Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet: Menu, Prices & Locations 2026
Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet is an all-you-can-eat chain built around snow crab legs, hand-rolled sushi, Sichuan hot pot and a dessert bar, and it now has more than 30 locations across the United States. If you’ve been eyeing one for a birthday dinner, a family outing, or a post-holiday crab craving, here’s what actually shows up on the table, what it costs, and how to make the most of your visit.
What Is Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet?
Umi is a nationwide buffet chain, officially known as Umi Hotpot Sushi & Seafood Buffet, that combines a live seafood station, a sushi and sashimi bar, Chinese hot pot, and a full hot-food line under one roof. The name comes from the Japanese word for “sea,” which tracks with the menu: crab, oysters, shrimp, and sashimi anchor the spread, alongside grilled meats, ramen, and a rotating dessert case.
The chain has grown quickly. Locations run from Queens Village and Brooklyn in New York down through New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania, out to Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and across to Houston and City of Industry, California. New restaurants keep opening, most recently in the Columbus, Ohio area, so the footprint is worth checking before you assume there isn’t one near you.
Food Republic has named the chain one of the best seafood buffets in the country, and the appeal is easy to see once you’re standing at the seafood station: snow crab legs, stone crab claws, and whole butter-baked crab sit next to trays of chilled shrimp and oysters, all replenished throughout service.
What’s on the Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet Menu
The menu is organized into eight stations, and the chain advertises over 200 items rotating daily. Here’s a rough breakdown of what each section covers.
Seafood. This is the headline station, with roughly two dozen dishes including snow crab legs, stone crab claws, whole baked crab, Cajun-style crawfish and shrimp, steamed razor clams, sauce-steamed abalone, and grilled or fresh oysters. Several dishes are marked “premium,” which usually means crab, abalone, or lobster preparations.
Sushi and sashimi. Nearly 30 items come out of this station: nigiri (salmon, tuna, eel, mackerel, octopus, tiger shrimp), specialty rolls like a volcano crab roll and a mentaiko roll, and sashimi platters with tuna, white fish, and clam. It’s hand-cut and restocked throughout the meal rather than sitting out pre-made all day.
Hot pot. With close to 40 individual ingredients, this is the biggest station by item count. Diners choose a broth, such as spicy mala, tomato, mushroom, or bone broth, then add raw ingredients like marbled beef, shrimp, fish balls, tofu puffs, and a long list of vegetables and noodles to cook tableside.
Chicken, pork and beef. Stir-fried chicken with peppers, honey-glazed pork ribs, braised oxtail, and grilled short ribs cover the cooked-meat side of the buffet for anyone who wants a break from seafood.
Ramen and staples. Tonkotsu, seafood, and spicy ramen bowls, plus chow mein and pineapple fried rice, round out the carb-heavy comfort options.
Appetizers and dessert. Seaweed salad, tamago, kani salad, and baked escargot lead the starters, while the dessert bar rotates through mini cakes, tiramisu, mousse cake, and pastries.
If you’ve ever tried to put together a home crab boil or a sushi night for a crowd, you already know how much prep goes into keeping even one of these stations stocked. Seeing all eight running at once, with fresh sushi cut in view of diners, is a big part of why people come back.
Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet Prices in 2026
Pricing at Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet varies by location and by day, since each restaurant sets its own rates and some run slightly higher on weekends. Based on menus posted at several locations, here’s the general range you should expect in 2026:
| Meal | Weekday Price (Adult) | Weekend Price (Adult) |
|---|---|---|
| Lunch | Roughly $19–$26 | Not always offered |
| Dinner | Roughly $30–$39 | Roughly $39–$41 |
Kids’ pricing typically runs on a sliding scale by age, often starting around $11 for younger children and climbing toward $18 for older kids, with most locations letting toddlers under three eat free. Many locations also tack on an automatic 12% service charge, so factor that in before you’re surprised at the register. Drinks, including fountain soda and sometimes bubble tea, are usually included in the buffet price rather than charged separately, though this can vary by location, so it’s worth asking when you’re seated.
Because pricing is set restaurant by restaurant, the smartest move is to check the specific location page on the chain’s website or call ahead, especially if you’re planning around a holiday, since special-event pricing tends to run higher than the standard rate.
Umi Buffet Locations Across the US
Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet has grown to more than 30 restaurants, concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast but expanding steadily. You’ll currently find locations in and around:
- New York (Queens Village, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, White Plains, Middletown, Albany)
- New Jersey (Egg Harbor Township, Deptford, East Brunswick, Freehold)
- Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Northeast Philly)
- Maryland (Rockville, Baltimore)
- Delaware (Dover)
- Texas (Houston, Round Rock)
- Indiana (Indianapolis)
- Illinois (Niles)
- Ohio (Columbus area)
- North Carolina (Winston-Salem)
- Connecticut (North Haven)
- Florida (Brandon)
- California (City of Industry)
Not every location runs the same hours or the same menu, and a few operate under close variations of the name, like Umi Hotpot Seafood & Sushi Buffet in Staten Island, so it’s worth confirming the exact address before you drive out.
Umi Rewards Membership Tiers
Umi runs a four-tier loyalty program for regulars, starting with a free tier and moving up based on annual spend or visit count. The tiers are Pearl (free sign-up, welcome bonus and birthday perk), Coral (roughly $500 or four visits a year, with bonus points and early reservations), Gold Reef (roughly $1,500 or ten visits a year, with personalized hospitality), and Deep Sea, an invite-only top tier with anytime access and a dedicated concierge. If you’re a repeat visitor at one location, signing up for the free Pearl tier at minimum is worth it just for the birthday perk and point tracking.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Visit
A few small habits make a real difference at any all-you-can-eat seafood buffet, and Umi is no exception.
Go early in the meal service. Crab legs, oysters, and sashimi get restocked in batches. Arriving right after a fresh tray goes out, typically near the start of lunch or dinner service, means less waiting and fresher seafood than showing up an hour before closing.
Pace yourself across stations. It’s tempting to load a plate with crab legs first, but starting with a small round of sashimi and hot pot ingredients, then moving to the heavier fried and grilled items, tends to leave more room for the seafood station and dessert bar later in the meal.
Ask about the hot pot broth before committing. The Sichuan mala broth is the signature option and genuinely spicy, so if you’re dining with kids or anyone sensitive to heat, the tomato or mushroom broth is a milder alternative that’s still included in the buffet price.
Check hours and reservation options for your specific location. Hours vary by city, and some restaurants close earlier midweek than on weekends. A handful of locations also support online reservations or a digital waitlist through the Umi app, which can save a real wait on a Friday or Saturday night.
Bring cash or check the tipping policy. Since several locations already add a 12% service charge, it’s worth confirming at the table whether additional tipping is expected before you leave extra on top of the built-in fee.
Compared with a typical Chinese buffet or a straightforward all-you-can-eat sushi spot, the draw at Umi is really the crossover: you’re getting a crab leg buffet, a sushi bar, and a hot pot restaurant all built into one visit, which is why it tends to work well for groups where not everyone wants the same thing.
Is Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet Worth It?
For most diners, yes, especially if you’re going for the seafood and sushi stations rather than the Chinese hot food. The combination of snow crab legs, fresh-cut sushi, and hot pot at one price is genuinely hard to match at competing buffets in the same price range, and the variety makes it a reasonable pick for mixed groups where everyone wants something different. The tradeoff is consistency: because it’s a multi-location chain, quality can vary noticeably from one restaurant to the next depending on how recently a station was restocked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet per person?
Expect to pay roughly $19 to $26 per adult for lunch and $30 to $41 for dinner, depending on the location and day of the week, plus an automatic service charge at many restaurants. Kids’ pricing is lower and usually tiered by age.
Does Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet have crab legs?
Yes. Snow crab legs are one of the signature items at the seafood station, along with stone crab claws and whole butter-baked crab, and they’re restocked throughout service rather than offered as a one-time add-on.
Do you need a reservation at Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet?
It depends on the location and how busy it is. Several locations let you reserve a table or join a digital waitlist through the chain’s website or app, and doing so is a good idea for weekend dinners, when wait times run longest.
Is Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet all-you-can-eat?
Yes, every station, including seafood, sushi, hot pot, grilled meats and dessert, is unlimited for the price of admission. Some locations enforce a time limit per table, commonly around two hours, so it’s worth asking when you’re seated if you plan to linger.
If you’re mapping out a buffet night, checking the specific location’s hours and current pricing before you go will save you the most hassle. And if a plate of crab legs or a hot pot broth inspires you, that’s exactly the kind of dish worth trying to recreate at home.
