Former Morimoto Asia head sushi chef Junichi Takazoe made the ballsy move to open his izakaya in an old barbecue shack in the middle of Sanford, but after five years of wowing folks in the Bokey, he’s showing no signs of stopping. They come for Japanese cuisine rooted in tradition and authenticity as well as Takazoe’s focus on quality ingredients and technical precision. Nigiri of silvery-skinned gizzard shad is as eye-rollingly good as albacore dressed with sesame, ponzu and crispy wonton skins. Seemingly pedestrian rolls are anything but. The spicy tuna is anointed with sesame oil, layered with smelt roe and spiked with a secret blend of chili peppers. The wasabi here, by the way, is real and freshly grated.

A conversation about the best sushi restaurants in town will eventually turn to chef Chau Trinh’s creative and pristine cuts at Sushi Pop. The talented chef, whose done stints at Le Bernardin and Atera in New York City, carved out a niche in Oviedo with his spirited and sophisticated anime-themed eatery, then brought his game to Winter Park with an outpost off Lyman Avenue. Trinh is never one to rest on his laurels and is constantly experimenting with ideas and techniques to fuel Sushi Pop’s progression.

Wa exposed the sleepy bedroom community of Casselberry to a refined sushi-going experience and the rest of Orlando quickly took notice. Wa closed in February of 2020, but reopened in a new locale in Casselberry serving the same high-end ingredients from bluefin toro tartare and deep-fried Hiroshima oysters to A5 wagyu and hotaru ika, the seasonal firefly squid. At $42, the 16-piece grand sashimi moriawase is an absolute steal.

Amid the glut of pizza and pasta joints dotting College Park’s main thoroughfare sits this gem of a restaurant that makes an effort to raise the level, and add a little diversity, to the neighborhood’s homogenous dining scene. Owners Lewis Lin and Stephanie Huang serve stellar cuts including aburi sushi – lightly torched nigiri served with seasonal omakase toppings. The menu features more than a few rolls as well as a sizeable veg offering.

The trio of Jennifer Bañagale, Mark Berdin, and Lordfer Lalicon are a studied lot with impressive credentials and their minimalist Japanese restaurant offers one of the finest dining experiences in the city. Semi-regular trips to Japan spawn inspiration in their traditional – and impeccably presented – omakases, while the sake program is, unquestionably, second to none.

A stalwart of the city’s sushi landscape, this urbane sushi house has always reflected a commitment to sourcing and artistry while respecting tradition. That it’s entering its 15th year should be no surprise to anyone, least of all the regulars who come to the airy North Quarter digs to indulge in a spate of rolls (more than 50 are offered) like the notable “Maine,” featuring a whole tempura lobster tail, and the “Aloha” with a mix of unagi and snow crab.

From humble beginnings helping his parents run two restaurants at the age of 15 to opening Kabooki Sushi at the age of 22 and quickly becoming one of Orlando’s most creative sushi chefs says a lot about the drive and passion of Henry Moso. His extravagant, free-for-all omakases are legendary and the ingredients he sources from local waters and those in the Pacific are unparalleled. After opening a second Kabooki Sushi in Dr. Phillips, Moso expanded and completely renovated the original restaurant on East Colonial Drive as the pandemic raged. The result: one of the sexiest sushi spots in town.

With its glossy wraparound bar and angled bento-box ceiling, Dragonfly set the bar pretty high for modern izakayas and sushi houses in this city when it opened back in 2010. While its robata game is strong, Dragonfly’s servings of sushi and sashimi certainly have wings. Of note are the Hokkaido scallops dressed in garlic-jalapeno, the bigeye tuna kobachi tossed in a spicy sesame oil blend and the indulgent sashimi passion, available in composed 7- and 21-piece platters. The impressive selection of Japanese beer, sake, whisky, and shōchū is nothing to scoff at.

Itamae Hidehiko Ochiai has been at it for more than a quarter century having served as head sushi chef at Ran-Getsu before opening this humble strip-mall sushi joint with wife Akiko nearly 20 years ago. The Japanese clientele is a tip-off to the restaurant’s authenticity while the Japanese waitstaff are as quick as they are cordial. Ochiaisan’s former apprentice Henry Lai is killing it in Japan but he’s groomed other savvy slicers and dicers to ready Sushi Tomi’s menu of pristine, no-fuss rolls, nigiri and sashimi – the 18-piece sashimi dinner for $28.95 is one of the best deals in town. A daily list of specials usually comprises intriguing options be it whelk, baby snow crab, iwashi, spot prawns, or geoduck. 

It’s clear that Morimoto Asia executive chef Yuhi Fujinaga and executive sushi chef Alex Munkhbilguun are bent on offering the absolute finest cuts of fish and seafood procured from Toyosu Fish Market and around the world inside their sprawling, two-story Disney Springs behemoth. The relationships the restaurant (and the Morimoto empire) has forged over the years have clearly placed them in an advantageous position as far as sourcing is concerned. Preferential treatment? Maybe, but either way the consumer is the ultimate beneficiary of these prized ingredients and the respect and deference with which the chefs and their discriminating kitchen staff present them. The omakase is a refined and mind-blowing experience for the cuts alone – baby barracuda, butterfish and beltfish from Kanagawa; whole firefly squid from Hyogo; line-caught horse mackerel from Kagoshima; Alaskan sea urchin and on it goes. Add to that the creativity, precision and adherence to tradition the chefs possess (not to mention the 110 pounds of brown rice milled in house daily), and the sushi program here may very well be the most “polished” in the region.

Epcot’s dinner-only Japanese restaurant is aimed at deep-pocketed patrons in search of a high-end dining experience, and boy is Takumi-Tei high end. Kimono-garbed servers and hosts straight from Japan stealthily amble about the zen-soaked rooms tending to guests indulging in pricey seven-course omakases and nine-course kaisekis. Chef Ty Schmitt’s creations – like a square mozaiku roll with bluefin tuna, yellowtail and red shiso rice – aren’t just appetizing, but they’re works of art. The pandemic forced a temporary closure of the restaurant, so call before you go.