Umami Mart

Let me start off by saying that I think Abura-ya is the most exciting dining experience in the Bay Area in the last few years. By “exciting” I mean: doing something spectacularly new and genre-bending — all deliciously, and not one bit bank-breaking. Abura-ya specializes in Japanese fried chicken, but it is so much more […]

We had a fantastic event with our lovely neighbors, The Trappist, back in November — the brewmaster of Baird Beer was here visiting from Japan, so they took over the taps! They were so kind to invite us in on the fun to collaborate on the event, and so we brought in Casa de Kei […]

After living in Oakland for nearly five years, I am jumping ship and moving across the Bay. It’s crazy. I haven’t really come to grips with it yet, as I’ve been so busy packing/ moving out/ moving in/ unpacking/ selling furniture/ buying furniture/ trying to settle in; all while remembering to eat, stay hydrated and […]

As Yoko and I are putting together our events calendar for the year, we are so excited to include our 2nd annual JAPAN BEER FEST during SF Beer Week. Once again, we’ll be collaborating with our awesome neighbors The Trappist, who will be providing over 15 beers on tap and bottled. If you remember the […]

As 2014 nearly comes to a close, I wanted to recap one of our favorite events of the year, our Jicca Pop-Up! Tori-chan is a good friend of Yoko’s from Tokyo, who opened up her own restaurant called Jicca last year. We visited her at Jicca in February, and at that time we decided that […]

The holidays are coming and we are hosting a few exciting events to get you all in the moooooooood. First up, a Shrub & Co. Meet ‘n Greet! Started in Atlanta, Shrub & Co. owners Deborah and Juan made their way west last year and landed right here in the East Bay, in Berkeley, CA. […]

We are so excited to announce this special event with you all. A night with Shrub & Co.! Started in Atlanta, Shrub & Co. owners Deborah and Juan made their way west last year and landed right here in the East Bay, in Berkeley, CA. We’ve been talking these last few months about teaming up, […]

Alchemy Bottle Shop opened this year in March on Grand Avenue in Oakland. Owners Tova and Peter’s selection is second-to-none, featuring everything from single malts (including a great selection from Japan) to hard-to-find amaros. Kayoko and I get lost in la-la land whenever we enter Alchemy. Our admiration for Alchemy Bottle Shop led to collaborating […]

Atelier Dion has been an important part of the Umami Mart family since we first opened our doors in Oakland in 2012. This husband and wife team, Rie and Jay Dion, are talented ceramicists who run a dynamic studio in West Oakland. They collaborate with restaurants, bars, cafes, coffee roasters, tea shops, art collectives and […]

For all of ya’ll who have been suggested we hold more, ehem, “alcohol education courses,” this ones for you. And MEN are also welcome to this one! We’re proud to host a whiskey tasting and talk with our friend Daniel Yaffe, author of DRINK MORE WHISKEY, a book published last year. We can’t keep enough […]