Umeko Japanese Seafood Buffet

New owners have beautified and improved the menu, especially the sushi, since we went last 5 years back. The sushi menu is limited, but was very fresh and tasty. There was a wide variety of Asian food, fish, crab, shrimp, etc. A bit short on the veggies, though. We try to eat veggie, but once in a while.... Pros: Good sushi, lots of tasty food Cons: Heavy on the animal protein. more

lines\r lines\r lines\r lines Pros: all good Cons: nothing bad more

We have eaten there a few times, the food is fair, not great by any means. We always ate there at dinner time so I call them around 3:30 to ask if they were open, the gentleman said yes they are serving lunch. We got there around 3:40 and was told it is now dinner time, however the dinner items won't be out until 4:00. At this point we are really confused, explained we just called and was told it was lunch (which is $4.00 less than dinner) The hostess said that it is dinner time now and the cost will be more, then a male wait staff added to it at a lound voice for all to hear, it was very embarassing. So lets see i have to wait 20 minutes to pay extra for dinner, it really doesn't make sense. We walked out never to return again, We did notice on the way out it is posted 3:30 dinner starts, but the real truth is you pay more for a half hour of waiting for dinner items to be served!!! I don't reccommend this place, if you like being yelled at as a customer, go for it. more

Recently ate there. Looks so much better than a few years ago. Some of the hot food looks like it has been sitting there awhile. The most disappointing is the Sushi Bar. The two young chefs behind the counter look like they would rather be elsewhere. I am normally generous when it comes to tipping but having the tip jar right in front of the bar was more like an insult considering the lack of friendliness and people skills they both possess! Don't even ask them what kind of roll it is, they are pretty rude, and like I said, they would rather be elsewhere. They should be paying me to eat there!!! more

The last time I ate at Umeko, one of the two men who were making the sushi were scratching himself. He were wearing a hair bonnet and plastic gloves, but in spite of all of that, while he were making the sushi he was scratching his hair underneathe the bonnet, face area, especially around the eyes and digging in his ears. He was an annoying idiot and was grossing me out. So I decided to leave and not return. There are too many diseases and sickness going around now-a-days. Cons: Eat At Your Own Risk more

Firstly, I will NOT be returning to eat here again. I was really disappointed with the food and wish I had gone to Fresh Choice today instead. When I first arrived, I walked around wondering where the 200 items were. It seemed more like 50 items. After 50, they must have started counting dinner plates and chop sticks. I really struggled to find enough decent looking food to eat. I have never seen such a small salad bar in my life. If you like lettuce and hate raw veggies, you will love Umeko because the whole vegetable salad bar consisted of just lettuce and salad dressing. Apparently this buffet is under new ownership and unless they make some changes, they are doomed for failure. I remember the Umeko Japanese Buffet years ago and thought the food was very good then. I had a hard time finding anything Japanese about this buffet except for the sushi which was some of the worst looking sushi I had ever seen in a Chinese Buffet. I eventually concluded that there were five items that I liked: the watermelon, the honeydew, the ice cream, a corn and shrimp dish, & their seafood combo dish. The rest of the food looked like it was left over from the previous day. The cooked salmon was terrible and mushy. I assumed they overcooked it in water. I had a coupon which said $2 OFF TOTAL PRICE with purchase of 2 Adult Buffets. When it came time to pay, they charged me the regular price of $6.99 per person plus the tax which came to $15.20. Then they deducted the $2 and the bill came to $13.20. I pointed out to them that I was paying tax on the $2 because they deducted it last and the $2 should have been deducted first. They insisted they had the right to do that, and I wondered what kind of game they were playing asking her if this was the Chinese way. She said it was not the Chinese way and showed me the coupon which said $2 off TOTAL price. I decided to just let them win. Nevertheless, it seems like this accounting practice is illegal. I can't imagine why they would want me to pay more tax than necessary...LOL. Consequently, even the paying of my bill continued to make my whole experience with Umeko Buffet disappointing. Well, almost my whole experience. At least I was able to practice my Chinese when I said, ""Thank You,"" in Chinese to a cute female employee who gave me a gorgeous smile after getting me a teaspoon to eat my ice cream with and then again, ""Be careful,"" in Chinese when the bus boy slightly slipped on the floor. He laughed. Those two incidents were the highlight of my day. Pros: You can try to practice your Chinese Cons: Salad bar consisted of only lettuce & salad dressing more

the waiters need to get some sleep because they are not awake when they're working. Pros: sushi was good Cons: the service was sorry more

The food is cold and disgusting! I kept trying different entrees to see if there was hope in the rest but unfortunately it got worse! The food was never seasoned well. Their broccoli beef tasted like sea water and the desserts had enough sugar to give you a diabetes attack (even if you're the most healthy person alive). I felt so bad because I saw a birthday party going on and the guests were hardly eating. I will NEVER go back there again!!!!! Pros: good price Cons: The most disgusting food ever! more

Years ago, when this place opened it was amazing; often commanding hour or longer waits.\r Things have surely changed! The glory days are gone! The original quality, cleanliness, crisp service and overall spirit of the place has become as dark and dreary as the run down building, the disgusting restrooms, the pathetic produce and the void felt in a huge space filled with too many empty chairs.\r Tonight my partner wanted to ""try"" the place. I saw a ""new management sign"" a while back and thought, why not? In recent years, I had been a few times and while not good enough to keep me returning, it was ""okay"" for the lunch price. It is no longer ""okay"" at any price (dinner is $14). The most descriptive word I have for the whole experience is, YUCK!\r At 7pm on a Saturday only 6 or 7 tables had customers. You pay for your meal in advance. Service was dismal! No one came to our table to greet us or to offer us drinks (soda is included, but no one mentions it). Everything is very self-serve including pulling extra napkins off the empty tables around you, seeking out your own utensils, getting your own water and figuring out what the mislabeled dishes are. At least the oysters were clearly not ""potatoe salad"". The only customer service we received was twice, someone offering to take used plates off our table.\r The drink/soup/rice station desperately needed service. For water, I had to select a second plastic cup to get a clean one and the ""old rice"" was not worth scraping out of the steamer. The ""salad"" area offered a small, far from fresh variety of unworthy options. Next to it sat a hot plate with some yummy broth you could add rice noodles to.\r Also good, were a few sushi items, the cooked muscles and flat ribs. The tiny variety of sashimi was oddly fresh. \r The tempura was horrible, the shrimp and crab were badly over-cooked and many items were greasy or simply unappealing.\r With all the buffet and sushi options available, this place is certainly off our list. Pros: The small variety of sashimi was oddly fresh. Cons: Most food, ambience, service. Despite steps, outside lights were off. more

I have been eating here for years and have seen things change but the quality has always been good! A very good selection of Sushi, always immaculate in the customer area. Best Miso in town. I dont eat the Chinese selections so I cant comment on it. Their fresh shellfish (oysters and muscles shucked to order from the kitchen) is delicious! Pros: Food (sushi) is awesome Cons: Tempura more

Umeko is a real treat. The sushi is consistantly fresh and excellent. The sashimi is really, really good. All the rest of the food except for the ice cream leaves a bit to be desired. Who cares? For $15 eat all the tasty sushi you can handle! Also, they have been having a special of $2 off from 5 to 5:30 and 8 to 8:30PM. Enjoy. more

Sushi was ok. But fruit + icecream + crab are very nice. The Chinese food \r has some southern Chinese flavor, way better than other buffet around Sacramento. Pros: price and food. Cons: Service more

Not bad, but hardling great. I didn't see any tanks that held seafood, nor did I see lobster, though there were crab legs. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Most of the Chinese food was greasy chinese buffet fare, nothing horrible, but most of it I gave a pass too. The dumpling and dim sum was a nice touch. The sushi and sushimi were OK, , nothing great. There were one or too rolls that were good, but most were flavorless. If this is your idea of great sushi, I'd suggest travelling to San Fransico and try some of the nice places there... Again, not horrible, but hardly worthy of the praise others have heaped on it. My favorite thing: Red Bean Ice Cream, Green Tea Ice Cream, Lycee Ice Cream. Cool variety of neat theme appropriate ice creams Pros: Price, variety ok, ice cream Cons: freshness?, taste more

Being from LA and NYC, I can attest to the authenticity and refinement of Umekos gourmet Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Other Chinese restaurants in Sacramento descend from the Chinese railroad workers, who prepared meals in a new land completely lacking the condiments for the cooking of authentic Chinese food. In contrast, Umekos Asian cuisine has the fragrance of Old China, a time when Shanghai was a bustling and glamorous port city in the corridor of the Pacific trade routes. Its mandarin chow fun is fit for the aristocracy, and the sauteed Chinese squash (#1804) is at once juicy and crisp, with a freshness best appreciated on a hot summer night. On request, the in-season live seafood can be prepared to suit your taste. The specially-prepared sushi is elegant and tasty, leaving you with the thought that you cant have just one. The inner room now offers a top-of-the-line Karaoke bar. Pros: Authentic, Delectably prepared, Open late to 12 MN more

My husband and I have had sushi from restaurants all over the Sacramento Area, and only go to Umeko now. The people there are wonderful and friendly, and their Rainbow Rolls are to die for! The Chinese is okay, and though they affer an array of fresh seafood (you can pick your own crab, lobster, or catfish from the tank) we have not tried it yet. But just thinking about the sushi makes my mouth water. I have taken friends there that now swear by it, and I recommend it to everyone!!! Pros: Good Parking, Good Seating, Affordable more

The chinese food was acceptable, but if you come here for all-you-can eat sushi you'll be very disappointed!! The selection is mediocre but the quality really is terrible. I was surprised that I didn't develop gastroenteritis the following day. For $18 per person you can get a much better sushi dinner at most restaurants in town. Pros: bulk, selection Cons: taste, quality more