Umeko: Your Next Chirashi Destination

The sushi scene in New York City is one of the toughest markets to enter, but Umeko is a shining example of how to do it right.

Opened by the same people who run the popular omakase spots Ume (yes, that Ume that you’ve seen all over social media) and Sekai, Umeko is the hotter, younger cousin that just entered the market last month. I had the privilege of dining there before they officially opened, and I can say with full confidence that this place is definitely worth it. When you enter, the place is pretty unassuming — it’s not a flash entrance, since the actual entrance scooted off to the side, but when you enter, it’s like you’ve walked into a zen garden.

The ambiance is relaxing and peaceful, and they’ve captured a certain sense of calm that any New Yorker can appreciate. There are a couple of seating options: there are around 4 tables to the side, where you can sit in a more traditional Japanese style, where you take your shoes off to sit at an elevated platform; there’s a communal table with a little zen garden in the middle, and then there’s your traditional tables.

Thankfully, they keep the menu pretty straightforward because you’re here for one thing: a Chirashi bowl. There’s two options: either the Tuna set, which features akami, chu toro, o toro, negitoro, akami zuke, rice, house pickles and their seasonal soup, or the Chirashi set which comes with a seasonal fish selection (most likely salmon, scallop, and some sort of tuna, akami zuke, rice, house pickles, a quail egg, and the their seasonal soup. Either way, you can’t go wrong. The fish is super fresh, and they give you seaweed on the side so you can also eat it handroll style.

Something that immediately stood out to me was the price point for the quality of fish that you receive. So, omakase places feel severely overpriced, with occasional mediocre pieces of fish, but this place felt like such a good bang for your buck! Coming in at $48 for a Chirashi set, it’s actually a good amount of food, and I ended up struggling to finish the entire set since they give you so much fish and rice.

I would also highly recommend getting some of their appetizers! We opted for the tuna tartare, a spicy salmon maki sushi, and the truffle scallop. Out of the three options, their maki sushi was definitely the biggest highlight!

Quite a surprising result, since maki sushi is generally pretty straightforward, but what makes it stand out is the heaping pile of additional fish that they add on top of the sushi rolls. It takes the normally plain maki roll to a whole other level.

Last but not least, I’d also recommend their house dessert, a sobacha flan with a Hokkaido milk cream. It’s absolutely delicious! Creamy and milky with notes of soybean powder, it’s a light and refreshing dessert and perfectly balances out the rest of the meal.

All in all, Umeko is a great new addition to the list of Japanese restaurants in New York and should definitely be on your list — if it isn’t already!