Ume Grill

Run by a very friendly couple.  Very good home made food prepared with care.

Perfect execution from a cart, welcome addition to the neighborhood!

Wonderful little street cart with limited hours and a limited menu.....
DONE RIGHT!

Ume serves very delicious marinated beef, excellent rice, zingy wasabi coleslaw, two delicious and uniquely flavored sauces, sweet, chewy moochi dessert and a refreshing iced tea made from roasted barley.

Located near the SE corner of UO campus, across the street from Prince Pucklers, I kick myself for not visiting Ume while I was a student at the School of Music and often grew hungry practicing in the evenings.

Excellent value, quality local ingredients, great flavors and friendly service.

Ume Grill is food cart at its finest.

A consistent yet spartan menu, utilizing high-quality ingredient, and made by actual human hands--all offered for a screaming deal due to the low overhead. Ume reminds me why the whole food cart thing started in the first place. And, dare I say, Ume just might be southeast campus' response to Alexander? At the very least, I hope they're still around in 18 years.

I was late to the table in trying Ume grill, so let me first say 'thank-you' to the rest of town for keeping them in business through their first year and through a very tough, cold, wet, and long spring. It was four weeks ago that I rolled up. I was working late, as was hubby, and at about 5:30 I realized that our cupboards were bare. We had some leftover garden greens, wrapped tightly in the fridge, and the ever-present rice cooker still had at least one serving for me on the counter...but I was hungry. And wanted something to round out my meal.

Enter Ume. After fighting my way through the craziness around Prince Pucklers, I found myself situated in the midst of a little corner of Zen in the southeast corner of 19th and Agate. I was offered some hot barley tea, along with a menu to peruse.   "2 skewers, please. Oh, and throw in some of those spicy pickles and wasabi coleslaw, too." I situated my bar stool into a sliver of sunlight to wait for my dinner. 5 dollars and 5 minutes later, I sauntered back to my car, satisfied that the spoils of my hunt were so fruitful.

At home, I prepared to assemble the beautiful goodness that was to be my dinner. (1) Scoop of warm rice in the center of the bowl, (2) Careful arrangement of micro greens around the rice, (3) Placement of the meat in a crown of glory on the top, (4) coleslaw and pickles made readily available in a side dish for maximum "perfect bite" composition. Voila! A restaurant-quality meal quickly available in my own home.

I've since been back several times. Some things have changed (e.g., when the days are warm, the tea is iced), but the beef is always falling-apart tender, the pickles are perfectly crisp, and the mochi is still the essential dessert. Of course, you don't have to take the liberties with their dinners that I did--the Yaki bowl is a perfect meal in and of itself, already assembled and ready to eat! Now that summer is here, I suggest you grab one, head to the park, and relish in the reinvention of local flavor that Ume offers.