Umi is a chic Buckhead sushi haven where you can relish high-end Japanese dishes amidst a trendy, dimly lit atmosphere, perfect for impressing your date.
"Looking for a destination restaurant and the chance to spot a celebrity or two while also indulging in assorted nigiri and otoro caviar, lobster tempura rolls, and spicy tuna crispy rice paired with bottles of wine and sake? Make a reservation at Umi in Buckhead. Be sure to visit the bathroom here — they’re equipped with seat-warming Toto toilets. If you know, you know. Dress code." - Eater Staff
"This trendy destination restaurant in Buckhead includes two omakase options on its menu. There’s the Miyabi at $155, which includes an appetizer, sashimi plate, hot dish, an assortment of nigiri, and dessert, and the more elaborate and traditional Umi-Kase (at the sushi bar only) for $190. Celebrities frequent Umi, so keep an eye out. Reservations required. $155 to $190 per person. Open Mondays." - Eater Staff
"This sleek and stylish Buckhead sushi hotspot has been around for nearly a decade but still keeps a rotating cast of celebrity appearances like The Tonight Show. And if the duck leg confit is good enough for Reese Witherspoon, it’s good enough for us. While celebs pack the place, the sushi is what’s packing our plates. The non-traditional options like the damn-near-perfect surf and turf roll with wagyu beef and the juicy foie gras roll are the top contenders. With chic decor (including a series of hanging wire golden orbs that could be an installation piece at the High) that matches the A-list food and crowd, Umi holds true as a top sushi staple in the city. Food Rundown Tuna Carpaccio These slices of bluefin tuna, onion, and avocado are so thin they’ll really test your fine motor skills. But battle through this difficulty because the reward is a gloriously fresh and tangy bite that solidifies this as one of their best appetizers. Yellowtail Jalapeño There’s an order of this appetizer on every table, and you should put one on yours, too. The thin slices of mild yellowtail are glitzed up with a slice of spicy jalapeño pepper, cilantro, and a slightly salty ponzu sauce. Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice If you can only get one app, this is the one. These small, crispy rice rectangles are more filling and pack a big punch with a fresh, flavorful tuna tartare on top. Agedashi Tofu We would love this dish if the tofu cubes were a little smaller so that the crisp, salty exterior would be in every bite. Black Cod Misoyaki We strongly suspect we’d love almost any food if it was prepared using the misoyaki technique, but it works perfectly with the flaky cod that doesn’t even need to be chewed. It’s buttery and has a sweet glazed exterior that we’ll be trying to replicate in our own kitchen for months. Lobster Toban-Yaki We hope you like your lobster perfect. With this dish, a miniature, sizzling grill placed on your table cooks bite-sized chunks of lobster with a brown butter sauce. Kamikaze Roll Tuna, rice, and a dab of hot sauce all add up to make one of our favorite rolls. Surf & Turf Roll Yeah, there’s very good shrimp tempura with zesty yuzukosho sauce on the plate. But the star is the perfectly seared strips of wagyu on top. photo credit: Angie Mosier photo credit: Douglas Stratton photo credit: Angie Mosier" - Juli Horsford
"When you’ve been seeing someone for long enough that they have your Netflix login, and your last three date nights have all been in dimly lit restaurants serving burrata, it’s time for something else. That’s where Umi comes in. It’s a scene packed with beautiful couples you want to hate, smug types who feel extra smug because they’re spending corporate dollars, and friends celebrating special occasions. Umi serves some of the best sushi in the city, so prepare to spend some money here—you can order a la carte, but if you’re there to have a really big night, go for one of their omakase options, which start at $155 per person. There's also an exclusive omakase counter upstairs, called M." - demarco williams, nina reeder, juli horsford, jacinta howard
"It’s omakase. And everyone is doing it, including Umi, which has been a reliable sushi hotspot in Buckhead for almost a decade. So adding an omakase table to their offerings makes sense for this celeb-infested spot. But with just eight seats available per night and reservations booked solid for months, you might need to actually be a celeb to get into M. " - nina reeder, juli horsford