Cafe Umami 2224 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland CA 94602 (510) 646-2394
Cafe Umami Uptown 25 Grand Ave. Oakland CA 94612 (510) 350-7277
Vege-Power Bowl topped with an egg, avocado toast on the side
Our cafes offer cookbooks for our guests to peruse
Open for indoor & outdoor dining
To Go & Delivery Service
Pick up from one of our cafes or use our partnership delivery services.
Drink Hot
Eat Well
Enjoy Umami
Everything's Fresh Here at Cafe Umami
What is
UMAMI?
A loanword from the Japanese (うま味), umami can be translated as "pleasant savory taste". Umami, or savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). It has been described as brothy or meaty.
People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamate. Glutamate is widely present in meat broths and fermented products. Since umami has its own receptors rather than arising out of a combination of the traditionally recognized taste receptors, scientists now consider umami to be a distinct taste.
