Umami Global Bistro

Food is atrocious. Falafel was NOT a falafel! I ordered a chicken platter and rice was old, had more miles on it than my car. Chicken was dry and hard to swallow. Will NEVER go there again.

My fiance and I have been repeat customers ever since we first went there just a few months ago. He fell in love with the falafel and I cannot blame him. It is the best I have ever had. They are light and airy inside and crispy on the outside. Yesterday we stopped in as we were looking for a light and tasty meal and we were pleased to see that they now provide a sampler platter. It contains the famous falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, your choice of meat or veggie kabob and fresh warm naan. It can be a meal in itself. I have read some of the more negative reviews and I am not sure what they are used to, but the prices are reasonable for what you receive and all the dishes I have tried were flavorful and made with care. Yes, it might take a little more time than going to McDonalds, but it is worth it. Besides, you CAN call ahead and place your order if you are short on time. We also have a great time talking food with the restaurant owner/head chef Rehan. Yesterday during our conversation it came out we both enjoy a middle eastern type of rice pudding. He decided then and there to make some and serve it as a special for today. Needless to say we had to stop in and try it. It was just like I remembered when I lived in the Middle East. Live a little and stop by Umami's, you will not be disappointed.

It makes me sad to give a muslim restaurant a bad review but we have no choice. We were very disappointed by the food here. At first, I was excited to see a new Mediterranean restaurant open, especially in Catonsville. We ordered the BBQ chicken wings. My husband ordered the beef shawarma and I got the Chicken Kabob platter. Everything tastes bland. The shawarma seemed more like ground beef and had no flavor. The chicken kabobs tasted like boiled chicken. It comes with bland white rice and salad, no chutney or white sauce. The wings were the worst offender of them all. They seemed to be "fried" with generic bbq sauce on top. And the prices are outrageous considering the lack of taste. We feel like we wasted $29. I suppose the food is okay for the Mediterranean amateur but for those of us who have tasted real Med. and Middle Eastern food, this place is a big disappointment. Don't waste your money.

Mash allah amazing food. I would recommend to everyone!