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Name: Umami Burger
Address: 1480 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622
Telephone: (773) 423-2005
Price range: Under $11
Rating: 3.92

Umami Burger

1480 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622

(773) 423-2005
Store is closed

Umami Burger Menu

New Menu Items

Umami Wings

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

Short Rib Sliders

Butter Corn

Royale

Falafel

Crispy Diablo

Manly Chick

Smothered Fries

Manly Fries

Umami Wings

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

Short Rib Sliders

Butter Corn

Royale

Falafel

Crispy Diablo

Manly Chick

Smothered Fries

Manly Fries
Burgers

Sunny Side

Greenbird

Manly

Throwback

Umami

Truffle

Cali

K-BBQ

Hatch

Ahi Tuna

Sunny Side

Greenbird

Manly

Throwback

Umami

Truffle

Cali

K-BBQ

Hatch

Ahi Tuna
Sides

Thin Fries

Truffle Fries

Sweet Potato Fries

Maple Bacon Fries

Tempura Onion Rings

House Pickle Plate

Thin Fries

Truffle Fries

Sweet Potato Fries

Maple Bacon Fries

Tempura Onion Rings

House Pickle Plate
Greens

Umami Caesar

Roasted Portobello

Truffled Beet

Seared Ahi

Side Salad

Umami Caesar

Roasted Portobello

Truffled Beet

Seared Ahi

Side Salad
Beverages

Craft Beer

Craft Beer
Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Real Sugar Pepsi

Real Sugar Mountain Dew

Real Sugar Sierra Mist

Diet Pepsi

Abita Root Beer

Bundaberg Ginger Beer

Lemonade

Tropical Green Iced Tea

Stumptown Cold Brew

Evian Still Water

Real Sugar Pepsi

Real Sugar Mountain Dew

Real Sugar Sierra Mist

Diet Pepsi

Abita Root Beer

Bundaberg Ginger Beer

Lemonade

Tropical Green Iced Tea

Stumptown Cold Brew

Evian Still Water

Healthy Meal suggestions for Umami Burger

New Menu Items

Umami Wings [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Short Rib Sliders [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Butter Corn [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Royale [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Falafel [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crispy Diablo [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Manly Chick [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Smothered Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Manly Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Umami Wings [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Short Rib Sliders [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Butter Corn [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Royale [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Falafel [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Crispy Diablo [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Manly Chick [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Smothered Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Manly Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Burgers

Sunny Side [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Greenbird [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Manly [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Throwback [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Umami [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Truffle [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Cali [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

K-BBQ [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Hatch [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Ahi Tuna [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Sunny Side [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Greenbird [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Manly [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Throwback [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Umami [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Truffle [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Cali [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

K-BBQ [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Hatch [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Ahi Tuna [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Sides

Thin Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Truffle Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Sweet Potato Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Maple Bacon Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Tempura Onion Rings [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

House Pickle Plate [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Thin Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Truffle Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Sweet Potato Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Maple Bacon Fries [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Tempura Onion Rings [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

House Pickle Plate [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Greens

Umami Caesar [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Roasted Portobello [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Truffled Beet [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Seared Ahi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Side Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Umami Caesar [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Roasted Portobello [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Truffled Beet [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Seared Ahi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Side Salad [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Beverages

Craft Beer [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Craft Beer [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]
Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Real Sugar Pepsi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Real Sugar Mountain Dew [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Real Sugar Sierra Mist [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Diet Pepsi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Abita Root Beer [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Bundaberg Ginger Beer [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Lemonade [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Tropical Green Iced Tea [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Stumptown Cold Brew [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Evian Still Water [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Real Sugar Pepsi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Real Sugar Mountain Dew [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Real Sugar Sierra Mist [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Diet Pepsi [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Abita Root Beer [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Bundaberg Ginger Beer [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Lemonade [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Tropical Green Iced Tea [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Stumptown Cold Brew [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

Evian Still Water [ Carbohydrates (ms): 0, Sodium (s): 0, Saturated Fat (ms) : 0, Calories: 0, Sugar (ms): 0 ]

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Write An Anonymous Review

Joe L.

Best burger in America. Yes, I'll say it again: best burger in America. You simply cannot bear Umami's meat and level of flavor in their burgers. I first tried Umami when I lived in CA. I moved to the Midwest last year and recently tried this location in Chicago. I definitely think the Midwest beef has an even better quality than the beef used in the CA location. I highly recommend getting The Manly Burger. The bacon pieces in the burger are amazing. If bacon isn't your thing, the truffle burger is also equally pleasing to the tastebuds. Their sweet potato fries are worth trying as well and make sure you try all of their dipping sauces. What I've always loved about Umami is you don't feel extremely stuffed and disgusting after eating their burgers. They just aren't that big gut bomb like your regular burger joint is.
(5)
svetlana k.

For a chain restaurant, this is a good burger spot, especially with a full bar. On a Saturday afternoon, the place was very busy and packed but we only had to wait ten minutes. The tables are VERY close to each other. I could have easily reached out to the tables next to us to grab their fries. Also, there were a couple of families with small children, not a negative but something to be aware of. Our server was uber enthusiastic and overly attentive, did not think that was possible but fine better than being ignored. As for the food, it was average. We ordered thin cut fries ($3), sweet potato fries ($3.50), truffled burger ($12), and a manly man burger ($12). Think cut fries reminded me of mcdonalds, not necessarily a bad thing but not necessarily good, also needed salt. I love sweet potato fries but maybe not these. They were doused with cinnamon and brown sugar, no hint of salt or pepper. They're already sweet, why do they need even more sugar?? A little bit, fine but there were chunks of brown sugar floating in my fries. The fries came with four dipping sauces: ranch, store made ketchup, aioli sauce, and habanero spicy sauce. Disliked the ketchup, loved the aioli.The burger meat blend was really good. Loved my boyfriends manly man burger but disliked my truffled burger. It was doused with truffle oil, extremely pungent and perfumey. I had a hard time finishing it and I never have a hard time finishing a burger. The truffled burger did not come with much either, just cheese and that god awful truffle oil devoid of any actual truffles. SKIP IT if you dislike truffle oil. Overall, I am not sure I would make a second trek to wicker park just to go to umami burger. Next time I'm in the area I will make sure to try something new. Also, at the end of the meal, the server gives you wood chips to place in a jar that says how great your experience was: excellent, above average, and awful. Kind of tacky but I'll live.
(3)
Edwin W.

3 Stars is mainly for the drinks and the service. I was not very impressed by the food especially all the hype the servers threw at us. The truffle fries were good, but to charge $6 for french fries is atrocious. The burger was ok. They emphasized on the quality of the meat but I did not really taste it as it was masked heavily by the truffle oil that burger was soaked in. I usually rate my burgers based on the texture of the meat and there was really no texture to this burger. The meat was loosely packed and it was the burger was significantly lighter than your average burger. I looked around at other people's burgers, and it appears most of their burgers include condiments that upstage the patty making the meat a lost cause in this burger. Aside from being overpriced, I probably will not be returning as there are many other places to get a better burger at a more reasonable price.
(3)
Dave T.

Great food. Bartender with the 6" waxed mustache ruined the experience. My friend and I couldn't stop thinking about how many times a day he touches it to get it to stick out that far. Not to mention how much mustache wax had landed on our plates silverware and our drinks. All about individuality etc. but in the Foodservice industry this is just gross. In case you missed the memo- servsafe.com/ss/foodhandâ€¦
(2)
Michael V.

Went to Umami Burger with a friend on Sunday night around 6:30 pm. There was no wait to get seated and there were a couple more open tables as well. Their AC was broken, so it was quite hot in the restaurant unfortunately. I thought the drink list was a little underwhelming. I ended up getting a Deschutes obsidian stout. As for food, my friend and I both ordered the Umami burger, but had it cooked medium. We also shared a maple bacon fry. Thinking back on it, I don't remember there being any bacon in or on the fries at all, so perhaps it didn't come out right. They give you several sauces on the table (house ranch, spicy habanero, house ketchup and garlic aioli) which is nice. The maple glaze on the fries (which were sweet potato based) was really good. The burgers were good, but nothing special in my opinion, and that is the primary determinant behind my 3 star review. There are tons of great burger places in Chicago and Umami just didn't really stand out to me. It's a solid place if you're in the area and want a burger but otherwise there are way too many places to try to ever hit this place up again.
(3)
Amanda P.

The atmosphere of this burger joint is quite cool. Not going to lie, I liked the vaneered / skateboard-ish wooden walls, and graffiti-esque mural paintings. The burgers were pretty delicious too! I had the sunny side burger, and split some onion rings and truffle fries with my friends. The burger was super delicious! Juicy, tasty, and runny (as one could want when they get a burger with a fried egg on top). They boast fresh ground beef burgers, and it was cooked to perfection. The onion rings were also top notch; crisp and held together to the very end. The only slight disappointment was the truffle fries. As a fan of truffle fries (and having had read a review about them prior to my visit) I was quite excited. Perhaps this is just a personal preference, but I think making a truffle cream sauce was a bit too much (personal preference being tossed in truffle oil / grated cheese, as it's both light and flavourful without taking over the fry experience - does that sound crazy? Maybe it does, but if it's crazy, maybe I don't want to be all that sane). The fries were too thin to support the weight, and the sauce clumped a bit too much on each fry.
(4)
Susie C.

My friends and I came here for dinner. I don't think they take reservations. It's a very popular place. We came around 730 pm and waited for half an hr for a table of four. Another group of my friends came around 8pm and they had a 90 min wait so they ended up going elsewhere. Parking is a bit difficult as Milwaukee is a very busy street so try to find parking in nearby residential streets. Our waiter was really funny and cool! We really like him and he have us good tips on what to order since some of us haven't eaten here before. We started with an order of manly fries, cheesy tots, and truffle fries. My favorite was the manly fries! There was bacon bits, onion rings, and some kind of sauce. Delicious! For burgers I ordered the Chicago burger. I don't think that was the name but it was sausage patty with ghironera. It was really good. My other friends had other burgers which they also enjoyed. One of the waiters hit on my friend. It was cute and funny at the same time. Too bad she's engaged already! I would come back and try a diff kind of burger . Pretty hip place!
(4)
Amanda M.

Came here Sunday evening and luckily only had to wait about five minutes. I got the classic umami burger and the manly fries. Being a Midwesterner and Chicagoan, I've tried my fair share of burger places. I can honestly say that Umami just might be my favorite, although most of the burger establishments are all very different in style and flavorings (Butcher & the Burger, Kuma's, DMK, Etno's). The classic burger just melted in my mouth and while I'm not a huge meat person, I devoured that burger. It certainly wasn't the biggest of burgers, but it was the right amount for me and really should be enough for anyone to consume and be happy with. The meat was perfectly cooked medium-rare, bun was perfectly toasted with a nice garlic flavor and all the toppings just went very well together. Also, while super tasty, it was not overly greasy. The manly fries were pretty good, but not mind-blowing. I enjoyed the flavors and toppings of it more so than the shoestring fries itself. I did really enjoy all the different sauces, especially the hot one, as it did have a nice kick to it. We also got a couple of the ice cream sandwiches for dessert, and it was good, but not sure how good an ice cream sandwich can really get. Atmosphere was cool and casual. Not too much privacy as tables are pretty close together. Nice drinks selection. Our waitress and rest of the staff were very friendly, attentive, and helpful. Great service. Definitely will come back and try their other burgers.
(5)
Karl Y.

There's so much to say about this place but really it's all in the experience, but this has to be one of my favorite places for burgers now. Apparently they use filet mignon that they grind in house which was a cool surprise, which effects the cook time. I'm normally a medium well kinda guy but was thankfully advised by the bartender/waitress to get medium rare. I raised an eyebrow but she basically begged me to trust her which I couldn't say no, because she was cute and stuff but, anyway she was right. Absolutely right. MEDIUM RARE is the way to go. It was perfection. Everything else about the place was great too. Very fresh ingredients but that burger is something that must be tried at least once in life. I just hate that I don't live nearby!
(5)
Bailey Q.

The food is ok. Its just a burger. I think the sauces they serve you really made the food better. But the service was pretty bad. My bf and I went here for his birthday. The waitress carded us for our drinks but failed to acknowledge his birthday. After that she basically ignored him and only talked and made eye contact with me. Then when she gave us the dessert menu she asked if i wanted anything i said no and she walked away without waiting for my bf to respond. Also usually they put the check between the 2 people. But she put it directly in front of him. Which was rude to assume he would be paying. Maybe I woukd give it more stars if the waitress was more nice and polite.
(3)
Davin L.

So SoCal wants to throw down the burger gauntlet here in Chicago? I say bring it on... Finally tried the very hyped Umami burger at a special event on Tuesday. After a lengthy Q&A with the bartender, I decided on the Manly Burger, which consisted of beer-cheddar cheese, smoked salt-onion strings and thick chunks of bacon lardon, a side of sweet potato fries, and a Man in the Yellow Hat cocktail. The burger was excellent, a total promise on the elusive fifth flavor. The cheese and onion strings were an enhancement of the burger, cooked to medium rare perfection. The sweet potato fries were equally impressive, with sugar and salt equally but not excessively covering every morsel. And with four different sauces to dip them in, it was flavor nirvana. The cocktail was nice and stiff, with a banana aftertaste that made the meal go down nice and smooth. I was informed that my meal would've run about $27, not including tax. It is here where I slightly balk. I'm a firm believer of getting what you pay for, and Umami delivered on the goods, no doubt. However, it can be a jarring experience to drop thirty bones on a burger, fries, and drink. As long as you are fully prepared for the sticker shock, I say go for it. The service was excellent, although the atmosphere was quite noisy. I suppose they're excited to open their first Chicago restaurant, so I'll let it slide. The gauntlet has been thrown. Accept the challenge and show this Cali burger we can throw down here in Chicago!
(4)
Pari P.

Finally, Umami Burger has opened in Chicago! Is it worth all of the hype or is it just another West Coast fad? I set my fifth taste buds on full blast ready to eat the savory goodness. We tried The Original and the Calabrese Burger. The Original was subtle but definitely hit the umami goodness that I was looking for. You could taste the umami from the parmesean, shitake mushrooms, and the homemade umami ketchup. The Calabrese is exclusive to the Chicago location and complimented The Original perfectly. The sausage patty reminded me of chorizo and it went really well with the homemade giardiniera and truffle aioli. The burgers were $12 each and didn't come with fries. You can order a side of fries for $3 or "umamify" them for another $3.50. Overall, the burgers are made exceptionally well with quality but it's a bit pricey. The burgers are smaller than a Whopper at Burger King but slightly bigger than a Quarter Pounder at McD's. I would definitely recommend trying Umami Burger but I don't know if I would be going back anytime soon.
(4)
Lindsay Y.

Unami burger was awesome! I've been patiently waiting for it's grand opening, and I was impressed. The decor was really cute and inviting. My boyfriend ordered the Unami fries which were thin and crispy and the green Chile hatch burger. He really enjoyed it and even devoured the rest of my bugger that I was too full to finish lol. I had the delicious truffle burger (sometimes truffle flavored food can be overwhelming) but this burger had the perfect amount. They also had a Happy hour menu that looked tasty. Can't wait to try more items on the menu, especially the ahi tuna burger.
(4)
Rosie C.

Again, if you want a plate of Salt and a salt coma go here.... Nothing special about the burgers except the place looking "cool"...I hate being negative but it's the truth and it will save you from a high blood pressure headache that xoco down the street gave me...
(2)
Jackie M.

I feel like I shouldn't have liked this, I was too full to have enjoyed it, I just ate a burger somewhere else, but I still really liked my Umami burger. They look really cute, cooked to perfection as our server has delicately warned us. These burgers are savory, sweet, slightly salty, and the meat is really good. The shiitake mushroom that goes is almost ridiculously small, just bigger than a quarter, but it adds that signature umami flavor you can't get anywhere else. Goes perfect with a side of sweet potato fries. Sunny side is so truffly, I could smell while it's sitting on the table. How was it? Absolutely delicious. The 3 in house sauces were fun to try. Mix it up, go nuts! The price for them is utterly ridiculous, but it's delicious and unique enough, not to mention, great beef, I would do it again.
(4)
Mihir P.

I liked it didn't love it. Hostess was kind of indifferent and just went through the motions. Great knowledgeable and professional service. I got the throwback burger which sounded amazing but I think it just had too much going on and ended up being way too salty and not umami. The meat itself didn't taste seasoned though I could taste the freshness. Nice thin truffle fries but they were in a river of cheese goop which made them overly heavy. Pretty standard onion rings which needed seasoning. 3 above par sauces to go with your food. Creative cookie ice cream sandwiches for dessert were delicious.
(3)
Mandy J.

We decided to give this place a shot after being told Au Cheval was a four hour wait. No thanks! The service was good. The ambiance is the cool, hipster feel you'd expect for Wicker Park. The prices were reasonable...all good stuff. The maple bacon sweet potato fries are everything everyone raves about. But the burgers were just okay. I'm not a fan of truffle (rare and random, I acknowledge), so I had a hard time finding anything on the menu that interested me. Even the ketchup has truffle in it. So, if you like truffle, maybe you'll be able to give this place more stars than I. I settled for the turkey burger (who goes to a burger bar for turkey!?!?), because it was the easiest to make truffle-free. It was okay. But not life changing.
(3)
Sara A.

The burgers here are amazing. My husband and I wandered in by chance and had the best meal of our lives. Highly recommend the truffle fries. Their green tea is very good as well. Our waiter was great, I'm sorry I didn't catch his name. Very knowledgeable on the menu and sure nice. I can't wait to go back!
(5)
Jessica P.

Very tasty, and unique burgers. Their fries are delicious. I don't like that they insist on bringing out their fries as an "appetizer" rather than with the rest of the meal so I always tell me waitress not to do that. I love that there is never a long wait.
(4)
Dustin H.

I was coming off a 12 hour fast for some blood work (don't worry, I'm fine) and I was starving. Burgers were ON MY MIND. I've been reading about this joint for years, and a lot of my LA bros love the place. Is it possible to have too much flavor in one meal? I would suggest the answer is yes, and this was confirmed after today's lunch. Maybe it's because I actually like a little balance in my meals but holy crap I did not like Umami Burger. From the menu: "Each burger is made with our signature Master Sauce & Umami Dust in order to deliver the maximum amount of umami flavor in every bite" I mean... seriously. Everything tasted of umami. Every single bite of food was so packed with richness and this deep flavor profile, and there was no break... no end in sight beyond giving up and throwing in the towel. It's like they've somehow infused fish sauce into the cheese. When ordering, I expected some deep flavors so we tried to mix it up with some brightness. The house pickle plate was ordered, in hopes for some tang. Was it bright? Sort of. Did it taste of umami? Sickeningly so. We tried the Cali burger which featured butter lettuce, roasted tomato, caramelized onions, "house spread" and "cali" cheese. What did it taste like? It tasted like soy sauce my friends. The onion rings were gloriously thick, crispy and just a little greasy. They took well to the house made hot sauce, but the other milky white sauces on the table? I'm pretty sure I poured salted whipping cream on my food. Of course the truffle burger with truffled aioli, cheese & glaze was going to be rich, but like holy crap it was so unappetizingly rich. First bite in we were overwhelmed and overjoyed, but halfway through my wife stated she was going to puke if she ate any more. I felt the same way. I was ready to vomit. It was all way way too much. Yes the service is fine, and they use quality ingredients but the flavor combinations were absolutely way too heavy with little variation in flavor profiles throughout the meal. Our burger lunch (with no drinks) cost us over 40 bucks. Guy Fieri is rolling in his grave.
(2)
Jessica L.

TRUFFLE. EVERYTHING. Love the Truffle Burger and the Truffle Fries. Last time I ventured out and got the Sunny Side... basically the truffle burger but with an egg on top. SO GOOD. Also liked the pickled plate. I think with drinks an appetizers though, this place does get expensive. You can spend money quickly here so I would never hang around for awhile drinking, just not worth it.
(4)
Fady E.

I, like many people, have tried many a burger before. Some were good and others were downright atrocious. Unusually don't get excited about burgers on menus and typically avoid them, but resort to them if nothing else on the menu looks better. But I had yet to have an amazing burger...until Umami. Enter the Sunny Burger, crowned with a perfectly cooked egg. And when I say perfectly cooked, I mean perfectly cooked. The meat, fresh, grass fed, high quality, cooked medium rare to perfection. This burger highlighted one of the things I dislike about other burger joints. Greasy is commonly mistaken for juicy. Finally, at Unami, I had a burger that was juicy and not at all greasy. It was tasty and perfect To top it off, a knowledgable and friendly server, and truffle fries (wow!), I wish I could give a 6 out of 5 stars for this gem.
(5)
Natalia M.

Mmmmmm... Umami burger. Yes. I waited a long time to try it, and when I finally got to, I was definitely not disappointed. The atmosphere is really cool, and the people there are all really nice! That really added to the positive experience. My boyfriend, our friend, and I got a burger each, and two orders of fries, and it was TOO MUCH food. Everything is very satisfying (because of that "umami" concept, they build all their food around it) so sharing is not out of the question. I had the classic Umami burger. The flavors went so well together. But my boyfriend's truffle burger... Oh. My. God. I still drool when I think about it. I'm getting that one (and NOT sharing) next time I go. We got the manly fries and the truffle fries to go along with our burgers. The manly fries were amazing! And usually I love truffle fries, but these ones I wasn't too crazy about. I think it was the cheese they used. It had a slight bitterness to it. But still not bad. They also have an assortment of dipping sauces, which are all really good. They had a spicy one that is addicting. I actually asked if they have it bottled so that I could buy it, haha. To finish my meal, I actually ordered a dessert (which I don't usually do) but when I saw this one I just couldn't resist. It was a snickerdoodle cookie and salted caramel ice cream sandwich. I was so full already, but I ended up eating the whole thing by myself. Overall, everything was fantastic. I'm already dreaming of my next visit to Umami burger.
(5)
Xiaoxi W.

I give 5 stars even before eating the burger. The fries are really good! I order tuna burger, which is very creamy,,yummy, and cannot forget at all
(5)
Danielle S.

Best burger I've had in Chicago. So happy Umami made its way To Chicago! You must order the truffle fries and fried pickles! So delicious. The homemade sauces are to die for too. You can't pick just one. Truffle burger, I can't stop thinking about it. You must done here, you will be hooked!
(5)
Jerrod B.

The burgers are juicy and flavorful. All of the varieties are creative. The sweet potato fries are delicious, especially the maple bacon ones! They also have a variety of creative cocktails. Service has always been friendly and attentive.
(5)
Becca T.

My absolute favorite tuna burger! Absolutely perfect! The maple sweet potato fries with bacon were mouthwatering. Second time here and even better!
(5)
Dalia M.

So, I would give this place 4 stars but my boyfriend didn't love it. I'm a lover for rare steaks while he prefers medium rare. So I'm shooting for the middle here. We were given truffle fries due to an issue with our table so that was nice of them! We split the hatch and the manly, cooked medium rare as they recommend it. They came out on the rarer side. I loved this, the boyfriend not as much. Also got the onion rings - too much food at this point! I enjoyed both burgers and the truffle fries. Onion rings weren't amazing... I get picky about these. Could have not gotten those. Chill service, busy on a Thursday!
(3)
Tiffany Y.

I've been to multiple Umami locations across the US, and I am never impressed maybe because I feel like their burgers are just so average. The sauce is always tasty but you don't go to a burger place for the sauce. We popped in around the lunchtime and were seated right away hurrahhh. I usually order the manly burger or the umami burger ( burger with a parmesan frico sunny side up egg, and arugula ) The burger was made perfectly and wasn't super crumbly like the last time I had Umami in vegas, so that was nice, except I still feel like the meat doesn't have anything special in it to justify the $11 - $14 price tag. It is also very small and I don't think it could fill up anyone whom had a larger appetite. The ketchup here is always delicious, and their garlic aioli sauce is one of a kind. They also had soo much brown sugar on the sweet potato fries , it made them more of a dessert than a side. The service here was fantastic, but I still would choose Habit, or Bachi Burger over Umami anyday.
(3)
Lex B.

Got there with my "burger club" (think fight club except we eat burgers) around 12:30PM on a Sunday. I was excited and I was definitely not disappointed! I got the Sunny Side Burger with turkey (they allow substitutions now!) and a side of sweet potato fries. The sweet potato fries were one of the best I've had. Maybe a tad more sweet than some may like it, but...that's how I like it. And our server was correct - the burger just melt in your mouth. They have a butcher in the kitchen at all times, so the quality of meat is higher than most place. When we got there, it wasn't busy, but it quickly filled up. Oh and there's free street parking around there on Sundays. Score!
(4)
Jeff B.

It's not often I walk out of a highly rated restaurant - but today I did just that. The staff need an attitude check and some training. Let me expound: the hostess more or less grunted at us, 20 min wait ok but it took us 5 min to hear her repeat herself over the absurdly loud music. Head toward the bar and are accosted by a server intercepting us from the table we were not headed to ( again headed to the bar). The overly aggressive server could not hear us say "we're going to the bar" - again absurdly loud music. Just a side note, this whole encounter would not have happened except for the mignon of employees forming a blockade to the bar area entrance near the door. At the bar, which was seated full but not particularly busy, the bartender noticed us after maybe 5 minutes and stopped long enough, frazzled, to yell over the absurdly loud music that she had "six ahead of you (us)". We decided to leave. Could not help but to notice the manager and chef casually looking over the dining room and chatting from just inside the kitchen hall and no one addressing us on the way out.
(1)
Aminda S.

I've been to Umami Burger three times since their opening. Twice to eat, and once to pick up three $50 gift cards as gifts for clients so they could get their mitts on a high quality, cooked to perfection, food coma causer as well. There are really only two things you need to know: 1. You can't go wrong with any of these burgers, but if you need a recommendation The Original, The Manly, or The California are sure to satisfy. 2. If you don't get the Maple Bacon Old Fashioned you're a damned fool.
(5)
Melissa A.

Umami, the fifth taste often corresponding to the flavor of glutamates. I have been wanting to try Umami for a while now and finally was able to check it off my restaurant list last night. Everyone had been raving about it but I knew not to expect anything extraordinary since it's pretty hard to impress me when it comes to burgers. Let's just say my visit here was pleasant but nothing outstanding. My friend and I were seated almost immediately upon arrival probably because it was a week night around 730pm. Our server came and asked us if we've ever been here before and we said no. I don't remember her explaining anything after asking us that question though, not that the menu isn't self-explanatory. My friend,D, and I started off with a drink, I had the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA and D had a glass of Pinot Noir. I like wine but prefer typically prefer beer paired with burgers. Then we decided to be gluttons and ordered the truffle fries AND onion rings to share. I chose the "Manly Burger" and he had the staple "Umami Burger". What can I say, I'm a guy at heart (beer and burgers just do it for me). Here's what I thought about the meal and my dinner here. *Ballast beer - Surprisingly good! I typically don't like IPAs but I've decided to give them another try and hopefully I will acquire the like for the taste (that's what people tell me haha). This was a lighter beer with a more fruity flavor and overall not too hoppy. I'd recommend as a beginner beer to IPAs. *Manly Burger - This was tasty but nothing earth shattering. It was your typical burger topped with cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, and onion strings. The burger itself was juicy and cooked medium rare which is perfect. The toppings were good but nothing creative and for $12, this burger is a bit pricey. *Onion Rings - they were tempura battered so they were lighter than your typical but there was nothing special about them either. They gave a decent amount so I'll give them that. *Truffle fries - These were pretty good but not the best truffle fries I've had. They were thin cut fries (which I liked) but I wasn't particularly fond of the truffle cheese that it was topped with. It tasted like the fake cheese you put on nachos and I would have preferred shredded cheese instead, but that's just my preference. *Service was a little spotty- She checked on our table once or twice throughout the meal and I had to ask her for water at the end of the meal since she never brought any. She also wasn't particularly friendly, more so indifferent. Umami was just ok and if I want OK I don't want to pay $12 for a burger. If I'm in the area, there are a bunch of other restaurants I would be more likely to stop into for a meal.
(3)
Keith T.

Nice Japanese style burger place. The restaurant itself is nice and clean. The kichen was surprising clean too. (Did not expect to have that in a fast food restaurant) Overall, the meal was good, but it was a little bit too salty.
(4)
Kori E.

Eh. I really wanted to like this place, but we were left feeling disappointed. Our waiter was really enthusiastic about his job, but it was a little muccchhhh. I do NOT like my meat medium rare, and they really push that here. Why? Just cook it the way I want it. I felt that my burger was OK and kinda greasy. The bun was soaked - gross. I just was expecting something so much more. Also, the sweet potato fries have brown sugar topping, gobs of it, all over the fries. It was more of a dessert than a fry. I dont know, I wont be rushing back here, I dont think...
(3)
Mira S.

It's one of my favorite burger places (a micro-chain, more accurately) in LA, and I was happy to see one come to Chicago. The service was great: friendly, attentive but not overbearing, and quick with the food. Also very tailored to your preferences, from how they cook your burger to the order in which the food comes out and the sauce options. We tried the throwback and the umami (when in Rome). Both were good, there was a bunch going on but it worked. The throwback is supposed to be in'n'outbstule, so two thin patties with their twist on mustard, ketchup, picked, onions, and cheese. The unanimous was cheese and mushrooms, and maybe caramelized onions. The sweet potato fries tasted fresh, and like real sweet potato, with sugar and salt sprinkles on. The pickle plate is six different pickled items, so it's interesting. Not a huge draft beer selection, but decent options.
(4)
Lindsey D.

I came here for lunch yesterday with a couple friends and holy food coma was it awesome. Admittedly, I was a little tipsy off mimosas when I got here, so I will have to come back and try it sober. For a Sunday around lunch time, I was a little surprised that this place wasn't more packed, we were seated immediately. I ordered one of their cocktails (don't remember which), it was good, but I probably could have gone without it. I decided on the truffle burger medium well and truffle fries because I love all truffle everything. One friend got the manly burger and another got the sunnyside which comes with a fried egg. My truffle burger was pretty good, but it wasn't the best burger I've ever had. I think next time I will try the sunnyside. I was able to try a bite of the manly burger and that was also very good. The truffle fries though..they are the holy grail. Get them. Don't be like my friends and just order regular fries, they're nothing special without the truffle. The fries also come with 4 dipping sauces for the table which were also very good. I will say that prices are a little steep here. My burger and truffle fries were about 20 bucks with tax and everything. Add on the drink and I was looking at a 30 dollar bill.
(4)
Kevin C.

The original umami burger was really good. Manly was pretty decent, but a little too salty for me Fries and the sauces were good too.
(5)
Kevin M.

I think my exact phrase coming out of this place for the first time was, "Meh" A couple hours after getting home, it went from "meh" to "AHHHHH!!" Let's just say the food isn't friendly to the system. I wasn't the only one who felt that way out of my group of 4, and even weeks later we all joke about how the name should be changed from "Umami" to "Oooo, Mommy!!", which is what you'll be screaming later as your intestines contort. Beyond that: overly trendy vibe, over-the-top burger toppings & combos, poor price-to-quality and -quantity ratio, so-so service, and highish beer prices, even for the neighborhood. I was really looking forward to this place but between the above and the, ahem, "issues" we experienced later, I will not be back.
(1)
Tony S.

For ages, men have pondered: are Umami's burgers really that distinguished? Tonight, let me put the question to rest--yes, because they are truly exquisite. After spending a lazy afternoon in Wicker Park, we traipsed down Milwaukee Ave and happened upon a neon sign in the shape of the numeral 7. Feeling lucky, we ducked inside and settled into one of the booths near the kitchen, secretly knowing that something wonderful was in store for us. My friend chose to deconstruct her Original Umami--which the Eater (forgive me if posting links to other dining guides on Yelp is committing a faux pas, but I found this to be particularly well-done) similarly picks apart here: eater.com/2013/4/18/6450â€¦ I had the Throwback Special, which our waiter introduced as "In-N-Out brought to Hawaii". The Throwback is constituted of sharp white cheddar, minced onions, soy pickles, delicious house ketchup, miso mustard, and TWO beef patties. The Portugese-style bun tops it off with a smooth finish--not unlike the varnished wooden decor. While devouring our medium-rares, "Penny Lane" and other Lennon/McCartney favorites crooned from the speakers, and we were brought back to a more perfect time. Like the feeling of nostalgia, Umami's burgers are carefully crafted to be delicate, but potent. You suddenly remembered the burger you had always longed for, but had not yet had the chance to try.
(4)
Jordan S.

Fulfilled all of my wildest fantasies: Sexy buns: check Fresh meat: check Magic homemade sauce: check Simple, elegant, brilliant.
(5)
Alex R.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience at Umami Burger, based in large part on the strength of its burgers. There were a few misses, but it's certainly a place we'd visit again. We must have had a truffle fix that day because everyone ordered the special truffle burger, which was the regular truffle burger with a fried egg. The burger was cooked well, and the truffle wasn't overpowering. I just wish it was bigger! And if the truffle burger wasn't enough, we also got the truffle fries, which were standard but still tasty. The sauces that came with the fries were a little underwhelming though, as was the fried pickle plate that we also tried. I was a little worried that the burgers would not live up to the hype, but I was definitely happy with my burger. Come here for a cool vibe and good service. The food is a little pricey, but it's par for the course for a Wicker Park spot.
(4)
Ruth A.

If you're looking for a truly sensational, flavorful, oh-my-God-is-this-real-life burger, look no further. Believe the hype that Umami gets-- it is seriously that good. The Original is my go-to choice, but the Manly burger is a close second (those bacon cubes, though!). Split a side of their truffle fries and treat yourself to a craft beer or two. Unfortunately it is way too easy to rack up a hefty bill-- I've gone with 3 other friends most times and our bill usually totals up to $90-100-- but it's totally worth the treat.
(5)
GR G.

Have some full flavor burgers here... The fries were covered with various ingredients that really stepped up the tastiness. Tried their house burger and one that I forgot the name - made with sausage. Little pricey, but was packed with unique flavors.
(4)
Lena D.

Everyone should eat at Umami Burger once in their life!! Coming from a girl who loves her burgers, this place is definitely on the top of my list. I ordered the original burger and my friend ordered the "truffle especiale " burger (burger special at the time). We split our burgers in half so I was able to try both and I fell in love both of them. Everything in the burger just blended so well together. We also ordered the truffle fries & sweet potato fries. The sweet potato fries here are the best sweet potato fries I have ever tried. I'm not sure if I'm exaggerating but I was happy to be eating them the entire time. My only regret was not ordering the "manly" version of the truffle fries. Unfortunately, I'm from Texas and I don't know when the next time I'll be in Chicago is but when I go back up north, I will stop by here again and try a new burger. Also they don't do take-out! I had to learn that the hard way when I walked in the restaurant instead of calling in to ask.
(5)
Dannie C.

I would come here everyday if I lived closer and weren't health conscious. I've had the Truffle'd burger twice and was blown away both times. The Original and Manly are also excellent. There's something about the sauce and the proportion of ingredients/sauces/bun. Words cannot describe how much better the burgers here are than anyplace else I've ever dined. If you have room for dessert get the ice cream sandwiches! They are simply delightful.
(5)
Melanie S.

Overall, I enjoyed Umami Burger. Would I wait more than thirty minutes for a table? Probably not. On our first visit, we were lucky and didn't have to wait at all (although we were prepared to). Our friendly server explained the concept. I get it; I don't really need to have a burger "concept" explained to me. We both got the Original burger as well as sides of onion rings and smushed (their description, it's not a misspelling) potatoes. The burgers were a good size. Not too big that we couldn't finish them, and not too small that we'd still be hungry. We enjoyed them, and appreciated the slightly different toppings (shiitake mushrooms, roasted tomato, parmesan frico) as well as the fact that they were cooked just right. I thought the onion rings had a bit too much breading, but they were good, especially when dipped into the jalapeno ranch dressing. The smushed potatoes were exactly as they sound--small tubers that are smushed, and double fried until crispy. These were really good, and a nice change of pace from regular fries. We ran into fellow Yelpers, Keith R., and Melanie R., who graciously shared their tater tots with us. They're on the secret menu, which we didn't know, so thanks for heads-up, Keith! We finished with an ice cream cookie sandwich that consisted of salted chocolate ice cream sandwiched between a snickerdoodle and a chocolate chip cookie. I think it named Rem's Cool-haus. Anyone know why all the ice cream sandwiches are named after famous architects? All of the food was tasty, but definitely could have benefited from a little salt. Strangely enough, the only thing that was salted was the ice cream. Umami Burger is better-than-average option for a burger. If I found myself in Wicker Park and craving a burger, I would happily go back.
(4)
Arko B.

Good as always. Wonderful burgers with a different taste. I liked their San Francisco restaurant better though.
(4)
Mouse C.

FINALLY made it to Umami burger yesterday and was not the least bit disappointed! The beau and I stopped in for lunch and were pleasantly surprised to be seated right away. A huge stacked bar greeted us which is always nice:) We were proceeded to be seated in the back...the place is a decent size and you wouldn't think so as it's tuck tightly on busy Milwaukee Ave. in the heart of Wicker Park. The menu is basic but you don't need a lot of options. Burgers, fries, onion rings. That's about it. I will say though there are quite a few burger options which made it hard to decide! I went with the Cali and my boy, the Umami. Both were equally delicious. Smooth, melty cheese, Caramelized onions, DELICIOUS burger patty cooked to perfection. I could go on and on but just trust me that this burger is fantastic. I inhaled mine in about 3 minutes flat, no joke, so please excuse the lack of pictures. Also, we shared the cheese fries for a side which were thin, crispy, and had the perfect amount of truffle cheese. Oh also important to note: their homemade dipping sauces are BOMB! There is a spicy chipotle, jalapeÃ±o ranch, garlic aioli, and homemade ketchup. Mix them, match them, drink them, whatever you do....try all of them! They go perfect on the burgers and fries. We decided to try dessert which proved to be underwhelming. It was a peanut butter ice cream cookie sandwich which sounds like it should be off the chains, but it was just EH. Oh well, next time I know to skip the dessert and maybe order a double burger;) Overall, Umami serves up a solid burger perfect for lunchtime. I will definitely be back when I feel like fighting for parking again in Wicker Park.
(4)
Natalie C.

I've been to Umami a couple times now. The food is good - burgers are high quality beef (served medium-rare of course) and the toppings are tasty. The service is pretty quick and helpful/attentive, they love to give you the 'Umami Experience Explanation" when you first sit down. And they have cute little wooden tokens to rate their service when you leave. The reason for the three-star is two-fold (if I could give 3.5, I would): 1. I feel like Umami Burger is super over-hyped. Like.. sure, the ingredients are good quality and put together well... but it's not like this is a place that I dream secret juicy delicious burger dreams about (and oh you betcha, I have those dreams). The wait can be moderately ridiculous on the weekends, especially given there are decidedly better burger joints in the city (Au Cheval, Kumas, Owen & Engine anyone?) - granted it is a solid burger joint in Wicker Park 2. Everything is A La Carte at Umami, the portions are not huge (granted we as Americans eat way too much when we go out... but it is what it is I spose) and they are definitely pricier - $12 for a smaller burger, then between $3-5 for sides, rounding your 'burger and fries' out at around $15-16ish, which isn't outlandish by any means, just a little steeper than some of the aforementioned burger places. Again, everything I've had from Umami HAS been very tasty and cooked really well. I probably will stop back in when in Wicker and craving a burger, but it's not a place that I'm dying to go back to this very second.
(3)
Glen H.

Truffle Fries!!!!! Get them. Oh and even better. Truffle burger. Enjoy!!! It's worth it!!!
(5)
Marilynn P.

I'd actually give it a 3.5 star rating. We decided to have an impromptu burger night at Umami. It was definitely cool but nothing really really blew me away. When we arrived, it was packed and there was about a 45 minute wait. Wish the bar area was a little larger because we wanted to stay, but there were just so many people plus a live musician. So we left our name and number with the receptionist and went next door to Wormhole for something to drink, hoping we would get a text/call letting us know when a table was ready. We came back 45 minutes later and the crowd had died down. We were expecting a text notifying us a table was ready... however we didn't get one. In fact a lot of the people who arrived after us were already seated and eating. So they probably just call the name of your party (not sure why the phone number was needed). Luckily there was no one waiting for a table when we came back the second time, and we were seated within 10 minutes. Food- Onion rings- yummy! I felt like they were pretty standard onion rings... but we definitely loved the assortment of sauces they brought out with it. The original burger- meh. I was not a fan of the house ketchup on the burger (I LOVED THE KETCHUP with the onion rings... but it made the burger too sweet for me). I couldn't even finish it. Truffle Especiale- So damn delicious! I'd come back for this burger in a minute. But that is probably it. I didn't feel like the dessert menu was satisfying (they only had two semi-bland options). We went with the Gingerbread pie (from bang bang pie and biscuits)- was not a fan (definitely had a very strange aftertaste). But I appreciated the extra scoop of ice cream he threw in on top of it. Ambiance and service were all excellent.
(3)
Alford L.

Umami burger.. mmmmm... so good. Came here before a comedy show in Wicker park and was told there would be a 30-40 minute wait. But lucky for us, they serve the full menu at the bar. The bartender was very attentive and explained to us the whole menu and what Umami was all about. I thought that was pretty cool. I had the Umami burger and it was very good. The fries come with a couple different homemade dipping sauces and fries were fresh and delicious. I'd definitely want to come back.
(5)
Rahul G.

Have been hearing tons about this place, both from family and my students. And I'm glad I finally went! Really cool place inside, love the all wood look. The art inside is really unique and adds a great vibe. The food is delicious. I got the Manly burger, and I love everything about it. Not the best burger ever or in Chicago, but very good. The bacon lardons were a cool spin and very delicious. I like the fried onions too. I normally don't like ketchup but the waitress said it's very different and that I should try it. So I ordered the burger as is and it was delicious. And the sauces were great, especially the hot sauce and ranch. The fries were really good, and I want to try the truffle cheese fries next time. Very happy with this place, excited to go back. I like the compliment system too, with the jars and tokens.
(5)
Ili V.

Take the Umami Burger. Wow! Otherwise a nice unpretenteous place and staff was cool as well.
(5)
Brett F.

I'm from L.A. I love Umami Burger. But don't get it twisted. I don't love it more than In-N-Out and it sure don't hold a candle to The Apple Pan. Still, it's like one of those rite of passage things. You get up late. You languidly slip on some not-trying-too-hard scuffed up boots. You drive down PCH in your vintage Porche. Stop at the beach. Say hi to Justin Bobby. Then meander over to Umami Burger for their signature patty with mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and a parmesan frico. Ahhh, that Cali life. Actually, no. It's not like that at all. It's like real life. Only warmer. But the Umami Burger in Wicker Park does help to recapture a little bit of the Golden State right here at home for me. And that, I love. Service here is friendly and the burgers are expectedly umami-ish. If you don't know what umami is, the explanation and all of the fifth flavor jargon will only serve to confuse you. The burgers are burgers, with fancy and predominantly savory flavors. Truffle reigns king here. As do amazingly skinny fries and insanely large tater totes (those are secret menu, shhhh). The Hatch Burger is where it's at. You can get a well-crafted cocktail here and sit at a proper bar if you'd like. Otherwise, it's table seating with a server. Not fast food as some would imagine it. It's an experience for a burger enthusiast with a lot of tummy real estate. Every time I'm in I can't resist the awesome sides and end up with a burger, fried pickles, truffle skinny fries and secret tots. It's like a carbo conference and it's coma-enducing. Go hungry. Go now! I don't care what number flavor Umami is, it's tops in my burger book.
(4)
Mei K.

I first tried Umami back when it was still popular in LA. Hearing about its opening in Chicago, I caved in and wanted to give them another try. The verdict, still meh... The burger was good, cooked just right, but when you have to wait 50 minutes for a table, it's just not as satisfying. I had the original burger that came with ONE whole whopping shiitake mushroom. Because, you know, TWO would just be too much and THREE!? You must be crazy to wanna cover the surface of your burger with that. On the plus side, I did like the onion rings and truffle fries especially in the garlic aioli sauce. Customer service also deserves an A+!
(3)
Jeana C.

My friends and I ordered: Truffle Fries Onion Rings Truffle Burger (aioli, cheese and beef) Cali Burger (beef with caramelized onions, tomato, lettuce, cheese) Greenbird burger (turkey patty with avocado, cheese, lettuce and sprouts) Awesome food. Beef patty was medium-rare and it was cooked to perfection. I was lucky enough to try all 3 burgers and I loved the Truffle Burger and Greenbird. Burger portions are smaller than other places. Full bar, street parking though it can be hard to find parking and it seems like it can get packed as the place is not that big. Came here on a Wednesday night and there was a 10 minute wait.
(5)
Mike M.

This place doesn't take reservations, so I knew we were in for a wait once we got there. They told us around 40 minutes but we were lucky enough to get a couple seats at the bar while waiting. We were able to get some drinks and an appetizer. I ordered an Old fashioned that came with strip of bacon in it. Can't get anymore manly than that. Sweet and salty at its finest. Service: Once we got a table, our waiter was cool as hell. It was our first time here so he gave us suggestions on some of the popular items on the menu. He told us to get the Calabrese burger since it was Chicago specific. Burgers: Calabrese burger - We got this mainly because it was the one burger on their menu that you could only get in Chicago. It was a sausage blend instead of beef but damn it had a ton of flavor. It had truffle flavor in both the cheese and sauce and was topped with giardiniera. The meat was tender and juicy and all the flavors worked well together. Manly burger - I can never pass up a burger that has bacon, cheese, and onion strings on it, so I knew right away I'd be ordering this classic. Everything tasted as good as I expected but I was blown away by the bacon lardons. These little cubed meat gems just exploded with flavor in my mouth. I literally demolished this burger within minutes. Again, the meat was cooked perfectly and overall it was just a really juicy, flavorful burger. The burgers aren't huge but it definitely makes up for it with the flavor. Sides: Tempura onion rings - Super crispy with a good breading. Tasted awesome with that hot sauce they gave. Sweet potato fries - Thin and crispy, just the way I like em Truffle fries - It had a bold, rich and creamy sauce all over it. Just delicious. Along with the food they gave us a couple different sauces: Garlic aioli - I'm a sucker for garlic aioli...I put that shit on everything Diablo sauce - whoa this has some heat to it, but in a good way. It definitely pairs well with the other two creamier sauces. Jalapeno ranch - It had a really mild hint of spice. Tasted more like regular ranch to me. Overall - It was a little bit on the expensive side for a burger, but the quality and flavor of the food was definitely worth it. I'd go back to try some of their other burgers.
(5)
Evan E.

Came down from Canada. This place was highly suggested by a couple of friends. Located in Wicker Park. Loved the vibe as soon as we walked in. We were greeted at the door, seated, and served by differed people each time! The staff was extremely friendly and our server gave us some good background of the restaurant! After having our meal, the manager checked in with us. You'll love the Throwback if you're a meat lover. Had a bite of my girlfriend's Sunnyside burger and it was AMAZING! Food, staff, vibe was exceptional. Love this place, would come back and would highly recommend you stop by!
(5)
Plamena G.

I'm not a big burger person, but I REALLY liked this place! The atmosphere was very casual, and we got a very knowledgeable server. She was really pleasant and basically knew everything about Umami burger. We started off with the truffle fries, which were cut really thinly and were very tasty. I would highly recommend them. I ordered the truffle burger, and I was a little worried that it was going to be really meaty (I like thinner patties), but the beef was not overpowering. The burger wasn't too heavy; I was actually able to eat the whole thing! Also, I really like the fact that they have wooden tokens to rate the service. I thought it was a really cute idea. I would definitely be coming back when I have a craving for a really good burger!
(5)
Lulu R.

Welcome to Chicago, Umami Burger! This wildly popular burger joint has settled in Chicago in a wonderful location if I may add. All these social media pictures were driving me insane! It looked good in photos but the real question is, does it taste as good as it looks? The answer is yes, yes it is. I went to Umami Burger with my cousins and one of which lived in California and regails of the truffle burgers greatness. I am a firm believer that the use of truffle is totally over used/hyped. I think that some places use truffle to mask a flavor. At Umami, they use it perfectly in unison to that perfectly cooked meat. Before I get into all that, the place is really great and has an open floor design. It has a clean garage feel. I think it plays into the whole hip-ster feel of the hood. The menu is simple and not crowded. The burger was cooked to my specifications, perfectly medium. Still juicy and full of that earthy truffle flavor on a perfectly toasted bun. We also had the tempura onion rings and I decided to stick one of those onion rings on my burger, best.decision.EVER! I enjoyed the different choices for sauces (garlic aioli mixed with that diablo sauce was my favorite). We also had a different assortment of fries which were good too. The service was great and they serve up signature cocktails. Perfect for a casual dinner day. The prices weren't bad and reasonable for a truffle burger. I plan to spread the Umami Burger love and return often.
(4)
Shima C.

The first time I had a taste of Umami burgers was at taste of Pasadena when I recently visited the West coast. I got to try one of their truffle sliders. Although I was already stuffed like a bear from all the other stop before umami, it was still amazing and it had a lasting impression on me. Needless to say, when I found out that there was a Umami here in my home town, I was stoked! My buddy and I got to this joint on a very busy street on a Saturday at 6 pm. Found parking super close to the place and it was free after 6! Awesome Sauce! Walked in, it was packed, the hostess greeted us right away and told us there would be a 40 min wait. Took down our number and we went over to the bar area. Ordered Ginger Beer - yummy. One thing I noticed was that all of the workers had either entire arm tattoos or hipster hats on or hipster glasses - I guess not a shocker given that its in wicker park. My buddy received a text alert saying our table was ready at exactly 40 min after as they promised. We were seated immediately between these other tables that were a little too close for comfort. Another thing I did not enjoy was that the place was very loud with music and people talking. I couldn't tell which was louder, the talking or the music. Are people talking louder because the music is too loud so they need to shout to hear what people are saying?? Or the other way around? Chicken or the egg?? Half the time my buddy was talking to me, I had no idea what she was saying. We shared an order of truffle fries which arrived first with 3 different kinds of sauces in a baby tin bucket and housemade ketchup. All of the sauces were pretty good. The fries were skinny cut and excellent! The fondue cheese sauce on top was a bit too salty. We did ask for it on the side but the server told us that was not possible :( BOOOOOOOOOOO I decided to go with the original classic burger with parmesan crust and shiitake mushrooms. (No truffle OD for me!) The patty was thick and juicy. The parmesan crust didn't add anything for me. Also, there was only one piece of tiny shiitake mushroom on top which I did not like. I wished that they would have put at least two pieces on there to cover the entire surface. I like to bite into every ingredient in every bite when I'm eating a burger/sandwich. But overall, it was a pretty good burger. For dessert, I ordered the honey custard pie which was not on the menu. It looked like cheese cake and kind of tasted like cheese cake except not as delicious as cheese cake. It was definitely not my cup of tea. But it could be just the fact that I'm not a dessert person. I wouldn't take my advise on desserts. At the end, they give you a coin to put into one of the three bins by the door where you can provide your feedback - good, average, bad. Such a loaded question with just one coin---- I went with good judging solely on food. pros: yummy food cons: loud, lonely shiitake, tables are too close to other parties!!!
(3)
Mark O.

I was completely disappointed in this place. I was super hungry and looking forward to having a good burger but was served a major disappointment on a soggy bun. I had the so called Cali burger. This place is trying to reinvent the wheel it comes to making burgers. I understand they would like to be unique and provide a special type of burger but this place will have your taste buds committing suicide. And it's not cheap, it cost over 50 bucks to feed two guys one nasty meal. Never again.
(1)
Peter R.

Just like the juicy beef patty in between the bread, the burger scene is getting saturated. Here is another entry, fresh from the West coast. I felt that this place was overhyped, but it did deliver. I will admit that the burger was good, but it wasn't great. If you are going to be hyped, and highly touted, I am going to need you to be GREAT. I ordered the Manly burger with a side of truffle fries. The Manly burger is delicious, but it needs to do a couple more bench presses if it wants to live up to its name. I will admit that the truffle fries are on point. Overall, my experience was good. The service, food, and ambiance was good. But in a great foodie town like Chicago, you are going to have to be great. Umami burger, I love you, but I'm not in love with you. Ok, bye...I'll call you.
(4)
Shane E.

I had the truffle burger and truffle fries, and I was in heaven. This is really a great burger. It's different than the typical Chicago Pub Burger - smaller. That said, they pack a massive amount of flavor into that thing. Paired with those incredible truffle fries, it's a dream. They have a good beer list as well. This place definitely checks all the boxes. I'm a fan. Note: they give you four different sauces to sample with the fries, all of which were flavorful. Don't skip the fries here.
(5)
Natalija S.

Heard very good things about this place. Customer service is fucking superb. 5/5 Ordered the truffle burger with fried pickles. Fried pickles=mouth orgasm YASSSS 4/5 Burger=ehhhhhhh. 3/5 I'm more into eating well done burgers and they made mine medium rare (the red, oh the red) so I wasn't too into that, and it was a bit greasy for my taste, BUUUUUTTTT the customer service and fried pickles were absolutely on point. Seriously, get the fried pickles. I'll have to pimp slap you if you don't.
(3)
Kate W.

5 Stars for the Burgers (A+ on my Hatch Burger) 3 Stars for everything else (skip the sweet potato fries--way to sweet and a little but gross. My husband said they tasted like body odor. Not pleasant!) 4 Stars for the Bill Hader lookalike bartender who was fun and funny 1 Star for the service (longer wait than told + bad table management + 20 minute wait for water) 2 Stars for the scene and noise = Pretty good if you're into a really decadent burger, but go when it's not busy and don't expect impeccable burger. We would also recommend: the root beer, the truffle fries, the original burger, the onion rings, the local beers on tap. Dessert ice cream sandwiches didn't wow anyone (but we ate them!). I can also see people really enjoying hanging out at the bar and grabbing a burger and some drinks. Definitely more the vibe here. It is, after all, Wicker Park. Also worth mentioning: this isn't a great place for a group. Tables are small and there aren't a lot of tables that can fit large parties--we were 5 + a highchair and they had a really tuff time.
(3)
Eddie F.

This place is to die for. Truffle frys, amazing! The tuna sandwich was also amazing! DEE our waitress was, you guessed it, amazing! Some people may think that this review is embellished, it is not. Do yourself and your taste buds a favor.
(5)
Mary Ann C.

I have been pretty excited to try this new burger place since it opened! I was in the neighborhood for something else and enjoyed an early dinner with my daughter.....super early, actually....4 pm! We were seated rapidly, but I was a bit confused upon entering as there is no official hostess stand. And no human waiting at the door to greet patrons. The interior is mostly wood as already highlighted on yelp. Good news is that the restaurant is bright and clean. Our server was super friendly, happy, and eager to help.... Further good news is that the truffle burger was stunningly delicious. Amazing, dripping, gooey goodness. You must try it. Not sure how they make something so delicious, but I will be back for that yumminess. My daughter had the addictive sweet potato fries. She devoured them, and I can see why. Some disappointments..... There was no printed kids menu. The busser said they ran out. Really? It takes a few minutes to print something out....... I was not advised of the happy hour specials and just saw them on yelp.
(4)
Anna G.

Double dated here this past weekend and already thinking about coming back. We went on a Saturday evening at 6:30, were quoted a 45 minute wait, and that's approximately how long it took. Perfect amount of time for us to go next door to Max's and split a bottle of wine. Umami has a texting service so you don't actually have to stand around awkwardly for 45 minutes. (They do have a bar area but I didn't really give it a good look so can't say how much space there is for waiting.) The four of us split three sides: Onion rings--had these as the appetizer, really, and they were great. Really liked the tempura batter. Especially good with the spicy sauce. Truffle fries--OMG. OMG. OMG. Need I say more? Sweet potato fries--I'm usually iffy on sweet potato fries, but these were pretty good. Definitely a layer of sugar on them, which makes them feel more like dessert rather than a side. I ordered the cali burger and really enjoyed it. It was pretty basic, but the flavor was really great. Then I tried my husband's truffle burger and now I'm back with the OMGs. Basically anything with the word "truffle" on the menu proved to be amazing. I mixed the spicy and garlic aioli sauces and they were a perfect dip for my fries, onion rings, and burger. Service was friendly. Pricing on point. Looking forward to going again.
(5)
Reggie R.

Realistically I would give umami 3.5 stars, but bumped it up primarily because of the deliciousness of the fries. We got straight up, normal French fries, no truffle or fluff and they were excellent. Very thin, almost reminded me of potato crisps that you buy at the grocery store, but SO good. This place has burgers, a couple of side options, and that's it. They really emphasize the "science" behind the ingredients on each burger and stress that they should not be modified in any way. I get it and agree that my umami burger was great the way it was, but I like feeling free to make changes to fit my tastes and find it a bit of a turn off when restaurants are that adamant. My burger had roasted tomato, mushrooms, canalized onions, and fried Parmesan cheese. It was pretty tasty!! However, they also stress the recommendation of medium rare preparation, which is normally cool with me, but parts of my burger were a little too rare for my liking. Umami is a pretty cozy spot in Wicker Park, I'm glad I stumbled upon it!
(4)
Jeffrey Z.

I've been here twice now and have had good experiences both times. On the first visit, I had the truffle burger, which was excellent. While the burgers aren't big, they're juicy and packed full of flavor. On my second visit, I got the Hatch Burger, which was good but not as good as the truffle. It was very soggy and I ended up having to eat it with a fork and knife. Their hot sauce and garlic aioli are great, especially when mixed together. There's no sense in bothering with the fries or fried pickles. The match-stick style fries probably couldn't be told from Burger King's in a side-by-side comparison. As for the fried pickles, I much prefer chips to spears, as the breading always comes off, which rang true here. Next time, I'll skip the sides and save room for dessert. The staff is incredibly friendly, and they really seem genuine. That's probably what I appreciate most about this place after the burgers. And despite the restaurant's CA roots, it's not pretentious like you might imagine. The ambience and decor are fun and laid back. It's expensive, but worth the visit.
(4)
Iman J.

Is it the greatest burger I've ever had? No. Is it a damn tasty burger? Yes. Is it an overpriced burger? Yes. Would I return? Yes. I've been hearing about Umami Burger for years and never had the chance to try it on trips to California so when I saw they were opening one up by the office I was beyond excited. Also excited for the fact that in my opinion burger options in Wicker Park are BEYOND weak. No more taco spots around here please, more burgers. Ok, so back to Umami. Went for lunch last week and most tables were full so grabbed a seat at the bar. Great staff, great whiskey collection, pretty impressed so far. The decor isn't anything special. It's like there was a sale at Home Depot for plywood and 2x4's and they just bought some wood and nails. I got the Manly Burger, Sweet Potato Fries and water. The burger was very tasty, as the name Umami goes, it's a very savory, tasty beef. Delicious chunks of bacon and onion strings compliment it very well. The fries were super delicious, but I still think Lillie's Q's sweet potato fries are still my favorites. With tip my lunch was $22... that's not worth it in my opinion for a burger and fries for lunch. I'll be back here and there, but it definitely won't be my weekly burger for lunch. I'd rate it 3.5 stars if I could, but it deserves more than 3 stars for sure, so I'm gonna give it 4.
(4)
Jamal S.

1 word ..... Flavorful! My expectations were met when I came here. I got the manly burger (well done) and it was juicy and full of flavor . There was so much going on, that I had stop and think . The different sauces that they have amp up the experience and you'll definitely enjoy it. The atmosphere is very hipster . From the staff to the design . Its still relaxed and the staff is attentive . Now, some might think the price is too high, but for the quality that you're getting, it's worth it . Coming here is an experience that everyone should try . I will be back !
(5)
Jessie M.

The burger was so juicy and the meat so fresh! I love that every topping has a unique twist!
(5)
Jialing L.

Happened to be around Wicker Park last week and decided to get takeout and see what the hype was about. Ordered the ahi tuna burger and a sider of truffle fries. I really enjoyed the ahi tuna burger because burgers tend to usually be a little heavy for me but the ahi tuna managed to make the burger feel light which I liked. The avocados were a good addition but there seemed to be too much ginger in the burger and added a little more bite/kick than I would've wanted. The truffle fries were a huge disappointment for me and are definitely way overpriced which is why I gave 3 stars. Doing takeout may have affected my experience, so I may try it again in the restaurant or maybe when I go visit Cali.
(3)
Caio A.

One of the best burgers in America. Service is pretty nice, our food came in pretty fast.
(4)
Angie M.

Poor Brett D. She is terrified to take me to Chicago outposts of her West Coast favorites because I always seem to have a slightly subpar experience. No real difference with Umami Burger. To me, it's nothing other than a greasier than average burger with toppings that just get kind of lost in sauces. I ordered the original Umami Burger - It boasted roasted tomato, shitake mushrooms, a parmesan crisp and housemade ketchup. I wanted my burger medium well, but what came out was a burger so rare I could actually see the grind of the meat. Whoa. They re-made the burger and it came out kind of medium rare. At that point, I just wanted to eat my darn lunch, so I ate a little more than half, but it was just... well... I wasn't falling all over myself. I think it's maybe a case of inexperienced line cooks perhaps not knowing how to properly cook a burger. Maybe it was that the components to the burger were so similar in texture that I couldn't really taste anything other than "savory sloppiness." I don't know, man. I think Portillo's makes a much better burger. On the upside, the cocktail program was fabulous. I had some kind of raspberry fizz thing and I loved it. The sides were great, too. Get dirty and go with the manly fries topped with cheese, onion straws and bacon or upscale with the truffle fries. Umami also has tater tots, which are not on the menu. I also have to give props to the service. Our server was so apologetic about the burger preparation that she gave it to me for free and bought our table a round of drinks. That's service! However, one of the other servers came by our table mid-meal and dropped a plate of ice cream sandwiches on our table saying, "Here, you guys can have this. They cut it in error." Umm.... thanks for dropping off a mistake on our table? Delicious mistake, but mistake non the less. I think all of the LA transplants in Chicago are going to be SO excited that Umami is here. I get it. You grow up on something and you absolutely love it. I just won't say I'm going to fight a crowd to go back. I think I'll give them some time to sort out the kinks in the kitchen and get on track.
(3)
Bob R.

Overpriced, but quite good. And, the service is outstanding. Umami Burger was a choice my kids made. (They are in their 20s.) Parking around there is a somewhat of a challenge, so if you can take public transportation you are probably better off. They have a wide variety of burgers and sides to choose from. The meat was really outstanding - fresh, juicy and delicious. Unfortunately, if you can't do milk products (and I can't), their buns are "milk infused". I don't exactly know what that means, and neither did the server, so I skipped the bun. You are able to order the burgers wrapped in lettuce. Since I'm a carb addict, it was a little bit of a let down. But, the taste of the meat really made up for it. I would also guess that the fat content of the meat is much higher than in typical burger joints. This would explain the juiciness and the great taste of the food. So, taste and service ranked five stars. Catering to those with allergies is not really high and the prices are. This accounts for the lower rating.
(3)
Justin L.

Not sure how I feel about this place. Fairly pretentious and expensive, but the food was good. Burger was definitely solid and the sweet potato fries were good as well. Wish the beer list was a little bit larger, but they did have a few good choices. Overall, probably won't be back as there are better burgers, without the unneeded finesse, for far cheaper.
(3)
Edgar B.

DONT WAIST YOUR HARD EARNED CASH HERE!The place looks wonderful. The hostess was nice.. after that if it wasn't for some of the food I'd never come back. It felt forced to pay 80 dollars for 2 burgers,2 salads, and 2 drinks.. one side . The waiter was bland at best. Sorry you had to work on labor day buddy!! Never seemed engaged. We ordered 2 drinks 2 salads. We drank our drinks with the salada.. NEVER GOT ASKED IF I WANTED A REFILL. He asked if we were ready? ( in my head I was like yeah! ! Plates are empty so is my drink) I ordered.. oh were out of that!! I've been here for almost an hour ad you couldn't tell me what you were out of? We got our fries first.. the manager brought them over.. I said that's our side for the burgers.. he was like oh well I'll remake them sorry.. lame attitude. My burger came after my friends burger came. How hard is it to bring 2 burgers out at the same time.. let alone ask how they are or if I want another drink!? He never asked he never said a word. Except you ready and ok. Someone Fite this guy he's costing you customers.. oh my burger was well done. Too bad I couldn't tell a soul cause no one cared.. good luck. There's at least 30 more restaurants on the block. DON'T WAIST YOUR HARD EARNED CASH HERE.
(1)
Brent B.

Finally made my way over to Wicker on a Saturday for lunch and have been wanting to try this place since they've opened. I had ordered The Hatch with roasted green chilies and garlic aioli with sweet potato fries. Over all the burger was cooked to a prefect medium and packed with flavor and the sweet potato fries were delicious! My only gripe about the place is the size of the dishes the burgers are served on, rather small and food would fall off as you bite in.
(4)
Ryan L.

The uberpopular West Coast burger joint named after the longtime-debated "5th taste bud" has arrived. On the taste bud map, umami was thought to be on the back of the tongue. Of course the idea of the taste bud map has been debunked by scientists. The fact is the great savory flavor of umami can be tasted throughout the tongue. That's great for us customers as Umami Burger doesn't fail you when it comes to their food, which is full of great, distinct tastes. The manly burger had a very distinct sharp cheddar flavor in addition to bacon lardons that were the size of lego pieces. The fried onions on top is the icing on top of the burger. There's enough onion pieces to eat separately before digging in. Also tried the burger with green chilies and that too, was tasty. We went with the sloppy fries and the smashed potatoes with a garlic aioli sauce. Out of those two, we enjoyed the sloppy fries the most but enjoyed the garlic aioli out of all the sauces. Surprisingly stellar drink program as all cocktails are whiskey-based and the beer menu has standouts like Yeti from Great Divide ($6 a bottle I believe) and a Lolita bomber from Goose Island that will run you $25. The waitstaff was on top of their game, pretty nice considering they've only had a handful of hours of service opportunities. 2 burgers, 2 sides, and 2 drinks will run you around $50-60 bucks before tax and tip, so it's not the cheapest burger experience. Totally worth it, though. Being here reminds me that my beloved Covo Gyro Market was next door. Welcome to the neighborhood, Umami. (And pouring one out for Covo)
(4)
Christopher M.

If you enjoy the flavor of truffle you will love Umami Burger. They really take it to the nth degree, and for someone like myself who loves truffle it was fantastic. Great sauces for the fries is just the icing on the cake. 319/365
(5)
AJ M.

Came here many times, but the wait was pretty long, like 45- 60 min. Which might not be so bad compared to Au Cheval times, but I didn't want to wait. So I came here after work on a Tuesday at 5, which was great because there was no wait.. Pulled up a seat at the bar, ordered a brew, Stone IPA. and waited for the food to come. The place seems like its entirely made of wood, pretty nice look very modern with a Japanese twist. The beer menu is pretty limited, with only a few on draft and even less for bottles. Would have liked more Asian style beers to go with their theme. But as far as liquor they have shelves up to the ceiling with that. The truffle fries were amazing. The best part was it comes with 3 dipping sauces, which was all great. My favorite was the orange spicy one, boy was that spicy! The Umami burger came, nice clean medium rare juicy burger perfection. The burger had shitake mushrooms, and a fried cheese crust on it to give it the perfect combination of savory and salty, but not too salty like other unami burgers ala Bop n Grill. The meat deff makes this burger one of the best ive had. The unami flavor was so rich and addicting and unique. Deff will be coming here more often!
(5)
Mark A.

I waited until my second visit to leave a review in the interest of fairness. It's not that Umami Burger is bad, it's that it's just only "sorta good" for all the hype. The best part about Umami: the staff. They are very enthusiastic people who know the menu well and can articulate with perfection any of the oddball specials. (Pumpkin spice burger, anyone?) My service experience at Umami has always been top notch. A fun team, for sure. But when it comes to the food itself, I fail to see the novelty, and would call it average (meaning nothing terrible, but nothing stellar, either). All restaurants have fries swimming in truffle aioli these days. The fried pickles are cute, but the breading falls off like whoa. The bun is tasty for a hot second, but after any liquids on the burger start to chip away at its integrity, you're left with a soggy hunk of dough and lots of burger grease all over your fingers. It's not substantial enough. On my first visit, the burger was nicely cooked to rare (as requested), but on my second visit, it was medium to medium-well, even. If you're feeling like a burger and a beer, this place is fine in a "oh-crap-I'm-hungry-and-Umami-Burger-is-right-Âhere" kinda way, but I wouldn't wait more than 15-30 minutes for a table, and I definitely wouldn't tell folks it's a "must go" if they are wanting a burger.
(2)
Steph U.

Woo! So excited that they brought Umami Burger to Chicago! The food was a little more expensive than other Umamis that I've been to (at least that I can remember), but it was still good. The food was good, as usual. I had the ahi tuna burger, cheesy tots, and the truffle fries. I also had a green tea Arnold Palmer, which was bomb. The tuna burger is always really good, especially if you don't feel like eating meat. I think I like the truffle fries more than the cheesy tots. The cheesy tots were a bit heavy. This restaurant is definitely a great place to check out if you want some really good flavors. I'll for sure be back!
(4)
Will A.

Tonight i was invited to a soft opening of Umami Burger. While the food was expensive, the food was absolutely amazing! This is by far the best burger I have ever had. To start I had the manly fries and my girlfriend had the arugula and beet salad. The manly fries were incredible and totally OFF THE CHAIN!! They had in-house beer cheddar (which was amazing), crispy onions, and bacon. These fries were totally on point. The few bites i had of my girlfriend's salad were also very good, the dressing was a very light truffle vinaigrette which was tasty. I had the Original Burger and my girlfriend the Truffle Burger, they were both amazing. First i will start with the Original Burger. This burger is what put Umami Burger on the map, with a toasted parmesan crisp, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and house made ketchup. I have to say that this was very good and the flavors blended very well together. The Truffle Burger was THE BEST BURGER I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. The garlic aioli and truffle cheese were amazing!!! Although the burgers were incredible and completely off the chain, what really mad the experience special was the service. My waiter was very knowledgeable and kind. Overall my meal at Umami was wonderful. Although the food here is expensive for a burger place it it TOTALLY WORTH THE PRICE! This place is a must visit for everyone from a foodie to a tourist. **NOTE** FOR THE BURGERS FLAVORS TO BE DISTINC AND MAKE THE EXPERIENCE UNIQUE. DO NOT MAKE ANY SUBSTITUTIONS ON ANYTHING!!
(5)
Claire S.

Delicious burgers--sweet, salty, crispy, and savory! Got the original and the calabriese (spelling?) along with a side of fries. Burgers: thick-style, but definitely manageable to eat with your hands. The original has fire-roasted tomatoes--a step above the usual beefsteak! Fries: shoestring style. Delicious and perfectly fried. They came with 3 different condiments: garlic aioli, a spicy sauce, and a house-made ketchup. The quality of the meat and ingredients is definitely evident in the food. I docked it a star for 2 reasons: the price and the service. $12 is a lot for a burger, and paying extra for fries seems overkill to me. Draft beer is $6 a pop (out of my range) with the cocktails heading into $11 territory (woah, this isn't River North!). Also, our server seemed kind of cool/distant to my guest and I, but was joking around and chatting with the couple right next to us. Did we offend? I guess I took it personally. Honestly, the service wasn't bad, but I left with the feeling that the server didn't like us :( Definitely not a weekly dinner spot for me b/c of the price, but the burgers are fantastic enough to make this a "sometimes" meal!
(4)
Lisa A.

For burgers from Southern California...not bad, I think you have it on Chicago for the infusion of different spices and flavors that you add to the scene. I wasn't willing to try this month's special, the Pumpkin Spice burger so I went for the Truffle burger that was highly recommended on Yelp. It was yummilicious! And it wasn't overwhelming with the truffle fries which I preferred over the sweet potato fries, mainly because I could taste the extra cinnamon and sugar they sprinkled. I had a taste of my friend's Ahi Tuna burger and that was done perfectly. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the price tag on these burgers. For $12 a burger I expected a little more meat in the burger so I was dealing with SoCal prices as well I guess. Service was super friendly and the desserts are nice. We enjoyed the Carmel ice cream sandwich with Snickerdoodle cookies.
(4)
Larry B.

Unless you live on a farm, you won't eat fresher ingredients than this. The bacon tastes as if its never been frozen. The ice cream sandwiches are six dollars. And I cannot wait to eat another one that's how good they are! They are homemade cookies with homemade real ice cream in between. Just as amazing as the burger. The place like all the rest in the neighborhood is hip and campy at the same time. Staff is fun and friendly. Should be on your "places to eat at" list.
(5)
Charlie M.

My favorite burger place!! I love this place. Good food. Good atmosphere. Good price. Great location. Love love love. 5 stars.
(5)
Stephanie C.

I'm usually not a big burger lover, but the KBBQ Burger was out of this world... the fries were really good too and come with a great selection of dipping sauces. Service was very friendly as well!
(5)
Derrick N.

The hype was real! The food was delicious including all the sauces. The sauces were to die for. The price is quite expensive for what you get, but the quality is great. Our waitress Doris was extremely nice since it was our first time and I will gladly come back again!
(4)
Angie K.

Oo mami- is this place is hot right now! Trendy, wide open space with unpainted wood and loud cartoon graphics. Originally from LA, I was so excited to have a taste of home. We had the fried pickles and fries as starters and they were good but not great. The real show-stopper was the little bucket of sauces that came with. Umami ketchup, jalapeno ranch, diablo sauce, and garlic aoli. Not to sound like the nerdiest fatty (or fattest nerd) ever, but that means 4 single sauces and 6 combinations of two sauces. TEN VARIATIONS OF SAUCES- all of which, are very tasty. Bring me a bucket of sauces and I will happily do combinatorics and dip my fries in all the choices! Drink: I had to test the hype so I ordered the Maple Bacon Old fashioned. I'm an old-fashioned gal so this was right up my alley. Sweet, smoove, and smoky- which I'm not sure if came from the bacon or the alch. Regardless, it was delicious and had a piece of candied bacon in it! Truffle Burger: I definitely made the right choice. I wanted to be surprised with how great it was- and just as I expected, I experienced an unexpected joy. (think about it...) There is a very strong truffle flavor so you will love or hate this one- depending on your feelings towards truffles. (as reference, I would have a truffle oil filled swimming pool, if possible) I also ordered my burger medium rare and this was really rare- the most rarest I've ever had a burger. This was also a pleasant surprise for me- a dud-if-no-blood carnivore, but my roommate was appalled by my burger and profusely thanked me for warning her to order her medium well. This burger looks petite (my mother asked if I was eating sliders) but I was surprisingly stuffed near the end of my burger. At this point the bottom bun was out of place and a little mushy, but it was still mushy greatness. I had a bite (ring-around-the-burgers style) of my friends' Hatch and Manly burgers. I thought the Hatch was messy and nothing special, even with all the green peppers. The Manly was tasty- but wasn't anything different than the typical onion rings & bacon burgers you can get... almost anywhere else. The Truffle Burger was definitely the victor in the Battle of the Burgers. If a rare, soft, truffle burger sounds good to you, get goingggg! Place has electric energy- we had a great time.
(4)
Amanda C.

Went there with no reservation and my toddler on a Saturday afternoon. The wait was no more than 10 minutes. The staff was all very friendly and genuinely cared and talked to us. We got the maple bacon fries onion rings and black bean burger. Everything was much better and not just your average burger spot. The server was super knowledgable. And it was kid friendly because there were a bunch of other tables with children.
(4)
Brandon C.

I had the Original Burger and the Pickle Plate. I liked all the toppings and sauces, but the the quality of beef and the bun really stood out. It was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. I will be back to try another burger. I also tried the fried pickles - you can't ever really go wrong with fried pickles.
(4)
Cat G.

Good, but IMO nothing to write home about. I'd say the food is maybe 3.5, but the atmosphere/service/etc. are pretty nice, so I'll round up. Came in for lunch today (a Saturday) and was fully prepared to wait, given that it had only just opened. It was about 1:30, and they told us the wait for a table was around 40-45 minutes. The nice thing is that they take your number and text you when the table is ready, so you can amble around the neighborhood a bit instead of standing around waiting. The wait only ended up being 25 minutes, so we were seated pretty soon afterward. I ordered the original burger and my boyfriend had the truffle burger. We also had a coupon for free truffle fries. We ended up preferring each other's burgers, but my overall impression was that while they were good, I'd had better burgers at places that don't even specialize in them. The original was a little too sweet for my liking, and the meat patty didn't stand out, which is a pet peeve of mine - I don't like when burger toppings are the star of the show versus the actual meat patty. For a place that touts its burgers as being special or unique, I just expected more. The truffle fries were pretty good - I prefer shoestring fries to thick-cut ones, so these fit the bill nicely. They're even thinner than McDonald's fries (just FYI for those of you who prefer your fries chunkier.) I'm not sure they're worth $6.50, but we got them for free, so I'm not complaining. One order was enough for the two of us. Service was great, food came out very quickly and was hot, and we were in and out of there pretty quickly (i.e. it was efficient, not that we were being rushed out.) Overall, it's a cool space and we enjoyed ourselves, and I think it's worth a try if you've never been, but I'm not in a particular rush to come back.
(4)
Gar B.

My first trip to Umami was the day after it opened and loved it so much that I came back! The food, service and beer are excellent - try the umami burger with fries and one of their delicious beers. The burgers are incredible, and nearly everything tastes of truffles. DO IT
(5)
Danny M.

I ordered the Manly Burger and my gf ordered the truffle burger. We shared an order of the Manly fries. When our order came, my gf was given the original. She didn't mind because she was deciding between those 2 anyways. The manly fries were a bit salty at the top with the sauce, but once we got to the bottom, it was pretty good. For dessert, we shared the Double Chocolate Chip cookie sandwich with peanut butter ice cream. Something so simple but so good! Everything here is pretty pricey and it all adds up. Since this is one of the few times I ate a burger and didn't feel like I was too bloated, I will definitely be back. Next time, I will try the B.U.B burger!
(4)
Jiwon S.

My friend and I came here for lunch on a week day and we got seated right away. Burgers were sooooooooo good. And the fries were perfect! Will be back for sure.
(5)
Ruby Q.

Nobody likes to read or write 3star reviews...but that's just where I come down on this place. I came here on opening night expecting to be wowed. Instead I left unsure. Maybe I have been spoiled by the likes of Au Cheval, DMK, Epic, Gibson's n Rosebud and even, dare I say, Five guys. The truffle burger was ordered medium rare and came out somewhere between blue and rare. They were kind enough to re-fire another and take it off the bill. They did the right thing there, but I'd still like it right the first time. The truffle burger comes out with lots of gooey stuff on top. It's ok if you like that stuff, but it just tasted like garlicky mayo to me. The plain thin fries were tasty and reminded me of Steak 'n Shake. The seating is a little cramped along the wall of 2-toppers. They would do everyone a favor if they pulled one table out and sat 2 less people. All in all an ok burger- in a town that already is pretty well appointed in the high end burger market. BTW, I think Lucy R's review reads like a bogus plant by the restaurant.
(3)
Mike W.

I wouldn't say this place was mind blowing, but at the same time I wouldn't say it was bad by any means. It think it's somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. My burger (the umami) was good but a tab bit on the small side. Flavor wise I don't remember thinking "flavor explosion". It was perfectly cooked though. Had sweet potato fries and they were very good. They came with about 4 sauces which were all very runny and mild in taste, except for the spicy one ...which was just spicy. Would I go again. Prolly not, but I am glad I tried it.
(4)
Sara D.

I am only taking off a star because I wish there was a larger selection of burgers. I got the manly burger and it was cooked perfectly and may now be one of my top ranked burgers in Chicago. I also got a side of manly fries, and usually I don't think 'skinny' fries are that great but these were amazing. They have some cool unique sauces that you can dip things in and a full bar with flat screens. If you are a burger snob... this place will impress you!
(4)
Danny W.

The food is great. Smashed potatoes taste just like they did in Cali. Burgers were a good size and cooked well. The dipping sauces remain plentiful. With the caveat they have not even been open a week, the seating process remains a work in progress. We were quoted 90 minutes and told they were going to text the parties ahead of us, so our wait could be shorter. We stood outside for a few minutes trying to figure out where to get a drink and then we were told by a restaurant employee we could sit down because our whole party was ready. All of which is to say, once they work the kinks out, likely the best burger spot around six corners.
(4)
Stacey C.

I wish I could give two ratings... But for the sake of delicious food I'll review on taste alone. The food was fantastic! The Manly burger and the throwback burgers were mouth wateringly delicious (I drooled just now thinking of the manly burger) However, the service was below sub-par. Our waiter was too busy playing a crossword puzzle and flirting with two other customers to pay us any attention. We sat there for 20+ minutes waiting for the check. He ignored us every time we tried to flag him down. Overall, I will go back but I refuse to sit in a section with women prettier than me if he is my waiter.
(4)
Herman C.

First before I go into my review, I really need to call out WP L for making a completely bogus review. If you see their account, it's 90% them bitchin about nothing. In short, the quality of meats and ingredients are excellent so you probably just ate too much and gave yourself the runs. Today was the "grand opening" and I had the opportunity to visit umami burger during my lunch time. There are plenty of staff to cater to the flow of traffic and really anything you need, someone is close enough to ask without waiving them down from across the room. I ordered the truffle fries which were like matchstick style thin. Crispy and hot out of fryer. The cheese truffle sauce on top was fantastic and really brings out the flavor. Simple and delicious, no frills. Naturally, I ordered the "exclusive" calabrese burger as I was told each umami burger location has a different one. This burger supposedly had characteristics of a chicago "style". Not sure what that means but it was excellent albeit quite heavy. The ingredients consist of a calabrese sausage patty topped with giardineira, truffles aioli and truffled cheese. With the last two ingredients, you can imagine how heavy it can be. Regardless the taste was fantastic and the flavors blended well together. Also, the standard bun was toasted to perfection and really added some nice texture. Possibly wear a bib when eating this as the party does kind of fall apart and could roll onto your clothes. The service was attentive although it did take some time to get my food. Hopefully they'll be quicker and more efficient with the delivery after working the kinks from opening week. all in all I would definitely come back!
(4)
Angela Z.

Good good good burgers. It's a hard competition between Umami and Good Stuff Eatery for some of the best high-quality burger joints around. The classic Umami burger is so simple yet so juicy. It has a perfect bun, cooked mushrooms, a unique crispy slide of cheese that looks like a thin cracker, delicious umami ketchup sauce, and a thick and hearty meat patty. I only wish it had more mushrooms (there were only 1 or 2 small pieces in mine). The truffle fries are delicious and the sauces are really unique and tasteful. My favorite was either the umami ketchup or the sour cream and onion sauce. I'm especially found of the umami ketchup, it looks like normal red ketchup but has an asian flavor spin. Prices are reasonable, service is great and the decorations are funky and unique. Go here if your'e looking for a consistently strong burger.
(5)
LeAnna Q.

Let me start off by saying I am only giving Umami Burger even two stars because our server, Jared, was impeccable. Otherwise, it would be a flat ONE. The burgers were good, but definitely not worth the price point. For $12-15 you can get a much, much better burger from places like Kuma's Corner, DMK, Au Cheval or Bad Apple (to name a few). Plus, they do not even come with fries. I was thoroughly unimpressed, from the atmosphere, to the music, to the beer menu...it was all very uninspired and completely mediocre. Thumbs down.
(2)
Rea N.

Great burgers! Great fries! Great customer service! My cousin and I stumbled across Umami when we were just wondering Wicker Park around midnight on a Friday night. They close pretty late! Never been so we decided to try it. Our waitress, Dee, was hilarious. She was very charismatic and cool. We had a great conversation with her throughout our visit. She was also very knowledgeable about the beers on tap, helped my cousin pick a drink out. She also helped us pick a burger. I got the throwback and my cousin got the KBBQ. Both burgers were juicy and delicious. The truffle fries are amazing. Dee also gave us some sauces for our fries and burgers. She gave us a mix of her favourite sauces which I think was a mix between a hot sauce and a creamy garlic. The atmosphere is hip and fun. The other waiters and waitresses seemed really fun. One waiter was singing and dancing for his table. I would definitely come again and try the other burgers.
(4)
Natasha K.

I was super excited to try Umami Burger while I was in Chicago. I heard good things about it from the west coast. I just want to start that this isn't one of those greasy burger joints. These are more hoity toity burgers with that hipster elevation in terms of flavors. Don't come here expecting some greasy cheeseburger with oil dripping from the patties. The setting is bright and it really does have that west coast feel. Service was friendly, informative, and attentive. We never waited long for service and they were very accommodating. Let's talk food! Classic Burger: the taste is really nice. The shittake really brings out the asianified flavor in this burger. Definitely more depth in flavor than your average burger. Ahi Tuna Burger: the flavors were fresh. The creamy avocado works well with the mild wasabi flavor. The lightly pickled carrots also add to the depth. Truffle Fries: very strong truffle flavor. They are crispy and cheesy. I really liked these fries. Sloppy Fries: it is like a spinoff of sloppy joe on fries but vegetarian. It has a very hearty taste considering it is vegetarian. It has a nice heat to it as well. These were my friend's preferred fries. Overall this was a really nice place. Would definitely go again next time I visit Chicago.
(4)
Unyime E.

The best burgers I've ever had. I visited the Umami Burger in Miami on vacation last summer and was hoping that the franchise would make its way to the Midwest. My prayers have been answered. I won't sit here and tell you the details about every dish I've had here, but I'll definitely point you in the right direction. The drink menu is outstanding. Yes, I did initially balk at spending $12 for a drink, but that seems to be the going rate these days. So I dealt with it. A word of advice: order your fries ahead of time. You get more time to really savor the truffle fries and experiment with the various sauces (their homemade ketchup is incredible). By the time the burger comes, you don't want to be hassled with exchanging bites between the burger and the fries. Umami burger succeeds in its mission by bringing out the fifth taste in spades. Well done.
(5)
Jigna S.

Super long wait (we waited an hour on a friday night) but absolutely worth it! Try the Calabrese Burger (sausage patty) and the BUB (two beef patties with a third bun!!). They truffle infused ketchup is worth it by itself, along with the other sauces. And they have vegetarian options! A must try new hotspot in Wicker Park!
(4)
Heather F.

We went to Umami Burger around midnight. The place was pretty quiet, but they had music going. The host was extremely charming and welcoming. As for drinks, my friend got a Maple Bacon Old Fashioned, which I tried and was delicious. They also have alcoholic root beer (and are willing to make both alcoholic and non-alcoholic root beer floats, both of which are tasty and fun). My husband got the truffle fries (which I tried- they were great. Their fries are on the thin and crispy side, for people who care. They don't overdo them, but there wasn't a floppy fry in sight.) I got the maple bacon fries, which were outstanding- they could be a dessert- they are almost like candy coated fries. I also had the Sunny Side burger, which was moist and truffle-y and delicious and possibly the best burger I've ever had. This place is awesome- particularly if you're looking for a place to eat late at night.
(5)
Gavin P.

I enjoyed the venue and the staff was very friendly. I ordered the buffalo burger and while it was good, it was nothing special or surprising. The fries I ordered were also soggy and over spiced making it difficult to finished the order. Nonetheless, it's an easy run-in run-out place for a burger.
(3)
Alex W.

Umami Burger, I missed you! The best burgers in SoCal have finally arrived in Chicago. Finally got a chance to visit this new Wicker Park location with some friends this weekend, and can confirm that the food and experience is every bit as good as back in LA. The burgers are seasoned and grilled to perfection, with the Truffle Burger and Original being absolute must-trys. The thin fries are so crispy and good that we pigged out and ordered more half way through the meal. Cocktails were well-made and interesting, and there's a decent selection of local craft brews. Servings are a bit small, but prices aren't too bad for a trendy restaurant ($6) and it gives you a better chance to explore the offerings. We had a service hiccup on our visit--one of my friends ordered a Cali Burger but received an Original instead--and the manager was quick to comp their food and deliver the correct burger and bag up the other for take-out. So points for good recovery. Highly recommend and will definitely be back.
(5)
Elise F.

The truffle burger is the best burger I have ever had. I think they may put crack in their meat because I seriously craaaaave this burger. I dream about this burger. I want to marry this burger. The fries are delicious as well and ya can't go wrong with freshly squeezed lemonade. My mouth is in love with umami burger but my waistline is not.
(5)
Francesca R.

Meh. Just meh. Maybe I had too high of expectations. Burger meat was meh. Seemed like a preformed, circular pressed patty. Not handformed, not juicy and not grilled, tasted griddled. Big top bun, Soggy bottom bun. I got the Bacon Lardon Maple fries. They were good. $19.12 cents for both. It was takeout. Woman taking my order was cheerful, bartender/cashier, slow. Disappointed! I'll be going back to Lockdown and Kumas - even 5 Guys is better!
(2)
Kaman T.

Came here on the 4th day opened. Rounded my 3.75 stars up. What we ordered: - Truffle Fries: Very good if you like creamy. Not sure if they pre-fry the matchstick fries and keep it under a heat lamp or they had ours sitting out a little, it didn't taste the most fresh. BUT we could see how it would be really good with less truffle cheese and straight out of the fryer. - Sweet Potato Fries: They do the fries well. Nothing mind blowing but it is everything you want from sweet potato fries. - The Original Burger: The shiitake mushrooms were buttery, sweet, and had "uamami". There were two tiny mushrooms and one wasn't hydrated enough. I ordered it medium rare and it came out more like a well-done burger. The sweetness from the roasted tomato, housemade ketchup, carmelized onions, and shiitake mushrooms overshadowed the meat itself. The bun was soft and held everything together well. If they get the meat right next time and tone down on the sweetness, this would be an awesome burger. - The Manly Burger: Ordered it medium rare but it came out a perfect medium. The bacon was more like thick diced pork belly (absolutely delicious and unique). The thin fried onions added an amazing crunch and flavor to the whole burger. Delicious burger and will order this one again. Service: Very nice and attentive staff. They truly care about customer feedback. Price: $12 a burger. Although a little pricey for the size. I do appreciate and understand that everything they do is in house...even down to the ketchup. Overall, if they continue to tweak and improve on consistency and balance of flavors, I think it will continue to be a hit.
(4)
Laura K.

Excellent melt in your mouth burger without being over the top or pretentious. Mix the habanero and ranch sauces together for a most excellent treat! I had the truffle burger based on my waitresses recommendation and it didn't disappoint.
(5)
Jeff S.

Decided to hit up Umami Burger for their "Grand Opening" today and figured an off-hour would be best. Even after the standard lunch hours, the place was still busy. I could only imagine what this evening and the first few weeks will be like. I have been to a couple Umamis in California so I was familiar with the food and concept. Suffice to say the Wicker Park location does not disappoint. Had the original Umami Burger (burger, Parmesan crisp, mushrooms, onions, and roasted tomato) medium rare just like it was intended to be. One thing you notice is how the burger almost melts in your mouth. Definitely delicious. Ordered fries to go along with it and had fun messing with each of the various sauces. Faves are definitely the ketchup and the diablo sauce. Though really I couldn't fault anyone for liking the garlic or ranch more. They were all different but good. Service was great as everyone was on point with it being the opening day. Heard the last couple of days were quite rough so I bet a few of the kinks have already been worked out. I will definitely be back though not weekly as a burger and fries (no drink) will put you back $20. Monthly is a more likely.
(5)
Fernando O.

I heard of this place while at Standard Bar Grill which is also located in Wicker Park. I admit I am a Foodie and when I heard my buddy's friends who are formally from California I knew I had to go. The restaurant is very trendy and nicely decorated. Besides a minor speed bump by the manager or owner who didn't want to sit us down because one of our guests was not there yet everything went great after that. Our waitress was great and very informative of the menu. The burger was absolutely great!!! It was an explosion of flavors. The meat tasted great and the bacon bits mixed in there was just the icing on the cake. I couldn't get enough. The burgers are not huge but are very filling. The fries are ok i've tasted better but besides that it was a great experience. I highly recommend this place and will be back.
(4)
Gel R.

Being the cheeseburger fanatic I am, I was so excited that Umami was coming to Wicker Park. Unfortunately, the two times I've been there since opening have been less than enjoyable. Both times, the food had so. much. salt, I could barely even get through half of it. Today I had the hutch burger, which was okay, kinda fell apart, and regular French fries, which by the way are compatible to Steak and Shakes skinny crunchy things they call french fries. I packed my leftover French fries in a to go box and walked five blocks down back to work and I looked down and my clothes were covered in salt! Besides the fries, the burgers are just okay. Definitely overpriced. Service is good. But I'll be sticking to Epic Burger from now on.
(2)
Mario T.

Just going to come off the back and say I've had one of the worst experiences I've ever had at any restaurant I've gone to. If it was possible to give no stars I would but I cant. We decided to come eat a burger here since we heard nothing but good things. We arrived at the restaurant around 7:45 in the afternoon with a group of 6, we were told there would be a 50 minute wait which we had no problem with. We walked around Wicker Park for a few minutes and then decided to get drinks at the bar while we waited on our table. After waiting an hour we had not heard one word from the hostess to at least assure us that our table was soon to come. Instead we had to go up ourselves just to be told that we were going to be seated soon. We saw people come and go and yet we hadn't been seated. We did receive an order of complimentary fries but it still didn't make up for the wait. Like seriously come on this is a burger joint not a 5 star restaurant downtown, the staff could have done so a way better job at attending us. A round of drinks, frequent updates, they could have even offered a certain percentage off our tab but no. I feel like nothing was done to comfort us on our wait, they could have offered split tables at that butt nothing was done. Never have I been so dissapointed with service at a resturant, the drive thru at McDonald's does a hell of a better job than this place. After finally waiting over an hour and twenty minutes we decided to tell the hostess that we would no longer be waiting for our table. As soon as we left they still had the nerve to text us and tell us we were removed off the list like we weren't aware of that. Then 2-3 minutes later out of no where we receive a call to tell us that our table was magically ready, they even offered us a round of drinks on them but at this point we were fed up and irritated with the wait. The offer could have been put on the table while we were there standing at the bar but it wasnt. A little too late, more love half a hour too late. Sorry to say we will never step into this establishment ever again. Dissapoontment at its best!
(1)
Sarah R.

Did I again eat until I couldn't move? Yes, yes I did. It seems to be pivotal to my MO to do these kinds of things with amazing food since I try not to splurge too much during the week. Therefore, given the opportunity, I eat like there is no tomorrow! I regret nothing. I LOVED Umami burger, and that is kind of a big deal coming from a girl who is not big on the meat/burger scene. Came here per recommendation of a friend who has never missed a beat, and definitely will not hesitate to revisit, or wait another 45 minutes for our table! Actually, I'm just waiting for the next cheat day to make my way back here. Enough background. Our waitress was amazing, she gave us the low down on all of the ins and outs of the menu and told us the sauces are all made in house. The sauces were, in fact, out of this world. I even loved the ketchup, and you might ask yourself "what's so special about ketchup?" I would tell you, I don't know, but I loved the ketchup. I went to town on our truffle fries (and sweet potato fries), shamelessly finishing at least half of the truffle fries before I moved onto my mind blowing truffle burger. It was just the perfect amount of juicy and did not seem excessively oily. I didn't believe my friends when they said they were impressed with the speed at which I ate that burger until our waitress also commented on my impressive work. I did mention the word shameless already... So coming from an incredibly picky meat eater, I loved Umami burger more than the long wait and accumulated hunger could account for. I can't wait to come back :)
(5)
Angela C.

Hands down by far the BEST burger I've ever had! The original burger had the perfect consistency - not too dry - for my medium-rare patty. As a whole, it had an amazing depth of flavor, thanks to the meaty shitake mushrooms and sauteed onions. The toasted parmesan cheese added to the umami flavor. Definitely also order the truffle fries to soak up every last drop of the soup/broth that comes from the burger!! Overall, finger-licking yum-a-licious!
(5)
A. A.

Alright, here's the deal Umami Burger... Your burgers are pretty good, but this is Chicago, not LA. Why do I say that? This is a MEAT town; LA, simply... is not. This city has so many AMAZING burgers to offer, it also has so many HUGE burgers to offer. Frankly, you charge as if you achieved one of these; but, you fall short on both of them. Not to say the burgers aren't good (they are), but in this town, for what you are charging, they need to be better than good. For $12 there are a laundry list of top notch restaurants offering some serious craft burgers made with truly outstanding local beef and ingredients, AND come with fries (serious WTF? man, no fries?). The original Umami Burger isn't so much Umami as it is just super salty. Up your game or drop your pricing and you have a great menu on your hands. The service at the bar was stellar. The vibe is fun and energetic. The Fried Pickles are the best I have ever had. The burgers just don't stand up to the local competition for the price.
(2)
Zach J.

MCDONALDS FOR $15?! AND NO FRIES INCLUDED?! The three of us came here Friday night after we had been dying to try this place. Sadly, it was my idea to come here and I psyched everyone else up, so now I am stuck with recommending a failure, smh! We waited about a half hour to be seated because it was really busy, of course. This place had a slight trendy and Hipster vibe to it, but of course we were in Wicker Park, so go figure. We had a friendly waiter, and we decided to go with the fried pickles for an appetizer because it sounded good. When we got the fried pickles we were pissed. The pickle inside was hard as hell, and the breading was highly unimpressive and lacked flavor. When making fried pickles, you never serve them hard as a rock, you serve them soft so it is a quick bite into it. We were very disappointed in the fried pickles, in fact, we enjoyed the lettuce on the bottom more, lol. We all ordered the "Manly" burger, which was a stacked high burger with beer cheese, and homemade ketchup, we thought we were in for a treat. Me and my bro also ordered the truffle fries because I had been dying to try those, because the pics online looked so good. As we bit into our burgers we agreed that they tasted just like Mcdonalds. It was like a well cooked Mickie D's burger for crying out loud, LOL. The problem is the damn thing costed $15! What the hell! It tasted like how Mcdonalds probably used to taste back in the 50s. They used diced onions and diced pickles on it, absurd! For $15! The homemade ketchup blew ass big time, tasted almost like Heinz. The beer cheese did not impress or help. Our burgers were NOT medium rare, ours were medium well! My burger meat fell apart as I was eating it, how pathetic! I gave a scowl as I was eating it and the manager saw that and rushed over to see if I was ok. I lied to him and said everything was fine, because I do not tell things up front, because why should I? I should not have to tell a place how to do things, especially if they charge $15! Plus I highly doubted they could do any better. I do appreciate his effort and his service though. The truffle fries I did not like but that is my fault because my brother told me after I got them that truffle has a bitter taste. They were still too much money costing $6.50! We were given a token to put in one of three see through jars right by the front door. One jar said something like not good, the other said average, and the other said something like really good. Seriously?! They actually put this right by the front door so everyone can see these!? And they were see through too! LMAO! We commented after we left after putting our tokens in the suck jar, that if we noticed those when we walked in we would have turned back around and left. Seriously Umami Burger, either lower your prices, or get your shit together quick!
(2)
Ellie M.

SO GOOD. I had the truffle burger, and my friend got the sunny side burger with an portobello mushroom rather than a beef patty. The waiter said any burger on the menu can be made vegetarian with a portobello mushroom. But if you are a meat-eater, go for the beef. Also, the service was great! Everyone was exceptionally kind.
(5)
Kavin S.

I pretty much have to give Umami a 5, because I don't think there's any other place I go to on a fairly regular basis that still gets me excited each time I go! And the beauty of the restaurant is summed up in one word: Truffle. Truffle Fries - pure gold! And they come with these 3 different, locally-made sauces, as well as Umami's own ketchup that just seems to taste THAT much better than regular ketchup. You can't go to Umami and not have the truffle fries. Now onto the burgers. So there are quite a few options, but I generally always get the same one: the Truffle burger. But I'm not that boring, I have tried it in a few different ways - the regular version, the one substituting the meat for a portabella mushroom burger, and finally subbing the bread for lettuce. Each time the end result was still awesome, but I will say that the lettuce version wasn't as great as the other 2 just because I think the bread that they use is really unique and really tasty. I did once venture into unknown territory by trying the Manly Burger; but the cheese used on this (beer cheddar) had too strong of a sharp cheddar taste for my liking, so I wasn't a fan of that. But that's not to say that all of the other burgers on the menu aren't good. Every time I've gone to Umami, my friends have tried a different burger and they all walk away very satisfied.
(5)
Yan W.

This place is highly reviewed and rated so I decided to come try it to see what the hype is all about. The interior of the place is nice- very clean and modern and hipster-feel ( well , it's in wicker park :D ) The food wasn't bad but was a little bit disappointed. We ordered truffle fries, the throwback burger and the umami burger. Everything were quite salty and the fries were not worth the price. The sauce was good but the fries were very thin. Overall it is not bad but it's overrated and not as great as what it appears to be. Doesn't live up to its hype in my opinion.
(3)
Bob L.

I ordered the Umami burger and was very disappointed. I got it medium rare and when I took my first bit the entire paddy fell apart. I had to eat the rest of it with a fork as the meat couldn't hold together. It was also lukewarm and came out too quickly (less than 5 minutes from the order). Also, I tried to order a beer which they informed me they were out of. Fries were good. The place was not very crowded and I felt pushed by the bartender. We hadn't finished eating and the bill was already on the table (we would have ordered more drinks if not for this). Also, we were 2 of 4 people total sitting at the bar, so I knew they weren't just trying to turn the spot. Lastly, they have a wifi network that they informed us is for employees only. My phone didn't get service and I was very frustrated that we couldn't get on their wifi. The tone of the hostess was poor when I asked for the password. I would not go back to this place and will not recommend it.
(2)
Belicia S.

Not great didn't love it...
(2)
Graham F.

If you want over flavorful burgers this is your spot. Ice cream sammies are tite. But let the meat free from all the seasoning baby. Too much flavor. Ketchup is kinda odd too. Hot sauces are pretty good too.
(3)
Margie L.

So....I absolutely love this burger restaurant and you will to. We sat at the bar because it looked so inviting and plus i needed to see the hundreds of bourbon bottles on display! ! The drinks were finominal! Mary out bartender was brought here from LA and what a great mixologist. We almost had every drink on the menu. My fav was South of North. Bernheim wheated whiskey yellow chartreuse balsamio strawberries and fresh sage! Yum. They make alot of drinks with fresh fruit and herbs. The company is from California! ! I had the Hatch burger and my friends ordered the Manley burger. Let me tell you that when you bite into this JUCY Burger its like, remember the first time you bit into a Krispy cream donut? ? Ya its like that...like air! ! I had the sloppy fries which were topped with lentils, cheese and green peppers. Yes lentils ,dont kringe until you try it. The manley fries were topped with gooey cheesy goodness and bacon. The manley burger had chunks of bacon on top with onion strings. Its not to loud and your gonna love it!!
(5)
Rose A.

I loved the trendy sleek but industrial wood heavy dining room. My husband, 3 yr old, 6 yr old, and I sat in a cushy booth toward the back. Cool music and crowd. They serve alcohol...plus We had a Manly and Umami burger. Both fantastic. Truffle fries were not super truffled, but still very good. They have 4 sauces that are delicious. The kids picked from the kid's menu that came with crayons (so kid friendly). Bang Bang pies. Great service!
(4)
Amy L.

Went on Memorial Day around 1:30 and there was a 30 minute wait. I'd heard great things about this place so I didn't mind. The menu is limited, a few salads and then just burgers, fries and onion rings. I order the Korean BBQ and another person ordered the first burger on the list( roasted tomato one). Mine was fine, nothing that I would come back for. My friend wasn't crazy about hers, the tomato didn't mix, tasted like prego sauce. Pretty pricey, $12 and up burgers plus upcharge for fries. Also the burger patty was small. Not that I need a huge hunk of beef that puts me in a coma, but I expected more for the price. Not enough meat for the toppings and bun. I ate all of my burger and a regular fry and was kind of still hungry when I left, and I don't consider myself a huge eater.
(2)
Lauren D.

I wish I could comment on the food! However, after my boyfriend and I waited nearly 20 minutes without being acknowledged by a single waiter - although every single one working walked past us - we left and grabbed slices at Dimo's instead. I should hardly have to say that the service there was worlds better, considering the relatively low bar that Umami Burger clearly has. I should also note that we came in around 11, and the restaurant was not busy, at all.
(1)
Chai C.

The place is very easy going. Looks like unfinished wood wall everywhere along with some catchy wall graphics. The service was ok. I always sit at bar and they did the job. I like how creative the burger is. It really has umami flavor and it's a burger. Their ketchup was very good too. This is definitely my fav burger spot now.
(5)
Amy C.

Whoa, these are some serious burgers. Amid the Chicago scene of trendy gourmet and "craft" burger joints but this place stands out above the rest: 1) EVERY SINGLE ITEM, including all the condiments and toppings, are homemade, in-house. I highly recommend the truffle ketchup and the Portugese light-as-air burger buns. 2) The burgers are totally bursting with flavor. It's like they took all the normal burger flavors (smoky, juicy, tangy, grilled, buttery, sweet) and amplified them 10 times and put them in a blender. The result is addicting. Come hungry. The burgers are huge and are incredibly rich, but somehow not overly greasy. I didn't get that gross, "I just ate a burger" feeling after leaving. It helped that the restaurant is right on Milwaukee Ave. so my husband and I could walk off our food afterward at the shops in the area. The sides we got (beet salad with truffle ricotta cheese, and thin fries with 4 different homemade condiments) were also excellent. For the burgers, we wanted to try their specialties for our first visit (Umami Burger, and Throwback Burger), but we also noticed they have vegetarian options and an Ahi Tuna burger that was tempting for next time. They also have a full bar with several good craft beers on draught. As far as logistics - we got there around 7 pm on a Saturday night and waited 40 minutes for a table (notified via text). There was plenty of room around the bar, and even though the seats were taken we had our drinks along a ledge across from the chairs, which was nice. When we first walked in, there were several families in there with kids. Later in the evening the place got more packed. The host told us that usually, the wait is longer. So my advice is, arrive early!
(5)
Maulik J.

Foods good, beer selection isn't bad and the general atmosphere is pretty friendly. Pretty standard fare for a burger place but done well enough, just not the best one I've had in town. Staff is great, fast and smart enough to work around something if you need it done. Food comes out fast enough most of the time but will on occasion take a while. 1 star off - Longer waits that most of the other gourmet burger places around town. No place to wait inside, there lots of places to go to in the area you can kill time at. But if I'm going to go somewhere else why don't I just do that instead
(4)
James P.

I was so excited to eat here, but I was not in food heaven like I thought I'd be. I had the pumpkin spice burger which was the "burger of month". Was very good, although I have no idea where the pumpkin flavor was supposed to be... It was definitely a tasty burger, but if no one said "pumpkin", no one would guess it. My big disappointment was the onion rings. They're homemade and self battered. So they were flaky, crispy......BUT No flavor at All. I had to drown them in the extra sauces they give at table. Other than rings, was good overall. Great waiter, very helpful. I'd be back again.... Just staying away from those onion rings next time.
(3)
Pete V.

The best restaurant burger I have ever had is at Umami Burger. It was "the original" Umami Burger (but w/o shiitake mushroom. Ugh mushrooms of any kind). The carmelized onion, roasted tomato and crisped cheese really work to make the sandwich. Beef was very nicely medium rare, juicy, etc. Truffled beet salad and smushed potatoes also very good. Requisite craft/draft beer provides good selection. Staff is friendly, attentive and always quite zealous. The only slight downside... it is not inexpensive, given the type of cuisine. Umami occupies the odd and sometimes slippery-slope middle-ground between diner/bar and upscale new american. Overall, excellent.
(5)
Abby T.

I wish I could give 3.5 stars! Do I wish they had regular mustard, regular ketchup and tomato slices? YES Do I wish more of the fancy specialty cocktails were made with something other than bourbon? YES Did I love the truffle fries? YES Do I think this place is a bit overrated? YES Did I really enjoy the original burger and do I think it's worth going back for? YES!
(3)
Matt G.

Umami burger, welcome to chicago. Now, let me tell ya why im giving you five stars. The burgers are great, (manly burger), they recommend you go medium rare which is usually what i do anyways, but it did come out a little rare. It didnt phase me, i ate it anyways. Ordered it medium the next time. Jackpot. Fries are also awesome. You can get them dressed different ways for a few extra bucks. I got that manly too. The service is as good as ive see anywhere else. Knowledgeable waitstaff. The first time we went we were wrapping up our meal when i was asked if we wanted our fries boxed to go. I said yes, because im gonna hungry later in the day, no doubt. Soon after one of the other staff members grabbed the food off the table, i assumed he was going to box up. Nope, he threw it in the trash. They were all very apologetic and asked if i wanted another order to go. S*!t happens. i said it was okay but thanks anyway. The manager comes over, comps the fries completely and gets me a new order anyways...super fast too. Thats how its done, thanks umami. Youve earned a loyal customer
(5)
MC B.

Definitely coming back! My friends and I went for the first time last night and we all left happy. We tried the manly burger, greenbird turkey burger and the umami burger - all were delicious! The truffle fries were good. However the only thing is that you need to eat them right away or they get super crunchy.
(5)
Shajan K.

Great place with a great menu! Service can use a little work but it was a great overall experience!
(4)
Rob C.

This review will not do justice to the food at Umami. I've eaten at dozens of higher-end burger restaurants in Chicago, Milwaukee and other cities. They're all great but this is head-and-shoulders above the others. Highlights: house recipe for ketchup, three other sauces that were terrific. I had the truffle burger: spectacular. Big but not sloppy; neatly prepared and balanced flavors. I will be back constantly. Thrilled to have this place in my neighborhood!
(5)
Dominique S.

Love this place. Visited on a Saturday afternoon, and they were busy but not overcrowded. The food caught me completely off guard. One of the best burgers and fries combo i've ever had. Although not an option on the menu, they let me create my own burger which i thought was nice of them since i wanted to combine toppings from 3 different burgers on their menu. I also ordered the sweet potatoe fries. Looking at the menu online, it looks less detailed than the one in wicker park. For example the sweet potatoe fries i ordered were seasoned great and had bacon and some other sauce on them which isnt noted on the menu....essentially they were OFF THE CHAIN. I will definitely be back, as this is officially one of my fav burger joints now. Their drinks are really good too. I dont see their drink menu online but on their drink menu there is only one drink with tequila and cucumber and its spicy. Made for an exceptional drink and i had 2 of them. Please note if you are looking for a $25 and under meal for 2, then this is not the spot. After 3 drinks, 2 burgers, and 2 orders of fries, our total was $79. Shocking for a burger establishment, but still very good.
(5)
DÅ¾esika Å .

The burgers here are unbeleivable. I got the Manley with truffle fries and it was one of the best burgers I have ever had. It's very hard to eat so I ended up using my fork and knife. Another positive thing about this place is the waiters are extremely nice and helpful. I just hated the hour wait to get a table. I reccomend to make a reservation this place is super busy.
(4)
Shar S.

I am a burgers and fries type of girl. This has to be one of the best tasting burgers I've ever had. The TRUFFLE FRIES are amazing!!!! MUST GET THEM. They offer a variety of house made sauces. Loved loved loved the garlic aoli. The drinks are super strong too! Overall, great place! Highly recommend it!
(5)
Nirmal G.

Trying to make sure we didn't end up waiting in a line, came here with a friend after calling to find out there was no line on a Sunday evening around 7pm (whaaaat?!). We raced over there and were seated right away. I ordered the Sloppy Mami and was barely able to stuff it all down - so much food! Although the lentils tasted a lot like the dal that my mom makes at home, the additional toppings did make it more interesting. The server also informed us that they can make any burger with a portobello mushroom - awesome! More options than just the one! He also said that they could veganize as needed. I would venture back if someone else wanted to go, but I'm not sure if I would go back of my own volition. But given it's popularity, I'm certain that I'll be back soon!
(4)
Leang E.

We did a drive by on Milwaukee and decided on a whim that this was the spot we were going to eat at. The interior has an old school diner feel to it with a modern twist. The staff is very friendly and helpful here. They certainly care about service and like that they use these wooden coins that they allow you to drop into one of the jars to rate how they did. We were seated right away. It's nice that they have specials here, and we took advantage of this. I got the Umami Original, and asked for it to be medium, but it was more like medium well or almost well. I do love their sauces here and they make the food flavorful. I might give it another shot so that my meat is more cooked to my liking, but there's quite some competition with other burger spots in the city.
(4)
Michael K.

If your looking for the generic feeling of being in an unoriginal suburban mall restaurant with no character then this is the place for you. This place has everything: Tiny beers, clever sayings on shirts, compliment chips, screaming babies, unattended children, decoration-less wood walls, Teddy Graham people. ( It's that thing of when a guy has the stumpy arms, but with the belly.) Seriously, going to to Umami Burger, be prepared to have everything put under that ray gun from 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' before it comes to your table. If you order a draft beer do not think your hands grew three sizes that day, its actually just a small beer. Its a pint glass that is not a pint glass...strange. The decor is odd, its top to bottom wood boards, the kind you would just buy at home depot for $10.99 for an 8'x4'. It looks like the house of someone who was in the middle of a rehab but lost their job and ran out of money half way through so now all you see is the exposed wood studs and no kitchen counter tops. The actual burger is just OK. The meat is good quality and the toppings are very minimalist and overall on the small side. I ate a burger and fries and left hungry. I think the minimalist attitude of the burger is why the walls had nothing on them, but it just looked like they didn't try very hard. For a better burger in this 'hood, skip Umami and go to Lockdown, Tumans or Old Oak Tap. Umami is going to have its fans. It was packed with familys and odd looking people, but I live in Chicago, I want a high quality burger and an restaurant with an original concept. For a place called Umami, it is lacking the true meaning of the Japanese word Umami, Pleasant and Savory.
(2)
Umair H.

As a self-proclaimed burger aficionado, I am a sleuth for the next big burger spot in Chicago - I had always disregarded the nagging anecdotes of visiting Umami, opting instead for the gamut of established (Portillos, Five Guys, In n Out, Shake Shack, Epic, M Burger) and niche (Edzo's, Boston Blackies, Paradise Pup). Umami may be one of the best in the industry - between my group, we ordered a mix: the Cali, the ahi tuna, and for myself, the Manly sans bacon. Buttressed by the truffle fries, the meal was exceptional. I had the Manly prepared medium rare, which is the recommended preparation type. I should add, we loved the varying sauces, all prepared in-house and very complimentary to the thin cut fries. In short, we walked out impressed and have been itching to find another reason and time to go again.
(5)
Eric P.

I had the Manly Burger, the truffle fries, the Oskar Blues G'Knight (Imperial Red Ale), and the salted caramel/snickerdoodle cookie ice cream sandwich. Everything was absolutely delicious. This is a must try if you love burgers like I do (I drove 45 minutes specifically to try Umami Burger when I was in Chicago on business). However--everything is about $1-$3 too expensive. What that means is that I don't think I'd go often if there was one in my town; but it would be that place you'd HAVE to take burger lovers who'd never been there at least once.
(5)
Tiffany K.

Definitely worth the hype! Ordered the Throwback with a small side of shoestring fries, and my bf ordered the Truffle burger with the same small side of fries. The burgers are cooked well and they didn't taste too heavy or greasy. We left Umami Burger feeling really satisfied but not completely destroyed. A bit pricey, but well worth it. The buns are soft, the condiments are spot on, and the meat tastes fresh. Definitely try this place out!
(4)
Lynne K.

Great burgers and fries! The truffle fries are a must have and the service was perfect. After being disappointed by Shake Shack, Umami Burger completely blew them out of the water.
(5)
A M.

I was really disappointed in the food. Everything is drowning in truffle. My wife & I split a salad, I had a burger, she had a turkey burger, and we shared a plate of fries. Everything had overwhelming amounts of truffle in it - the salad dressing, the burgers (it is in the meat), the fries are covered in truffle salt, and even the ketchup has very strong truffle flavor. An hour later, even after washing my hands, I can still smell it on them. If you look at the menu, nearly every food has truffle in it. All of the ground meat does, the ketchup, salad dressings, umami sauce, etc. This isn't umami cuisine as I've ever experienced it, and I don't mean because it was burgers. It's too bad because they have a nice (if limited) selection of high quality beers, and the bartender and servers were great. Very friendly, knew the menu, and helpful. I just don't see any way I would ever go back.
(2)
Marie M.

Best burger I have ever had. Best truffle fries I have ever had. No other restaurant has ever come close. The homemade ketchup is pretty amazing too. Service is always on point. I enjoyed this place in California and was so over the moon happy to see it show up in my hometown. Also worth mention is the maple bacon bourbon old fashioned. My favorite coctail in the city for sure. Do yourself a favor and check it out, you wont be disappointed.
(5)
J C.

Went to the pre opening night with a co-worker I can say it was a slight small space the bathrooms are past the server area but ok didn't bother me much let's get to the good part the sweet potato fries were perfect brown sugar light salt big portion I had the manly fries with house made cheese fried onion strings and cubes of bacon omg so good and yes savory next the burgers my coworker ordered the ahi tuna burger and can I say best fish burger I've had carrots daikon guacamole lemon garlic aioli I ate half of hers flavors were perfect soul mates on that bun and my manly burger which was also amazing the cubed bacon gave you a little more to chew on instead of your expected strips melted cheddar juicy medium done burger and fried onion string ohh melt in my mouth delicious I can taste it now OK now dessert ice cream sandwich first I'm like what that's what you got??? Then I taste the freaking soft chewy cinnamon dusted snickerdoodle cookie with caramel ice cream in the middle and I felt all types of gluttonous joy in my mouth ok!!! You will never have another ice cream sandwich like this one ever again can't say about drinks had a Mexican coke in the bottle complimented my meal but yea come here you must I am a fan now will be returning soon
(5)
Patrick U.

Outstanding and creative burgers at a very reasonable price. A light and comfortable space with fun and interesting staff. The house-made dipping sauces are an excellent idea. Definitely somewhere that I could stop in once a week for a quick bite and pint.
(5)
Brandon S.

Enjoyed our experience at Umami Burger but food does not justify price.
(3)
Steve L.

I think I came in with an overly hyped expectation. I think I had a hard time walking away from a $20 meal knowing that I just had burgers and fries. Don't get me wrong, the burger was good. The fries were also good, with great dipping sauces. Pass on the unsalted flavorless onion rings though. The ambiance was more trendy than...burgery? Again, just another mismatched expectation. Overall an average experience. Would go back if friends want to.
(3)
Kevin M.

I've heard a lot of talk about Umami and was finally able to visit.. I thought the burgers lived up to the hype. The Manly burger is the number 1 seller and it's clear why it is. It was fresh and tasted amazing. Will definitely recommend to others.
(5)
George J.

I was in Chicago visiting and came across Umami on accident. This was the best damned accident I ever had. Got the special, the Throwback and some 0f the fries and it was the best ever!!!! If you aren't eating at Umami then you are only depriving yourself. My family left happy and it was hands down the best any of us had ever had! We will definitely be going back. This is our new Chicago go-to spot!!!!
(5)
James M.

It's a good burger. I had the Original. Just not sure it's living up to the hype. There are many really solid burgers in Chicago. This is a nice addition to the mix, and Would never say don't go, just not in my short list to come back. If their burger doesn't blow your skirt up, the menu is limited. Thin fries were great. Keysup is tasty. Nice to get Mexican bottled sodas. Great decor. Staff was top notch. Fun place for group I'm guessing. Bottom line for me is that I think if be happy with 30% less Umami across the board.
(3)
Emily M.

Truffle everything. My boyfriend and I split the truffle burger and the sunnyside (aka truffle especiale) and the truffle fries. I liked the truffle burger best but the sunnyside also didn't disappoint. We asked for medium and I think the truffle burger was closer to medium rare but I prefer medium rare. They said their standard is medium rare so keep that in mind. The truffle fries are freaking insane. Some of the best in the city. The truffle cheese is so rich and I like that they're almost shoe string fries. We left so satisfied. This isn't my favorite burger in the city but if you're jonesin for some truffle anything (which I often am) I definitely recommend this place. I also loved that at 1:00 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we were seated immediately. Also fwiw
(5)
Buck T.

Damn tasty! The sweet potato fries have an unnecessary sugar seasoning, but after two visits, that's my only gripe.
(5)
Lindsay T.

I went to Umami burger when it first opened in Wicker. The service was excellent! Our waiter had so much energy it made the experience even better. They gave us free truffle fries, and then they accidentally brought us another desert! Their truffle burger was really tasty, very trufflie so if you love truffle that's the one for you. Also tried 2 other burgers from my friends and they were pretty good as well. I'd definitely go back!
(4)
Kenya A.

Excellent service! Had the salad and it was really fresh. The fries are good as well and try all the sauces, they're delicious.
(5)
Jewel L.

Good burger -- limited options Ketcup and other sauces are house recipes. Ketcup is very vinegary- not a sweet ketchup like 99% of Americans are used to. Carmelized onions are their only onion option. Expect the answer to be no if you ask for raw onions, pickle or a soft drink. While the original burger was tasty it was expensive especially considering our standard accompaniments were not available. So looked forward to trying Umami but left disappointed. Can't recommend. (P.s water is the only non alcoholic beverage offered.)
(3)
Liz A.

We had visited Umami Burger in Pasadena once before and couldn't wait to try the restaurant opening this week in Wicker Park. We loved it before, and loved it even more tonight! It didn't seem like a new restaurant with kinks to be worked out -- the wait staff were relaxed, friendly, knowledgable, and efficient. They were enthusiastic and were obviously well trained! The food was absolutely delicious. I am not normally a burger lover, because, well -- how delicious can a burger be? I mean, put some beef on a bun, top it with good cheese and you have a perfectly good B burger. But Umami Burger has made a believer out of me! I don't know what they do to the meat, but it absolutely melts in your mouth, and I even gobbled down the bun! I never eat the buns on any burger, because in my opinion, they are too bulky, take away from the taste of the burger, and frankly, are not worth the calories. But not at Umami! Eat everything they give you! If it comes with the burger, then eat it -- because that taste combination has been refined and refined and everything is there for a reason. I had the Truffle Burger and my son had the Classic. I liked the Classic, but LOVED the Truffle Burger. I normally would opt out of aioli, but I didn't make any special requests, and was so glad! I ate every crumb and will remember that burger for a long time! Manly fries were good, and next time I'll get my own, because my dining companion wasn't very generous. Sweet potato fries are delicious! Congratulations Umami Burger and welcome to the Windy City!
(5)
M H.

Damn good. Good time.
(5)
Mark M.

Very good lunch spot. I sat at the bar and my server was great. Very friendly. In fact, all the staff were accommodating and welcoming. I am a fan of burgers and these were very good. I had the original but it's not "typical" it had caramelized onion, mushroom caps and a baked parmesan crisp on a very good bun. While the price was $12+ I'm not sure that the price and taste matched up. I think that $8 or $9 seemed a better price point considering that it's just the burger- no fries, pickle wedge or leaf of garnish. That said, I also had onion rings. I always get onion rings if I can or I sub out the fries, I take the up charge etc just so that I can get rings. I really like them - and nine times out of ten I think they are universally outstanding. But these rings, these RINGS were the best I have ever had . No kidding, hands down, the best! No need for salt or sauce just perfectly crisp and crunchy with a healthy slice of onion inside. At $4+ this is money well spent. Enjoy this great spot!
(4)
Edwin N.

Ordered the following: Thin Fries, Tempura, Onion Rings, and Manly Burger. The thin fries and the onion rings were great, and I did really enjoy the sauce pairing the place has to offer. The offering on alcoholic drinks was great (if you are a beer person). The burger I ordered was decent at best, did not like how the burger patty just fell apart on a few bites and the bacon tasted like pork jerky. Overall, I would like to come back and try another burger since the other burgers Umami has to offer seems extremely interesting.
(3)
Ian S.

Burgers are amazing, the fries are good but not amazing. Good sauces!
(4)
Emily K.

Delicious!! I had the original the first time and the truffle burger on my second visit. Truffle fries are a must. I think about the original a lot when I crave burgers.. So damn good! Long wait, amazing food. I had a delicious cocktail as well!
(5)
Brian C.

First visit to a UMAMI. Great burger, drinks, and special cheese tot side. Sat at the bar and had a "Manly" burger; beer-cheddar, bacon lardons and smoked salt onion rings. It was delicious! Bartender server Blair was excellent in walking though the special drink menu offerings. I had the "Mezcalrita" which was also delicious. Definitely going back.
(4)
Kim G.

I ordered the truffle burger and the truffle fries. The fries were delicious. On the other hand, the burger was not as good as I anticipated. The truffle sauce was tasty but there was something sweet on the burger that did not agree with my palette. Also, I asked for my burger to be cooked to a medium temp and it was well done. Overall, I was not overly impressed with my meal. It is a bit annoying that no carry out orders are accepted.
(3)
Mel Q.

Not impressed. The place oozes with "organic quality goodness," however falls short on delivery. My boyfriend and I split the throwback burger, truffle burger, and some fries. The burgers melt in your mouth..but not in a good way. Everything is soggy and sloppy. If you're looking for a good burger this is not the place.
(1)
Riri A.

Food was excellent 5 star Marcus, the server 5 star The manger is one star, Reason? Very bad in communicating. really disappointed that the manger don't have the ability for this job. I have ordered that my burger to be cut in half, and the manger brought it and told me because of the presentation it wont be cut. But Marcus happily came and did that after wearing his gloves, very professional and well trained, Thanks Marcus.
(2)
Tami S.

Excellent food! The staff was exceptional! Great atmosphere. Burgers were top-notch. Definitely will be back.
(5)
jen l.

Without a doubt the best burger I have ever had in my life. (our family normally eats grass fed, organic burgers so this was surprising to me). Truffle fries were out of this world. Service was impeccable. The server was polite, explained everything well, answered our questions and even brought us a dessert on the house since it was our first visit. And it wasn't even all that terribly pricey! We will definitely be back.
(5)
Briordy M.

Tried this place for the first time a couple months ago when my brother was in town. Some of the best hamburgers I've ever had. My brother was a chef and he loved his food. Great waiter too. Very attentive and knowledgeable.
(5)
Mengjie Z.

20 mins waiting is totally worth it!! I had the original burger and my boyfriend had the Chicago exclusive one, both of them are very very good!! Very well flavored. And they offer four different sauces you can mix and add yourself. Also we has a fries, forgot the name, but the second one on the menu, need add $3 on the basic type. The melted cheese on it and salty and some garlic flavor is really tasty. The best burger place I've had in Chicago.
(5)
Julie Y.

Umami Burger has been on my radar ever since I went to California and missed my opportunity to try it. Lo and behold, Umami opened up a location in Wicker! My friend and I swung on a late afternoon on a Sunday and it was packed! We waited a total of 5 minutes before being seated. The waiter was extremely knowledgeable (we witnessed his extreme patience with a gluten-free customer) and was very attentive. The burgers themselves were a little underwhelming. My friend and I both sprung for the Original and were a little bit unimpressed by the flavors. The patty was a little too crumbly and watery - which caused the bottom bun to be completely soaked through. Halfway through our meal, we noticed a small hair in our fries and notified the waiter. Despite the fact that we weren't too peeved, the manager was still insistent on comping our entire meal. I'm not sure if this was simply because they are new, or if this is just the level of service to be expected of Umami, but I was even a little taken aback by their generosity. I'm sure the Chicago restaurant is still in the process of working out some kinks but their service has definitely persuaded me to come back and give it another shot!
(4)
Ahmad R.

the original burger had a smell that was absolutely petrifying. It was very gamy and tasted bad, the only part I enjoyed was the bun, my burger was underdone, when I ordered it well done. However, the truffle burger was absolutely delectable, and the juices and sauces were great, I loved it! The bun was very crispy, yet soft. I highly recommend ordering the truffle fries, they were very good! The flavors blended together perfectly. The service was good, out server was very nice. The homemade "garlic aioli" sauce was the bomb! I also really enjoyed the jalapeÃ±o ranch sauce. I personally really disliked the housemate ketchup, it was bad, in my opinion. overall, I wasn't dazzled with this place, but if I do come back, I'm definitely never ordering the original burger, and here's a tip if you do order it- BRUSH YOUR TEETH!
(3)
Lindsey B.

I love this place. I'm so glad we finally got one in Chicago! Great space, all of the staff was friendly and attentive and the food was great! I recommend the pickle plate-the pickled beets were my favorite. I got the Hatch burger and my friend got the Manly burger. Both were great and suuupper juicy!! The truffle fries are a must as well. I will definitely make it back!
(4)
Justine J.

Felt like a grease bomb. Not a ton of flavor. The truffle fries were decent, but everything I ate felt and tasted like grease. The Hatch burger fell apart when I picked it up. The maple bacon old fashioned tho...Everybody deserves a win.
(2)
Al J.

If there is one mediocre review here they lied this was hands down the best burger of my life it was more than a burger it was an epic experience. I would honestly stand out side with a sign for free Manly burgers! I am currently sitting in traffic right now and dont even care cause of that was the experience of a life time. I will never order another burger anywhere else. End of story
(5)
David M.

Delicious food and quality service. Had a good time looking at the unique pop art and enjoying the different sauces.
(5)
Jacob G.

The food at Umami Burger is really good. Their burgers and fries are amazing.
(4)
Jill L.

Went here with 2 friends last week. Wish I could remember our servers name because the service was great. He was friendly, very informative & offered us suggestions. One tried the tuna salad as an appetizer, the other got truffle fries & I got the potatoes with truffle sauce. Everything was amazing but the sauce itself was great. Very, very rich. I had the caprese burger. The other two had the one with bacon (can't remember the name). We all shared and loved everything. The burgers are extremely flavorful. So much so that none of us finished ours. It is definitely something that I'd have to eat in a couple of sittings. It was pretty noisy, though and hard to hear our server at times, but I'd still go back.
(5)
Oksana D.

Topped my list of burgers in the city, above Au Cheval and Kuma's. I got the original, which definitely had that umami taste with the shiitake mushroom and Parmesan crisp combination. Can't wait to go back and try more burgers!
(5)
Mary K.

Amazing burgers, amazing fries, and amazing service. I've gone there twice and the food was consistent and the staff members were warm and inviting. Definitely recommend burger lovers to check this place out.
(5)
Jaclyn O.

Fantastic service and food!!!! The burgers and salad were amazing and made with quality ingredients. Our waitress Nikki was absolutely wonderful! She was knowledgeable, friendly, and genuine. When I come back to this spot, I will make sure I only sit in Nikki's section even if that means tripling my wait time!! Definitely recommend!
(5)
Rhonda S.

Ok can we talk for a second about this company's Hatch Burger? I have been in PR for 32 years. I won't name the burger chains I have repped but they have been big famous ones. THIS burger is the best I have ever had. In and Out? Forget it. This is made differently and it IS the definition of gourmet. I didn't like one that I had just because of the condiments I chose, but the Hatch Burger? Nothing like it. I do NOT YELP often.
(4)
Mary M.

This is something different from the most traditional burger. We were seated promptly and our server Dan were really helpful. Umami is actually a Japanese word that means delicious and their sauces are all homemade with ingredients imported from Japan. So I'm guessing it's like a "Japanese burger" I ordered the Umami burger and my husband ordered the Manly burger and a side order of Manly fries which is part of a secret menu. It is interesting how they served the sodas in glass bottles. I never seen an American restaurant does that. Ok so my Umami burger is fairly good except a bit too salty for me. The Manly is pretty good as well. It has a smokey flavor to it. I was a bit disappointed on how thin and small the fries were. I didn't like the kind of cheese they put in it. I wish they were more melted and didn't have to dry up so fast. Overall the service was really good. Nice environment.
(4)
Mellody R.

I haven't tried this Umami Burger. But I've had the original one in California and let me just say that my excitement that they've opened one here in Chicago is beyond me! I now to get to have a taste of the west coast when I please. They're off the chain!! Sweet potatoe fries, truffle fries, bunless burgers... Everything is amazing!
(5)
Steven D.

This is my second time visiting Umami Burger. Unfortunately, my experience in LA was a lot better as far as how well cooked the burgers were. It was recommended to order medium-rare for my original burger and the truffle burger for my girlfriend who was a first time visiter. The server brought us our burgers and the meat was extremely rare on both ends of the table. I ate, but my girlfriend had to send it back to the kitchen. The server brought back a new burger (this time medium) hoping to get what we wanted, but still the burger was quite rare. Maybe next time we visit we'll order the burgers well done! The service was good, the food I must say otherwise.
(2)
Emily H.

Will not be back... not worth the hype. Went here with a group of girls. We all wanted burgers cooked medium (per their recommendation) aside from the 1 pregnant woman who wanted hers medium well. When they came out almost a hour later the pregnant girl got a medium rare burger and the rest were well done. The service was terrible, the server would disappear and it took forever to get our entrees despite not being very busy (we went on a weeknight). The flavors were nothing special, I've definitely had much better in the city. When the check came we wrote down the amount to put on the 3 credit cards on the back of the receipt... 1 person had the wrong charges when reviewing her credit card statement. This place is not worth the hype for the overpriced burgers. Too many good restaurants, this one is not worth a repeat visit.
(2)
Nat M.

if you're craving a good burger, this will not dissapoint. neither will the fries. this is a damn good burger place and doesn't pretend to be anything more than that.
(5)
Julie O.

I am not even a burger person but this place is delish!! I had the throwback. Yum yum yum. Great service too. Very nice and easygoing. Didn't try the dessert but it looks great.
(5)
Sarah N.

My friend and I went tonight--soft opening, I guess you'd call it? Not sure but we ate for free. To drink, we each got a candied bacon old fashioned. I'm not a bourbon drinker but that was real good. For our appetizers, we got the tempura onion rings and the manly fries. Both were delicious. So so yummy. I've started drooling. As for the burgers, we each got a truffle burger, cooked to med-rare as they are intended to be. Amazing. The truffle cheese is housemade and unreal. The burger was so juicy. Oh boy. Amazing. So damn good. The service was awesome. Super friendly and attentive. The only things I would change are: That hostess area is so tiny. Too tiny. The music is real loud. I was going hoarse trying to talk to my friend. I will definitely go back to Umami Burger. YUM! Thanks for dinner!
(5)
Annie Q.

The food here is AMAZING! My husband and I shared the Cali burger, Truffle burger, Manly fries and Cheesy Tatar tots (from their secret menu) Everything was so flavorful and delicious. I love that most of their stuff is made in house so it's all fresh. It's a bit pricey for burgers but everything was totally worth it and i'll def be back again!
(5)
Zachary J.

Went the second night it was open. The hatch burger was amazing. Great beer and cocktail list. Definitely a Unger joint you would not be embarrassed to bring a date to. The truffle fries were a little too salty and heavy for me but my date loved them.
(4)
Cris G.

Group of four / two tried the Manly, and the others the California and Calabrese. Medium Well was more like Medium Rare. Calabrese was not good, curious ingredient combination that ultimately fails, and the sauce on the California overpowered the meat, the taste bordered on fishy. Wait was 1.5 hrs on a Friday evening, promised time was one hour. Service was great, they took back one of the burgers and brought another one.a Onion rings were overly oil, sweet potato fries were alright. Overall had higher expectations for this place - it's only been open a week so maybe give it some time?
(2)
Michael S.

Outstanding burger. good fries. can't complain! With all the hype around this place I was prepared to be a bit disappointed (especially given how tremendously overrated so many wicker park/bucktown places are) but it turned out to be the real deal. I got their double burger (I forget what it was called) and I felt it was the right amount of burger for me to be happy. The single burgers would definitely had been too small I showed up on a tuesday around 6pm and didn't have to wait at all. It sounds like I might have gotten lucky. I don't think I'd be willing to wait in a crazy long line for it though. Its not quite THAT great.
(4)
Bill W.

One of the Best burgers that I've ever had. I've tried the other celebrity chef burger joints, other fast casual burger places but Unami is hard to best. I had the original with sweet potato fries and washed it down with a cold Green Line. They have an impressive bar with any whiskey that you could possibly desire . Bartenders are great, especially Brittany. She explained the concept along with suggestions on the menu. I will be back and bringing friends.
(5)
Deanne K.

This place rocked starting with our awesome server Frances. She explained everything with passion and had some great suggestions. I came with a friend who ordered the Cali burger and I got the Manly burger. Both were awesome and super flavorful. We also got the cheesy tots and sweet potato fries. Two glasses of wine and a full belly later we left. Dying to go back and try another burger and the onion rings. Top three burger in Chicago and I've lived here for 43 years.
(5)
Robyn H.

Good stuff! The hubs said the Sunny Side was the best burger he's had. Combination of parmesan frico and truffle butter were to die for. Also, spend the extra couple of bucks for the truffle fries.
(5)
Barbara G.

Excellent! Among our group we ordered a variety of burgers, side dishes and desserts. Everything was cooked perfectly, sauces were a nice twist from the usual and desserts were the perfect ending. Plus the prices were so reasonable!
(5)
Joan E.

Four of us ordered four different burgers and shared bites. I'm not sure which was the best! They were all amazing! We are more "well-done" lovers, but went against type and ordered them "medium." Very tiny bit of pink and still juicy. You can taste the quality of the meat. Onion rings are giant size. Fries are thin and crispy -- just the way I like them. The Cali burger was sumptuous with a depth of flavor, but the one I really liked was the Manly. The bacon chunks were smoky, salty and flavorful. Each of the four burgers was uniquely delicious. Not inexpensive, but worth every penny. One last thing: when we got there, a lot of people were waiting. The hostess told us 20 minutes, so we stayed. Sure enough, 20 minutes later, we were at our table. Great experience!
(5)
Tiff B.

So this is yet another burger place. But it's so good from both a service and food perspective, I feel compelled to write a review. We were served by a guy named Jared who is one of the best servers I've ever had. He was funny, knowledgeable about the menu, and made some excellent suggestions without being too pushy. We had the smushed potatoes, truffle fries, the manly burger and the truffle burger. All were excellent. The truffle burger is one of the best burgers I've ever had. Cooked to perfection and seasoned well. My husband had the old fashioned at the recommendation of our server, and he said it was fantastic. We also had a few of the ice cream sandwiches for dessert. They were also amazing. Overall, we had a great experience at Umami Burger and we'll definitely be returning. We went during the week and didn't have to wait for a table. We learned that they have quite the crowd on the weekends and have live music from time to time.
(5)
Matt J.

My buddy and I decided to finally get back on our "best burger in Chicago" quest this past Sunday, so we decided to have a boozy lunch at Umami Burger in Wicker Park. Personally, my biggest criticism of this place is that finding a parking space on the weekend can best be described as "challenging", so I highly recommend to either take a cab or hit the blue line, as I spent more than 20 minutes to find a spot over 4 blocks away. That being said I was glad we made the effort to go, as both the food and the drinks were pretty solid. I arrived first and found a couple of spots at the bar, which is our preferred seating as being in close proximity of the booze is always a plus. Since both my buddy and I were not totally locked onto one burger over another, we decided to order 3 burgers to share (Umami, Truffle, and Manly), as well as the truffle fries and onion rings on the recommendation of our bartender Dan. I think I can speak for my buddy that The Manly was our favorite of the three, but the other two were pretty decent as well. I think the best way to describe the burgers here is that the flavors are very layered. If you are the type of person that likes your burgers relatively plain, I wouldn't recommend Umami Burger, as their entire concept is to deliver a complex combination of flavors. Aside from the fact that all the burgers come with alot of unique toppings, the beef is dusted with powdered fish heads, seaweed, and some soy and/or oyster sauce to give them an Asian flavor patina. Given that I spend alot of time in Asia and eat alot of Asian food, I probably enjoyed the burgers more than my buddy, but he pointed out that he enjoyed the quality of the beef. Both of us thought the onion rings were very good, however the shoestring truffle fries were pretty average and a bit over priced at $5.50. My buddy also ordered an ice cream sandwich for dessert, which was OK, but not anything to write home about. We both enjoyed a wide array of beer and cocktails throughout the meal, which were deftly prepared by our bartender Dan, who was both knowledgeable on the beer flavor profiles and a talented mixologist. In summary, I would say that Umami Burger is a good spot if you are hungry for a good quality burger and like Asian influenced food. Personally, it isn't going to be my "go to" burger spot, but more of one to go to when I am in that neighborhood and looking for something a little different. if you haven't gone yet, I would recommend giving it a try.
(4)
Julia B.

If there are any foods you need to avoid for any reason, don't bother going in here. I was extremely surprised when the server said she had to get special permission from the manager to change the ingredients on MY burger! This was after I'd already gone through a hurdle of finding out what kind of oil the fries are cooked in. "high-performance vegetable oil" does not tell me whether it's soybean oil! I'm tired of being the only person in most restaurants who knows that the stuff labeled "vegetable oil" is actually soybean oil. I'm not even in this field! After I decided to go get tacos instead, the manager ran after me and offered to give me special permission to have whatever I wanted on my burger. The foodies are officially out of control and have taken over Wicker Park. I lived there from 1991-2012 and it's so disappointing to see such things. There is no place in walking distance of North and Damen to get a burger and fries for less than $15, and Umami's attitude adds insult to injury. I went to one of the remaining restaurants for regular people (I'm not mentioning them here because I'm afraid the foodies will take them over too) and got tacos just how I wanted them for less than 1/2 what I would have paid at Umami. Thank God for our Mexican population!
(1)
Bella N.

We have eaten lunch and dinner here several times and it has consistently been excellent. Absolutely one of the best burgers in the city and nothing like you have had anywhere else.The wait staff and hostesses are friendly and laid back. The prices for these primo burgers are reasonable and worth the money. Try their special of the day with an order of onion rings and the best root beer. I can't say it's a heart healthy meal, but I did see my dad's cardiologist there.
(4)
Kayla D.

NEVER order out here. When they told us it would only take 10 minutes, we ended up waiting for 40 minutes just to get 2 plain cheeseburgers. I could have just stayed home and made it myself in 15 minutes.
(1)
TIm L.

Go back to California. 3 thumbs down.
(1)
Ashley A.

Not so d with this place. Their ketchup tastes like lunchables pizza sauce. The fried pickles were 2 inches long and the truffle fries were boring.
(2)
J W.

First time there last Saturday night. Seated right away before 5pm. There was a wait when we left. Ahi tuna burger was great! My husband had the manly burger and we both liked that as well. One son had the sliders off the kids menu and pretty much ate it all. Other son had the throwback burger. He liked it except for the white cheddar cheese. Truffle fries good. Onion rings eh. The kids' fave was the ice cream cookies. I liked the aioli sauce on pretty much everything. We weren't huge fans of the ketchup.
(4)
Michelle R.

I have definite mixed feelings about Umami Burger. The food was good - my bf and I both got the truffle burger which was delicious and truffle-y, but slightly underdone for my taste. They cook everything medium-rare so I think next time I would get mine done medium. We got the ice cream sandwich for dessert which was pretty good as well, but nothing that left a lasting impression. I can't believe I'm saying this but my main complaint was that the service was *too* attentive - dare I say, invasive. I appreciate good service, but our waitress was seriously at our table every 5 minutes. Tone it down, Toots. At some point I want to be left alone to enjoy my meal and if I need something I'll flag you down! Maybe it was just our particular waitress but it was all just too much - everything from the long spiel at the beginning about where our burger came from to her accidentally dropping part our ice cream sandwich on the table when she set it down (which was no big deal) and then bringing another one out even though we insisted she not (I know, #firstworldproblems...but seriously, we felt compelled to eat it then even though we didn't want a whole other one). Overall I just felt annoyed by the time we left, and that's not how I want to feel after having a good meal. If we were to do Umami again I think it would just be for carryout.
(4)
Lily F.

Our server was nice. The wait was 1.5 hours which was expected since it was new. I'd been excited for the opening since it sounded amazing. I ordered my burger well done. No pink at all please. I got it pink in too many places and some chunks weren't as pink and the burger kept crumbling I couldn't figure out what was happening. We had already waited too long to get a table and then to get our food so I just said screw it and ate it like that. And people are right there's way too much going on with the sauces, it's just all very messy. My husband thought his burger was a bit better than mine but not thrilled to go back. We usually make our own grass fed organic burgers at home and they're pretty amazing so juicy and full of flavor, so my expectations are always high. This meat was just strange it's like a blend of stuff and I can't quite figure out what. We both ordered fries for 3.50 each little bowl. Our final bill with two burgers and fries and one coke was $44 with tip. that is way too much for a burger. I really wanted to like this place, but I know I won't be going back.
(2)
Cavoto I.

I ate umami burger two days ago and regret waiting until now, when I'm drunk, to post about it. The manly burger was awesome (and the $8 burger of the week) and bloody were very good. Affordable for the area, WILL BE BACK. #UMAMIII
(5)
Rebecca T.

I have been hearing about this place for awhile so was eager to go. Although I thought the truffle burger was really good, the classic burger was just okay for me, kind of tasted like Chinese soy sauce chicken. I liked the sauces available and thought the truffle fries were good. I think I would go back if my friend wanted to go because I liked the truffle burger, but I don't think I would go back on my own. The thing that bothered me the most was the hostess. We went next door for a drink while waiting since it was too crowded in Umami. We got a text that our table was ready. We came back and I told the hostess that we were back. She told us to stand to the side while they put together the table. We were physically next to her. 15 min later, I received a text message that our name has been removed from the list. I asked her about it and she said they couldn't find us. I told her she told us to stand to the side and I have been physically next to her. I know people make mistakes but what I thought was unprofessional was instead of being apologetic, she made excuses and said she has so any names to keep track so we should have said something. Even the person who sat us down was not apologetic and blamed us. The manager gave us free truffle fries, but the other two people were not apologetic. The only reason I put 2.5/3 stars instead of anything less is because our waiter was super friendly and nice. He apologized for what happened and he was good to us the rest of the night.
(3)
Coll P.

We had a pleasant trip to Umami and beat the crowds by testing it at lunchtime. But come on! No ciders or anything remotely like a cider to compliment my burger?!? Sigh. We split the Calabrese burger and the truffled beet salad and still had room for an ice cream cookie sandwich. It's not often I can clean my plate when ordering a burger, so I can assure you the size of the burger is....normal? Be sure to order well done if red meat isn't your thing too. I'm glad I checked it out, but best burger in Chicago? Hmmm....
(4)
char y.

The burgers were okay nothing spectacular. I tried both the original and the hatch. I wasn't expecting my meat to be medium rare either. The server did not mention that all burgers are cooked medium rare. I prefer my burger to be medium. The fries were good but not good enough for me to come back and pay for a $12 burger. Service was great.
(3)
N C.

Great burger joint that also offers you to wrap your meat in lettuce if you're trying to stay healthy. Their specialize in local grown products including buns from a local bakery and have decent beer options. Bring back the samburger please! Wait can be long at times but their bar has seating too.
(4)
The Kritique ..

If you want a different type of burger umami is the one. We were seated, helped, and served rapidly. Def try the umami classic burger. We also ordered fried pickles. Very tastey. They bring a tray of different sauces which I found every single of them delic and different. Overall very nice place with quality food and friendly staff.
(4)
Jillian C.

My boyfriend and I went here on a Monday night. Short wait and excellent customer service. We were seated at a comfortable booth and the ambiance was fresh and inviting (and full of an overwhelming number of hipsters in fedoras. not kidding.). The place has a nice feel to it and our server was super friendly and helpful. We ordered a couple fizzy sodas, the manly fries, the original burger and the Ahi tuna burger. The fries were insanely rich, but delicious and the classic burger was outstanding. I love Ahi tuna, and the burger was good but I could have done without it only because the delicate flavor of the fish is overshadowed by a lot of other things on the sandwich. We ordered a salad but our server forgot it, which was totally fine because we were plenty full on the two burgers and fries that we shared. We also shared the chocolate peanut butter sammy which was amazing and well worth the splurge. All-in-all, a great experience with delicious food. Simple menu and NO substitutions/changes which I dig, however beware if you're a picky eater. Umami don't play.
(4)
Deanna G.

First time and we went opening weekend. Wait time was 2 hours, so we went down the street to grab a drink. The host texted us when our table was ready which ended up only being 1.5hr wait. Great vibe and lots of energy. Waiter was knowledgable and took our drink order immediately. Unfortunately, we did not receive our drinks before we received our food so our drinks were comped which was a pleasant surprise! I ordered the original. Not the best burger I've ever had but it was very good. The best part of my meal was the truffle fries. By far the BEST truffle fries I've ever had. Definitely will be back with hopefully less of a wait time.
(4)
Sam P.

This place is amazing, great vibes all around! Nick is great too =) I'll definitely be back!
(5)
Megan F.

My first yelp review ever because I was so disappointed with this place! My fiancÃ© and I were excited for a new burger place in our neighborhood, and went to check it out Sunday night. (We had heard so many good things about it!) We got there aroung 8pm. There were two bartenders- one was a "corporate trainer"- service was slow and grumpy. When we ordered our burgers, only one came out. The bartender apologized- kind of- and told us that she forgot to order my fiancÃ©'s burger, but she put it in "on the fly." When his burger came out a few minutes later, it was rare (it was a pork burger, so I don't think it should have been bloody). My "Manly" burger that was put in at the right time was very undercooked as well. It was supposed to be MR, but even the outside of the burger was raw. Literally every time I took a bite, raw meat crumbled off the side, I couldn't even eat half of the burger. They also ran out of shoe string fries and, without saying anything about being out, they gave us these thick fries that tasted like they got them from jewel down the street. I don't know if we just got "bad batches" of everything, but the food was so gross we will never go back to find out.
(1)
Kevin L.

tasty buns
(5)
Margaret H.

Okay, I came here because my meat-loving son in Los Angeles RAVES about their burgers and I was up from the far southwest side for a concert at St John Cantius, not too far away. OMG!!! Burger heaven! Seriously, I heard angels singing. They called it "The Especiale," a top shelf burger cooked to juicy perfection, piled high with distinctive egg, garlic and truffle goodness that absolutely amazed my taste buds. Fresh greens and sweet baby tomatoes with a sauce to die for. Rounded it out with one of the best Caesar salads ever (not a fan of kale, but somehow they balanced it with other greens and a house Caesar dressing topped off with fresh Parmesan cheese that made it work for me-- did I detect a touch of fresh anchovies in there? Their "smushed" potatoes (small new potatoes boiled, then smashed open and deep-fried with skins on, then served up with an incredible creamy garlic aioli sauce) were a revelation (must add salt to taste)! Filling and healthy eating. Atmosphere was young, energetic and fun. Between two honey brown hostesses who seemed to be friends and were quite entertaining dancing around the crowd control counter during down time, two TVs on different stations at the bar, and live music by a talented folk-rock guitarist on this Saturday night, I barely noticed the wait. Can somebody explain the huge animae cartoon mural that runs the entire length of the wall to me?
(5)
Alexis J.

overpriced. shoestring fries are lame. sauces are good, particularly umami ketchup, but what's the point of grinding your meat in-house and insisting that you're using quality ingredients if you're just going to slather the food in sauces and toppings? there may be such a thing as too much umami. i may never want to eat anything with umami flavors again. also you can't add bacon to a burger. or anything other than vegetable matter. i understand what they're going for, and that they want to preserve the integrity of the menu, but it's not what i'm going for when i eat a burger, even if it's the best burger in the world (which this wasn't). service was good.
(2)
J A.

Cold fries and sloppy assembled burger, also I like truffles but they drown everything in cheap truffle oil, also the record player that kept needing to have the album flipped was the most contrived thing I have seen in a while... More focus on food coming out hot and less worry about slapping together a painfully trendy burger.... And lunch for two with tip and just water weighed in at almost $50, yikes! And this is supposed to be a training location for their expansion...
(1)
Morganne B.

Soooo yeah. Umami Burger. After hearing mixed reviews (half of people seem to LOVE it, half seem to hate it), I finally got to try it with my boyfriend one Wednesday afternoon during their happy hour. We started with the pickle plate and the $3 truffle fries. I loved the pickle plate; it had pickles, daikon, carrots, and beets and was a refreshing contrast to the rest of our greasy meal. The truffle fries were like McDonalds fries with truffle sauce--nothing against them, just not super high quality. The sauces that are served for dipping were tasty though. We also ordered the Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin and the Moody Tongue Lemon Saison to wash it all down. A decently good deal at $5 for a draft during happy hour... But other places have drafts for $3.50 at their happy hours so whatever, at least it's good beer! We saw the $4 slider special, or 3 for $9, and figured that would be a good way to try as much as possible... Except they decided which burgers we got and we couldn't substitute. So today's were the Manly, Hatch, and Truffle. All were good, but if I ever come back and order a full sized burger, I'd go with the Manly--can't go wrong with cheddar, bacon, their house made ketchup and mustard. The Hatch was nice and spicy with a kick of chile, and the Truffle was good but too truffley (if that's even a word) and rich. Truffle aioli, truffle cheese, truffle glaze kinda is overkill for me. I would have loved to have saved room to go to Jeni's Ice Cream across the street afterwards, but next time I will!
(3)
Linda L.

Oh heck yeah! Grassfed? Yeeeaaah. The Umami Burger was delicious. Definitely go with their recommendation and get it medium rare. The burger was SUPER juicy and tender. I loved that it wasn't one of those burgers that just falls apart, or whose juices just end up soaking through the buns. Wasn't as big of a fan of the truffle fries. The sauce cooled very quickly and kind of just clumped on top of the fries, causing them to be overly salty. The onion rings were huge and delicious. Super oily though, so be prepared.
(4)
Lily Z.

So we came here for a late lunch yesterday. Our server was Nikki and she was probably one of the best servers we have had in a while. Even the boy who is a former River North server said that she belongs somewhere else. We ordered the ahi tuna burger (wish there was more wasabi sauce but very light) and the manly burger with an egg (definition of an over indulgent burger if that's what you want.) with sweet potato fries (I wish there wasn't brown sugar on top but that's just being picky. But they were pretty darn good!) Overall, service was awesome. Burgers are good but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
(4)
Diego C.

The best burgers I've tried in Chicago. I consider myself s big burger fan and Umami has, by far, the best burgers I've tried in Chicago (including big names such as Au Cheval and Leadbelly). The restaurant is located in Wicker Park and offers at comfortable venue with live music on weekend nights. The burgers are AWESOME! The quality of the meat used is clearly distinguishable, the taste is very unique. , and the offer creative recipes. But, most importantly, they are reasonably priced! I tried the Sunny Side burger, which includes a sunny egg, truffle butter and arugula, and was blown away! What a great surprise. I knew burgers here were good, but I wasn't expecting such an amazing burger. Any burger fan MUST try the burgers in this place. They are well priced, have no waiting time, do not require reservation, offer live music on weekend nights, have an ample beer list, and are simply amazing burgers.
(5)
Julie T.

Been wanting to check Umami out & finally got the chance to. Boy, did it not disappoint. The set up of the restaurant is a different thing but not in a bad way. The only issue I had however is how close the tables were to one another. The couple seated next to us had a difficult time going into their seats. She basically was hovering over me trying to get into her seats. Beside that little issue, the food was up to par! Umami Burger - Very saucy and not what I expected. Nonetheless, it was a unique acquired taste. The meat on the burger was perfect so no complains there. I just question everything else on top because it wasn't at its best. Throwback Burger - It taste very much like a mcdouble. Not saying that's a bad thing but it was much better than the umami burger. Maple Bacon Fries - At most places, sweet potato fries tend to be overwhelmingly too much but I think they were able to make the sweet potato fries work out pretty well. I just wish there were more bacon bits. Truffle Fries - It was delicious at first but then the cheese solidify really quickly and it just tasted a little odd. It was cute how they had these little sauces. I just wished our waiter would have introduced it to us. What I assume as the ketchup was really good! I'll definitely come back to give other things on the menu a try!
(3)
Lingyi P.

The sweet potato maple syrup bacon fries are HEAVENLY. Each ingredient by itself is good...but when you put them together it's like, can I eat this every day?? Magical combination of sweet and savory. So what if it's oil and bacon and carbs? These fries are worth it. I had the umami burger and it lives up to the hype. Medium rare is the way to go, and it wasn't even that rare. Juicy patty, flavorful toppings of mushrooms and caramelized onions...seriously, they thought of every umami-inducing vegetable and layered it on top. I managed to finish the whole thing, but needless to say, was in an umami coma for rest of the night. The service is great. Friendly servers, and literally three different managers/servers came to check on us, asking us about the food. Food came out of the kitchen very fast, as is the case at many burger places. Drinks were never empty...so overall great service. Ambiance is upscale casual. It was a bit loud though. Conversation required a bit of shouting across the table. Food taste is definitely five stars. Only issue is that I was so thirsty afterwards that I drank a liter of water, no joke. Would I come back? Yes, I will always come back for those fries..
(4)
Cris G.

2 stars .. why ... I've never eaten a burger that literally falls apart and made me use a fork to eat it. . Too mushy.. I ordered Sweet potato fries and they seasons it with brown sugar? Ordered the truffle fries too and I'm not so thrilled about it at all. . The only good thing is the acoustic guitarist they had that day to make the place nice to hang out ..
(2)
Marc G.

I've been to Umami Burger twice now. The first was after a Pipeworks tap takeover at the Emporium Arcade so I obviously found that experience OTHER WORLDLY, although I could've been eating horse placenta for all I knew. So this time I came back with my wife; sobriety fully in tow to experience it again. Not even recognizing it as the same place, we were promptly seated and the service remained top notch throughout our time there. Decent drink menu, though I was sticking to water. My wife got the Sunny Side burger, I got the Hatch and we split a regular order of truffle fries. This is where things get difficult as I fully believe Umami is a solid 4 stars but I have to drop them on edibleness. Both our burgers were cooked perfect, medium rare, nailed it. They also completely nailed the flavors on both. Nailed it. However, even cutting my burger in half, before I could get it to my mouth, the burger was sliding all over the place. It was like I was attempting to eat a live fish. I'm not opposed to a messy burger discharging juice down my hand or some cheese gumming up on my fingers. I mean, I just moved here from KC where we eat BBQ with our hands, but eating this burger just wasn't happening. It was like that heartburn commercial where the spaghetti noodle is slapping the shit out of that lady's face. It was like Shaq shooting a free throw trying to get this thing into my mouth. If that burger were a cat, my mouth was a bathtub. To be honest, both of these burgers should be classified as open face sandwiches. I'll even go so far as to say that you could dump the fries on top of the burger and it'd be a horseshoe. I'd suggest maybe a stronger bottom bun, or a more toasted bottom bun, some kind of support for the burger. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the bottom bun sitting in juice when the burger came out. I just didn't know it was going to be like playing Jenga trying to eat it. Like I said, beautiful burger, well presented, perfectly cooked, and flavored wonderfully. The truffle fries were above average. Just trying to eat it wasn't enjoyable and that's why I went with 3 stars.
(3)
Esther K.

My bestie and I were supremely underwhelmed by our burgers at Umami- and very sad about that! I had the Umami Burger, and although the meat was delicious everything was just too saucy and salty, which was the downfall. Not what I was expecting for the price and the hype. My friend was just overall 'Meh' about her Truffle Burger. My favorite part of the meal was the thin fries with the house sauces. The service was good and I really liked the interior. I also appreciate that they texted us when our table was ready so that we could wander around the area while waiting. But for me the food was just okay. I will say that we checked Umami out during the day of Wicker Park Fest, so it's likely they were busier than usual and maybe our food reflected that. I'll probably give this place one more go, but there are so many awesome burger places around the city that right now I'm unconvinced Umami Burger is worth it.
(3)
Grant S.

Everything was amazing! We loved our burgers and the maple bacon fries were incredible! I can't wait to come again! A tiny bit pricey and a tad slow service, but overall an extremely positive experience! Very friendly staff!
(4)
Renaud S.

Delicious burgers! I've been to a lot of burger places and Unami's are certainly one of the best I've ever had. No huge portions there, but a delicious burger with interesting flavors. I tried the Unami Burger and the Sunny Side, which was wonderful. You should also try their truffle fries, they're worth it. Unfortunately the wines were a little disappointing - at least the Pinot Gris. Finally, the staff was extremely friendly.
(4)
Jamil T.

Brunch with wifey. Sunnyside burger (sans aioli), Manly burger, truffle fries & salad. Our burger selections accurately reflect the dynamic of our relationship Yea, I said it. Not a fan of cheesy fries but felt adventurous this morning, so that one's on me. Highly recommend the Sunnyside burger and will return for another. Was skeptical about the whole medium-rare cooked burger custom, but glad I rolled with it.
(3)
Max T.

For years now I've heard Kumas this and Lockdown that. Umami is this and that. I enjoy both Kumas and Lockdown but I feel as though I frequent them to figure out whose burger is better of the two while Umami is one of one. I hate describing their burger this way, but, it melts in your mouth. I've noticed that the servers always recommend medium rare but I went with medium. Maybe next time. I opted for the sweet potato fries and as a learning curve I probably won't again. Not that they were bad but they are loaded with cinnamon and maybe brown sugar. They tasted more like mini churros. Not a bad thing but just not with my burger. The menu is concise which I appreciate. Either come here for a burger or keep your ass at home. A full bar always makes me feel at home. More than enough seating I felt even though I've never come on a busy night. One gripe though that's really whatever is the tacky interior decor. Real hipstery and cheap but trying to pawn itself off as edgy and contemporary. Unless it's to board up a Detroit home save that plywood look for the inside of a garage. But anyways I realize the details are in the menu more than the venue. Works for me.
(5)
Katie B.

Looove their burgers! Many choices, all of which have been fabulous so far! I'm not the biggest burger fan by any means, but these keep me coming back for more! Delicious cocktails as well! Low key, chill place. Also-don't miss the maple bacon fries! They are practically a dessert in themselves, but save room for Jeni's ice cream across the street after your meal ;)
(5)
Jessica J.

I've been here many times. The first few times were great - the burgers are really good, and the service is good - I would give 4.5 stars. The last time was not so great, because of our waiter and because of the truffle fries... The truffle fries are really thin and come in (a lot of) viscid sauce. There was so much sauce. It was like having fries thrown into thick, thick soup. The fries became soggy, and there was no way to eat them without eating too much sauce. Kind of gross. Our waiter was polite, but totally insincere. Instead of asking us how we were doing, he swung by and asked, "Isn't everything just amazingly delicious?" A bit presumptuous. I mentioned the thing about the fries, and he just shrugged. He didn't seem to really care.
(3)
Rachel W.

Umami Burger is a gift. I'm not religious but I kind of felt like I had to believe the first time I had their signature Umami burger. It was, as the name suggests, very umami. The marinated shiitake mushrooms and the tomato were divine on the perfect medium well-done burger. Juicy. Perfect. Well I thought the Umami burger was perfect until I had the Kbbq burger, which is absolutely heavenly. The sauce is so addictive it should be illegal. Oh and the sauces they have for the fries are awesome. The fries themselves are lackluster and somewhat limp, but two of the four sauces they serve really make up for the slack. The only downside to Umami Burger is that the burgers are so rich that once you're done, you kind of love your decisions but also hate yourself a little. Just a little though, until you remember how banging that burger was.
(5)
Sue-Ellen N.

Terrible service. My girl friend and I decided to grab a drink here Saturday mid-afternoon. We sat at the bar and there were other patrons there. A few minutes in, none of the bartenders had even said hello or gave us water. There were people but they were not so busy that they could ignore two people right at the bar. We weren't in any particular hurry so we waited some more but the last straw was when one of the bartenders was facing our direction and I made a motion to sort of say, "hey can we get a drink please?" with hand up, body inched in forward. She does not even look at all but she did pay attention the person sitting literally next to me. My friend and I were completely appalled. We got up and left immediately. Eff that. We went straight to Swig next door and got a much better service there. Never going to this place again.
(1)
Katherine L.

How much did I like this place? If you count going two days in a row something...oh yes, it was amazing. My first visit was on a casual Sunday afternoon. I had a seat at the bar, and the bartenders were so nice. I looked over the menu only to catch myself in the conundrum...what to get because everything sounded delectable. I ended up with a Cali burger, sweet potato fries and a Mexican coke. The meat is ground on site, and you can taste the freshness. Seasoned and cooked perfectly (medium rare is the way to go), the meat juices, oh yes, I did just say that, were running down my hands as I took my very first bite. Caramelized onion with gooey cheese. I was in heaven and I did not place my burger back down on the plate until my very last bite. The sweet potato fries were so yummy...and I tried it with a quartet of different sauces that they make in house. -House made ketchup (so yummy) -JalapeÃ±o ranch (creamy with slight heat but not overpowering) - hot sauce - garlic aioli I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch and then came back the next night with one of my best friends. She had the turkey burger on lettuce, truffle fries, while I got another Cali burger , onion rings (they are perfectly cooked in a light batter and golden brown) and a side of pickles. Yes, thrilled again with my burger. This time I even was able to fit in dessert..split an ice-cream sandwich (chocolate chip and vanilla). It may sound plain, but it was seriously killer and the perfect way to the end the meal. It's a good thing that I don't live downtown otherwise I would have a very bad addiction to this place and I would probably have to see my trainer twice a week.
(5)
Elina S.

Obsessed with this place. I very rarely give 5 stars but this place truly deserves it because I'm sorry to say this is my favorite place for burgers in Chicago. I've literally been to them all from Kumas to DMK, and the truffle burger that I had here at Umami is the very best. We came in on a Sunday afternoon around 2:30pm and it was pretty packed but we were able to snag a table for 5 people plus a few strollers. Our server approached us right away and I knew what I wanted and I'm so happy that I made the right choice. I obviously ordered the truffle burger with a large order of the sweet potato fries and I was in heaven. Everything was brought out pretty quick and everyone's burgers were amazing and cooked perfectly well. I ordered mine medium well and they did it perfectly. Now let's talk about the fries, there were two sets that we ordered around the table, sweet potato and were amazing. We also got an order of the truffle fries that were like everyone else mentions, divine. I honestly can't get over how delicious everything was. From the burgers to the fries, oh and I can't forget the amazing sauces they bring out for you as well including their in house made ketchup. My very favorite was the garlic aoli that worked really well with all the fries. For the first time in my life my truffle burger didn't need any condiments at all. For me burgers are usually dry and need pickles and sauces to give them that extra flavor. I knew I had a winner here when I didn't need to put anything additional on it as it was pure perfection by itself. I seriously wish they would open some more locations but I guess I should be thankful they made their way to Chicago in the first place. I will certainly back when I'm in the area whether with family or friends because that burger is one to be talked about. I didn't have dessert as I was stuffed so I will have to think about that for the future.
(5)
Ashley B.

First of all, did a guy on here really just give this place two stars because there was "too much truffle"? Are you SERIOUS? Get outta here. This place is phenomenal! The second we walked in we were greeted by the nicest server I ever met. He was singing us Michael Jackson at one point and was super awesome. He gave us a couple suggestions on drinks, which were both great. As for food, the pickle plate was amazing, I could've gotten another one. The carrots and beets were my favorite but really everything on there was really unique and flavorful. The truffle fries were also obviously delicious as well but I had to take a few and dip them in their HOUSE MADE TRUFFLE KETCHUP, yes, you heard me! I got the ahi tuna burger which hit the spot, and my boyfriend got the Manly burger which he also loved. I can't wait to come back!
(5)
Cheryl I.

I know I give out many 5s...but I also know that I only take the time to write reviews when I'm completely swept off my feet. I am a huge Kuma and Lockdown fan...and I don't think this place is comparable. They are different and fantastic in their own ways. One thing I will say that's better at Umami was the friendly and attentive service. Kumas and lockdown tendto be too metal to smile and serve ;) Umami was nothing short of amazing. First we were lucky to not have a wait on a Thursday night. It was packed but we had just missed the crowd around 7. Here's what we ordered: Sunnyside burger- if you love eggs on burgers and have a slight truffle obsession this one is definitely for you. In a way it reminded me of the pork belly sandwich from Revolution, just the egg and truffle aioli combo sings to me. Manly burger- my bf ordered this burger and it was pretty good. I only got to experience one bite because my selfishly hungry bf downed it so fast. The beer cheese on the burger really complimented the meat. Fry situation- we went with the sweet potato fries...holy baby churros! The fries were skinny and very crisp, and seasoned with brown sugar. Umami Ketchup- yes, ketchup gets its own freaking line. I am a sauce whore. And umami gives you FOUR sauces to play with. One of them being the truffle infused ketchup. Never in my life have I experienced such glory in a ketchup, nor have I ever chosen ketchup over other sauces. But this was a new night. All the other sauces were good- I would call out the jalapeÃ±o ranch too. Lastly, spoken like a true carnivore I highly recommend getting the burgers medium rare. Everything is made in house, and the patties just melt in your mouth! We finished the night with a peanut butter chocolate icecream sandwich....it was okay. The desserts are outsourced to local places so that's cool. I just didn't think it was anything special. Come here for the burger!!!
(5)
Dee P.

So delicious! Food was great: truffle fries with truffle cheese. Sweet potato fries were crispy and yummy. Umami burger worthy of the restaurant's name. Hatch burger was the server's recommend and she was right! The sunny side up burger was beautiful and delicious. Everyone left happy. Old Orchard on tap and a wonderful amber ale completed our meal. Would definitely go back!
(4)
Michael M.

Not sure I have ever eaten a 12 dollar burger that I paid 12 dollars for. Sure I have paid 12 buck for a burger and probably never got 12 dollars worth of quality. I have also paid less for a burger that I would have paid 12 dollars for. Tonight I had the 1st one of these options. This is a good burger but not a 12 dollar burger. I had the manly burger. The meat was top quality I will give you that. As well the bun was a nice solid bun. The rest of the burger really didn't do it for me. It didn't scream out hey look this is a type of bacon. I actually put the house hot sauce on the burger to give it more flavor. This is a really good burger and I can see how people call it the best they have had. For me it prob ranks in the bottom half of my top ten, but I have sought out the best burgers in the country. The four star instead of five are for the price one. Not worth 12 bucks even though it is good. The fries were truffle fries were cold. Not very truffley. Just all around not very good. As well not sure were someone said 3 people could share them..,, I would say 2 if your not hungry at the most. Overall this was a pretty good burger at a bad price. I would prob eat here again. It wasn't a bad experience. Just not one I would seek out and go out of my way for again.
(4)
Hector T.

Nice place. Tasty sauces. Hip decor and friendly staff. A bit loud. Fun location. I would go back to try more!
(4)
Van C.

A friend of mine recommended this place and told me that it was based in Cali. As soon as my friend said it was in Cali, I automatically made it a necessity to come here. I looked at the Yelp reviews and pics and I was convinced it was going to be great. I was right in that assumption. The walls are covered in graffiti which gave the place an urban type of vibe. As soon as I sat down, I already knew what I wanted to order. Our waiter was pretty attentive and cute, but that's besides the point. I ordered the Truffle burger and truffle fries. The waiter recommended to get the burger medium rare and that's exactly what I got. My friend and I were expecting the wait to be over 20 minutes and it literally took about 10 minutes. The burger was great and the fries were awesome. Their signature sauces were also phenomenal. For dessert, my friend and I split the snicker doodle and caramel ice cream cookie like. That was also phenomenal. The only complaint I have is that the seating space is too close to one another. Our cute attentive waiter gave us Umami tokens that were used to give the place a review. Of course my friend and I put our tokens in the green glass jar. Something about being "umamitized". The red glass jar, by the way, received no tokens. If my review, green glass token jar, or cute attentive waiter didn't convince you to try this place then I don't know what will.
(4)
Carolyn T.

Umami Burger has been at the back of my mind for a while and I really have no excuse but to come here, given that I spend most of my time in Wicker Park. Things I loved: -Service. Everyone seemed happy to work here. I particularly enjoyed that our server described our food to us when served. -Decor. Umami was cool with comics on the walls--kitschy without being overwhelmingly so. Also, having little spoons to present the various dipping sauces was a cute touch. -Sweet potato fries. They did an excellent job with these. My fries were slightly crispy, but soft, and topped with brown sugar. These were the standout of my meal. -Rating the restaurant as you leave. You get a wooden Umami chip when you arrive. As you leave, you drop your chip into one of three containers rating your experience. There was a staff stationed there to oversee the containers and also greet people. I imagine they might ask people why they didn't enjoy their experience if people rated it as such (though that would be a little awkward, IMHO). There's also a chalk board where you can rate your favorite item. Neutral: -Truffle veggie burger. I wasn't the biggest fan of their portobello veggie option. I would have preferred a house-made veggie burger. The truffle oil was really overwhelming and that's coming from a big fan of truffles. It wasn't my favorite, but it was still a decent meal. Things I disliked: -Prices. This isn't Kuma's where I'm willing to shell out a bit more for a burger. I felt that $12 for only my burger was an extremely inflated price. My burger definitely should not have been more than $9. Furthermore, fries are NOT included, so we had to shell out extra to get a side. Who doesn't want fries with their burger. Come on. They should be included, especially for that high price. I have had much higher quality food in bigger portions in Chicago. -Pretentious vibe. The vibe is a little bit more pretentious than it should be. This is a burger place. Please don't try to be anything else. I get that the ingredients are fresh and great, but at the end of the day, this is still a chain restaurant. The vibe should have been more fun and laid-back given the cool comics on the walls. Overall, I docked Umami Burger two stars for being overpriced, especially because I wasn't crazy about my portobello truffle burger. Will we be back? Maybe if friends make plans here. Otherwise, there's a lot more to explore in this amazing foodie city. Even if I don't quite understand the hype, I venture to say it's worth one visit.
(3)
LJ J.

Highly recommended , I've seen this place several times but never went in until today The name kinda turned me off - I was thinking it was some fusion Japanese thing Great staff - friendly people and they keep it moving The fries are "shoe string" style and they offer a Truffle sauce that looks good I had the double with bacon and beer cheddar Good stuff !!
(5)
Artur O.

Love it and the guys love it too We had three different burgers and truffle fries everything was different and interesting In my opinion the original is the best right after the burger with sunny side egg on top Truffle fries are pretty good but the regular fries with the provided sauces were really good too Overall it was a good experience not boring that's for sure !
(5)
Asia C.

Great food, great atmosphere, & great service. I recommend the truffle fries with extra cheese, truffle burger & manly burger. The ginger beer is good too.
(5)
Sarah S.

Love the food at Umami! The service & atmosphere needs some work. We arrived on a Saturday night at 6pm to a 45 minute wait. They take your name and text when the table is ready. Thankfully they have a nice bar with some good craft brew options. When our table was ready, we were taken over to our table. The hostesses were not friendly and kind of gave off the air of thinking they were the ish. Don't get me wrong, Umami Burger is good but you're not Alinea ladies. Come down off your high horses. Though the decor here is cute, they have some insanely horrible acoustics. My friend and I were seated at a tiny table smooshed between others and awfully close to surrounding tables, yet we couldn't even hear each other speak. The music was loud & blaring plus you could hear muffled chatter all around. Ugh! Not my idea of a good dinner environment. We would just nod and smile a lot of the time because neither of us could hear the other. And if you know me, I'm a loud girl. No shy wallflower am I. My friend is the same way. So us not being able to hear each when we're a foot away, that's a big problem. We started with the truffle fries which were thinly cut fries covered in truffle salt and truffle cheese fondue. I absolutely loved these and would get them again in a second. Who doesn't love truffle!? I could eat truffles all day errrrday. And they came with a few sauces which was a nice touch but I honestly didn't need all that with the cheese sauce already smothered all over them. I'm on board with this starter. As if that wasn't enough truffle, I had the truffle burger as my main dish - truffled aioli, truffle cheese, truffle glaze all on a burger and their cooly branded bun. Absolutely loved it. This was one decadent, tasty piece of meat. My friend and I are mountain beasts so we then got dessert - peanut butter chocolate ice cream sandwich. We weren't feeling it. Too much peanut butter taste and not enough of anything else. Just wasn't that great. Skip dessert and stick to what Umami does really well. I'm going back to Umami Burger because those are some tasty burgers! I think I'll see about getting carryout though because I have no desire to eat at this location ever again.
(4)
Philip D.

I've come here quite often because I LOVE there greenbird (turkey burger) it is SO amazing. I actually first came here with a friend while intoxicated, I thought.. "there is no way it is this good, I must be drunk". I went back the next day and it was AWESOME! I tried the ahi tuna, which was meh. The salad with beats, arugula, toasted almonds, TRUFFLE OIL and goat cheese is great. the service is not bad, they can be a little inattentive when its busy
(4)
Norm J.

After completing our first workout of 2015 my friend and I decided to celebrate by having a burger so we hit up Umami Burger in Wicker Park. Umami was packed, with a bunch of babies/toddlers no less, and we were told it would be 10 -15 minutes to be seated. True to her word the friendly hostess sat us right at the 12 minute mark. Now while the place looks all cool with the random graffiti type drawings on the wall, I hated how close the tables were to each other. I mean I heard every word the people next to us were saying.....and let me tell you the girl had a BACK BREAKING (her words) New Years Eve night with her crush. Once I stopped being nosey and checked out the menu I thought 1) wow everything sounds good and 2) damn $15 for an ahi tuna burger. My friend and I decided to get the following items: - Maple Bacon Old Fashion was too strong for my delicate taste buds, but my friend liked it. She's a Bourbon girl. - Blackberry Swizzle (I believe this is the name of the drink. Online menu doesn't have the cocktails listed...boo to that) is more my style. The drink is a little sweet and the alcohol doesn't overpower you. - Manly Burger is what I got and hot damn it was nothing but deliciousness! It was cooked how I like my burgers, medium well. The burger was topped with beer- cheddar, bacon lardons, onion strings, the house made ketchup and mustard spread; which combined to make one of the top 5 best burgers I've had. - I got the make 'em sloppy fries and wasn't that impressed. I feel there could have been more of the "sloppy" mix on the fries to really give them flavor to make them taste not like regular fries. - Truffle Especiale Burger is what my friend got and she loved it. I snuck a bite and it was good. The fried egg, truffle butter and Parmesan frico mixed perfectly with the burger. I did think the arugula was a waste though. - My friend got the sweet potato fries to go with her burger and loved them. She recommended using the Umami ketchup and the garlic sauce ( one of the three sauces that your server will bring out before your dishes). Our server was really nice and broke down the menu for us like a true pro. He was a loud talker, but in this environment you have to be because it can get loud up in this joint. I'll definitely be back to Umami Burger in 2015.
(4)
julie q.

So I just left there because we had been waiting...4 of us...for a table. Not too crowded but was told it would be 10 minutes. 15 minutes later 4 people who got there 5 minutes after us get seated by Robin the host because "they're regulars" are u f'ing kidding me??? Probably will never be back again for that BS alone.
(1)
Phu D.

The Umami Burger is the most savory and delicious burger I've had. Next time I'll get the pickle plate too. I had the truffle fries as a side and the meal was too savory. Fresh pickled vegetables would cut the savoriness well.
(4)
David B.

I love the new burger craze that's taken over the US and was so excited when my LA favorite came to Chicago. Are the burger patties a little smaller than I'd like? Yes. Is the burger still incredibly delicious? Yes! I have had most of the items on their menu over the years, but for my first Chicago Umami, I went with the old standby - the Manly Burger: bacon, cheese, fried onions. What more could you ask for? And then the "secret" side dish of cheesy tater tots. It tasted just as good as it does in LA (maybe better?) and I was a happy camper. Hopefully everyone is spending their burger dollars at Umami. I'd take this over Kuma's any day!
(4)
Joanne W.

This place had been on my list for quite some time. I felt bad not going with my regular WP lunching pal but it was opening weekend of the 606. I had walked nearly 8 miles and I needed some nourishment ASAP! It was a glorious day if you recall that weekend. A beautiful 65 degree day with the sun shining and slight breeze. It was late afternoon and we got seated right away. Umami Burger's restaurant front opens to the street which I really loved. We perused the menu and settled on a pair of umami burgers, the house pickle and tempura onion rings. First things first. Due to the high quality of their meat, Umami Burger recommends that you get your burger rare. Eeeek. I'm more of a medium kind of gal when it comes to burgers. My dining companion is of the medium well variety. She just could not do the rare temperature and opted for medium. I decided to go with the server's recommendation. Both of our burgers probably came out medium to - medium well. I didn't make a fuss about it because I was on the fence about going rare anyhow. I just thought it was kind of funny considering our server put such emphasis of getting the burger rare. The burger was still delicious though. Flavorful and still very juicy. In fact, the burger got a little messy toward the end from the juices running out of the burger. I think that says something about the quality of their meat. They aren't playin' when it comes to their meat, yo. The house pickle was just OK. It was good, but not a stand out and something I'd probably skip the next time. Per the suggestion of one of my colleagues, we skipped the fries and went just for the onion rings. They were pretty damn good and we both found ourselves wishing we each had our own order vs. splitting them. A nice little selection of sauces accompanies the rings: the housemade Umami ketchup, truffle aioli, diablo sauce (think, sriracha mayo) and jalapeno ranch. This was a welcome surprise because I love me dipping sauces. They were all good but I have to say, I found myself wanting to dip everything in the Umami ketchup. Seriously, they should bottle this and sell it. If they did, I would happily stock this in my pantry. It was so good. This little hub in WP is like a caldron of way too delicious, probably not so good for your waistline establishments. Umami Burger is no exception. Great burger joint to satisfy your cravings for all things meaty.
(4)
Olivia M.

I've been here twice, and blah, I'm not going back. The service itself is great - the waiters are attentive, nice, knowledgeable. The first time I went there I was having an awful day and my waiter bought me a drink, and the second time I was with a friend with strange food allergies and they were able to accommodate her willingly. BUT, the food is so mediocre and they don't let you substitute things. The menu has like 7 things on it. C'mon! I wanted to add avocado to a burger and they didn't have that option. Boring.
(3)
Peter K.

Umami burger lived up to the hype. I tried the "original" with "manly fries" and it was great. This burger is different so I will not compare it to other burgers. It's more of a gourmet fancy burger with a hipster vibe. The coke comes in old school glass bottles. The atmosphere is neat and modern. They have a bar and the manager stopped in just to check up. Great experience overall.
(5)
Miss M.

Umami Burger is better than Kuma's Corner and you can actually walk in and get a seat after work. I especially love their ahi tuna burger. It's the best! All their food is good! Try their truffle fries and onion rings-- you won't regret coming here!
(5)
Mega S.

We were 3 persons, Tuesday arrived at 9:00pm. Waiting for 10 min ... Not bad. Lets talk about the food Ive been to LA umami many times and i was amazed with each bite, every time. My order was always truffle burger with truffle fries. Tried the same order but unfortunately .. Thumb down. The main let down was the truffle sauce, It was way below umami's level. I was even thinking .. Am I really eating umami. The side sauce taste different ( not like LA) Other ingredients (beef,bun and fries) were fresh. 4 stars because umami still one of the best in Chicago.
(4)
Jill W.

Big fan of this place, everything was tasty. We sat at the bar and the service was terrific-attentive, timely, and they were willing to change the TV from the baseball game to the Blackhawks. We tried the pickle plate, Truffle Burger and the Calabrese with sides of the regular fries. Both burgers were fantastic, couldn't eat them fast enough. To avoid overeating, a couple could probably split a side of the fries. Docked one star because the beer pours are the price of a pint, but pretty sure they're served in 10oz glasses.
(4)
Kelly R.

I can sum up my much-anticipated Umami Burger experience with just one word: TRUFFLEEEEEE!!!!! Seriously, holy cow. And by that, I do indeed mean this was a heavenly beef experience. Truffle burger + truffle fries = complete and total ecstasy of the mouth. The meat was a perfectly cooked medium-rare with rich, gooey toppings that melted just a bit more with each bite. The fries (about $3 for a side) were huge -- definitely big enough to share (though that didn't stop me from ordering my own... oops.) Good service, decent decor, and we were seated way faster than I expected for a place that's still relatively new and getting lots of good press. I will definitely be back, and I'd love to try the man fries next time... If I can bring myself to say no to that luscious truffle extravaganza, which -- let's be honest -- is pretty unlikely. #sorrynotsorry #truffleaddict
(5)
Arisa T.

I had Umami burger for the first time last Spring when I visited San Francisco, and instantly fell in love with the Truffle Burger. Tender, juicy and tickles your taste buds in all the right places. It also has that rich smell of truffles that you want to linger on forever, and it's just breath-taking. The ambience of Umami Burger Chicago is pretty trendy with pop illustrations along the wall. It was very crowded when I visited, but the server was on par with his jokes and service, and made the experience very memorable. Location-wise, it is literally right in the middle of Wicker Park, which is getting a little too mainstream hipster nowadays. Beets & arugula salad is a must-have appetizer, but otherwise, I'd recommend trying anything and everything. One thing that I regret not having tried is their local specialty, the Pumpkin Spice Latte burger. It sounded weird at first, but in retrospect, it probably would have been an amazing experience. Definitely worth a visit!
(5)
James P.

Really like this place and will be one of my go to places for burgers and old fashions. Fries are good too!
(5)
Tiffany P.

My favorite burger so far is the manly. There is just something about that burger that every now and then I crave this specific burger. I also really enjoy the truffle fries and the sweet potato fries. They have home made sauces which are pretty good also. It can get pretty crowded so watch the time that you visit but its worth a short wait. (to me nothing is worth a long wait unless they don't have it in your home town and you leave right after you eat) Service is pretty quick. I love the waitress I had he first time! The last time I went I took 4 of my friends and of course that day I wasn't too happy with the service. My sister's burger was really pink and she asked for it well. I went to order a drink and she just walked away. It's ok because although I really like the root beer they serve they get everything as local as they can and charge about $3 per bottle so better that I skipped it. Yes this place is on the pricey side. Service is usually decent but varies based on server. I say give it a try!
(4)
Matt B.

So, yes, the burger is quite good. Went here with a large party yesterday; I had the manly burger, the skinny fries, and a root beer. All were good, and the burger was distinctively un-greasy, although a bit less filling than I expected. So why the three stars? Well, for one, I can't say the burger was remarkable by any means; I would still opt for Lockdown or Kuma's if I have the option. But more disappointing was the check-in/hostess experience we had. A few notes: - The hostess station is wayyy too close to the front door. Lots of people end up getting crowded in and around the front because of the lack of space. - What makes this worse is how incredibly slow the hostesses seemed to be. It shouldn't take a three-minute conversation to get people on a list for a table. It may not sound like much, but multiply that by the number of people waiting, and it quickly becomes an annoyance. -However, my particular experience with the two hostesses was what really soured me on my first visit. I showed up for a party of eight; most of the party was waiting two doors down for the table to open up. Hostess #1 said it would be about 25 more minutes; then, Hostess #2 told us a table was opening up, and would be ready in 5 minutes, and to go get my party. I do so; on our return, Hostess #2 is gone, and Hostess #1 tells us it will be 15-20 minutes, and that she has no idea who told me a table had opened up, even though SHE WAS PART OF THE CONVERSATION...sigh. So now half our party stays and waits outside, the other half goes back to the coffeeshop until they get a text from the hostess. Once we get the text, we all go in...and Hostess #2 tells us the table isn't ready yet, and it will be 5 more minutes. Umami Burger, seriously, get your sh*t together.
(3)
Leah W.

OMGFFFFG. This was seriously one of the best meals I've had in a while, which I didn't expect from a burger joint. The place has sort of a Vegas vibe, with a huge bar and big open windows. Sort of a fast casual restaurant crossed with a pub. The open bar seating is great, we came on a busy Friday night and seated ourselves right away, belly up to the bar! Lots of great beer choices, and though the serving sizes were a little smaller than usual, most of the craft beers were only $6, which means perhaps trying a couple of options! The burger was on the small side, as other reviewers have mentioned, and did not come with sides, so I agree that it was a little pricey. Having said that, I think you have to realize you are paying for an upscale restaurant style burger. I can go get a burger at any bar, they will include fries and charge me $10 bucks. For $11 or $12 here, or $16 if you throw in fries or onion rings, you're getting a perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked, absolutely delicious burger. One of the best burgers I've ever had. Well worth the extra couple of bucks. As far as the sides, we shared the fries and the beer battered onion rings, which were fantastic - crisp, melt in your mouth tempura, salty-beery-oniony dream. The dipping sauces were also delicious. The service was also great, our bartender was funny, friendly, and totally down to earth. I have nothing but fantastic things to say about my experience. It's a fun place with a casual vibe, delicious food, and great beer! You could come here by yourself, with a date, or with a group and feel totally at home either way. Meaty perfection will be had by all.
(5)
Justin B.

The perfect spot for a burger...if you are balls-out rich. My wife and I came by for lunch today. Here's what $52.79 (meal, tax, tip) bought: 1. The Calabrese burger. This is apparently the "only in Chicago" burger on the menu, since this is a Cali chain. It was fantastic. Crumbly sausage, toppings, great sauce on the burger and available on the side--Diablo sauce is the big winner here. 2. The Umami burger. Strangely, terribly average. I agree with the reviews I had read about the toppings on the burger lining up well with the taste; I just didn't think the taste was very interesting. 3. The thin fries truffled with the "manly" sauce. Tasty, served lukewarm (I think this is intentional, and I was okay with it), but the other sauces are so good that I would not pay extra next time for the truffle action. 4. The smushed potatoes. Not as perfect as the potatoes at either Bite, The Winchester, RedHot Ranch or other spots nearby, but damn tasty. The sauce on the side is incredible. 5. The ice cream sandwich with salted chocolate ice cream, a chocolate chip cookie on top, and a snickerdoodle cookie on the bottom. Both the wife and I had issues with the cookie consistency, but the actual ice cream and the taste of the cookies were spot on. (Note on the burgers--they are small. That is, they are small for Chicago. If you have ever eaten in Boulder, CO, or anywhere sensible, you will be fine at Umami. But if you should up thinking Kuma's/Lockdown/O&E, prepare for a reality check. Also--the default serving temperature is medium rare. Your server will tell you this; you should do it at medium rare, even if you are a fraidy cat when it comes to ordering meat below torched.) $53 for two burgers, two orders of fries and an ice cream sandwich is f*cking stupid, but if you are going to spend that kind of cash--before trying to valet your luxury sedan with a homeless man nearby and counting the dollars in your trust fund--Umami is the place to do it. Kudos to our server Brittany; service was very fast today. And the decor/space worked for me, although I would like a little more music blaring from the speakers. I just can't give five stars to a place that charges this much for food. (Remember, we didn't order any drinks; from the look of things, you are talking about a $100 outing to have two drinks per person plus the food we tried today.)
(4)
Kerri P.

We had a rather interesting Saturday night here on their second day post-launch. Rolled in at about 11:30pm with a group of 9 people. Obviously a lot of excitement because it was umami's first Chicago location. A couple of unfortunate circumstances that could've left us sulking - spilled water, flying plates, and Diablo sauce mishaps... But! I must say that the staff were absolutely excellent in turning everything around into a solid experience. Burgers were absolutely delicious, but I'm sure that's already known. Someone at our table said "this is better than Kuma's" so I guess we'd have to take her word for it
(4)
Flix F.

Just don't get "the original". Everything else is the best.
(5)
David S.

U've gotta be kidding. This place is a joke. The food is on par with fast. Garbage. Shows you sheep will follow
(2)
Andrew M.

I had been wanting to try Umami Burger since it came to Chicago. I had heard rave reviews from left coast friends about the amazing flavor of the patties, so naturally as a connoisseur of cooked cow, I was ready to be wowed. To start, the service was great. Our waitress was super knowledgeable about the menu, provided solid recommendations that were passionate and helpful and was attentive without being annoying. The menu has a nice variety of choices but not overwhelming and the beer and bourbon menu really kick it up a notch. Pairing a killer burger with a bevvy of IPA's really helps. Overall, the entire meal was absolutely dynamite. The truffled beet salad was an assault on my taste buds, the fried pickles were as good as expected and the burger....wow. I ordered the double burger (The B.U.B.) and crushed it while my mother, Godmother and horrified onlookers watched in a mixture of awe and disgust. It was epic. Overall, GREAT place to come for a burger and a beer.
(4)
Alex G.

After our great experience with Umami Burger in LA, we were excited to hear that a Chicago location was opening. After finding that no one in Hawaii knows how to cook a burger anything but medium well, we were anxious for an Umami medium rare (Umami recommends their burgers cooked to medium rare). The LA location was a little more insistent on medium rare but the Wicker Park store sounded like they were willing to cook it otherwise. My gf and I opted for the recommended medium rare. Sadly, the burgers were much closer to rare. Maybe the chef's are still getting used to the grill. I got the Manly burger which is onion straws, bacon, and cheddar. The bacon was cut into cubes and while tasty, kept falling out onto the plate. Bacon is good right from the plate so not a big deal but they may want to rethink the cubed cut. I really didn't taste the cheddar. The meat itself is very good even cooked rare. Great meaty flavor and good char. The fresh cut shoestring fries were also good but the house made ketchup tasted more like barbeque sauce. No tables were available around 5 on a Saturday so we just grabbed a couple of seats at the bar. I think there may have been one couple ahead of us so the wait likely wasn't too long for a table. The liquor selection looks more focused on beer and whiskey than rums, gins, or tequilas. But the usual name brands were available. Street parking in the area is metered which runs about a buck an hour. We'll give this location a few months and give them another try.
(2)
Christa J.

I have nothing but absolutely great things to say about this restaurant. The food, the drinks, and the service was excellent! Our waitress, Nikki, deserves a lot of the credit for our great experience there. She was incredibly informative on all the menu items, and even shared some "secret menu" items with us (which we ordered, and they were delicious). We started out with the tater tots (secret menu) that were stuffed with cheese and topped with more cheese. They came with an assortment of sauces that are all made in house. My friend got the manly burger which had thick cuts of bacon, fried onions, and their house made (and truffle infused) ketchup. It was comfort food on a bun. I got the truffle burger, which had truffle aioli, truffle infused cheese, and a truffle glaze. You may think that's a lot of truffle, but it wasn't overwhelming at all. On top of the food, they had an extensive craft beer list and cocktail menu. Everything we ordered was very satisfying, and I can't wait to go back!
(5)
Jennifer P.

Umami burger is clearly trying too hard. Like all things "California," they simply respond to their clientele with a textbook safe approach or response to the social environment, withering into anticlimactic intentions. All the theatrics are there, but you leave Umami burger and an hour later you're left wondering what you just got so excited about. You could even tell that the happiest people dining there were more than likely California transplants. I'm convinced that bitter Californians are the root of all sociopathic personalities in general. It's what happens once you realize that calculated responses toward social situations eventually burn out and don't work simply because you're left wondering who the heck you really are at the end of the day. Who are you really Umami? You're just a burger joint. Get over yourself. I wish they would go home. My sister wanted a burger before we went to an appointment. Umami was pretty much the only place open at noon. We both had the Greenbird turkey burger. Yeah, it was really good, but it was small and overpriced. I paid close to $50 (including a 20%tip) for 2 burgers, 2 sides, an iced tea, and water (which I am assuming was no charge?). Thanks, but no thanks. Over it.
(2)
Eliseo D.

A lot of reviews already point out how amazing the food is and I have to agree. I went with a friend around 3pm on opening day, and the wait wasn't long (roughly ~5mins). We ordered the maple bacon old fashioned (you HAVE to try it if you love old fashioneds), the "Make Em Sloppy" and "Make Em Manly" fries, and the Original and Cali burgers. We we sooo impressed, it was delish. They don't do take-out orders (yet), but we also ordered some Truffle Fries and got a box to go. Our waiter was very nice, and even the owner stopped by our table to chat with us, which was cool. We were very pleased with the service and the food. Needless to say, I went back a few hours later with another friend (yes, I enjoyed it that much, it was National Cheeseburger Day, don't judge me), and the wait time at roughly 6:30pm was about 45 mins. So we put our cell phone number down to get notified, but luckily a spot near the bar opened up. We ordered the Maple Bacon Old Fashioneds (again). My buddy loved it. We were also able to order food while standing (there's a divider between the bar and walk-way by the booths). My buddy got the Original, and I tried the Truffle burger. So amazing. While we were eating, we heard the wait time got pushed to 1.5hrs (this is around 7:15pm). We ended up finishing our food by the time my buddy's phone buzzed for a table lol. Needless to say, I will be back to try out more. And with more friends. And no, I am not ashamed I ate here twice in the span of 5 hrs.
(5)
mike l.

Great burgers and awesome atmosphere. The burgers were cooked to perfection. The toppings were high quality and delicious. Everything tasted extremely fresh. I would recommend trying the sunny side burger and the truffle fries. Our waitress was very helpful and attentive. Definitely going back to this place soon.
(5)
Katt C.

Overrated and disappointing. Was excited to try after a friend's recommendation. Bf had the original. I ;had the sloppy mami. Too average tasting for the price. The smashed potatoes ($4) were just Idaho potatoes that I could have made at home. The service was the best part. Will not be returning.
(2)
Vincent A.

This place was a huge letdown. After reading about it on tons of sites, and hearing people talk about how great the burgers are I was super excited when one opened up in Chicago. But the burgers ended up being bland, overprices and small. Alot of what they offer sounds good but the descriptions in the menu taste better than the actual food. What I ordered: Appetizer - Tuffle Fries. I don't want to be chastised but my friend actually ordered these and we shared. I don't usually fall victim to the truffle trick. First off they were shoe string french fries (thanks steak and shake) So i was already irritated. Secondly the truffle sauce on them basically tasted like white cheddar. And at 6.50 a pop i would say these are not worth it at all. Main dish - Classic Umami Burger. On paper, roasted red peppers, portobello mushrooms, Parmesan crisp with house made ketchup and umami infused burger? great. On my taste buds? Bland as hell. First off the burgers are way to lean and there is relatively no taste to the meat, surprising after the waiter told me how they grind the meat in house. Add a couple chucks of bacon fat to that would ya! The Parmesan crisp tasted like a kettle cooked potato chip and the flavor of the portobello wasn't even there. All i tasted was mediocre ketchup and red pepper. Don't get me started on the size, for a 9 dollar burger it should be at least as big as a whopper, cmon. I didn't even bother to order one of the ridiculously over priced 11 dollar drinks that im sure would have tasted bland anyways. This place lures you in with the fancy sounding ingredients and descriptions but it all ends on the menu, none of it translates over to the pate. Dont get fooled by placed like this, there are a lot of quality burger spots on there that will deliver on taste without breaking the bank.
(2)
Shams B.

Having heard the musical artist BT (Brian Wayne Transeau) rave about how great this place is and how he goes to the one in LA every time he's in town I wanted to see if this place was really as great as he made it out to be. I've been to many hipster burger spots in my hometown of Dallas, TX as well as other places during my travels, and this definitely ranks among the top. The burger patties were delicious, and the sides like the the tempura onion rings and fries were equally as good. I wish they had an option for regular fries or steak fries as I like those better than skinny fries, but I have no regrets or complaints about this meal.
(5)
Joseph P.

I had a chance to try the Unami on Saturday 10/18/2014, I had the Ahi Tuna Burger with a side of Smothered Potatoes and the Blueberry Swizle for beverage, after spending $32 on all that, service was great - food, meh. I was looking forward to the wasabi taste on the burger and it didn't have it. They say you can send stuff back and/or you don't pay for it, but I feel it should be made right the first time around, maybe even more so because of the high price point for everything. The interior was nothing special, i kinda thought it was "tacky" cheap, no pun in tended. I really wanted to like this place, maybe I should have stuck to a beef burger instead...
(2)
Leslie B.

Came by the highly touted Umami Burger for lunch last Friday and was not disappointed. From a customer service perspective, Umami has got it down. Everyone we interacted with was super friendly and our waiter was helpful in navigating the menu. The space is open and warm, we had no trouble getting a table around 12:30 on a Friday. Our waiter came over quickly to explain the menu and take drink orders. We all went with iced tea since it was the middle of the day, but Umami has a great beer list. To start, we went with the thin fries and had to add "make 'em manly." The combination of beer-cheddar, bacon, onion strings, and some kind of spread made these incredibly rich and flavorful. This dish was easily shared among three. We also went with the house pickle plate. WARNING: this plate comes with ONE kind of (what I would consider to be a) pickle. The other items are what I would consider to be pickled vegetables, like carrots, mushrooms, and snap peas. I feel like this is something that should be mentioned on the menu, because those expecting delicious varieties of different pickles will be disappointed. Fortunately, everyone at our table took this in stride and tried the other veggies which were all flavorful. For lunch, I went with The Original. Just an FYI, it was recommended to order the burger medium rare, but this was the reddest medium rare I've ever seen. If you're at all concerned about an undercooked burger, I think medium is your safest bet. The quality of the burger itself is awesome, you can tell Umami Burger uses quality ingredients, from their buns to their dipping sauces. I THOUGHT I liked my burger, but then tried the boyfriend's who ordered The Manly burger. I missed out. Do yourself a favor and go with one of their specialty burgers, it was outstanding. Overall, great addition to the Chicago burger scene. You'll probably (definitely) spend more than the typical burger place, but the quality of the ingredients makes this place worthy of a heftier price tag. I recommend stopping by at lunch to check out this trendy spot.
(4)
E W.

Umami Burger is all about taste. Over the top deliciousness. Everything tastes carefully made and quickly becomes the standard by which you compare all other burgers. I really enjoyed the portobella Cali burger and truffle fries; the lemonade is so good I haven't yet tried a cocktail or alcoholic beverage from this place. The servers are friendly and attentive. I am never disappointed with my experience at Umami Burger and always look forward to my next meal here.
(4)
Adriana L.

LOVE this place! The ambiance is super cool and that's expected being that it's in Wicker Park! I got the truffle burger and truffle fries which were both amazing! The staff was very friendly and the food was even better! And for the cherry on top, they stay open late! This was my first time having it and it definitely won't be my last!
(5)
Pudge B.

Great customer service. Incredibly attentive and personalized. "You asked for extra anchovies on your salad didn't you? This doesn't have it, let me fix that". "You like the sauce? Here's 4 containers to go because we only sell our ketchup online for now" Food was good, waiter was phenomenal.
(5)
Alexa M.

First time here and loved it! I ordered the Umami burger, sweet potatoes fries and a cocktail.
(5)
Lucy R.

I was invited to preview Wicker Park's newest burger chain, Umami Burger this past weekend. A well-known staple on the West Coast with 19 locations, this is the company's first foray into Chicago, but there are plans to open 20 additional restaurants in the Midwest. Known for high-quality steak burgers, Umami means "savory," and each dish is crafted in such a way to allow for few substitutions, as the chefs want guests to experience distinct tastes for each menu item. If you have ever visited an Umami Burger restaurant, you know that each spot tries to define the neighborhood it inhabits. Umami Burger Wicker Park nails it, with a light airy feel for its 90 seat dining room, a full bar with craft beers on tap, and staff told by management to "dress hipster." Dressed for the part, waitstaff and bartenders were clad in cuffed jeans and leggings on the women, while the men had handlebar mustaches and full-sleeve tattoos. Not just for hard-core meat eaters with money to spend (burgers cost upwards of $12), Umami Wicker Park offers something for everyone. My table began with an Umami Caesar Salad, complete with anchovies and a light dressing to which we added fresh ahi tuna. I generally don't order Caesars at restaurants, the dressing tends to pool at the bottom of the plate, but this was much more refreshing than most and the ahi tuna was served on the top, in four generously cut slices. We ordered three more sides: the Manly Fries topped with sautÃ©ed onions, bacon and cheese, lightly battered crispy Tempura Onion Rings that may have been the best I have ever tasted, and the House Pickle Plate, which included not just pickles, but spicy carrots, teriyaki mushrooms and pickled beets. Main dishes came out with the sides. We took full advantage and asked for each of the three offered choices. First we had The Cali Burger which is served with butter lettuce, a solitary slow-roasted tomato, house spread, house-made American cheese and caramelized onions. Stereotypically, with "Cali" in the name, I expected an avocado, but nothing was missing, this was a great burger. The cheese was melting over the burger making for a beautiful presentation. The most attractive of our dishes came in the form of the Ahi Tuna Burger. This burger comes to your table with sushi grade hand-chopped ahi tuna, crushed avocado, daikon sprouts, pickled ginger and wasabi flakes. Fresh and delicious, it was not too spicy nor did it come without a bit of a kick in the form of the wasabi flakes. Surprisingly not yet full, we saved the richest burger for last, the Truffle Burger, which is made with house-made truffle glaze and truffle cheese. The taste of the burger all but disappears in this burger, and melts in your mouth melding with the taste of the cheese. Finally, we were presented with a Coolhaus ice cream sandwich, a double chocolate chip cookie with rich peanut butter ice cream in the center. There are more items on the menu to choose from, and I am told by workers that a signature Wicker Park burger is in the works, with Calabrian sausage patty, truffle cheese fondue and giardiniera. Though I was ready to take a nap and dreaded having to drive home, I was happy to leave the restaurant far from uncomfortably full. The waitstaff is great, all seeming to be excited about their new jobs and nearly ready to open (only a couple water glasses were dropped) and management was inquisitive and attentive, asking questions about our experience and actually listening to our answers. Umami Burger opens this coming Thursday, and though I highly recommend you check it out, I also highly recommend waiting a few weeks for the sure to be lines around the block to die down.
(5)
Liam M.

When considering if I will return to a place I take three factors into account: 1. Food 2. Price 3. Service The food was good. I had the hatch burger which was okay but didn't think it really had that umami quality to it they talked about. My girlfriend had the greenbird which was much better. We also got the fried pickles which were our favorite portion of the meal. The price was way too high. The burgers alone ranged from $12 to $15 which is standard but include no sides. By the time you add sides and maybe a drink, you are looking at $20+ which in my opinion is pricey for lunch. The service was good, the waiter was attentive and got our orders right. No complaints there. Probably won't go back, it just wasn't that memorable.
(3)
Frank Z.

Honestly one of the best burgers in Chicago, it's like a steak burger combo, great toppings and they have a spectrum of house made sauces that you can drown yr fries in, drown them puppies into oblivion, make em weep into submission then grind em up with your teeth. Each burger can be made vegetarian by a portobello or veggie burger. They have a regular menu item that's a veggie open face burger with lentils, as I said mine was one of the best I've had but on my next visit I'd order the veggie lentil burger, it was that good. Great beer list too. The walls are covered in wood which inspires one to construct a raft to sail away on to some unknown location or a pirate plank to punish you enemies with.
(5)
Danielle S.

Came here on 9/20/14. I had the Ahi Tuna Burger and shared the fried pickles, sweet potato fries, and truffle fries between our party of 3. In reading the other reviews I've surmised the amount of cheese goo on the truffle fries has already been adjusted down in accordance to all the reviews saying the fries were swimming in this sauce, because ours were not swimming in the sauce at ALL. I enjoyed them. I'm pescetarian so can't vouch for the beef burgers, but the ahi burger was great. I loved it. I'd go back for another in the future. As a sauce aficionado, I thoroughly enjoyed all their homemade sauces.
(4)
Ian T.

I came in tonight to try out Umami Burger and was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of food and service. I was expertly taken care of by Dan and a fabulous young woman who's a transplant from Los Angeles, but whose name I never got; both were friendly and knowledgable. I tried the special "truffle" burger and could not have been more delighted. Holy cow! I couldn't believe how savory and flavorful it was. After finishing my first burger I was tempted into having a second. Although I didn't finish the "Manly" burger, mostly because I was stuffed half way through, it too was amazing! I can't speak to what it's like to go during a busy time of day, but come in during the week for a perfect "burger-and-a-beer" experience!
(5)
Travis M.

It is just ok. Not worth the price. $6.50 for truffle fries?!? Lots of flavorful sauce but the fries are swimming in it and there aren't many. The burgers were crumbly and sometimes just sloppy bc of all the sauce. I got the original and it was tasty, but it only had one mushroom. Maybe it was by design? My gf got the california and the sauce made it a mess to handle. Both the burgers were oddly cooked. Some grounds of meat seemed well done while others looked rare. Very strange and I can't put it in words.
(3)
Jessica D.

I'm not really a burger person but I got outvoted to come here and I was pleasantly surprised. We had a group of 4 on a Sunday night. Good things- we expected to wait at least 30min, but it was only 10min! Our server was pretty nice and consistent with refilling our water. Burgers were the BEST I've ever tasted. No exaggeration. Bad things- the truffle em' fries was not that great.. I love cheese fries but this cheese was way too thick. Prices are a bit high.
(4)
Henna E.

Really delicious burgers with interesting flavors. Fries with garlic aioli are quite tasty. Servers are efficient, some better than others. You don't have to wait in a ridiculous line for a good burger like at Au Cheval. Burger:topping:bun ratio is delightful. Side note: the desserts are overpriced and not that great.
(4)
Kenneth K.

Heard one of these would be opening up in Chicago and was absolutely glad I went. The Sunnyside burger was great especially as I have never had beef medium-rare but this just melted in your mouth and had a great seasoning to it. The sweet potato fries with brown sugar were amazing! The setup of the restauarant was suitable and had a laid back feel to it and nothing felt overbearing. Our waittress was very polite and attentive which made asking questions all the more simple and lead to overall enjoyable experience. I'll definitely be going again.
(4)
Sarah G.

I really wanted to try this place after hearing the buzz when it opened. The food and service were great, my only complaint was the price. I got a burger, a small salad and a club soda for $20. However, it was a very tasty burger. Dan served us at the bar, Dan was so great. It was busy but he was very attentive, refilling our sodas and explaining the flavor profiles of the fry sauces and different burgers expertly. I don't drink booze but if I did, I'm sure he'd make a great cocktail with his knowledge. I had the boring salad, which was boring but I wanted some greens. Then the truffle burger. The truffle flavor wasn't super strong but the sauce and cheese were so delicious, and the meat was extremely high quality and cooked very nicely. Again the only downside was the high price, but it was tasty and satisfying. The vibe was lively and bright. I don't know if I would go out of my way to go again but if I'm in the area id definitely go for the great burger and excellent service.
(4)
Taina M.

I have no complaints. This rarely happens in my life. Went on a Sunday around 1 p.m. and we were seated immediately. Jared (or Jarrod?) was our server and he was phenomenal and hilarious. Got the Manly Fries, Manly Burger, and an Old Fashioned (which had a full piece of bacon in it, soo....) Everything was perfect. I haven't had a burger this good in years. Additional note: I went with my friend who frequents locations in both LA and San Francisco, and he said that the burgers were just as good as the original California locations.
(5)
Ben And Nikki B.

imma be honest and say this isn't my favorite place but the hubby absolutely loves it so this review is mostly him talking. it's Friday night in Wicker Park & everyone's on a wait, this place only made us wait about 10-15 mins so that's definitely a plus! if you like savory greasy manly nomz this is your kinda place. cocktails look pretty legit but we stayed low key tonight. umami burger for the hub & the manly for me (rawr!) we also shared the manly fries - savory overload. I'm typically a savory girl but this place is a little much for me, but as noted the hub is definitely into it. overall a good place for a quick bite. our server Jared was really great- he definitely "made the meal" - super friendly, knows the menu really well & made great recommendations on which sauces mix vest together.
(4)
Jimmy R.

They would only get one star if not for the awesome bar staff. The burgers are barely a step above fast food, the waitstaff are ubiquitous and evidently oblivious to your presence, and the hostesses were seemingly all hired by a blind person with no olfactory glands or at least one who does not care if the sight and smell of those seating, or more aptly NOT seating you, churns your stomach. Good luck grabbing a seat at the bar from the off duty staff holding down seats for their friends or coworkers; although, once you grab one, you're in luck. The bartenders are great and are the only people in the place who have any idea of what the crap they are doing.
(3)
Michael B.

We came early on the second day it was opened and there was only a 10-minute line. The servers are very nice. There is always someone nearby in case you need a napkin or a refill on your water. The food is unreal. The Manly Burger was by far the best one we tried. The Original Burger is also tasty, but just wasn't as good. The truffle fries were magical. We will be back and we are recommending this place to our friends.
(5)
Terrance L.

Let's just start off by saying GREAT meat. Lol. The burger patty it self was amazing. I had the white truffle cheese burger. You like strong truffle taste highly recommended. Also had the manly fries. Really good. And the service was A+ our server was nikki and she was awesome. And the snicker doodle ice cream sandwich was great. Highly.
(4)
Jeffrey H.

Excellent quality, innovative flavor profiles, outstanding service, and great cocktails and beers too. For something infinitely more interesting than the usual burger fare, do yourself a favor and give Umami Burger a try!
(4)
Shannon S.

First burger came out blue and was so raw it was falling apart. I ordered it medium rare. The second one came out well done. I can't win. I ordered the hatch burger - it wasn't super flavorful either so that was a double bummer. The waitress was VERY nice and empathetic and I appreciated that. She comped the burger for me. A gentlemen came over and apologized but I'm not really sure who it was... He didn't introduce himself or anything. I also ordered the pickle plate - that was delish. The ice cream sandwich at the end was the saving grace. I'll go back for those.
(2)
Angie R.

We were so looking forward to a nice burger and thought we would check out the new Umami. The burgers were ok, I am not a big fan of the buns they use, I prefer a pretzel bun, but the burger itself was pretty good. We ordered the sweet potatoes fries and regular french fries which were pretty good, I like the concept they offer with different dipping sauces, which were all pretty good. The beer list is great though and the bartenders were very helpful and friendly.
(3)
Katie S.

A group of 5 of us went to Umami last night. They will not seat you until your whole party is there. While we waiting for our 5th to arrive we stood by the bar and grabbed a drink. The manager on duty checked-in on us a few times, cracked some jokes, and was overly courteous. Once seated our waiter asked if we've dined there before. I was the only person in our group that hasn't. Our server still took the time and effort to explain the concept, menu, specials, and beer options to me. He was very informative. We ordered the regular fries, truffle fries, and the manly fries for the table. The truffle fries were sweet and rich with Parmesan shavings- highly recommend them! The manly fries had bacon that was slightly overcooked for my palette and the cheese was a little scarce, but the fried onions on top made up for the downfall. The regular fries come with a collection of sauces to dip into; very good! I ordered the Truffle Burger which came out a Perfect medium-rare. The beef was so flavorful and tender that it was melting in my mouth. The truffle cheese and truffle aioli are not for the weak palette. It was also sweet and rich but filled my taste buds with sophistication. Also highly recommend this burger. Everyone on staff that we encountered were gracious, knowledgeable, and friendly. Definitely a place I will go back to and bring friends and family to.
(4)
Michael R.

I just moved here from the west coast and had been to umami in San Francisco numerous times.. and just like my previous outings to umami, I left very pleased with their food and servers. They do a great job at remaining consistent even though Chicago is worlds away from their birthplace. Their burgers are very well prepared and will for sure surprise you. They've done a great at combining culinary art with something as traditional as a burger. They're pretty packed so if it's not a date night I recommended going earlier in the day or else expect to have a bit of a wait.
(4)
Remi T.

Always have a great time here. Wait staff is amazing, burgers are delicious, drinks are on par with the excellent food menu.
(5)
Lynette H.

So happy there is one in Chicago now! My husband and I would frequent all of the ones in Southern California when we lived there. This place tastes like home! The burgers are delicious. The drinks are made to perfection and the servers are very nice. We only had to wait for about 3 minutes for a table. But we visited 5 days after it opened. So I'm guessing as time goes on, the wait for a table will increase. Order the tater tots. :)
(5)
Bree M.

The burgers were some of the best in the area for one reason: fresh, flavorful meat. No burger was overly salty like many other "specialty" burgers. I did not leave with bloated fingers or feel the need to consume copious amounts of water after the meal. The staff were generally friendly and the service was good. Unfortunately they had not figured out that this is Chicago, and they need a vestibule for the door when it is below freezing outside. We were the unlucky crew that was seated next to the frigid and breezy door so we requested a different table- it was unbearable for more than a few minutes.The hostess was obviously frustrated and annoyed with our request, but we ended up getting seated in another 20 minutes, with an apology and drink from the manager. I think they figured it out. Confirmed Delicious & Must Haves: Hatch Burger- The chiles in sharp cheddar garlic sauce top a medium rare steak-burger. It was phenomenal. Would be even better with an egg. The Original- A nice basic that was complimented with house made ketchup that had a hint of sweetness. The Manly- (ordered and loved by a female). Beer-cheddar. You could taste both, it was heaven. . The Bacon-Old Fashioned. Sweet, but bitter. With lightly caramelized bacon atop. Amazing.. Mediocre: Shoestring Fries were OK- Truffle was there but not overwhelming. The best part was the dipping sauces- ketchup, garlic aioli, spicy mayo, ranch. Sweet Potato Fries- They are dessert. Good dessert, but none the less. Will go again for the burgers.
(4)
April K.

Officially the best burger I've ever tasted. They also have a vegan option, as well as the option to make any burger with a portabella. The service is great, as well. The sidebar is not accurate - they don't do takeout/carry out.
(5)
kevin C.

Service was excellent (well besides the fact they wouldnt seat our party and their was 4/5 of us there.... semi understandable if they were a full house which they werent) On to the food and drink. we got a little bit of everything. I had the maple bacon Manhattan which was excellent - the candied bacon was sooo good. So good i got another one. Sides we ordered the manly fries, sweet potato fries, beet salad, and fried pickles. All excellent. I really liked the assortment of dipping sauces they give you. Man dish was the manly burger which comes with some very think and delicious cuts of bacon on it. by dessert i was too full and passed on the ice cream sandwiches. Im a fan of this place and ill be back
(4)
Anne M.

Decided to try this place out for dinner with the family sometime last month and got sick over the Caesar salad dressing...dressing was really off. I've ordered it before and it was great so I wanted to have it again. This place needs to emphasize on consistently serving great food....it is not cheap!
(1)
Diane V.

This is such a hip place, excellent service, and the food is unbelievable! Try the Original and the Manly! If you get Ryan, you'll be well taken care of!
(5)
Sarah S.

An excellent burger with a side of unfinished wood & a tattooed server-- what more could a hipster asked for!? But in all seriousness-- GREAT food, affordable, commendable service AND you get to pretend you're in LA.
(5)
Kenneth L.

Just like I remembered. I had my first experience with Umami a few years ago while visiting my sister in LA (and had a couple more experiences following). At the time, it was living off the hype from the GQ Burger of the Year title. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. My experience at the Umami in Wicker was no different. The service was incredibly friendly, helping navigate and introduce the menu to the newbies. I split the original and the truffle burger with my fellow restaurant companion, which I would recommend. The truffle can be rich, so the change of pace helps. The truffle fries are solid. Most of all, I was sure to add a touch of the hot sauce in every bite, which is like a traditional buffalo wing sauce - butter and hot sauce. I've never been a big fan of the outrageously large burger that shoves all these ingredients and flavors in your face (a la Kuma's), so I was happy to see Umami come to town. It's a burger with great depth, and since it's smaller and cleaner (in a sense), you're able to really appreciate the different layers to the burger.
(4)
Marc T.

This place is a amazing great food it makes a lot of the other burger joints in city look bad. You should definitely come when they are doing small bites (11 to 6 mon through Fri)
(4)
Zach M.

Food was solid, but service "Jared" was problematic. Took forever to come by, beers sat at the bar for 10 minutes, no plates or silverware, and forgot the fries. One of the other servers spent more time with us, delivered food, and apologized. Probably would not come back.
(3)
Meredith A.

We came to dine Herr on a Monday afternoon...it wasn't that busy we waited about 10minutes at the bar to get our order taken. One we began to order I told the bartender I wanted to swap beef for the turkey burger because I liked everything on the turkey burger but I just wanted beef...I mean it's a burger place when I think burger...I think beef. She said no we don't do substitutions. Ok....so I asked for another burger and asked for a side of avacado and it was like pulling teeth to get them to put it on the side. Ok fine. So off to a bad start. Server was nice...and the food was good. End of the day give people what that want. If they want a sub ...then sub..jeez! Some chefs are so snobby.
(3)
Raph V.

As excited as I was about Japanese style burger place opening up in Chicago this place did not meet my expectation compared to bachi burger and fukuburger out in Vegas. I ate there with my wife, sister, and friend from out of town. We each had different burgers and I can only recall mine which was their signature burger the "umami burger" and truffle fries. The fries were ok very thin by tasty cause of the truffle oil. The burger was decent but not even a couple of bites in and the bottom bun was soaked in all the grease and fat from the patty which isn't bad but made it very difficult to eat. I would definitely go back to this place only for their excellent customer service and tap selection.
(3)
Tracey M.

I'm going to let the 2 hour wait slide because we had a semi-big group of 6 and it was a Saturday night. We wanted to try it because of the reviews and we waited, but don't expect to get seated soon because the place is so packed I heard even a party of 2-3 have to wait 1 hour. There is also a sweet coffee shop nearby that was chill which is where we waited. They gave us a free order of truffle fries for the long wait which was nice. Another hiccup we had, was our Mexican Coke, which for some reason had this weird metallic liquid surrounding the opening that we had not noticed until we took a sip and tasted iron/metal and the liquid was all over our lips (very unappetizing and nasty but whatever, they gave us another bottle). The burgers and food themselves were very good. The meat was juicy and tender, the Umami original sauce went soo well with it and the burger buns were soft as well. Truffle fries were all right and they gave us a lot of sauce options which was nice. My only complaint is that you definitely won't get filled up by 1 burger and the fries did not add too much either. Overall, was it worth the 2 hour long wait along to take a couple bites of a very delicious small burger (keep in mind the weird coke bottle)? I guess it's up to you to decide. Gave them a 3 star because the food tasted great, but our experience was definitely not great.
(3)
Keely B.

Had a great time at Umami. Food was delicious and even met a handsome man named Stuart who caught my eye. We talked, you came over to our table, kissed my hand and that was the last time I saw you. I regret not getting your phone number. I'll release it to the universe and if it's meant to be you will see this message.
(5)
Natalie K.

This place was okay. I was really excited to try it after hearing about the LA location. I ordered the standard umami burger but I wasn't blown away by it as I had hoped. I think between the ketchup leather and the caramelized onions it was all just too much sweetness on a burger. I also thought that the bun was really dense and just got in the way of everything. The sleeper hit was DEFINITELY the ice cream sandwich. I don't even remember which one I got but it was soooo good. I would honestly come back just for another ice cream sandwich and skip the burger. Although I did notice that they had a station set up at the front welcoming feedback, which was nice to see. I might wait a few months to try it again, and maybe the place just needs some time to iron out the kinks.
(3)
Demi P.

We had a great experience and our server Nikki was knowledgeable and gave us so many great recommendations. All the food was great and the beer menu had an awesome selection.
(5)
steve L.

Delicious! The burger was perfect and the sweet potato fries/thin fries were awesome. The way that all the sauces are offered at the table was so much better than the Cali locations. The highlight was the maple bacon old fashioned. The ambience and energy was great.
(5)
Ceal P.

4 solid stars!! Chicago being an amazing burger town, Umami had a lot of live up to esp as a chain. Umami opened during a period of restaurant renaissance in Wicker Park and it's definitely welcomed!! Came in at 2pm on Monday and there were plenty of tables avail. The space is bright and open, lots of natural light. The service was friendly and informative, talking up the concept quite a bit. I do appreciate that their sauces are made in-house... actually I appreciate that there are multiple sauces to have tableside!! I thought they would distract from the food but they accentuated the fries really well. Their ketchup is AMAZING! I'm sure somewhere, it is bottled. We tried the original and the truffle burger. Both delivered as advertised -- UMAMI to the max. The burger itself is small but it is a rich burger, so a little goes a long way. The meat/patty was excellent in flavor, quality and cooked perfectly. The truffle burger was just perfectly truffled while not being over the top. I thought the sauce would be overwhelming but it was actually perfect. As for the original, loved that they packed in every umami ingredient/food. My fav were the parmesan crust and the single shitake -- please give me more shitake!!! The fries were awesome and even better with the table side sauces. We also tried the onion rings which were greasy but tasty enough with the awesome sauces. As mentioned in previous reviews, the cost is high. 2 burgers, regular fries, rings and 1 drink = $60. Pretty pricey but for the quality I would come back here, perhaps not as often. Welcome to Chicago!!
(4)
Seyi O.

All other restaurants in Chicago NEED to take lessons from Umami. 5 stars all around. Great service, decor and outstanding food. Terminator ***I'll be back***
(5)
Tam D.

The truffles Burger was extremely salty! There was no flavor besides saltiness. It was disappointing. The manly burger was less salty with chunky bacon pieces. That makes it more tolerable. The ahi tuna burger was the only thing that I would come back for. The truffle fries we can't even finished because it was salty as well. Overall the food experience was disappointing for pricing. The waiter also calculated our changes wrong but we just count it towards his tips and left. No big deal
(3)
Amanda C.

One of the best burgers in Chicago! My husband got the manly burger and practically inhaled it. I ordered the Cali burger and was so happy with it! We shared the truffle fries and one order was plenty. Delicious! All of their homemade sauces were so tasty, especially the jalapeÃ±o ranch. My hubby also ordered the bacon maple old fashioned just out of curiosity and he was pleasantly surprised! He said that he could only have one though...it was just more for the experience. My only complaint would be the loud music and the tight squeeze in between the tables. Overall, a great experience! We will definitely be coming back soon!
(5)
Lon T.

Stand out service and an excellent experience on a busy Friday night! They have a solid beer selection and we started with one of their secret menu items - giant cheese stuffed tater tots. I tried the truffle burger and shared some "manly" fries which feature beer-cheese, bacon & onions on top. Burger has a unique flavor and this place is a hit.
(4)
Jennifer E.

Took my brother for his 21st birthday to Umami for lunch. We went on a Saturday about 2pm and only had to wait 25 mins for a table. We sat at the bar and had drinks while we waited, they serve a good selection of beer, cocktails and wines. We ordered 3 types of fries to share: Tempura Onion Rings, Truffle Fries and Sweet Potato Fries. The fries come as a single serving but you can def. share a side. The tempura Onion rings were huge, crispy and delicious. I also do not like sweet potatoes but the fries come with sugar on the top, sooo good. The Truffle fries were good, not a fan of the cheese they use but still very good. I ordered the Manly burger and it was out of this world. The burger has beer cheddar cheese, smoked onion rings, mustard spread and house ketchup. And the best part was biting into the burger and there are cubes of bacon in the burger. AAAHHHHMAZING! The atmosphere was fun, cool art on the walls, great location right in Wicker Park off Milwaukee. The prices are also not bad for such great food, only $12 for a burger..can't beat that. Can't wait to go back some time.
(5)
Alex B.

A little pricey for my liking, but wow, really good burgers made with fresh beef. Nice decor.
(4)
Jason M.

After living in LA and frequenting the Umami burger there, I was excited to see one in Chicago. I was hoping that it would be as good as the one I went to in Los Angeles, and it was! The sweet potato fries are incredible, and the Truffle Burger melts in your mouth. I tried their local specialty burger, the Caprese, and wasn't a huge fan. The burger is so good that I feel like all the peppers overwhelmed it all. Great food, great environment, and friendly staff!
(5)
Shannon D.

Reasons I'll be returning to Umami Burger: 1. Bartender Mike. Took great care of us, and I felt like we were immediately pals when I sat down at the bar. Was originally waiting for a table, but ended up staying at the bar to eat. 2. The food. Burgers, sides and sauces were excellent. Can't wait to try the new secret menu items that are coming. Make sure you save room for an ice cream sandwich.
(5)
Monica C.

This place has some of the best burgers I have had in a wjile. I got the Hatch. It was super juicy and flavorful with all the green chilies. The cheese was almost liquefied and had a great savory, umami flavor. The sauces that come with the burgers are also good. I like the JalapeÃ±o Ranch and Habenero sauce the best. I will say that the burgers and ketchup with truffle is too much for my liking. I prefer the lightest hint, whereas the Truffle burger and the Throwback burger was packed with truffle, so much that I was super glad to have another burger. The service is great, and I think it was reasonably priced. Would come again in the future!!
(5)
Paul R.

Great service and great burgers! The waiters help out a lot if you have questions about the menu. I had The Original, which was fantastic. The booths and chairs had more of a cafeteria quality than a restaurant quality, but that just means it's a casual place I guess. Pretty good beer selection. I'm sure there are lots of great burger places in Chicago, but this one is worth a try
(4)
Linda M.

This place has the best burgers I have tasted in a long while. Tasty, interesting toppings, immense sauces! Fantastic service, great atmosphere, a tad pricey but worth the few extra $$. Fries are amazing. Can't wait to go back. Wish they would sort out the chipboard ceiling, makes for a very noisy visit, difficult up hear the waiters and the person across the table!
(5)
Megan G.

It was incredibly tasty. Everything I put in my mouth was amazing. Love the burgers, the fries, the sauces. But I got the burger medium rare at their suggestion and then got really sick. I'll probably go back and just have them cook the meat longer.
(3)
Angelica V.

After having been told that Umami had awesome burgers for months, I finally tried it out tonight. They were right! I was very hesitant, having tried places like Lockdown. I personally don't care for big chains because I feel that they lose a lot of what makes them great. This place is not one of them. We got in quicker than expected so that was a plus. From beginning to end, the staff was FANTASTIC!!!! They truly completed the experience. We were lucky to sit in their "VIP" section and they made us feel so welcomed. We tried a few things....all of them were wonderful. My burger was my favorite (Hatch burger) but the truffle and manly burger were great too. As for sides, we tried the manly, truffle, smushed, and sweet potato fries. Delicious!! Make sure to try their sauces too. We were lucky to try dessert which featured pies from Bang Bang pie. It was to die for (especially bc I've been wanting to try their pies for awhile). Fyi...they have it available only during their first week. I've seen places blame poor service and food due to it being their opening day/week (ex. Xoxo across the street). I call B.S on that excuse. The Umami staff did a wonderful job at treating us like family and we know we will be back sooner than later. I suggest you jump on the bandwagon and try this place out quick! Your tummy will thank me.
(5)
Rachel K.

Hellooooooooooo amazingness! The flavors are great, portions are reasonably sized (I hate when the burger is so large you don't even know how to eat it), and service is good. I highly recommend the truffle fries, I literally have dreams about them. They're super thin with a truffle cheese on top. I'm not usually a cheese fry type of person but this is on another level of delicious. I usually opt for the umami burger or the manly; they don't disappoint. Nice patty size but not overwhelming, with plentiful toppings. I recommend checking this place out. Happy feasting!
(5)
Gina G.

I come here every so often with my roommate. Him and I always have great service for lunch. We each get a burger and a side to share normally the truffle fries (which are amazing!) I've had a few of the burgers, but my favorite so far is the one with tuna. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't been here yet!
(5)
Blaise H.

Wow, my burger was outstanding. I would say its a top 25 burger in Chicago. But when I was finished I was still hungry. I probably could have eaten a second one, but at $13 a pop, thats just silly. At $13 I want to feel full or at least satiated. I split an order of sweet potato fries and a pickle appetizer with someone, and we were both eyeing the menu afterward. Both of those items were very good too. But I can't get over the price. I'm not cheap and I don't mind paying for high quality items, but there is a reasonable limit. I'll go back again, but I think I can find better value elsewhere for the money. Expect your bill to be $20 a person at a minimum (and thats is you aren't boozing it up).
(3)
Kirby M.

It has now been two hours since I dined at Umami Burger. I thought it best to postpone my review until the awesomeness had fully set in. The Cali Burger fulfilled all of my wildest burger fantasies. The best aspect of an Umami Burger is that it's a burger, not toppings. While each Umami Burger has its own unique flair, the meat is always the star. By far one of the best burgers I've had in Chicago. The service was great too; our waiter Marcos was friendly and attentive, all while maintaining the casual vibe of the place. I will ABSOLUTELY be coming back for more delicious burger genius!
(5)
Anup P.

I've tried 7 different burgers at Umami in 4/5 visits. I have loved every single one of them. Umami makes some of the best burgers in the city, hands down. The Hatch burger is my favorite with the Calabrese as a close second, although the latter is being phased out unfortunately. I can't get enough of this place, I've gone twice in 1 week on occasion because it's that good.
(5)
Claire P.

This is by far the best burger I have ever had! I had the truffle burger with a fried egg on top and it was damn delicious. Also had the truffle fries to share, perfect amount for 3 people, and a must have. Marcos was out sever and did a phenomenal job! Very positive and gave great suggestions. I will definitely be back time and time again!!
(5)
Edz L.

The truffle burger was so good, pricey for a small piece of burger though but non the less still good. Shouldve given a 5 star but the wait was redunc- but everyone wanted to have a taste of umami
(4)
Jeffrey P.

Have pretty amazing burgers!! Went w/ my cousins they got tempura fried onion rings and truffle fries!! I had the original umami burger! I highly advise you to get your meat patty medium rare! it's soooo juicy and it falls off like butter!! Out of the 4 sauces that they gave us, my personal fav was the Jalapeno Ranch! We also got desserts! We all shared the Vanilla Bean and the Peanut Butter ice cream sandwiches.
(5)
Ryan W.

Was excited to try this place. My girlfriend and I were sat, made our decisions on what to order within 2-3 minutes and then... nothing. After 17 minutes of absolutely no service/eye contact/anything, we left. The establishment was approximately 1/3 full at 11pm and yet we didn't exist. Poor management I guess. We won't be coming back.
(1)
Jonathan W.

You have to really blow my mind for me to give 5 stars to a burger place. Very good food, price was fine, service was efficient and good. Had the original with onion rings. I got the 'just choke-it-down' feeling with the burger at one point, but maybe I was just tired from all the umami. Onion rings are onion rings. Didn't hate it, didn't love it, won't be back on my own. I like extremely simple, smaller burgers, so I am not the target audience here.
(3)
Daniel G.

Great food, drinks and ambience. I try to make it here every time I'm in town.
(5)
Char Y.

we came twice since this opened and are still impressed with the burgers. truffle burger pumpkin burger ice cream sandwich - too hard the burgers are really good with the sweet potato fries! the sauces are amazing.
(4)
K J.

This place is absolutely, incredible!!!!! The burgers, the staff and the drinks were 5 STARS!! My Manly Burger along with my Truffle fries were HEAVEN! Went back 2x in a matter of 3 weeks! I even dreamt about the bacon lardons that come on the manly burger! GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! YUM! Super clean atmosphere and what matters most to me, is customer service and let me tell you, every one was AWESOME! Especially the chick behind the bar! Light skinned african-american; SHE WAS AWESOME!! GO GET AN UNMAMI BURGER...NOW!
(5)
Geoffery H.

Burgers are great! Grass fed beef and very fresh ingredients. The fries are similar to in and out in California, so in the words awesome! I get the Miami style fries and they are really good not too soggy but still plenty of extras on them.
(5)
Jamie R.

What kind of burger joint doesn't do carry out? Note this yelp listing is incorrect. Just phoned and was told they do not do takeout.
(1)
Zack H.

My 12th grade anatomy teacher tried to explain to me that there was a secret taste that white people were unaware of. Naturally, I just chalked this up to the incompetence of the public school system. How could a secret taste called Umami really exist? It seemed like some kind of yo mama joke because this guy always messed around with me. Turns out Umami does exist. Meh.
(3)
Pete N.

Manly Burger. Patty was cooked perfectly. Bacon was actual bacon chunks and not the conventional bacon strips. Onion rings were great too. Service was excellent.
(5)
Emilie E.

Amazing food, excellent service. We were a group of seven and all were very happy with out choices, had the manly, umami, ahi tuna, Korean. All very tasty! Would recommend it to everyone
(5)
Lawrence F.

YES YES YES! Love this place....Everything from the drinks( old fashioined with maple Bacon!) to the Umami burger.....truffle fries....get the manly...you wont regret it. TO top it all off get snickerdoodle icecream sandwiches!....
(4)
Rahul Y.

The best burger I have had .... The Umami Truffle Burger !!!
(5)
M W.

This place is my go to spot for burgers. Truly one of my favorite burgers I've ever eaten. I always get the sunnyside! So good! Service is always great too!
(5)
Natasha A.

Went here on a weekday and it was packed! We had to wait for like 30 minutes to get a table. I got the ahi tuna burger and truffle fries, both were amazing. The rest of the people got the umami burger, the manly burger, truffle burger, a special burger, and special fries. We all enjoyed the food quite a bit. Would definitely recommend.
(4)
Angelica H.

I am glad this place is in WIcker Park and is open late. The food is okay. There may be a little over use of truffle oil.
(3)
Drew P.

This place is so delicious. Went for the first time at the LA location, and then HAD to check this one out. Every bite is just so flavorful and delicious. Brought a group of 5 along with me, and they each thanked me for pushing them to go here. Their truffle burger is possibly the best burger that I have ever had.
(5)
David M.

Oh my...best burger ever. Been to the original one in Santa Monica and here in Chicago is every bit as good. love the sides and especially the truffle fries. never had beef at such a high level - super juicy and doesn't fall apart. Enjoy!
(5)
RJ W.

Very tasty burger, great service. Not a fan of the decor. Super expensive for what you get, particularly with all the other gourmet burger options in this area.
(4)
Liliana M.

The food was good. The front of house staff could definitely use some tweaking. Hostesses seemed like they'd rather be some where else and it took 4 minutes before we were even acknowledged. The service staff were great, paid attention to the table. Went back a second time, same deal with it taking forever to even get the hostesses attention. Decided to sit at the bar. Asked a girl who appeared to be by herself if we could use the seat next to her. She was saving it for her friend that works there.... who was still on the clock with open tables...? Wait, what? No. Surrender your seat for paying customers. Unbelievable. Unfortunately do not see myself returning.
(2)
Realist V.

Ummm-No! The thin fries were great and the burger bun was really good but the burger tasted weird. Really weird. I had the Cali burger and my friend had the Umami (original) and neither of us liked the meat and we both LOVE a good burger. This wasn't it.
(1)
mike h.

Everything is perfectly matched like pieces to a food puzzle. The staff is very knowledgeable of the beers and what sections bring out he flavor of the bugers. Must try
(5)
Matt And LB A.

Definitely on the gastro pub end of the spectrum with a "manly" theme. Three of the cocktails were seasonally unavailable but we got the man in the yellow hat (mild banana flavor that spikes simultaneously when the alcohol burn his, meowing it out) and the maple bacon infused bourbon (sweet but finishes smoky and mildly peppery). Boring salad was cheap and not huge but having had a large lunch, I was more than satisfied. The seasonal bacon onion ring burger medium rare was bomb. A little gooey, perfectly cooked and not overly large but still very satisfying. Seven draughts on tap. Overall great lunch spot!
(5)
Brody H.

They use truffle in almost everything... The fries with truffle cheese were indescribably good. The burger was definitely the best I've ever eaten, and it had huge chunks of bacon on it. Chunks. Of bacon.
(5)
Todger ..

Two decent burgers, a tad on the greezy-queezy side. Two beers. Modest tip. $45. Harrumph. Not impressed. Try harder.
(2)
Christina C.

Food was not horrible but not good either. Edible and boring. A complete waste of calories and time.
(2)
Keith O.

Get the Truffle Burger and get it medium rare. It's one of the best burgers in Chicago.
(5)
Devin L.

First of all, when you walk in you are already impressed with the ambiance. I really love the look they have going for them. Our server was hilarious! I wish I could remember his name to give him kudos because he was the highlight of my experience at Umami. What's the deal with all the truffle though? I feel like everything had truffle in it. The server mentioned that they don't do substitutions or modifications which I think is rude to your customers. I understand you want them to experience it the way it was intended but still... However I will say that the food was pretty good. The drinks were pretty decent. I had a maple old fashioned and some kind of spicy cocktail that was a bit lackluster. The downside to Umami is the absolutely ridiculous pricing. I've never spent so much on a meal that consisted of burgers and fries. For 3 people, we each had two drinks, a burger and fries, and then we split an ice cream sandwich and our bill came to almost $150 before tip. Outrageous. I would probably give it a second chance if it didn't cost my life savings for a burger
(3)
Renee W.

Overhyped. I understand they're all about truffles..but seriously. The entire place stunk and everything tasted like it. I got the manly burger. Definitely a good blend of meat, toppings were ok. I couldn't eat the fries (which are extra btw) because of the overwhelming truffle taste even though we ordered plain. I also had the maple bacon old fashioned which was super sweet tasting. For 2 burgers, 2 drinks and 1 order of fries we hit around $55. Ouch.
(3)
Andrew M.

Very tasty burgers and combinations. Their home made ketchup and sauces are excellent. Fries and onion rings were great. Service is top notch. My only complaint is that there are no pilsner or lager beers on their menu. I don't know if that is an oversight, or some kind of statement, but it is annoying not being able to have a crisp beer with a savory burger.
(4)
Anne B.

Umami is a great place if you want a quick, simple meal. Burgers are good but not exceptional and service is fast. That being said, the tables are realllllyyy close together so it gets loud/you clearly hear your neighbors convos without trying. Also, the service is so fast that you are pretty much in and out, so its not really a good spot for a date or a get together if you want to spend some time hanging out and catching up.
(3)
Pham D.

We came on Friday evening at 6. Already there was a wait list. We added our names to the list and was quoted 30mins, but it ended up being around 45. But it's cool, we just went next door and did some shopping. When we were seated, we got the most excited server ever! We chose from the amazing beer list and then each ordered a burger and the cheesy tots. They were AMAZING! The tots were the size of my fist. The burgers just melted in our mouths. The super nice store manager came over a few times to chat with us. He brought over some MANLY fries, compliments of the chef, which were truly great fries with great toppings. I am all about those toppings!
(5)
R R.

So I have heard of all of the hype about this place and seen the lines waiting to sample the ultimate burger. So I took a friend who loves burgers on a late Saturday afternoon. She ordered the truffle burger and really enjoyed it. She literally did not leave a crumb. We both found the onion rings to be way better than the truffle fries. Now for the veggie black bean burger. As the vegetarian, I did go with low expectations since this was not their forte; but I was disappointed. It was very dry and it required all 4 sauces to give it some zip. So if you are vegetarian, skip the black bean burger and either order a portobello mushroom burger ( not on the menu but ask your server) or the salad and let you meat eating friends enjoy the delicacies of this burger joint.
(2)
Mith R.

Pretty mediocre. Entirely too much going on with the burger, which was soggy. The truffle fries were drowned in some kind of white sauce that was more mess than flavor. I won't be back, for this overpriced mess.
(2)
Che K.

Absolutely amazing!!! Worth the small wait we had. I was at first hesitant bc they didn't allow me to make a substitution to my burger, so the chef's vision could be achieved, I'm glad they didn't. I would've never guessed the full combination could be so wonderful. I am a fan!
(5)
Valli H.

Used to be much better. These days, I either get raw turkey burgers, soggy fries or a grease-soaked fried dessert. They've quit caring. And for a $15 burger, they should care.
(2)
WP L.

Went here to see what all the fuss was about after seeing all the spray chalk logos littering the neighborhood sidewalks. I was disappointed with the food. Any food that requires a taste enhancer to make it taste better is probably put on poor quality food . I regretted trying this place out as I was in the bathroom the rest of the evening cleaning out my system from low quality meat and chemical preservatives put in it to give your taste buds that wow factor. Gross!
(1)
Oscar R.

Came to eat with three of my UIC friends a couple days ago. Surprisingly they have a good beer selection. I got the Hatch Burger and we shared fries. Burger was very good with a nice garlic taste. Side hot sauce tasted great and awesome fries.
(5)
Timothy L.

I waited a long time to finally eat here. I'm glad I did. Best burger ever!
(5)
Wing C.

For not eating meat, there's plenty of things to eat at Umami. I was really excited to try this place and I was not disappointed. I had the ahi tuna burger which I think others would like even if they still enjoy a good beef burger. It was a thick slice of tuna, seared on both sides so the middle was still raw. All the flavors of the tuna, ginger, avocado, and carrots came together to make a great sandwich. Umami is pricey though. After getting sides, you'll end up spending around $20 per person. However, there are plenty of sides to choose from. The smushed potatoes and truffle fries were good, but the tempura onion rings were okay. I liked the three dipping sauces. Plus, I don't know how you can make ketchup delicious but Umami figured it out. For dessert, there are a few ice cream sandwiches and pies from Bang Bang.
(4)
Patrick C.

Run away from this place FAST, if you have ANY requests whatsoever! Nobody can believe me when I describe my experience, but it's a TRUE STORY: We went for lunch about a month ago. We were greeted my someone that was very friendly, and had a great attitude, He gave us a general summary of the place. For just a burger bar, it sounded great. He explained that they are new to Chicago but they have awesome success in CA or NY. Somewhere, in the introduction, he mentioned that since the burgers were designed in their entirety, he suggested not to request any substitutions. I was thinking, "Sure, whatever- it's a burger bar". We were seated right away and then greeted by a very friendly waiter, with a great attitude. He explained the draft beers and I picked a dark beer, maybe a stout. Before the waiter left the table, I asked if he would please serve the beer in a pint glass. He showed sincere sorrow when he explained that particular beer only comes in a snifter/tulip type glass. He explained that he was not allowed to serve the beer in anything but a snifter/tulip type glass. He further ensured me that the glass they do serve the beer in, is at least as large as a pint. I explained that I was old-school and enjoy the beer in a pint glasses, and asked if he would please bring an empty pint glass with the beer, if he could not bring it in a pint glass. A few minutes later, the restaurant manager arrived at the table. He wanted to discuss my request for a pint glass. He was incredibly polite and seemed to really want to make sure I was satisfied. I mentioned, it really was NO BIG DEAL, I would simply love to have the beer in a pint glass. It's not even that important, but since he kept saying that he wanted to ensure I was satisfied, I would reply, "Okay, please bring the beer in a pint glass, or with an empty pint glass". Believe it or not, the waiter returns (Yes, we are still on the beer glass subject) ... the waiter returns with my stout in a tulip/snifter glass and an empty pint, and a tulip/snifter glass full of water. He presents me with the beer and then explains that he is going to demonstrate that the tulip/snifter glass is the same size as a pint glass. Before my eyes, he carefully poured the water from the tulip/snifter glass into the pint glass. It appeared to be about the same size. (I never doubted him when he previously said they were about the same.) With the pint glass now full of water, I smiled and politely requested that he pour the water back into the tulip/snifter glass so I could pour my beer into the pint glass. He, once again with seemingly sincere sorrow, explained he could not do that. Completely amazed at their simultaneous display of willingness to satisfy me coupled with their inability to meet a simple request, I just smiled and said "Thank you". On to the food... They had some interesting burger choices. They all sounded very good; especially after a twenty minute ordeal over a beer glass.... we were very ready to order. My friend and I decided to get different burgers so we could share and each taste two of the choices. We selected and ordered. Before the waiter walked away, I said, "We would like to share the burgers, so would you please ask the cook, to cut each burger in half and put half on each on the plates?" (wait for it) The waiter replied, with seemingly sincere sorrow, "I'm sorry but we cannot do that." I was looking for the hidden camera... right? He continued, "Well, the owner of the company makes sure that each meal is plated in a very specific manner that presents itself the most artist way...." I thought he was messing with me... I said, "You are kidding me, right?" (you guessed it...) The manager came over to our table and wanted to make sure we understood that the way the hamburger was intended to be presented on the plate had so much artist value that we would be loosing that impact, if the cook cut the burgers before they were delivered. And he reiterated how he wanted us to be very satisfied. As you may have guessed, I replied,"It really isn't a real big deal, but since you are asking- I would be very satisfied if the burgers were cut in half" The burgers were delivered to the table on separate plates, (probably following the artistic guidelines set by the absentee owner). The burgers were not cut in half, but the waiter brought a decent knife to the table, to allow me to cut the burgers myself. As I was preparing to puncture the bun with the knife, The waiter said, "Uh! I suggest cutting it differently, since the bun is so soft..." I kid you not. I was amazed at the constant willingness to serve contained by the strict rules set by the business model. I was witnessing great individuals with a great approach of service, but working in an establishment that did not allow the individuals the freedom to serve, the freedom to use their creativity, and their individuality. Chicago does not need a business like that, thanks!
(1)
Phil F.

Went to Umami Burger last weekend before going to a show at Subterranean. It was a great experience! We ordered: maple bacon sweet potato fries, sunny side burger, umami burger, truffle burger The maple bacon fries were fantastic, and the dipping sauces elevated them another notch. All the burgers were cooked perfectly, the quality of the meat was very evident, and each had a great balance of flavors. The sunny side burger was the crowd favorite. Suggestions: the umami burger is a bit sweet, so if you want to try it, I would suggest not pairing it with the maple bacon fries ;)
(4)
T I.

Way way way overpriced! Two burgers, two beers, one salad = $70!!!!!!! Burgers were great minus the bite size, 6oz. portion leaving you done in five minutes. They don't come with any sides either - no fries nothing, hence the salad. This place doesn't hold a candle to Kumas. I won't be coming back again.
(1)

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Address : 1480 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL, 60622
Phone (773) 423-2005
Website https://www.umamiburger.com/locations/wicker-park/
Click To Get Directions

Opening Hours

Mon :11:00 am - 12

Specialities

Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Hipster
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Drive-Thru : No
Caters : No

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Burgers

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Hamburgers are also categorized into two types in the United States. Fast food hamburger and individual hamburgers served at restaurants are two basic types of burgers served in the United States. The individual hamburgers served at restaurants are prepared using everything including lettuce, onion, tomato, and sliced pickles as well as melted cheese on the patty or crumbled on top. American restaurants also serve veggie burgers for those who don't relish meat. Cheeseburgers are also hot favorite in the United States.

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Umami Burger

1480 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622

Umami Burger Menu

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