justin "Co-Founder of Menuism - always ready to eat!"

I’ve been told by multiple people to check out Umami Burger, so I’ll admit my expectations were pretty high. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the food wasn’t as fantastic as I thought it would be (I think Father’s Office does a much better burger).

The surrounding area is a bit sketchy, so don’t worry if you think you’re lost – you’re in the right place. The lot has valet parking but we found ample parking on the nearby residential streets. The inside itself is pretty nice. Typical trendy casual LA look and there’s a nice big patio in the back for special groups. There’s a few chairs outside for waiting, but not nearly enough. Everyone seems to wait by standing in the parking lot.

Wait for us was 30 min, which sucked since I was on crutches at the time. I guess it gives you ample time to stare at everyone else that’s eating and decide what you want.

When we finally sat down, we asked our waiter for a few recommendations on things, but he wasn’t very helpful at all. We asked about the special dipping sauces and he said the standard Umami ketchup was good enough (which it wasn’t – thought it tasted like watery tomato juice).

When it came time to eat our food, I found it was lacking those special punches I’d expect from such a trendy burger place. Side dishes were bland and the burgers generally weren’t as good as Father’s Office. To top it off at the end, our waiter tried to get us to order more burgers after we finished – that felt unclassy and even desparate.

All in all, I think it’s a fun experience with gourmet burgers and I would take other guests who are interested in trying it, but I wouldn’t come back here on my own. I’d head to Father’s Office if I want an excellent burger.

Take out salad for lunch.

Always good salads and at fair prices. Don’t forget to look or the specials menu.

There’s always a great variety of food at whole foods. It’s always a little on the pricey side, but the convenience is hard to beat. I usually get the salad bar, a sandwich or a burrito.

When choosing a ramen place it’s always good to choose one that’s really crowded and Asahi definitely gets crowded. Luckily we went a bit early to beat the dinner crowd and got a table pretty quickly.

It’s got the standard ramen selections and you can add extra noodles if you’re hungry, but the sizes was already pretty adequate. The ramen is pretty good – up there with some of the better ones, but probably not the best.

Parking can be a bit annoying around here, but doable if you circle the street a few times. Also it’s cash only so make sure you drop by the ATM (there’s a tomato bank about a block down) before coming here.