This past weekend my family wanted to eat in a restaurant in Disney that we hadn’t tried before. I had been hearing a lot about one of Epcot’s newest restaurants, Shiki-Sai, so we decided to go try it for ourselves. This restaurant opened last August and offers lots of sushi as well as a wide range of Japanese dishes. It is recommended to get a dining reservation here, but you don’t have to worry about getting it too far in advance because dining reservations don’t go fast here. We were able to make this reservation the day we went. 

To start off, we ordered the drink our waiter recommended called Summer’s End, which was a very light and refreshing cocktail with strawberry, sake, apple juice, and citrus. As someone who doesn’t like a very strong alcohol flavor, I really enjoyed this drink. 

As a starter, we got their fried squid. My husband and I haven’t had much squid, but I thought the texture was spot on. It was not overly chewy and tough like I’ve had in the past. I also really enjoyed the spicy aioli that came with it (although it wasn’t that spicy). The thing that knocked it down a few points for me was it tasted a little greasy. 

For sushi, I got the Tokyo Negi Roll. This was a green onion tempura roll topped with tuna tataki,  jalapeno, and carrot, and drizzled in jalapeno aioli. This was a unique roll and not what I’d typically try, but it was so delicious! The tuna tataki on top with the aioli were the stars of the show. It was so perfectly done. I think this roll could have used a little something extra in the center like a cucumber or an avocado, but it was still tasty. 

For my main course, I got beef Udon noodles. These were also excellent. The noodles were perfectly thick and the mix of vegetables and savory umami sauce was comforting and flavorful. The beef was cut into very small bite-sized pieces, which I appreciated, making it easy to eat with the noodles. 

My husband got the assorted meat skewers. These came with shrimp, steak, and chicken. These were simple yet delicious: perfectly tender and juicy meats and the exact thing you would want from Japanese meat skewers. Our 3-year-old son also loved them and ate an entire steak skewer–which just goes to show how perfectly tender these were.  

When dining out, the staff and atmosphere are almost as important as the food. The staff here were all amazing and so friendly. Our waiter, who was from Japan, explained the menu to us (as well as translations of everything) very thoroughly. I love it when the staff is so helpful with the menu because it makes the whole experience better. It is so much easier to pick what to order when you understand everything or have recommendations from the waiter. 

The atmosphere at Shiki-Sai is calm and zen like I would imagine at a restaurant in Japan. The right side of the restaurant has an amazing view of the World Showcase and the Epcot ball. The left side where we sat had screens by the tables showing serene scenes of nature, or different Japanese buildings and fireworks. In the center of the restaurant, there is a sushi bar where you can watch chefs prepare sushi. If you’re okay with scheduling a late dinner, ask for a lake view if you can. During the fireworks show they pump in the music so you can watch the show from your table while eating.

  Altogether we had such a good time dining here and we will definitely come again. Next time we go I will focus on getting a lot more of the sushi and nigiri since the fish was so good here. If you are a sushi lover I’d highly recommend this restaurant as a must-go on your Epcot day.