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  • Umami
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  • White Veg-options
Lacto
Ovo
Japanese
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Japanese restaurant and bar offering vegan and adaptable dishes including miso soup, battered shishito peppers, miso ramen, stir-fried udon, grilled corn & mushroom skewers and more. Open Mon-Thu 5:00pm-10:00pm, Fri-Sat 5:00pm-12:00am. Closed Sun.

Venue map for Umami
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1 Review

First Review by crunchwarp

Avatar crunchwarp

crunchwarp

Points +27

Vegan
06 Apr 2024

Best Japanese Izakaya for vegans in PGH

Umami is a hidden gem off 38th St., above Round Corner Cantina. Look for the house number (202) as their sign is quite subtle and does not have the name of the restaurant on it. Restaurant is up the stairs behind the door immediately facing the door from the street (not the locked door to the left). Chic atmosphere with red mood lighting, open kitchen, and exposed brick walls. Items that can be made vegan marked v+. (usually, this is by substitution of a mayonnaise-based dipping sauce, or removal of egg - the dishes aren't compromised by the modifications.) Red lighting in the restaurant does make it a bit hard to tell the vegetarian items that can't be made vegan apart, though (as they're printed in green with no accompanying text).

There were five or six appetizers and two mains that can be made vegan when I visited. I had the edemame, corn robatayaki (grilled skewer, like a kabob), tempura-fried shishito peppers, and yaki udon. All were quite good, although the shishito peppers could be more flavorful. The yaki udon was the standout dish for me; rich and flavorful, with fantastic pickled onions. Portion sizes are significantly larger than I expected - these dishes are sized like bar food at nearby American taverns, so I would not recommend ordering as much food as I did! Prices are reasonable for Lawrenceville, especially considering the portion sizes, although your bill can get quite high if you thoroughly explore their extensive drinks menu, which includes many rare-in-PGH drinks like barley shochu, plum brandy, Okinawa rum, sparkling nigori sake, and umeshu. The "wolf and cub" includes a small beer and a shot of hibiscus sake or Japanese whiskey for $6, which is a bargain. The server also mentioned that they are happy to make vegan sushi rolls and handrolls upon request, although these are not listed on the menu.

Open until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. Offers discount if you pay in cash. Staff is very interested in learning more about vegan tastes and is eager to receive feedback. Since restaurant is up stairs in an old building, I don't think it's wheelchair accessible, but they may have a hidden lift that I didn't see during my visit.

Pros: Great atmosphere, classy and chic, Extensive drinks selection with many rarities, Good for parties of varying hunger levels

Cons: Shishito peppers could be more flavorful, Hidden; difficult to find, Missing izakaya classics like gyoza, chazuke

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