Dropped by this afternoon for lunch. Purchased the Korean soy sauce beef rice bowl. The gentleman who prepared my food was very friendly. The dish itself was fresh and tasty. I will definitely be coming back for lunch soon. If I could describe my dish in one word, it would be.... Yummy! Update Dec 13/22 Today I tried the spicy chicken. More yum yum yummy goodness.

Really cool spot. Very versatile dishes with Korean & Japanese influence. Kimchi by far is a must have so delicious. Very reasonable prices and fresh & hot. Will visit again !

Been here several times, trying different things from the menu and from the fridge. Every time it is a hit, including with the toddlers. There is also a different interesting thing to see (food or shopping option, or book) every time we come. The owner/operator Hiroki is really nice and makes delicious, authentic tasting Japanese and Korean rice bowls. He and his wife (she has a job and then makes all the desserts after) work so hard to deliver us with a wonderful food service. Makes me really want to support them, especially when they pay such attention to detail. Oh, the homemade sesame sauce is vegan friendly.

I’m so glad I found out about this place. I’ve eaten here very often over the past few months and I don’t see that changing. My order is always the same; a vegan sandwich, a vegan rice bowl with extra teriyaki and side salads with sesame dressings. The owner and his wife are incredibly sweet and lovely people. I call ahead to order and let them know I’ll bring my own containers and they are happy to pack everything up once I get there so there is no waste. The food is super fresh, nutritious and delicious! I’d recommend to anyone who needs a quick and healthy lunch/dinner option!

What a great little eatery! We had the miso soup with a Shabu Shabu Gyu Don and a Kimchi Mayo Bulgogi rice bowl. Chef Hiroki (also owner) made our rice bowls fresh at order (so yes, there is a little bit of a wait, but not unreasonably long) and they were absolutely DELICIOUS, so filling and a fantastic value for the price! We can't wait to go back and try other things on the menu plus purchase some of the ready-to-go and frozen items! Definitely recommend!

I went searching for a lunch option on Google maps and located in a sea of your standard sub shops was the newly re-branded Umami Express. The rice bowl and miso soup were packed full of flavour and the service was top-notch. I left incredibly satisfied with my choice and will definitely be back for more.

This has easily become my new favourite spot in St. Catharines. The owners are incredibly friendly and passionate, culinary artists. From the Japanese or Korean rice bowls, sandwiches and unique selection of desserts, I've tried them all! They're all AMAZING! My kids and I love Umami Express.

Stopped by for a quick lunch. The person working was so kind and efficient. Got the bulgogi rice bowl combo which was really good. Came with a salad and pop, the ginger salad dressing is homemade and amazing! There is also a bunch of frozen meals/desserts to purchase for home. Definitely will return.

I am so happy we have a place here serving food like this! Everything we tried tasted amazing and they have an awesome little freezer section with take home dishes and desserts. Must try!!

First thing first, the customer service workers here are very kind and accommodating. They give the impression that they genuinely care about the experience of their customers and quality of food and service they provide. Their baked goods are fresh and delicious. The Gyu don is a classic and delicious. I wish they had more pickle options like onion or cucumber but the kimchi with their home made hot sauce elevate the simple rice bowl and it’s easily addicting. I will say that I ordered their rice bowls through delivery so I can’t speak on the in person dining quality of the food, but when ordered the rice may be a bit mushy. I don’t know if that’s from it steaming under the meat and in the packaging, or what. But I am also a rice lover so I may have too high expectations. I would recommend this place to anyone. I absolutely loved them. 11/10 would eat again.

Hiroki was amazing in facilitating the catering for our St. Joseph's Heathcare event in Hamilton. Everyone at the event raved about their sandwich, salad and dessert. The food as fresh and was boxed up lovely. he even labelled every box with my staff's names on them. He was also amazing in coordinating the gluten free options. I highly recommend this little gem of a venue to anyone looking for catering or just stopping in for lunch for a quick dinner

the best sandwiches in st. catharines

Our go to place for lunch on a Friday! Great sandwiches and the Friday night pizza and wings are fantastic! Good selection of home cooked frozen dinners. Keep it up Tara!

My wife and I love their pizza. Very well made with fresh ingredients.

Good food and service. Brisket sandwich and lentil soup were good as well as their kimchi. Oh and the browny too :)

Great food and great service. Tried a few different dishes because we didn't know what to get. Was not disappointed. Fresh and delicious. Homemade kimchi is not too hot and lots of flavor.

Very delicious. Thx for a great lunch

Love their food. Spicy Chicken Rice Bowl and Kimchi is the best taste I ever tried. Price is very competitive too.

So excited to find Japanese and Korean home cooking. The owner is very kind and lovely to talk to, and the food is delicious! I've tried the gyu don and sukiyaki don (rice bowls) so far.

Have been here twice and both times the food has been excellent. Most recently I had the bulgogi bowel and the beef was so nicely done! The portion was also very generous. The owner/chef is also quite nice and pleasant.

Very friendly and the meals were delicious. I really liked the ginger salad dressing, and my chicken thighs with mixed veg was soooo yummy. Good price for the quality you get for sure! The owner was very nice and helpful.

chicken wings and soup were very tasty but other foods were nothing special(in my opinion)

WOW... this place is amazing. I can thank skip the dishes for bringing this place to my attention. I am not disappointed at all. Ordered the turkey wrap and wow, I made a mistake and only ordered ONE. Do not pass this place off, you will not be disappointed at all. I will be ordering much more from them. Such a fresh taste, you can tell the employees care about food quality. As for contact with staff, I did call them to verify the address the food was going to since it was in a plaza and didn't have an option to state that. When I called and talked to the women on the phone she seems very polite and friendly. HIGHLY RECOMMEND you stop looking of a place to eat and just order from here.

Love the food

Good food!

The best pizza and wings in the city... And they don't even make pizza all week long.

Best pizza in town for sure! Friday's only though

Quality food!!!! You get great food at great prices

Steak panini and mushroom soup today, outstanding! Friendly service and very clean kitchen. Definitely returning.

Food is delicious, especially the wings! Great service as well.

Great tasting food, love their home made soups and very courteous staff. Love that they are a local business as well!

A small hidden gem !!! Food and prices were outstanding!!! Must return!!

Once again great food

Wow...Best chili I have ever had! It was delicious! Can't wait to try more of your homemade entrees!

They were very friendly, and they gave our dog some water!

Great place downtown. The spicy pork sandwich was made with actual slices of roasted pork loin, served on really fresh bread. The chicken wings are baked, not deep-fried and they're really flavorful. Nice folks, good food and not terribly expensive.

Stopped in to check out what smelled so good ~ ended up ordering a sweet potato panini and couldn't resist the avocado chocolate pudding it was off the chain! I will definitely eat there again!!

Love the variety of take-home items. The soup and sandwiches are all home-made, and the prices are pretty good too.

The best pizza and wings in the city for sure! OMG! That's quite an experience! We keep coming back over and over again, trying all kind of pizzas. None of them failed. Thanks girls! Elena & Alex

Great healthy food, Great service!!

Alligator pear... what a pleasant surprise! I stopped by here last night on my way home after probably passing it a million times. I was greeted by the owner Tara right away. She was friendly and very accommodating. I ordered the pizza, wings, a panini and a brownie. The pizza and panini were good. Tasted just like you'd make at home. Fresh, real ingredients. The wings were even better!! They only come in one flavour and for good reason because they're great!! Sweet, salty, spicy and paired together perfectly! But the real star of the show was the peanut butter and chocolate brownie! OMG! To die for! I shared it with my husband and we both sat there in awe when we were done. It was moist, rich and HUGE! Next time I'll be ordering two. WeIl done Tara!!

Great paninis!

Ordered the chicken panini sandwich and it was great. Staff was very friendly. Will be back again soon.

So I have now confirmed this is the. Set lunch stop ever . Begone sandwich amazing and squash and carrot some stellar Check it out

The pizza is incredible, my hard to impress boyfriend was blown away by it. I had the lentil soup and loved it, and the brownies... holy smokes they’re massive. Everything was amazing! Thank you so much!

When we are bringing something to eat while at work Alligator Pear is where we order from. You can't beat the food (roasted chicken wrap is our go to) so amazing. If you haven't tried this hidden gem yet - try it - you will not regret it! I highly recommended this place. Must try!

I love how you can personalize anything

Every single meal I’ve purchased here whether hot or cold, has been amazing.

Best wraps in town!

Friendly people and great food!

Stop looking for the best breakfast / brunch / dinner place! You have just found it. High quality and fresh ingredients. You won’t regret giving this place a chance.

One of my favorite lunch spots! Always fresh and flavourful!!!

Great place for dinner and lunch!

Bright, clean restaurant, friendly service and delicious food, couldn't be better! The sandwiches are awesome, salads are fresh and tasty, and the pizzas are the best in the city. Great place for a fresh and healthy meal. Keep it up!The food is made in house and some is refrigerated for take out but some is made fresh to eat then. Excellent food! The woman who runs it is also a really nice person.

I ordered takeout from this place today, and the food was Amazing!! ( I genuinely never write reviews but the food was so good I had too) Before ordering I was looking at previous reviews and one mentioned the Kimchi being the best they ever had and I couldn’t agree more! Overall 10/10 will be back again. What I ordered: Katsu Don Kimchi Pork Okonomi-yaki