Business & Tech

Umami Burger Coming to Laguna Beach in Early 2012

The trendy and outrageously popular L.A.-based mini-chain will open its first Orange County outlet in Laguna Beach early next year.

Umami Burger, the crazy-popular L.A. mini-chain, will open its first Orange County restaurant in Laguna Beach in early 2012, the company announced Tuesday.

It will take over the space formerly occupied by Picayo at 610 N. Coast Highway, in a small complex of businesses at Boat Canyon Drive next to . Picayo closed earlier this year.

The Laguna Beach Umami will have a nautical theme and serve beer and wine, as well as their famed gourmet hamburgers. They also announced that another restaurant will open later this year in Hermosa Beach.

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To get an idea of what to expect from their menu, click here.

"Thanks to our fans in South Bay and Orange County, you will soon be able to enjoy an ocean view with your Umami Burger," said Umami founder and CEO Adam Fleischman, in a statement. "A delicious burger with a cold beer is the perfect way to end a day at the beach."

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"Umami" derives from the Japanese word meaning a fifth taste, "describing the pleasant and savory taste imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides that occur naturally in foods," according to a note from Fleischman on the restaurant's website.

As a result, the restaurant's menu of gourmet burgers has been built around the "umami" concept, using sophisticated combinations of natural flavors.

There are presently six Umami outlets in California. The first, Umami La Brea, opened in 2009. Other locations include (in Hollywood), Umami Los Feliz, , (in Studio City), and Umami Union (in San Francisco).


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