Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar, a Willy Street staple, is preparing to reopen this May, after being closed for three years. The restaurant — voted “Best Ramen Shop” by the Isthmus and “Best Chinese” restaurant by Madison Magazine — closed at the height of the pandemic and has been shuttered since.

Umami, founded in 2011 at 923 Williamson St., features an eclectic menu. While focusing mostly on ramen and dumplings, it also contains waffle, bun — pastries containing meat, potatoes or other fillings — and burrito entrees. It also features a bar carrying traditional beers and cocktails, as well as sake, saketinis — sake cocktails — and Japanese beers. While definitely not the average American diet, Umami carries a variety of unique dishes, ready to stimulate an often monotonous American palette.

The building itself also carries a unique vibe. Located in an 1890s-era house, situated on a slight hill with a large patio in front of it, it’s certainly not your State Street sleek, but instead carries its own comfortable, but also elegant, vibe.

In fact, the restaurant fits the overall neighborhood vibe and is an important piece of the vibrant street and East Side neighborhood.

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The neighborhood is one of the most vibrant in Madison and is home to its own festival, the Willy Street Fair. The fair occurs every year in mid-September, closing down three blocks for a street festival with a mix of performances ranging from music to art to magic. It serves as an important community event and showcase for the neighborhood and local artists.

Willy Street contains a variety of different ethnic restaurants, bakeries, specialty shops and more, often in a mix of historic commercial buildings and old homes. It’s its own neighborhood destination, a world away from the vibe of downtown and campus, but only minutes away by car or bike.

Like most commercial streets and neighborhoods though, Willy Street was not immune to the damaging economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Umami’s reopening signals another victory for the recovering neighborhood, adding another piece back to one of Madison’s most culturally rich and diverse neighborhoods.

Though the restaurant has been closed, Umami enthusiasts and first timers alike have been able to continue to try the restaurant’s menu, thanks to owners Mike Ding and Wendy Kuo. The duo began operating Umami’s menu at another restaurant they own — Tavernakaya on Capitol Square — while the restaurant has been closed.

Though Ding and Kuo are excited to reopen the restaurant, they understand the challenges that come with it, especially due to COVID. Since the pandemic, they have faced difficulties in finding staff.

“It’s been so hard to even feel comfortable with being fully staffed there all the time that we just didn’t want to be in the position where we would try to open two restaurants and be spread too thin,” Ding told the Wisconsin State Journal.

The owners plan to combat the ever-present staffing issue COVID has created by overstaffing Tavernakaya for the next couple months, training employees to make the jump in May to Umami, according to WSJ. While this will surely help Umami get back into its groove, Ding explained to WSJ that “right now hiring is still the most difficult part of our business.”

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On top of that, Ding and Kuo were still responsible for upkeep of the property, including insurance, taxes and snow removal, adding to COVID’s burden, according to WSJ.

While there are obvious challenges to reopening the restaurant, the owners are excited, expressing that they would like to “dedicate 90% of their time to the Willy Street restaurant in the first two months,” it opens, according to WSJ. The restaurant is sure to face its share of challenges but is sure to come back stronger and continue to be a community asset for the neighborhood.

So, if you’re ever looking for some good ramen or a unique Japanese beer, give Umami a chance. And while you’re at it, explore Willy Street and all it has to offer.

They plan to open in May, but have not set a specific date, according to WSJ.