Do you know how to recognize that a restaurant is really good? If it's been around for 50 years without ever being featured in an advertisement. Umeno, tucked away on a residential street near the Olympic Stadium, is just that. Founded in 1978 by Mr. and Mrs. Nakae, named after Mr. Nakae's mother, the restaurant has run solely on word of mouth for more than four decades.
In 2008, chef Atsuhito Hosono took over the restaurant. Hosono has quite a resume: he worked in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Istanbul before taking over the kitchen here. His wife Ayumi Hosono, a trained chef herself, runs the business with him. And then there's their oldest son, who now manages the kitchen operations after his father trained him. A family business in the most literal sense.
From the outside, Umeno betrays little. The shoji paper windows on the facade reveal almost nothing about what's inside. But inside, you'll find a handmade wooden interior that feels like a small step into Japan. Shamisen and shakuhachi music sounds in the background. The atmosphere is intimate and quiet. No crowds, no spectacle. Just good food in a space decorated with care.
The chef's omakase, composed daily from the freshest ingredients of the moment, is what draws regular customers back again and again.
Umeno is open Tuesday through Sunday, every evening from six o'clock. Mondays it is closed. Reserve in time, as the space is small and tables fill up quickly. Those who have eaten once will come back. That's not an assumption: it's the reason this restaurant has existed for nearly 50 years without a single paid advertisement. The chef's omakase, composed daily from the freshest ingredients of the moment, is what draws regular customers back again and again.