The newest restaurant in Disney World is now officially OPEN!

Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya opened in EPCOT‘s Japan pavilion in World Showcase on August 15th. It’s open for walk-in guests only, but reservations are available now for dates starting on August 28th. We stopped in to try out the new eats here (including the $300 sushi boat! ) so we could discover which menu items are worth the cash and which you should skip. A lot of the things we tried were super tasty, but there are just two items that you simply CANNOT miss at this new spot.

First, we’ll tell you a little bit about this restaurant in general. Shiki-Sai is a table-service restaurant presenting, according to Disney, a “festive dining experience in a sharable Izakaya-style.” Japanese Izakaya is a type of casual pub-style restaurant that puts an emphasis on drinks and friendly conversation.

Izakaya menus usually feature small dishes, which is the case at Shiki-Sai. Karaage Chicken, Salmon Misoyaki, and Tomato Salad with Avocado are among the sharable plates available here, and the menu also boasts sushi and teppan items (it even has an open sushi bar!).

Every month will bring a NEW celebration of Japanese food to this spot, with changing menu items that represent a different Japanese seasonal festival “from hanging tanzaku to celebrate Tanabata in July to savoring moon-viewing dumplings in September.”

Shiki-Sai is on the second floor of the Japan pavilion (above the Mitsukoshi store), where Tokyo Dining used to be. That means that if you visit at just the right time, you should be able to see fireworks over EPCOT’s World Showcase Lagoon!

Currently, you can walk up to dine here without a reservation from 12PM to 9PM daily (provided there’s availability). If you’re visiting on or after August 28th, we highly recommend making an Advance Dining Reservation.

Now that you know a bit about this restaurant, let’s check out the two BEST things we ate there.

Vegetable Nabeyaki Udon

The Vegetable Nabeyaki Udon is a hot pot-style udon soup with mushrooms, yuba, and spinach for $24. We LOVED this! The broth was super savory and flavorful, and it elevated the rest of the ingredients.

There were a few different kinds of mushrooms, which we loved for the variety of textures and flavors, but just be aware that if you’re not a mushroom fan, this isn’t the soup for you. (Don’t worry, though — there are a couple of different Udon dishes on the menu, which we would bet are also tasty.)

We loved the earthy flavor, and we thought that $24 was a very fair price for the quantity and quality of the food.

Ishiyaki Sukiyaki Rice

Our next favorite item was the Ishiyaki Sukiyaki Rice for $28. This dish is created tableside — the Cast Member grilled strips of beef in a hot stone bowl and mixed it with spinach, rice, and a sweet garlic sauce. We thought it was really cool that they brought it out to show us how the rice and beef are cooked.

The beef was very tender, and although it could’ve used a little more seasoning, that really didn’t matter because of how flavorful the rice was. It was even a little bit sweet.

The best part in our opinion was how the whole dish came together, with flavors and textures working very well together. Our reporter called this dish “absolutely wonderful!”

Honorable Mention

Grilled Waygu Gyoza

We couldn’t talk about this restaurant without mentioning the very delicious Grilled Wagyu Gyoza. These are pan-fried dumplings filled with smoky A5 Japanese Wagyu beef. The dish comes with three pieces, which makes the $20 price tag a little expensive for what you get, and that’s why we didn’t include them in the top two items at the restaurant.

However, if you’re going to splurge on a super tasty snack, THIS is the way to do it. The dumplings were soft and juicy, and the meat tasted buttery and fatty. There might be better ways to experience A5 Wagyu Beef (on its own, it’s incredible), but it definitely makes for a scrumptious dumpling.

What About the Sushi Boat?

We’ve got all the way to the end of this post without mentioning the huge sushi boat! How could that be?? Well, the main reason is that the boat costs $300. No matter how delicious the sushi is, that’s a pretty tough price tag to swallow.

The Fune, as it’s named on the menu, serves four to six people, so that $300 price tag isn’t quite as terrible as it sounds at first (but that’s still at least $50 per person). It’s a “boat presentation” showcasing a “premium assortment of sushi and sashimi.”

It’s definitely pricey, but it’s also full of incredible sushi. It was easily some of the best sushi we’ve had in Disney World. The fish was fresh and buttery (some of it was even flown in straight from Japan), the quality was wonderful, and we loved the wide variety of options.

As much as we loved it, we just can’t recommend it as a “must-get” item because of that price. But if you’re celebrating a big event, love sushi, and want a fun experience, this might be just what you need!

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 more updates on all the latest Disney news!

Click here to check out the FULL MENU and PRICES at the new Shiki-Sai restaurant.

Are you planning to try this new restaurant on your next trip to EPCOT? Let us know in the comments.

The post 2 Things You HAVE To Try at EPCOT’s Brand New Restaurant first appeared on the disney food blog.