Umami Noodle Bar

Absolutely delicious! As someone who is gluten-free and dairy-free, I love that Umami Noodle Bar offers so many amazing options that fit my diet without compromising on flavor. The variety of spice levels is a game-changer, letting me customize my meal just the way I like it. Not only is the food fresh and healthy, but this is also my go-to spot to work—the internet is fast, there are plenty of outlets, and the atmosphere is perfect for getting things done while enjoying a great meal. If you’re looking for the best gluten-free and dairy-free dining spot in Bangor, this is it! The curry broth with rice noodles is my go to!

I'd like to preface that this review is reflective of my personal opinion and not Umami's. If anyone is considering listening to Mrs. Susan Peyerl's review of Umami, it's important to be aware that she left quite a bit of info out of her review. Specifically the info that would make her look bad. Believe what you want to believe, but let me fill the public in with the missing information. All the broths are made ahead of time, not to order, so there is unfortunately no way they can make them without oil. That's how most restaurants operate to be able to accomodate for the amount of customers that come in. The rice noodles are going to come clumped up if there is no broth. Rice noodles clump up when they dry out. Normally it is not a problem because the noodles come with a broth over them to keep them from drying out. The amount of veggies they have in the bowls is not ever going to be huge handfulls unless specifically asked and paid extra for. Restaurants have to keep a budget for everything in order to turn a profit and buy more ingredients, so the amount in the bowls is guaranteed to be controlled depending on the price of their produce. The small bowl of cabbage she got was definitely more than what is normally given for orders, because she specifically asked for it on the side. Again, all of her order was "dry" because the noodle bowls normally come with broth, yet she requested no broth. I do know that when she did ask for a sauce, she did not specify what kind of sauce she wanted and would not clarify to the server when asked what type, so trying to keep true to the customer's preferences of no oil, the server brought out a sauce they thought would have the most flavor and the least oil content. The meal her husband asked for was made exactly how it was ordered: white rice with fried chicken, cabbage steamed on the side. There were no instructions given for any type of sauce, broth, or anything else that would moisten the meal, so of course, the food was "dry". As for the limited menu, I'm not really sure what she meant because Umami has 11 boba tea options, 4 different appetizers, 6 different Signature bowls, and a Build-your-own bowl option with 27,404 different combinations (and thats only if you pick one item from each category, even though you can pick as many from each as you'd like). I do agree, the tables are sticky and I do believe the issue is being address as it is assumed to be the type of sanitizer that's used. Having worked at a few restaurants myself, I'm familiar with the type of sanitizer normally used to clean tables, and it does tend to be sticky on certain types of surfaces. Depending on the type of surface, sometimes you can get away with spraying it with windex afterwards, but it doesn't work for all surfaces unfortunately, which may be the case here. Yes the surface may be sticky, but I for one would rather it be sticky and sanitized than not cleaned at all or wiped down with just a wet rag. The final piece that Mrs. Peyerl left out was that she not only gave the server a very detailed and quite demanding description of how she absolutley needed her food to be cooked, but she also BROUGHT IN HER OWN TOFU AND OIL FREE BROTH that she wanted the restaurant to cook. I personally feel that bringing your own food to a restaurant, demanding that the restaurant not only cook your personal food you brought from home, but also cook their food off of their own menu different and in a difficultly executed way than it's usual is VERY rude. It's also not safe for the restaurant or it's other patrons to cook outside food. If you have demands so severe that you not only bring part of your meal from home, but are so specific that you are basically asking the chef to make something that doesn't really exist on the menu, AND has to be cooked differently than how it is normally cooked at the restaurant, then you should either get a personal chef or stay home and make it yourself. (Gluten intolerances, allergies and things that are easily accommodated for are not the type of "different" I'm referring to).