Umma’s House Restaurant & Cafe

I love it! I always get the ramen california roll combo. I used to like their bubble tea, but sometimes it is chalky. They have kimchi and miso soup for free as well! Very convenient and close to campus.

I was new to Atlanta and just started taking classes at GT. Tech Square was near campus and decided to explore their food options there first. I’ve had their bibimbop and spicy chicken bento box with tempura and sushi roll of the day. The bibimbop was okay, nothing bad about it. For the bento box, I thought the rice would be hot, but it was not. It was mostly a cold dinner except for the saving grace of the warm miso soup. The overall flavor is fresh, but just ok. There are definitely better options elsewhere.

Decent lunch spot near the Georgia Tech campus. It seems like mostly a take-​out spot but there are lots of nice seats outdoors in the plaza and a few spots inside. You also get free miso soup and kimchi (at the self-​serve station by the water and utensils), which is pretty nice. The soup was just okay.
I got the sushi bento for lunch, which includes 6 pieces nigiri, california roll, salad, eggroll, and rice for about $ 12. Out of the sushi, I liked the salmon and california roll; the tuna was pretty tough and the other stuff was average. The salad was kind of bland and there was more rice than I knew what to do with.
They also have a lot of Korean and other Japanese dishes, I would consider coming back to try those out.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN. That pretty much describes my first trip to Umma’s House. The entire experience felt more like «Bleak House.» Let me explain.
First, the food. By the looks of the place, I assumed that it would be «Korean Fast Food,» but instead it was more like, «Korean Slow Food.» The Mexican cooks must have thought it was The Day of the Dead, because there were only a few diners in the restaurant, yet the service was glacially slow. The thing is, with the fantastic location of this place, it could be a total gold mine. But as a direct result of the total ineptitude of the owner, it’s a colossal waste of time, and money. If he’s reading this, here is a laundry list of how he could turn this Asian Haunted House into something truly amazing:
1) First fire most of the countermen, and replace them with a halfway enthusiastic, pretty female wait staff. The brain dead Chinese guy who took my order looked like he was on too many psychotropic drugs, giving my first impression of the restaurant as a well-​lit county morgue. Get rid of him. He belongs behind a computer screen, not serving the public.
2) Second, play some hip music for Chrissakes! Can you spell, «PANDORA»?
3) The meat dumplings I ordered were about as tender as a hockey puck, ditto, the fried egg on top of the bulgogi. It would have made a far better door stop. And running out of kimchee was inexcusable. That is the equivalent of McDonald’s running out of French fries. The food is bland enough with leaving out the single most flavorful thing most associated with Korean food. The only «plus» was the complimentary miso soup, evidently provided just to help make the food go down easier.
4) NO TAKE OUT MENUS? When I spoke to the owner, he complained that «They were too expensive,» and that, «I change the menu so often that it just isn’t practical.» Is that why all your wall signs are permanently sealed in plastic? Is this a casual food destination, not a artisional, Four Star Michelin linen tablecloth restaurant. Get real.
5) Umma’s House is situated within only FEET of one of the biggest college campuses in all of Georgia… yet you don’t provide free delivery? If you care so little about making a living, just give me the deed to the place, and I’ll make a million dollars the first year.
In closing, if you enjoy terrible service, lackluster food, and an owner totally unanswerable to your concerns much less the basics of running a business, Umma’s Place is your place.

The space is open and there are a lot of locals (mostly students). The food is not expensive and the quality is great! I have had the red chicken curry and found it DELICIOUS and SPICY. I also had their sushi rolls which were pretty good. You also get free soup and tea refills. This place is a self-​serve so you have to get your food from the counter, get your eating utensils, napkins, serve your soup and pour your beverage. Some people may not like that but that is why Umma is so affordable. I have eaten here 4 times during my stay in Georgia and would definitely eat here again.

Pork BBQ Bento Box is great for lunch. I really like it!

This is a Korean/​Japanese restaurant that has an impressively extensive menu of rice & noodle dishes, bento boxes, soups, bibimbaps, and sushi. Too bad it’s just not good. I don’t know what I dislike more about this place — the mediocre food or the fact that no matter what you order or how many or few customers there are, it takes them a friggin’ minimum of 15 minutes to bring the food out (and trust me, this is not your «lovingly prepared from scratch» type of place). The fish in the sushi rolls is cut in tiny tiny thin slivers and doesn’t always taste 100% fresh. The cuts of meat in the beef & pork dishes are super fatty. Honestly I think the only reason this place stays in business is that it gets lots of Georgia Tech student foot traffic (and desperate folks like me who have an office in Tech Square & are too lazy to walk elsewhere).

Super good food! I was pleasantly surprised at the portions and the delicious seafood tofu stew. I can’t wait to go back and try more!

This place is pretty bad. I’ve been here a few times because my friend used to work here, but that’s the only reason I came back. The food doesn’t taste bad, but it certainly doesn’t taste good. Something about this place makes me question the cleanliness of the kitchen too.

Food is okay. I ordered a yaki udon and was not impressed. The bento box are pretty good for lunch, but the prices are too high given the quality and quantity. Service is very slow, even at 2 pm. It seems like they only make one item at a time…

I’ve been going here for over a year since I work nearby and LOVED their sushi and sashimi. When I ordered sashimi dishes (such as the sashimi appetizer, rainbow salad, chirashi) they had generous amounts of fish and good cuts. I LOVED it. In recent months they’ve gotten skimpy. Every dish has the smallest amount of sashimi they can manage. This week I spent $ 16 on what used to be my favorite (the rainbow salad, which was previously served with beautiful cuts of a variety of sashimi and lots of avocado and colorful vegetables) and I got a tiny, ordinary salad with a smattering of diced fish. There wasn’t even a whole stick worth of cheap fake crab on it. It wasn’t worth $ 4 let alone $ 16.
If you want skimpy, disappointing sushi at premium prices, this is the place to go.

Not a bad place for lunch. I tried the kimichy&pork hot stone bowl. The flavor is okay. Down to two stars from three because it is getting worse.

I came here yesterday and ordered a udon. The waiter at the cashier didn’t catch what I said so I told him again that I want a udon. Then he said «Your English is not good.» Yes I am an international student, but I tried to make myself understood. I’m here to have lunch, not to have an English test.

Not the best Korean Japanese you can get. The waiter can be a little indifferent-​rude sometimes. I heard their bubble teas are horrible so if you are craving for bubble tea, go to Sweet Hut Midtown instead.
Anyway, I ordered raw fish rice bowl to go. The cashier’s attitude was just meh. After seeing me tipping 2 dollars when I totally didn’t need to, he came out behind the counter and kindly told me that I grabbed the wrong sauce from the sauce bar for my rice bowl. Oh, and I got sick from that raw fish rice bowl later that day.
Given the limited choices of Asian food out here around Tech, I get what I am paying for I guess. So for Asian restaurant investors looking for a location near Georgia Tech area, there is definitely a market. So go for it!

Wait for like an hour for just a coffee latte bubble tea.
Wait for like an hour for just a coffee latte bubble tea.
Wait for like an hour for just a coffee latte bubble tea.

I love this spot for the Hoedeopbap. I’m not sure of the spelling but it is basically rice, raw veggies and raw fish and it’s quite yummy. The bowl is huge and very filling for about $ 11 bucks. I know it’s not most non-​Asians cup of tea, but it’s my heaven. They also offer complimentary miso soup and tea as well as a variety of sauces. The service is always good and the food is consistently tasty. It is located perfectly between work and home. I usually walk over with a book and tuck into a corner seat. If you drive you will have to pay for parking in either a garage or on the street. The décor is simple and non descrip and I believe they play music from top 40 radio. I will continue to come back again and again.

A restaurant serving Korean and Japanese food which I strictly recommend as a place for getting lunch in the middle of the workday. There is a moderately sized selection of different dishes ranging from sushi platters to katsu, teriyaki, bulgogi, and bibimbap.
The place is pretty dark on the inside. In terms of food quality, it’s about what you would get at a food truck. I ordered the bibimbap. The vegetable banchan was average quality — nothing spectacular. The meat was a little dry and not abundant. The egg was cooked fully, so those of you who like your eggs over easy may be a little disappointed. But the portion size was good and I would say the food was priced appropriately.
Biggest draw for this restaurant is its location in Tech Square — a minute away from the Tech Trolley stop

Good place to go for lunch. They have sushis and some Korean food such as Bentos. The quality is good and you get a full lunch for 10 $, plus some tea and a miso soup if you want.
Their bubble tea is quite disappointing but for bento boxes it is good

Good deal for easy Japanese and Koreans food in Midtown. Nothing too fancy, just simple tastes. Free hot barley tea and miso soup while you wait. And once you get your food (which can take a second) it’s pretty filling.
I ordered the Unagi Don and my date ordered the beef and cheese sushi and soup. My eel had a few bones but overall it was tender. It’s like the Tin Drum of Japanese and Korean food. Probably one of the better deals in the area… it’s right next to The Spence.

It’s certainly the best bet for Georgia Tech students when it comes to sushi and select Korean dishes. There are better choices in Atlanta, but this is worth a shot if you’re in the Georgia Tech area and looking for a chill place to eat a roll or two. Although this resturant is tucked away in a corner next to the more fancier Spence, there is always at least two customers enjoying a meal at any given time of the day (at least when I go).
Plenty of students love to eat alone at this restaurant, because it also operates as a café and grants a getaway for those that need to get some study time in. It’s not ever too lively and can almost seem a bit dull, though its not the atmosphere that gets me in the door. It’s the convenience of having a Korean dish close by.
There are boba (tapioca balls) drinks to be had and Korean pop songs to be heard over the small speaker by the register. The employees are very nice and extremely helpful. Operating on simplicity is a great attribute and this restaurants carries that torch perfectly.
Not every item here is delicious, but every item does the job for the value. My favorite? The hwadopbap, a Korean sashimi salad with a bit of sesame seed oil and pepper paste. Totally fills you up and satisfying with every bite and I’ve been ordering this ever since I’ve had it here.