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Join us at the Trappist in Oakland for Japan Beer Fest on Jan 24, 2016 for 20+ Japanese craft beers and Ramen Shop fried rice!

Located a half a block away from Umami Mart along 9th Street at Broadway. The selection and prices are unbeatable for a farmers market in the Bay Area.

Shanghai Restaurant is our go-to in Oakland Chinatown for green onion pancake, dumplings, noodle soup, and Malantou.

We can not tell you how fun it has been at Umami Mart since we've started selling beers and sake. We are America's first Japanese beer shop! And you ain't seen nothin' yet, ya'll. Getting our license to sell alcohol was our...

When people ask Yoko or myself if it was "always in the plan" to turn Umami Mart into a brick and mortar shop, the answer is always "no." We do get this question quite often. But back in 2007 when...

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...

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...

Three under-the-radar Oakland restaurants that deliver on comfort, flavor, and cost.

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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....

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...

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...

In November, we snuck in to San Francisco and popped-up in The Perish Trust for the holidays. But it's now April, spring is in bloom, and we're still here! We'll actually be staying in San Francisco until the new year, so on April...

One of the joys of working in Old Oakland is Chinatown. We're only steps away to a wonderland of dirt-cheap eats and one-stop grocery shopping. It has taken us over a year to mine through its dense 4x3 block radius, consisting of...

By Anna de Castro Just when I thought February in NY could not get any dreamier (and by dreamy, I mean cold, slushy, and awaiting 6-8 more inches of snow), word came that a Bay Area favorite was making its way east,...

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...