UMÉ Japanese in Lichfield

Absolutely amazed by their ramen and the overall experience … been to their Tamworth branch a few times … really a blessing to have such top quality Japanese restsurants by the doorsteps

What a great restaurant, about time Lichfield had some top quality food the sushi 🍣 is amazing the crunch roller one one of the best I have had ❤️

Visited for lunch today, it was amazing and we will most defo be back, we started with takoyaki and chicken karaage, big portions then we had seafood ramen and chicken bibimbap, which again for the price was plentiful and hot, we were looked after by a lovely waitress who was warm and friendly, great customer service, brilliant food, reasonably priced, what's not to love x

Absolutely fantastic food, the sushi is incredible and the service is second to none.

I’ve been in Lichfield this week for work and ate at Shokudo every day, after being so impressed by the tuna poke bowl that I ordered for takeaway on Tuesday. The food was fresh and delicious, and the portions were really generous. The staff at Shokudo were lovely, very welcoming and attentive and the food came out really quickly. If I ever come back to Lichfield I’ll definitely be returning! Thanks :)

Superb food and amazing service. Will absolutely be returning !

One of the best Japanese spots in the UK! As a ramen lover, I was blown away by the flavors—the veggie gyoza and ramen were soul-satisfying. They even treated me to a complimentary mocktail, such a thoughtful touch! Wish I could be here daily, but it’s worth every trip from Leeds. Thank you for an amazing experience!

We ordered Takoyaki (squid balls), we got it cold and frozen in the centre

Second visit and again the food and service were excellent

Unadon was delicious, karaage good but the gyudon was inedible. No sauce, tough meat chunks. Nothing like the gyudon we know from Japan. It's a shame, as not many places around doing gyudon, so we've had high hopes. We will be back for the unadon, but for gyudon we'll be looking elsewhere.

We ordered the chicken curry and Teriyaki salmon, but unfortunately, neither dish lived up to expectations. The chicken was a thin, flat slice that looked like a processed, pre-formed product, covered in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. It was served with an overwhelming amount of rice and potatoes but very little bland sauce. As for the salmon, it had potential but was sadly overcooked and dry, likely due to how thin it was. Overall, disappointing.

Made the trip here as there is not many other sushi venues in Staffordshire Moorlands where I live. The Sushi was amazing as well as the Gyoza. The service was great and we were introduced in a lovely manner. We ordered alot of Sushi and it was well worth what we paid. The Mochi was lovely also. Thank you

unbelievable food, great service. Glad lichfield now has a Japanese restaraunt!

Me and my husband have not had Japanese food this excellent since we left Japan ! The happiness and nostalgia these dishes brought us was out of this world .. sashimi was so fresh and melted in my mouth & the curry omg ! It was just immaculate .. will defo be ordering a lot more that’s for sure 26/10 !

Great traditional food and lovely staff

Really very good. I have eaten sushi many times, in Japan as well and this ranked as a fantastic lunch. Chicken katsu curry was very delicious with fresh flavours. Good value, and I liked the Japanese music! Well recommended.

Visited new branch after Tamworth, liked here as well, quality food and great service same as in Tamworth branch, "quality sushi "

This restaurant has quickly become my favourite in town, amazing food and brilliant service 5 stars are not enough

Shokudo - There is a wide selection of dishes, reasonably priced and the food is tasty. Drinks are also good value and the staff are friendly.

Umé has now been renamed Shokudo. We’ve passed it several times, and thought it looked attractive. We finally decided to have a Japanese meal there this week, and were not disappointed. There were no other lunchtime customers, which was a pity, since the food was excellent. There is an extremely large menu, and vegetarians can have a good meal. We enjoyed the vegetable katsu curry, which was quite substantial – next time we’ll order sushi, since that’s one of the restaurant’s specialities. Service was friendly and prompt. Being in the middle of Lichfield, the restaurant doesn’t have its own car park, but there is ample municipal parking nearby.

Absolutely delicious food, we had the pumpkin korroke as a starter, salmon fried sushi to share, beef bibimbap and seafood ramen.....it was all incredible, all freshly cooked, delicious. The menu has so many nice things to choose from, it was difficult to decide! The staff are really friendly and offer great service. The price was very reasonable for all of the above plus fries and 2 pints of Asahi. The portion sizes are very generous. I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting delicious Japanese or sushi. Can't wait to go back!

Absolutely incredible food, we already can't wait to come back. Only disappointment was that the food we ordered was so filling, we didn't get chance to have one of the delicious looking desserts. Would highly recommend the Karaage Chicken Ramen & Chicken Yaki Soba.

Greeted very promptly and accommodated us with a pushchair. Great level of service that felt friendly and welcoming. Food was served with little wait and will hear no complaints from us. Our table had Champon Ramen, chicken karaage, cucumber hosomaki, california ISO rolls and chicken gyoza 5pc. All great choices and will be happy to visit again! Look forward to trying the bento and hotpot on future visits!

Food was immensely tasty, staff were attentive, polite, and not overbearing. My partner and I found it to be such a delight and can't wait to return!

Delicious bento box. But the pancake dessert was rather stodgy.

Absolutely the best place to eat in Lichfield, the restaurant is beautifully decorated, the staff are lovely and friendly and the food is to die for. I couldn't recommend this place enough.

We ate here when it was Ume and it was lovely. Happy to say it's still lovely. Very friendly and super food.

We had such a lovely time here for my partners birthday tonight. They were very attentive and the food was delicious. I urge anyone thinking about trying here to give it a go. The server we had was very knowledgeable about what they were serving and even told us about the sake we had ordered. It was our first time trying sushi and we both loved it - particularly with the wasabi and pickled ginger. The chicken gyozas were to die for and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole meal. We'll definitely be returning!

Best sushi I’ve ever had! My friend who was with us had just come back from Japan and said it reminded her of Japanese sushi! Couldn’t recommend highly enough service was also excellent! Will be back soon

We came across this place by chance having visited the famous fabulous Cathedral (actually the library: really worth a visit (you have to book) to see the 15C hand written and illustrated bibles etc). Anyhow Very very good food, service, tea Really worth stopping here for lunch I expect the dinner good too And very reasonable prices Worth a trip in itself And other things of interest in this small town (it calls itself a city) too e.g. the home of Erasmus Darwin (aka ‘the other Darwin).

1st time dining here & 1st time eating japanese food. Food and service was 1st class; will definitely return.

The food was great! Especially the Bangkok rolls and the gyoza! Service was a little slow and the music was quite unbearable however. It seems the music was being played at highest volume from a small radio or somebodys phone?

I dunno why this restaurant has bad reviews! I have eaten in and also now tried the delivery both are so good, the sushi is the best I ever tried and the restaurant is ran by lovely people. 100% recommend :).

Brilliant Japanese restaurant in lichfield, just round the corner from the high Street, would very much recommend the bento which comes in a variety of flavours and fillings

Fantastic! We had a lovely lunch at Ume, was our first time but we will definitely be back. Shoyu pork ramen was delicious, broth and noodles were very tasty and plenty of meat and extras on top - and really good value. My wife had a yakisoba bento box which was all excellent especially the sushi California roll and tempura squid. We love Japanese food and it was some of the best and most authentic we’ve had in the UK. We do enjoy a Wagamama, but Ume is a league above! 10/10 would go again!

I recently tried the ramen with pork at this restaurant, and it was a mixed experience. The broth was decent, but the noodles were overcooked, and the egg was also disappointing in texture. The pork lacked the necessary charring and the fat wasn't rendered well, which affected the overall flavor. The accompanying vegetables were just average. Service was unremarkable, and the ambience felt more like a typical Chinese takeaway rather than a cozy dining spot.

We enjoyed the variety of sushi, noodles and bento! My kids are huge sushi fans so imagine our excitement to discover this gem of Japanese food. Everything was quite fresh, tasty, and well presented. Service was prompt and friendly. The ambience was quite good so we took a photo. We chatted with other diners who similarly commented that they very much enjoyed their meal. Highly recommend!

Our 1st time to this restaurant. What a lovely experience. The food was amazing, very authentic. The staff were very helpful. We will definitely recommend to family and friends and be returning in the future.

Really delicious food, great friendly service, very reasonable prices. 10/10 would recommend. The service was fast and the atmosphere was nice too. Sushi was really fresh and portion sized good!

Unfortunately the food was very delayed and suspect we were forgotten about due to the serving staff double checking our order after 25 minutes. In the past it has been amazing so will return but this time was disappointing unfortunately.

Everything was lovely! Definitely plan to return

Unfortunately delivery and food quality where poor sushi left with hot food making the tempura soggy and unpleasant, the main was stodgy soggy and no “Japanese Sauce” in sight basicly a very poor chinease chow mein. I was told by the restaurant my food had been collected a hour ago then the delivery driver said it was collected 20/30 mins ago. For 3 items the food should of been here on time but unfortunately it was inedible when it finally got here. For the price of the food here I’m very disappointed

Service was nice and respectable, was a nice atmosphere. Bill was roughly £50 for the 2 of us to have a drink and a main each with 2 starters to share which left us very full. Had the prawn gyozas which were nice and came with a sweet sauce (u get 5 not 3 like the picture). Philadelphia uramaki sushi roll was very good, really soft and fresh ingredients used (best part of our meal). For mains, I had the pork miso ramen soup which was okay. The soup was made nicely but everything else lacked abit of flavour. My partner had the chicken katsu curry, was nice but the sauce was very watery. Not a bad experience, most likely wouldn't come again but only because I am from busy cities with more options.

Second visit to this lovely restaurant! Delicious food, arrives hot and service with a smile! I love that the menu has pictures and that the menu is small but full of quality choices. No puddings are available, but after a starter and main we were pleasantly full. We love Ume!

Food was amazing and service was brilliant, we had the duck Japanese curry and chicken Ramen with some shiitake sushi and prawn gyoza, so delicious!!!

New favourite restaurant in Lichfield, food was amazing and service was brilliant will be back soon!

Some of the best sushi we've had. Couldn't fault the taste or freshness of anything and the staff were lovely and attentive. My only advice is if you don't like spice to ask for it with less heat but the staff offered to remake if too spicy but I love spice but for others can see it would be a bit much. Would defo visit again if we were in the area as we were visiting.

Myself and my husband went for a meal last night, 23/3/24. The restaurant had run out of noodles (really a Japanese restaurant running out of noodles!!!) the menu is very limited, no sweet menu, but to top it all they didn't give us our change when we paid the bill, they automatically thought our £6 change was a tip! We will never go there again I'm afraid, very disappointing.

Food is amazing, as is the whole experience, the people that own and work there are so lovely, have been a few times and will be going again Very clean and beautiful

Absolutely lovely. Really friendly staff who showed they actually about what your eating. We ordered some sushi that had a fair amount of spice. The staff were not to know we like spice and flavour. They were concerned it could be too spicy and kept checking we were OK with it. We had 3 different types of sushi as a starter for the 4 of us. The main meals were delicious. 2 chicken curry, a beef curry and a prawn teriyaki. All very tasty. All in all a great experience and we all left feeling we had a good meal. None of us left hungry. We will happily go back.

Very tasty food and friendly staff. Clean toilets. Nice decorations. Sushi wasn't available until after 6.30 but the curry was very good.

Quick delivery, great packaging and top notch food - highly recommend!

First visit to Japanese restaurant and we will definitely return. The service was brilliant and very friendly. Beautiful food and we all had different dishes so were able to taste and share. The Saki was delicious and warming on a cold night. Only negative comment was that the restaurant was a little chilly on a cold evening. Well done and good luck.

We thoroughly enjoyed our food here and the service was excellent. The staff are extremely friendly - service with a smile.

Lovely place to visit. Very authentic, with a beautiful atmosphere and lovely decor. The food is something special. Regardless of main I will always get the miso soup, it is incredible. And paired with their green tea, very refreshing. Staff are lovely and beyond helpful. Such a treat when they speak Japanese!! Cannot recommend more.

Kindest and Warmest welcome by staff. Would have loved to eat some sashimi but it's not the place for it..

Didn't even turn up! Spent nearly £50 and they didn't even have the decency to turn up. We phone 4 times. Awful!

Really delicious. The sushi was amazing. Food arrived hot and driver was super friendly. Salt and pepper chips were not quite what I was expecting (more like plain crinkle ones) but that's just a minor criticism. Will definitely order again!

Great food, service very friendly plenty of help when needed. Very authentic and fresh, a genuine experience. Highly recommend as a treat or a change.

1st time eating here and we were throughly impressed! The bento boxes are around £24 and include a selection of starters and mains (all are interchangeable), miso soup and a glass of wine. Very tasty and well worth the price. Hostess was welcoming and attentive. Will definitely be back.

Fantastic food, very friendly staff, pleasing interior. The location where Ume is, has suffered for years and many restaurants here have come and gone. It is relatively brave in Lichfield to have an out and out Japanese restaurant and I really hope people give it a try. Yes the food is different but it was so so tasty. They have these Bento dishes at the bag which are perfect for newbies as you get a taste of starter, sushi rolls, salad and main course as well as Miso soup. I am definitely going to tell my friends, this is one place that deserves to succeed. I will be going back for sure!!!

Absoloute gem of a restaurant. We went for a birthday celebration and were greeted with warm sake on arrival. The waitress was extremely polite and knowledgeable. Her recommendation of the Bangkok rolls was a very good choice indeed. Wow ! I have been to sushi and Japanese restaurants in London and this dish by far was the best I have tried and beautifully presented. We had the bento boxes for our mains and again these were lovely in presentation and the flavours were exceptional. I had the teriaki salmon bento and I would definitely recommend. I’m really looking forward to coming back as there’s so much to try from the menu. Ume is easily one of my new favourite places to eat in Lichfield. Please support this business and give it a try - you will not be disappointed at all.

So delighted to finally have Ume delivering on Just Eat - such a delicious menu.

Great food, great atmosphere and very friendly staff, couldn’t ask for more very attentive, definitely recommend the food is beautiful 😍

Wonderful place - my third visit and always been blown away by the quality of food and service for very reasonable cost. Look forward to returning again soon 👍

The food here is amazing. Truly a great Japanese experience on the taste buds. But this place does have a marketing problem. When we visited the restaurant was empty and had a sign on the door saying cash only. The menu looks like something from a tourist trap in Rome. This must be putting people off. The restaurant needs to get bums on seats and make sure the restaurant feels like a more upmarket event. Lichfield is a competitive place for restaurants and so I fear they may miss out. FYI, your food will come in a tray like in the picture I have shared. Although it feels like a school lunch this works well.

Enjoyed a lovely meal at this restaurant yesterday, staff very attentive. They have updated their menu with a choice of Bento boxes as well as a range of very authentic other dishes as mains or starters, was delicious!

Absolutely stunning food, friendly happy service and relaxing atmosphere. Will definitely eat here again!! The Wandering Pirate 🃏

We had a takeaway from here for the first time - the food was delicious!!

Don't just walk on by! Ume is in an easily overlooked spot on busy Bird Street but they serve delicious food at very reasonable prices and have great, very friendly service. A lovely addition to the varied options on offer in Lichfield. I would recommend the sushi and the sharing menus!

Not someone that really knows a lot about Japanese food but found it really accessible. Food was excellent and really well priced. Atmosphere was excellent too. Thoroughly recommend

I recently visited Lichfield town centre after about half a year - I'm familiar with the general area but just don't have much of a reason to stop off in the town these days. As today's weather was dry and bright, I decided to take an evening walk before the early nights properly set in, and chanced across Ume at 8pm. There were a few tables spare on a Friday night, so I headed on in. The decor inside is dark wood panelling with cream upholstery on the furniture, with Japanese lanterns and artwork adorning the walls. There's an overhanging Sakura tree feature against the right-hand side too which draws the eye. The vibe was peaceful, with diners chatting amongst themselves and J-pop quietly playing in the background. I was shown to a nice table for two by the window, and given a menu to peruse. Ume's selection isn't large, and as Japanese cuisine is known for its heavy use of meat and fish, they don't have a lot of veggie options. Classic Japanese dishes are present and correct, such as teriyaki, karaage, yakitori, curries, miso soup and udon bowls. There are also set platters, ideal for visiting groups. Like most Japanese restaurants, there isn't a dessert section, but there are starters if you'd like more than one course. As I was dining alone, I ordered a teriyaki chicken and a miso soup, all washed down with a pot of green tea. Food was all brought over after a short wait. The teriyaki chicken was absolutely delicious - the meat was so tender and not greasy in the slightest with a flavoursome thick marinade. The rice was suitably sticky; easy to pick up with chopsticks. Small ramekins of extra sauce and pickled ginger slices are also provided, a really nice addition. Both miso soup and tea were pleasant too. The staff were very attentive and friendly throughout my visit. The waitress did ask me if I'd like the soup first as a starter but I was happy enough to have everything come over to the table all at once. The price was very reasonable - just over £15 for healthy portions and decent quality. Not bad at all! I'd happily come here again if I were in the area.

Lovely authentic food and great service and good value. Would highly recommend a visit here. We will be back.

The nicest food we’ve had in a long time! I can’t believe we almost walked past. Definitely recommend the prawn tempura, it was the nicest I’ve ever had by far. Super friendly service too, we’ll definitely be back!

Very good service. Lovely food. We (my son and I) had a dish each and we shared some sushi. The sushi was nice but I had specifically chosen the only one that didn't say it had avocado in it only to find it served with avocado in it. I removed that and it was fine! The meals were quite expensive but the portions are large. The restaurant is clean, and service is excellent. Accessibility - main door is quite narrow. There are steps up to the toilets.

Delicious food, very reasonable prices and great, friendly service. Would recommend the sushi and the sharing menus!

A great find! Wonderful food freshly prepared. Friendly and helpful staff.

First visit today. Food delicious and service very friendly and welcoming. Excellent salmon

Great meal and lovely service. It was quiet which was a shame, more people should check this place out.

I've waited for years for a Japanese restaurant to appear in Lichfield and when it finally did visiting it was a very underwhelming experience. Food was OK enough (nothing majorly special) but it's the ambience and decor that leave a lot to be desired. I get it, the owners/staff aren't Japanese but the exterior and interior of this restaurant need improving to a higher more authentic Japanese feel if they want to get more folks through the door. Also the music they played during our time there was dreadful too. Nobody wants to hear "Country Roads" being played in an attempted Japanese style restaurant as it ruins the Asian vibes. And I certainly don't want to hear it and whatever else was on repeat THREE TIMES during the hour we were in there. I'm not a vegetarian but they could definitely do with more vege dishes (again would lead to more customers). Having spent a whole month eating my way around Japan itself recently I doubt I'll be visiting again unless more effort is put into the whole establishment.

went for lunch and had their lunch menu. about £19.95 each. food was very nice and delicious. curry sauce is thick and delicious.

First time here and not the last time I will say. Food was very tasty and well presented. You won't get stuffed here but you will feel satisfied. Surroundings are dark but pleasant. Background music really needs to be cultural that was my only criticism. Hey give it a try I honestly don't think you will be disappointed

The food is awesome. Service is brilliant too. Highly recommend

Delicious japanese food in the heart of Lichfield. Will definitely become a regular spot for me!

Just tried this Japanese restaurant for the first time , wow great tasting food so pleased with the meal and the service was exceptional. If you have not tried Japanese food before you should try UME as you are definitely missing out . Thanks to all the staff for a great meal at a reasonable price ,we will be back soon.

What a lovely place, a hidden gem. We were greeted by the owner who could not have been more welcoming and it got better and better from there. The prawn sushi was delicious as were the teriyaki beef and the beef with noodles. Although the menu is not extensive there’s still something for everyone at very sensible prices. Go along and support this new venture and have a change from the plethora of Chinese, Thai and Indian restaurants in Lichfield. We’ll be back very soon! JnJ.

Very good and reasonably priced. Quick service and friendly staff. Beautiful setting as well. Will definitely be visiting again!

Went for lunch, staff were polite and attentive. Food was delicious and at a reasonable price. Lovely little Japanese restaurant.

Popped in on the off for lunch. Very very nice. Food was great, service was nice and quick.

I went here for my birthday for the first time and I don't regret it at all! Amazing food and great atmosphere. I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant to anyone

Very small menu and not very enticing. Had a couple of starts and rice with salmon which was quite dry and very plain. Overall, ok and tasty, but nothing special.

The atmosphere was lovely and calming, the service great and the food 🤤 mouth watering, freshly cooked and tasted amazing!

Great food. Small menu but that's a good thing as it's high quality food! And a very fair price!

Don’t not go here if you have any allergies. Didn’t know where Gluten came from and offered us Miso soup! It is a legal requirement on any restaurant to have allergen info on all meals. Was looking forward to this and had to walk out as couldn’t risk them having no idea about allergens.

Very tasty food and quick service, would recommend to anyone

food was unreal and service was brilliant ❤️ will come back

I write this review as somebody who has spent several months in Japan and lived in Japanese culture for several years. Parking at the Friary car park is free at certain times, and reasonably priced at others. Walk to the restaurant is only 1-2mins from here. From arrival this felt very Japanese. Welcomed at the door with greetings. Seated in a comfy, modern area. Service was incredible, no waiting, nothing was a hassle, friendly chat with the owner checking 'front of house' was as it should be, really added to the enjoyment. Ordered green tea, a beer, and an unreasonably-reasonably-priced bottle of sake (no idea how they make money on the sake). The sake was authentically served warm, enhancing the flavour. Gyoza variety for starter with Wakame salad, must admit both were absolutely spot-on. The gyoza were lightly crisped and generously filled in a way I only experienced in higher-end restaurants in Japan. A dish I knew well was Japanese style curry, so decided to use this as a benchmark, the flavour, texture and presentation with katsu style chicken was fantastic. Portions were generous too, to the point of bringing a 'doggy-bag' home. Having tried several Japanese restaurants in the Midlands, growing up with Manchester's Chinatown available daily, and living in Japanese culture for several years, I can say you will not be disappointed visiting Ume. A new favourite has arrived in Lichfield!

First time we'd been and we were all pleasantly surprised. The food was good (my son thought it delicious) and served very quickly. Menu options are limited but all tasty. We all had something different from the menu and each very happy, or ecstatic, with the flavours. Beer and wine a touch expensive to me, and again limited choice, but we all left thinking we'd be back again. NB They did not serve sushi.

Lovely food and great atmosphere. We had starters and mains and all the food was delicious. No long waiting times for food. Will definitely be back.

1st visit to this restaurant, absolute fabulous tasty food. Great staff and service. Will definitely return