Umi - Minato-ku

Great place to try keiseki menu with sushi and sashimi. Portions are nice and staff is very friendly but some of the fish dishes were not the freshest of quality. We were there in the evening

The chef and staff were very hospitable despite their limited ability with English, and the quality of the food was excellent although limited in variety (mainly sushi and sashimi). The dining room is a small counter (nine seats with no window) in a difficult to locate part of town. The biggest issue that ruined our dining experience was that smoking is allowed in a space what did not have adequate ventilation. it was not what we wanted or expected for the price incurred.

We had a reservation at this restaurant. When we arrived they saw that we were tourists and told us to leave. We told them we had a reservation. Without even checking to see if we had a reservation, they made a go away-gesture with their hands. We asked why, we already confirmed it was the correct restaurant. They just kept trying to push us out. We took a 20 minute taxi ride that wasn't cheap so when this happened I was furious. There are many great restaurants in the area but if you are a tourist do not waste your time and go here.

You won't find this restaurant on other social media platforms. So prepare for a unique, more local, experience. The host/chef is very personable and very willing to work with you. We shared several laughs over the course of the meal. There are approximately 10-12 seats at the counter with the chef and two other private rooms. When my party of 4 arrived, we were the first ones, and had most of the meal to ourselves before a couple appeared. The food itself was very wide ranging, some of the dishes I had never seen or tried before, and there were several that I was hoping would appear and they did appear. The sous chef would come to us after every dish was served to let us know what fish it was from a personal picture catalogue of the fish. The most interesting dishes we tried were a tiny eel dish that appeared almost as glass noodles, along with a progression of 8 different nigiri from fishes I had never tried. The ultimate highlight was being served a bowl of Uni (Sea Urchin) with fish roe. What makes this restaurant unique is the close Omakase experience, that was fairly affordable by other restaurant standards, and available. Finding reservations to the top restaurants was difficult, after starting our search late.

Please don't confuse this with the two Michelin star Umi Sushi.