Orlando's Best Japanese Restaurants

A laser-like focus on local Florida produce results in an omakase menu that changes monthly. As a result, guests are likely to experience a new culinary theme each time they visit. If you're lucky, sample the "Scandinavian-style" sashimi, entailing salmon that's cured like gravlax and arranged with smoked mozzarella. The dish may sound busy, but each element unites so seamlessly and displays that desired balance between complexity and creativity.

Enter Chef/owner Sean "Sonny" Nguyen's trendy ramen haven and you'll find two rooms dressed with concrete floors, a marble bar and wood panels set aglow by a starburst light fixture. Beyond the small plates lies the star item—ramen. Creations, like the Ritchie Rich and Curry, are full of bold, memorable flavors and certainly worth a slurp. Tokyo ramen with shoyu chicken broth, fried chicken thigh and duck fat is a sensory feat. Couple it with blistered shishitos for a delicious touch—and bit of crunch.

This sushi sanctum hosts just eight diners per seating and feels like being wise to a wonderful secret. Fun and light-hearted, the chefs turns serious when focusing on the food. The omakase opens with hot dishes and cool sashimi. Rudderfish is dressed with tosazu gel; akagai exudes great flavor; and poached monkfish liver with dashi gelée is a balanced bite. 

This cooking is unbound by tradition. Sushi is de rigueur, but splurge on the omakase for a worthy venture with the likes of torched salmon with truffle pâté, smoked trout roe and aji amarillo. Other oceanic delights include a bluefin sashimi flight, hamachi nigiri with truffled caviar and uni rice with seared lobster.

This Mills District concept is a classic izakaya offering bar bites, yakitori, as well as sake and creative libations. Start with skewers before moving on to grilled lamb chops, elevated with a mint-yogurt sauce, cherry tomatoes and diced cucumbers. A mound of fragrant fried rice may then show up mixed with sweet crab, notes of savory garlic and lemon essence.