ridiculous slow. Cannot understand why it takes so long for a Ramen and a rice dish. Food is regular, but the serving speed is very bad. A table next to us spend even longer time.

Yummy! Not a bad word to say. Really tasty food

food was amazing value, monk's broth made me feel holy. service was prompt and friendly, and the whole experience was comfortable and welcoming. free green tea refills! 10/10

Closed until 3rd September despite Google saying open, after we had walked all the way there.

The curry is coconut curry, which is more Thai style. It's a good match with prawns.

Excellent Asian food, the attention from the staff is very good. We loved Michelle's attention and all her staff. We will be back soon!

It's easy to miss this place from the outside and as you head down the stairs you wonder what you are walking into. However, once you get inside you are greeted by a light & spacious eating area. The tables are well spaced and use bench seating. It was very quiet when I visited, perhaps only 2 other tables in use, so the service was very quick & professional. I had the Salt & Pepper Squid followed by the Char Sui Ramen and both were great. The pork in the ramen was especially tasty. They do not serve alcohol but you can take your own (an opening fee applies). I look forward to my next visit.

Incredibly nice place! One feels cozy and welcomed here. The food is extremely delicious, best I've ever had.

Excellent taste. I had the Nasi Goreng and it tasted as if I was in Bali. Perfect hostemanship. I definately will come back

Small and quiet place, absolutely lovely! The food is very delicious and plenty of healthy options too - I can't eat fried or spicy food so there are some vegetarians options and grilled ones too. The rice is very good on its own as well, pair it with some grilled chicken wings and you've got yourself a proper meal. Good amount of food for 2 people at a reasonable price, drinks and meals around £40 - very decent in today's times. Will definitely go back!

This reastaunt employer was shame,he owe the staff's wages and din't want to pay!so it closed many month before.rubbish!!!

Genuinely tasty, fresh food served by attentive and kind staff. Looking forward to exploring more of the menu!

not pretentious, great value and tasty comfort food! great for uni days or a cheeky date

Really lovely spot. Be careful not to walk past it as you could easily miss it. The staff was fantastic and extremely accommodating to my friends food allergies. Really quaint atmosphere. Not too busy so it was peaceful. Food was really nice. They don't sell alcohol but they do let you take your own in (which I'll know for next time) Would definitely go back again. Keen to try more dishes.

Got takeout from Umami and it was lovely. The entrance is quite hidden (you have to go downstairs) but it's very low key and cosy. Staff are very kind and food is yum!

I love this place. They do great food, and it's not at all expensive. It's especially great for lunch.

Never been before but really impressed with the care and attention they put in the food. Will 100% return, really good portions and high quality ingredients.

Learned about this place from an acquaintance and now I come here once a week. At first it was because it's close to the UoM library but now it's because of a desire for comfort food. It's a wonderful place with great food and nice people. Although I think the food quality justifies the price tag, try going there during lunch hours if you want to get the most bang for your bucks. They rotate the lunch menu but there's always something great on it.

Great food great service and reasonable price . Very good experience and will be visiting again. Very well located on Oxford road we visited before seeing a band at the deaf institute

Fried rice and fried tofu are quite tasty. Curry is also nice. Ramen on the other hand is not so agreeable, and I wouldn’t recommend ordering beverages here. Servers are pretty nice, and the restaurant itself is clean and organized.

Umami is such an intriguing restaurant as the view from before you enter the restaurant and when you are in it does vary accordingly. You would not expect such a nice atmosphere as to when you enter the restaurant. Tables are set evenly with maximum space which allows room for movement. Unlike many restaurants where space is prohibited as they try to maximise every space possible for customers. The music was in the perfect level. You would be able to talk and catch up with your friends and peers. The seating however appears to be too low. I had to lift my arms up slightly to eat. In terms of the food, we ordered two Ramens. I ordered the Char Siu Ramen and my dad ordered the Chili Beef Ramen. Both Ramens were amazing and would be highly recommended. The pork from Char Siu Ramen was very distinct and savoury. There was however an uneven amount of noodles between the two Ramen as the Char Siu Ramen appeared to have more volume. The temperature of the ramen was also recognisable as it does not appear to be as hot/warm as expected. Overall, it's not the most exceptional ramen spot out there, but it's a decent option if you're in the area and in the mood for a quick meal!

日式叉燒拉麵的湯底像清湯，叉燒竟然是中式叉燒，兩者外觀及味道是很大分別的哦。

Good value and lovely fresh cooked food.

Wait too much time for the food about one hour and no one respond for the query. However food is alright

Nice place and quite clean. Staff were friendly and helpful. I had the vegetable ramen and a side of vegetable gyoza both delicious

Very nice food, very quick and pleasant service even though it was busy. Great lunch time and evening menus, it's a great place to try!

Delicious food and friendly service! We enjoyed rendang beef and salt and pepper crispy tofu. Ramen is not authentic but it's soothing in a cold night.

A hidden gem! Great restaurant with delicious food, service was friendly. We had starters to share - the salt and pepper dishes were perfectly seasoned and chicken satay skewers were tasty. The highlight dish was the beef rendang (braised beef in Malaysian curry). Will definitely come back to try more dishes.

I was waiting for this restaurant to reopen after it closed down back in June/ July 2022. Since then it has reopen only recently and I believe the management has changed. It used to be my best sushi place in Manchester, but saddened to know by talking with the owner that they will not do sushi , or so far they have not planned to do so. Most of their menu is based on ramen, noodles, and sides. They are still good and well prepared food , but not at the level it used to be. I went to this place last week , and unfortunately the food didn't match the quality of the previous chefs. It is now an average noodle place you can find everywhere in MCR . The sides are still good. I will give it a go another time, so far the expectations of the previous experiences have not met sufficiently.

We waited more than an hour for our mains, with mains arriving at tables who ordered after we did. Considering that there are only four mains on the lunch menu, the wait time is inexplicable. The quality of the food was adequate but was certainly not worth the wait.

Food was great, salt and pepper chips were tasty! Beef rendang was amazing!

Great service and lovely food, no alcohol served but you can bring your own and pay a tiny charge. Would highly recommend

Loved the ramen, Took our own alcohol for £2 charge. Owner was lovely.

Umami is back open!! As of 17th Jan. Same hospitality and great food, came in the evening so not sure if they're serving sushi anymore but delicious hot food still

Booked a table for 2 on 04/12 - planned a trip to Manchester around said booking and only when turning up could I see the resteraunt was closed for maintenance. No contact at all from the resteraunt to advise.

[Edit Oct 2022: still closed] Closed for the summer. It’s 17 Sept. No website to check so I relied on Google maps for opening hours (more fool me) and the most recent review of 1w ago :( 3 stars given as it was nice when we went last time we were in the area.

Best value lunch near the UoM. They always have a variety of delicious lunch options and switch up the menu often.

Great food, bit plain decor, hidden away. Good lunch price but canned beer

Authentic, cool atmosphere cause it's a floor down underground and has people buzz, suuuuper tasty fresh food. Really enjoyed it and will be coming back!

Don't let the way the restaurant looks from the outside fool you. This place is incredible! The food was delicious, staff were very helpful and the atmosphere is great

What a great place and hidden gem for Japanese food lovers. The soup was A+ and the service was great too!

As close to the centre as you can get and frankly good, wholesome food. Lunch menu will keep you going.

I've not been to Umami for over two years due to Covid, so I am delighted that not only is it still open but the food is just as good, if not better than I remember! Same friendly and efficient service, new lunchtime menus and the perfect place to go for lunch with friends. It will not be two years before I am back enjoying their famous gyozas!

The staff are always very kind, and the food feels fresh! 4 stars because it is fairly expensive though!

Lunchtime menu is good value, tasty and served quickly!

Great little place with an affordable menu

My favourite noodle bar ever! The lunch time menu is brilliant and changes every day. I've only been in in the evening once, and the prices were a bit high, but also the portions were huge.

Nice and cosy place, good food, satisfied!

Such an amazing discovery next to the city center. Don't be scared by the fact that the place is in a basement. Appearance is misleading sometimes. The place is wonderful and the food is amazing. There is good value for money. I had a ramen 🍜🍜 and it was delicious. Defentendly, a place to come back soon. Also, the staff is friendly at all times. Maybe the only drawback is the opening hours on the weekend. Closes soon so try to have an early dinner.

Friendly staff. Very reasonably price. Good food. Will come again soon.

Great value for money. The lunch menu deal is too good to ignore. If you're looking for a quick lunch with friends in the uni area that doesn't break the bank I recommend.

Bright, cheery and informal. Good service and food.

Dont understand why this place got vad reviews as certainly not what we experienced today,staff very friendly and chatty as well as helpful with gf options.we went for lunch menu, my daughter 11 loved it.

Had a salmon ramen which I enjoyed, though I feel that it could've been presented better given the price. Other than that, the staff were lovely and took the effort to help my friends and I split the bill.

Fast service, high quality food, reasonably priced

Have been coming here for 7 years, mostly with colleagues but recently with family and it is consistently fresh and delicious food. Love their well priced lunch time deal, available 12-3 pm with plenty of veggie/pescatarian options too. Sesame prawn toast is the best ever. Lots of seating. High chair available too for little ones although no lift so not easily accessible for wheelchair/pram. Super friendly and speedy service. Highly recommended, my favourite Japanese restaurant, hope this place never closes.

I think it is funtional, the bare minimun to run a restaurant, but quick, well maintained, and trained staff. With a one way system in place. Quality to price ratio is good, and I believe they cook fresh food, not microwave at all, which is good. Maybe it is a little bit hidden, and not having windows at all, makes it claustrophobic, but as i said, good for a quick meal.

Food was amazing and the staff were lovely and couldn't do enough for us. We can't wait to come back

It's a cozy place for work lunch. The soup is less flavored but you can add extra soy sauce and spices yourself. The Thai salad is very refreshing.

Char sui is amazing! Cute, relaxed atmosphere

Ordered 3 different noodles, all of them taste below average...

Canteen-style noodle restaurant, with quick service and very reasonable meal deal prices at lunchtime. Very good gyoza, ramen a bit lack-lustre, but good value and plentiful portions. The restaurant is in the basement, so I wasn't clear what options there are for disabled access.

Ordered the lunch deal and had satay chicken, sushi and ice cream. Good value and satisfying!

Excellent food in a nice quiet location

really friendly customer service :) their lunch menu is a good deal (i got 3pc tempura prawn from their small plates option, and deluxe sushi set from their big plates)

Would recommend as a nice place for a quick, affordable meal. Though portion sizes are small, they are justified for the relatively low price. Bathroom looked and smelled nice. Highly recommend.

My favourite place to eat in Manchester! I used to go here ALL THE TIME when I trained in Manchester. It is always perfect. Always!

The black bean tofu noodles were the best noodles I've had in a long time! Generous portions, reasonable prices and quick service, we'll definitely eat here again 😋

First time I've been since before pandemic and happy to confirm that it's still very much open (there was a review saying that it had closed but that is not true) and still as lovely welcoming staff and tasty food.

Favourite lunch spot in the city

The Waitress forced me to put my bottle on the chair bad attitudes towards Chinese customers

Appropriate price for the quality of the food. Paid £5.95 for a main at lunch time

Amazing food good service I recommend this place to anybody who's ever in Manchester

Food is tasty, we keep going back!

Very attentive service and delicious food for a great peice

Nice place and nice food. They have a lunch menu that isn't too expensive. Can get crowded at lunch.

The price was fair and the food tasted alright. Three of the staffs working in the evening greeted me friendly and looked after customers while some of them did not pay attention to my gesture of waving hands as call for service and I had to wait for them to finish their gazing at a corner or talking with their colleagues.

Visit here for lunch fairly often and it's a right hidden gem. Food is absolutely delicious and the menu changes each week - I always go for the ramen option (pictured is crispy pork belly) that changes meat each week. Proper authentic quisine that makes you wonder how they make it so cheap, this only cost £5.95! Even if you have half an hour for lunch, get in here and get some decent food, service is quick and you can be in and out in no time.

Delish food and staff very polite and nice!

What a cracker of a lunch. Small select choice. Great food and lovely staff. Great value for money

Good value, great food. Lovely staff too. A real hidden gem.

Tasty food, very reasonably priced, and customer service was excellent

Excellent food...Very tasty...Good size portions..Very goog value for money... we've been 10 time's and will go again..

Absolutamente excelente menú de almuerzo / 8. 95 para dos platos (elegí el ramen de salmón, que era 1 suplemento, pero debería ser 7. 95 normalmente), que pensé que era excelente en Oxford Road, y serví súper rápido, que es lo que necesito en mi almuerzo. Las albóndigas eran excelentes y el salmón también, solo necesitaba más patadas y más verduras en el ramen. Sin embargo, en general, fue una muy buena comida y, para decir que fue mi primera visita, ya estoy emocionado de volver.

Food very nice and pretty cheap, but very noisy and inclined to be crowded at lunchtime. The gyoza and vegetable tempura are superb.

Food is awesome and really nice staff!

Wonderful food, very friendly staff, great atmosphere and free tap water for everyone :) things to improve: I'd love to see a larger choice of food in menu, website should be up to date, and the space would feel more comfortable if it weren't so open.

Ok prices. Ok food. Had the beef ramen. Nothing special