EPCOT stands out above the rest when it comes to dining in Disney World — and for good reason.

So when Disney announced that a new restaurant would be coming to the Japan Pavilion this summer, we started counting down the days until it opened — and that day has finally come. Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya is open and we’re bringing you with us for a full (and EXPENSIVE) review!

Now, the opening timeline here was a bit confusing. We first found out that Shiki-Sai would be coming to the Japan Pavilion several months ago, and then in early August, we learned that it would open on August 30th, 2023. Then the Disney World website changed the opening date to August 28th. But then, when we visited EPCOT on August 15th, we discovered that Shiki-Sai was open for walk-ins. Like we said, it was all a bit hectic, but now that the restaurant is open and accepting walk-ins, we HAD to go check it out.

Atmosphere

Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya is the newest table-service restaurant in EPCOT that features a “festive dining experience in a sharable Izakaya-style.” The menu includes items like sushi and teppan, as well as an open sushi bar and grill. Sushi lovers can enjoy Kobore Sushi, Tokyo Negi Roll, Funamori, and more in an atmosphere that has a casual pub-style feel with an emphasis on drinks and conversation with friends.

Izakaya menus typically feature small dishes, and that’s also the case at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya, too. The open sushi bar has highlights like the Kobore Sushi, the Tokyo Negi Roll, a Monster Roll, and the Funamori (sushi boat with a presentation of sashimi and sushi).

Look out for brand new celebrations of Japanese food throughout the year, and changing menu items will represent different Japanese seasonal festivals! Periodically, there will be new celebrations that you can enjoy from your table, “from hanging tanzaku to celebrate Tanabata in July to savoring moon-viewing dumplings in September.” During the meal, a cultural representative will guide you through the experience.

We got to hear a little bit about Shiki-Sai before heading off to our table! pic.twitter.com/fCxtapJ05y

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) August 15, 2023

 

The restaurant is located in the Japan Pavilion, on the second floor — above the Mitsukoshi Department Store. Disney has promised “stunning views of EPCOT, the World Showcase Lagoon, and, of course, fireworks!” Let’s check out those eats!

Menu

You’ll find so many incredible-sounding Japanese dishes on the menu, like the Golden Philadelphia Roll, the Snow Crab California Roll, and the A5 Wagyu, to name a few.

Here’s a look at the Nigiri menu. Guests are served two pieces per order.

The menu here is quite extensive. Here’s a peek at the Sashimi selection, as well as some Sushi Combinations ranging from $25 to $100.

The Chef Specials menu has several types of sushi and sashimi. The Fune for 4-6 certainly caught our eyes!

There are some classic dishes here, too, like the Salmon Roll and the Spicy Tuna Roll. The prices on the Roll & Temaki menu range from $7 to $18.

On the Starters menu, you can find things like Miso soup, Gobo chips, and Edamame.

The Izakaya Classics section of the menu has plenty of options, too.

Here’s a peek at what’s available From the Grill.

The Kids’ Menu currently has two items.

The drink menu is pretty extensive, too. We saw a selection of Beer, Wine, and Japanese Craft Spirits.

How were we to decide?!

For a FULL look at the menu, click here!

Eats

Starters

Since this was our first time at this newly opened restaurant, of course, we had to go a little wild when it came to ordering. We started with some appetizers, including the Agedashi Tofu, the Grilled Waygu Gyoza, and the Kara-age Chicken.

First, let’s talk about the Agedashi Tofu, available for $14. Between the variety of mushrooms served here and the way this dish was expertly prepared, we felt that this was a luxurious dish. 

The fried tofu was cooked perfectly and provided a rich protein to the meal. The base here seemed at first like miso, but it was actually dashi, which is a Japanese-style soup stock. There was a sweetness to this dish that went nicely with the savory flavors. 

Up next, we ordered the Grilled Waygu Gyoza for $20. These dumplings were to die for! They were so soft and juicy — just how we like our dumplings. The meat was the main flavor, which is to be expected in a wagyu-stuffed dumpling. It had a buttery, fatty flavor. Admittedly, if this is your introduction to wagyu, you could probably do better (let that wagyu have its shining moment!), but this was a quality dumpling we would order again. 

To finish off our appetizers, we also tried the Kara-age Chicken for $12. This chicken was SO flavorful! Listen, you probably aren’t coming here for the chicken (it is a sushi restaurant, after all!), but we ended up really enjoying this appetizer. The skin was nice and crispy and the chicken itself was juicy and buttery.

It melts in your mouth, and we found this one so easy to eat. That said, the texture isn’t quite the same as a typical Disney chicken tender. These are more like chicken thighs, so keep that in mind if you have a picky eater in the group.

Entress

You KNOW we had to try the $300 (!!!) Sushi Boat. Just look at it: it’s GLORIOUS!

This is…BEAUTIFUL.

Shiki-Sai, EPCOT pic.twitter.com/pcPNS6JUA7

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) August 15, 2023

This is the $300 Fune — an assortment of sushi and sashimi that feeds 4-6 people. Honestly, the entire boat was incredible. It was easily some of the best sushi we’ve EVER had in Disney World. Yeah, it’s THAT good.

Fune Boat at Shiki-Sai

The fish had a lightly buttery taste yet still had a firm bite. The quality here was wonderful and the variety of sushi was quite impressive, especially considering some of the fish was flown in directly from Japan. 

It’s a LOT of food.

Here’s a closer look at the sashimi options. These are the raw options that aren’t part of a roll.

Sashimi

The Fune also comes with a few sushi options. Below you can see the avocado-based roll. Bonus points for the presentation — WOW!

YUM!

You will need some adventurous eaters in your party to truly appreciate this meal. This isn’t your typical theme park burger and fries.

You need to be brave to enjoy this!

If your party is mainly interested in sushi, this is a great shareable option. That said, the cost might be too high to justify the expense. Was it some seriously high-quality sushi? Yes. Did we enjoy every bite? Yes. Is it worth $300? That’s up to you. We can’t realistically recommend this to everyone we know, but we truly enjoyed taking on this gigantic boat full of sushi. 

Click here to see a closer look at the Sushi Boat

OK, so if you don’t need a $300 boat full of fish to satisfy your cravings, you might enjoy the Okonomiyaki instead. It’s $28 and tastes like a classic scallion pancake. This is a fantastic option for pickier eaters, as this is a simple dish with uncomplicated flavors. In fact, the main flavor we tasted was bacon and there are significant pieces of bacon throughout the pancake. We loved the sweet soy-based sauce and its tasty pancake texture. It might look a little intimidating, but this was a nice dish for those who aren’t interested in sushi. 

Remember how we said the menu here is huge, and there are TONS of different options? Well, for a little added variety, we also tried the Vegetable Nabeyaki Udon for$24. Once again, we were NOT disappointed! The udon was incredible. The broth was savory and flavorful and managed to enhance the udon in the best way. There were SO many different mushrooms that added different textures and flavors. Again, this might not be a dish for picky eaters (mushroom haters steer clear!), but if you don’t mind a variety of textures and flavors, you might like this one.

The savory, earthy udon and mushrooms were very flavorful. Oh, and this is a vegan dish, too! We thought the quality and large serving size were fair for the $24 price tag.

Up next, we tried the Ishiyaki Sukiyaki Rice for $28. This dish was WONDERFUL! Our servers brought the bowl and dish to our table and showed us how the rice and beef are cooked right in the hot dish. We love learning more about the foods we eat, so it was nice to see the staff take the time to show us the process. Now, in terms of flavor, the beef was nice and tender, although it lacked a bit of seasoning. The rice was flavorful and almost sweet at times. Ultimately we loved how the entire dish came together and enjoyed that the rice had a slight crunch.

We can’t forget about the kids’ menu, though! We ordered the Kids Bento for $20. Now often, the dishes on the kids’ menu are, well, boring. But we were quite impressed with this option! The Bento Box had salmon, chicken, California rolls, a shrimp nigiri, an egg roll, fruit, edamame, and Japanese potato salad. That’s a LOT of food!

Both the salmon and chicken were nice and crispy. The sushi rolls were high quality — especially for a kids’ option — and we were quite impressed. The fruit and edamame were fresh and the Japanese potato salad was fairly plain with some interesting chunky textures. Overall, it was a great balanced meal and may push your little ones to try new foods. To be fair, not all kiddos will be excited about this offering since it’s so different, but the food itself was impressive and tasted just as good as the adult entrees.

On to dessert! We ordered the Ichigo Parfait for $18. It’s made with layers of strawberries, cheesecake, and vanilla ice cream. The presentation was gorgeous, but the parfait was nothing overly special. It was delicious, though! The cheesecake was slightly lemony and the acidity worked really well with the sweetness of the strawberries. The strawberries were also very fresh. The ice cream was simple but effective with all the other ingredients. We also really enjoyed the crunchy cereal pieces for added texture. Once again, we were happy with our dessert choice!

It’s not just exquisite eats you’ll find on the menu here, either. Let’s check out some of those drinks.

Drinks

We decided to whet our whistle with some drinks, too! For all you lemonade lovers, we recommend the Violet Yuzu Lemonade for $12. This is a non-alcoholic drink consisting of yuzu juice, lemonade, and blue butterfly pea flower. Interestingly, this tasted like juice. This did NOT taste like violet sake or violet lemonade, despite what you may think based on the name. That said, we quite enjoyed this drink. The yuzu tasted like a combination of tangerine and lemon, and it was not overwhelmingly sweet at all. We found this to be a really interesting, delicious lemonade.

Now, onto the alcoholic drinks! We ordered the Gari Gari Sour Ramune for $16. The menu describes this as Shochu and a Ramune-flavored popsicle with soda. But that’s not helpful, so WE describe it as a carbonated drink similar to a less sweet version of Sprite, with a bit of blueberry syrup. The ending taste came across as a little medicine-y, but overall it was a simple, sweet drink. The alcohol taste was barely there, so this could be a good option for people who don’t like strong alcoholic drinks.

Finally, we went with the Summer’s End specialty cocktail for $16. The cocktail is a summery, refreshing sake cocktail with strawberry, sake, apple juice, and a splash of citrus juice.

As described, this was fruity and refreshing. It’s sweet, but think fresh strawberry sweet, not sugary syrup sweet. You can taste the sake, but it’s not overpowering.

First up, DRINKS! We’ve got the:

Violet Yuzu Lemonade ($12)
Gari Gari Sour Ramune ($16)
Sake Sangria ($18) pic.twitter.com/Y4ZRjgyDFg

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) August 15, 2023

 

So, what’s our final word on Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya?

Nosh or Not

You should make a reservation at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya if…

• You’re looking for a unique theme park dining experience. This restaurant has some seriously high-quality dishes and an excellent, well-informed staff that will walk you through your meal from start to finish. This isn’t your typical sit-down restaurant, but if you’re willing to branch out, we highly recommend giving this place a try.
• You LOVE sushi. This one seems pretty self-explanatory — it’s a sushi restaurant! Whether you take on the $300 sushi boat or opt for a smaller portion size, the sushi here is incredible.
• You want to learn more about Japanese culture. From the seasonal themes to the sweet cultural representatives, you can learn a LOT during your visit. Come here for the food, stay here for the experience — it’s well worth a visit!

You should skip dining at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya if…

• You have a picky eater in the group. Look, there’s a lot of raw fish, whole fish, and sushi on the menu here. The kids’ menu is quite small. If you have someone in the party that isn’t interested in seafood and doesn’t want to dive into the traditional Japanese cuisine, you might want to skip this place.
• You’re on a time crunch. Like many other sit-down restaurants, you need to dedicate a good chunk of time to your meal here. If you’re trying to pack in a full park day, you might want to look for a quick-service meal instead.
• You’re on a budget. We ordered a LOT of food (and one of the MOST expensive menu items), but even if you don’t spend as much as we did, this restaurant is still not the cheapest place to eat in EPCOT.

Overall

Consider adding Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya to your list if you’re looking for an adventurous new place to eat in EPCOT. We LOVED our meal — the food was fresh, the servers were fantastic, and the menu was extensive. We practically left with no complaints! For all you sushi fans, this is a must-do. That said, even if you aren’t a sushi lover, there’s plenty for you to explore here, too. From udon to wagyu, there’s plenty to eat. To be fair, we spent nearly $500 for all that food, so if your budget is limited, this might not be the place to go. We were among the first to eat here, and we were SO pleased with the new restaurant.

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!

Stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney dining news and more.

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Will you be adding this restaurant to your list? Tell us in the comments.

The post We Ate Nearly 0 Worth of Food at EPCOT’s New Shiki-Sai Restaurant — Here Are Our Honest Thoughts first appeared on the disney food blog.