This event is SOLD OUT! Umami Mart + Ordinaire + Selection Massale welcomes JICCA from Tokyo! We are so happy to present a night of spectacular food, wine and FUN (!) with our friend Tori-chan of JICCA (pronounced gi-kkah), visiting Oakland...
This women-only event is a collaboration with the Women & Whiskies program and is sponsored by Campari. A portion of the proceeds of ticket sales will go towards Dress for Success, a non-profit organization providing women with professional attire to develop...
San Francisco Beer Week 2014 took place February 6th-16th, celebrating the Bay Area craft-beer scene with events, dinners, talks, and good times. We hosted Japan Beer Fest with The Trappist, a stellar beer bar located around the...
We are ECSTATIC to announce our first partnership with The Trappist, our wonderful neighbor, and one of the Bay Area's most revered beer bars. The Trappist specializes in Belgian, European and American microbrews, and its menu contains pages of specialty beers...
U M A M I: What is it? What does it taste like? Is it Japanese cartoon character? We get a lot of inquiries about the definition and concepts of umami at our Oakland shop, so we decided to team up with John over at...
UPDATE: A SECOND CLASS HAS BEEN ADDED! Wednesday 9/25 at 7:30pm. This will be the same class as the one on Monday. Get your tix here! We are extremely excited to co-host an event with Oaktown Spice Shop. All about...
From the refreshing mugi (barley) varieties to musty imo (sweet potato) that demand your full attention, shochus are always the choice of drink for me. I fell in love with shochu while I lived in Tokyo. From oolong-hai's to oyuwari imo (sweet potato shochu with hot...
Shochu tends to be the drink of choice around here on Umami Mart, but we know that it's still pretty unfamiliar terrain. Yoko and I firmly believe that there is a place for shochu in the States, but it may take...
We learned, we drank and we ate all things ume during our Umeshu Class last Sunday. During the two-hour session, we learned about the history of ume and umeshu, how to make it and ate an array of dishes that highlighted ume. Along side sips of...
On a lovely spring day, we hosted an event focused on seed season and gardening. One of our most popular items at Umami Mart are the Asian vegetable and fruit seeds by the Kitazawa Seed Company -- so we knew that many people in...
Come out for the 2nd edition of the Ippo Ramen pop-up here at Umami Mart. Last month, the ramen sold out in record time -- 56 bowls in 56 minutes. You know what that means... get here EARLY if you want a...
How often do you see babies on the front page of Umami Mart??? Well, it was bound to happen at some point. Look at her, she's adorbz! It is quite rare for either Yoko or myself to show our true girly colors,...
We are SUPER EXCITED to host a pop-up by Ippo Ramen this First Friday 4/5. Proprietor Steve Yee will be here starting at 6pm, ready to cook up some noodles to serve you his ramen. His simple menu consists of three...
Two years after the Tohoku disaster in 2011, memories have faded and conversations about the incident, and what we can learn from it, are rapidly disappearing from the media. As time widens the gap between...
In August, Tomo gifted us a daruma to celebrate the opening of Umami Mart. It is tradition to draw in one eyeball when you receive it while making a wish, then fill in the other when the wish comes true....
We had a fun, bustling opening last month for our friend Aya Brackett's photography show opening. Titled Home is Oakland, Home is Japan, 12 of Aya's photos are on exhibit on the back walls and nook of Umami Mart. Professionally, Aya’s food photography has...
Yoko and I are showing our true, girly colors by celebrating Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day) at Umami Mart! We had to do it -- Yoko's mom spent over a decade making a traditional ohinasama (ornamental doll) display with five tiers (!) that we...
With winter roots and wild mushrooms in abundance, January was a perfect time to invite Kelly Geary to Umami Mart for a Quick-Pickling and Canning event. Author of a the book Tart and Sweet: 101 Canning and Pickling Recipes for...
Based in Brooklyn, NY, Kelly Geary is the founder and chef for Sweet Deliverance, a thriving subscription program where she prepares healthy, delicious home-cooked meals out of her CSA shares. All with fresh and organic produce, she charts out each...
Photos by Jazmine Livingston On a cold December night, just days before Christmas, we hosted Peko-Peko for a night of HOT noodles! Sylvan and Hayato showed up with two big boxes of hand-pulled udon, plus roasted duck and leaks for garnish....
