Shiki-Sai Sushi Izakaya Restaurant at EPCOT: Full Menu, Opening Date & Reservations
Walt Disney World has announced the new Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya restaurant coming soon to EPCOT. This post covers everything we know about the dining location: opening date, food photos, menu details, and our commentary about this addition to the culinary landscape of World Showcase. (Updated August 15, 2023.)
For starters, the new Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya restaurant will be located in the Japan pavilion in EPCOT’s World Showcase and will replace Tokyo Dining. This table-service restaurant will offer a festive dining experience in a sharable Izakaya-style for you to create memories and good times through flavors.
At Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya, you’ll be able to experience the essence of Japan’s seasonal festivals, where each month brings a new celebration to your table. From hanging tanzaku to celebrate Tanabata in July to savoring moon-viewing dumplings in September, a cultural representative from Japan will guide you through each unique festival experience, one bite at a time.
The atmosphere at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya will embrace the festivals of Japan, with the atmosphere featuring beautiful, hand painted artwork and lanterns highlighting some of the natural wonders of Japan. Each visit is designed to create unforgettable memories that capture the spirit of Japan’s vibrant seasonal festivities.
In addition to a full menu filled with Japanese cuisine, Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya will feature an open sushi bar and grill. Located on the second floor of the Japan pavilion’s Mitsukoshi Department Store, Shiki-Sai offers stunning views of EPCOT, World Showcase Lagoon, and fireworks.
August 15, 2023 Update: We have a bunch of news about Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya, but the big one is that the restaurant is now unofficially open at EPCOT!
Mitsukoshi USA, the operator of the Japan pavilion, just revealed on social media that Shiki-Sai has soft opened as of today. The restaurant will be serving guests on a walk-up basis only from noon until 9 pm daily between now and August 27, 2023. Since this is a soft opening, that’s subject to change/cancellation/etc.
Additionally, Advance Dining Reservations for Shiki-Sai are now open. ADR availability actually starts on August 28, 2023 for lunch and dinner (same menu for both), indicating that the official opening date has quietly moved forward by a couple days. Walt Disney World previously announced that Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya will have its grand opening on August 30, 2023.
Full menus for Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya with prices have also now been posted and, holy cow, is this a lengthy menu by current Walt Disney World standards:
Of course, the eye-catching menu items that’ll generate the most conversation are the $300 sushi boat and $100 sushi bridge. Those serve 4-6 and 2-4, respectively, so the per person cost isn’t necessarily as bad as it might seem. Not only that, but the sky is truly the limit on sushi prices, something that’s true even in the real world. Nevertheless, our expectation is that these are significantly overpriced for the quality–Walt Disney World tends to levy a hefty “gimmick tax” on things like this.
Given that there’s no way we’d order $100 or $300 sushi assortments, we’re much more interested in the cost of the regular dishes. Some of the starters don’t seem too expensive, and are actually cheaper than we expected. Then there’s the okonomiyaki, which is far pricier than anticipated. Same goes for the udon and a few other dishes.
There’s also the reality that these are essentially entrees at a table service Walt Disney World restaurant and not in Japan or even a Japanese restaurant in the United States. At Walt Disney World, there’s a price floor on any entree, and it’s usually heavily inflated by real world standards. Whether Shiki Sai ends up being worth it will come down to portion sizes and quality.
Looking forward, Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya is a participating restaurant for the 2024 Disney Dining Plan. It’s too early to say whether this will be a good or bad value on the Disney Dining Plan; it depends upon what’s eligible for the DDP. It’s likely that there will be inexpensive small plates, but also pricey seafood dishes and alcoholic beverages, so Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya could have surprising upside on the 2024 Disney Dining Plan!
We’ll update this accordingly once we learn more, but for now, here’s the teaser for Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya that Walt Disney World offered previously…
Sushi lovers will enjoy the first-hand look at sushi being made right before their eyes by the chefs when sitting at the bar. This unique spot provides a unique dining experience along with a trellis inspired by the roof of the Phoenix Hall at Byodoin Temple in Uji, Japan.
If you fancy yourself a sushi aficionado or you’re looking to expand your palate to a new bite, the Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya menu has no shortage of dishes for you to try. Highlights from the sushi bar include the Kobore Sushi, Tokyo Negi Roll, Funamori, and The Monster Roll.
Kobore Sushi translates to “overflowing sushi” and this item features negi toro and nakaochi tuna elegantly paired with salmon roe and green onion. The Tokyo Negi Roll combines green onion tempura rolled with tuna tataki and topped with jalapeno aïoli, shredded carrot, and sliced jalapeno for a delightful roll.
The Funamori features sashimi and sushi arranged on a boat-shaped platter. This iteration of Funamori is even served with the festive pomp and the boat procession of the famous Tenjin Matsuri.
You’ll also be able to sample dishes from the delicious world of Japanese Izakaya, a type of casual pub-style restaurant. One of the main highlights of Izakaya culture is the emphasis on sharing plates of food while enjoying drinks and conversation with friends.
The menu at an Izakaya typically features a wide range of small dishes, and Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya at EPCOT is no different. From savory Karaage Chicken to succulent Salmon Misoyaki, even a refreshing Tomato Salad with Avocado, Izakaya cuisine is all about offering a variety of delicious small plates that can be indulged in a social and relaxed atmosphere.
Not only can you get dishes from the sushi bar, but the grill will also be serving up delicious options commonly found in Japanese cuisine.
Among the grilled items at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya, okonomiyaki is a highlight. This Japanese savory pancake is made with a batter of flour, eggs, and water, and then filled with shredded cabbage and bacon, and topped with tangy okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, aonori, bonito flakes, and pickled ginger.
Although unstated in the original announcement, Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya will necessarily be part of or a replacement for Tokyo Dining. That restaurant has been closed since last November for a major remodeling and reimagining, and it would seem that Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya is the fruit of that project.
Our initial inclination was that Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya would take over a portion of Tokyo Dining, as it’s already a bit subdivided with an open bar area and the table service restaurant on the other side of that. However, the suggestion that Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya will offer lagoon and fireworks views suggests otherwise, as you can’t see much of anything from the lounge area–it’s nestled in the middle of the building, between the seating for Tokyo Dining on the window side, and Teppan Edo on the other side (separated by a wall).
We are totally fine with Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya replacing Tokyo Dining completely. We ate at Tokyo Dining last fall a few weeks before it closed, and it was easily one of the worst meals we had at Walt Disney World in the last year. (And I say that as someone who has been recently revisiting counter service options that I hate in Magic Kingdom, consuming more hot dogs, burgers, and flatbreads than anyone should eat in a lifetime!)
That’s not us being snobbish about Japanese cuisine, either. We’re big fans of Katsura Grill, and even like Teppan Edo for what it is. But it’s been a while since we’ve had anything that impressed at Tokyo Dining. The restaurant itself was nothing memorable, especially if you were seated away from a window and stuck in the middle of the large and boring room.
To that point, it’ll be interesting to see how the interior of the restaurant changes. There was nothing necessarily bad about the look of Tokyo Dining before–it had an authentic but basic ‘modern’ look similar to what you’d see on the upper levels of department stores. It wasn’t good or bad…or memorable.
A more visual engaging style for Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya would definitely be welcome. Imagineering did a great job with Takumi-Tei (below), and this sounds similarly promising. Drawing inspiration from Byodoin Temple (above) is a good move, and suggests that Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya will use styles that evoke a more traditional Japan. (The festivals mentioned in the press release also reinforce this.)
We also love the idea of a restaurant with a menu that promises to change with the seasons. Throughout Japan, but especially in Kyoto, seasonality is huge. Many restaurants serve omakase menus comprised of seasonal vegetables and fish obtained from the wholesalers around Nishiki Market.
The presentation is also incredibly important, from the colors of the ingredients and garnishes right down to the dishes. We’ve dined at some restaurants in Kyoto that change the menus–and plating–on a weekly or even daily basis. We’re not expecting that level of attention to detail at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya, but celebrating festivals and following general seasonal trends would be a huge win. (Although it started out promising, I don’t think Takumi-Tei even does this anymore.)
As for the menu at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya, color us intrigued.
It should go without saying, but the sushi counter will probably be expensive. Both because that’s the trajectory of new things at Walt Disney World, and given the photos and descriptions. However, the typical izakaya cuisine should be relatively inexpensive and approachable, as this is basically bar food. They usually offer delicious homestyle cooking and comforting cuisine.
Personally, I’m much more excited about the Karaage Chicken than the sushi.
There are few foods I love in Japan more than chicken. I always order the karaage at ramen shops and izakaya, and convenience store fried chicken has become a go-to breakfast when eating at 7-11 or Family Mart. (No joke. Famichiki and Seven Chicken are both top-tier; if the options at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya are half as good as those convenience stores, Walt Disney World guests are in for a treat!)
We’re also excited that okonomiyaki is finally coming to EPCOT. We eat okonomiyaki frequently because it’s cheap, fun to see being prepared right in front of you, tastes great, and is highly customizable. During our last visit to Japan, we dined at an okonomiyaki restaurant and only paid about $5 for each of our entrees. Granted, we had to cook them ourselves (a comedy of errors) and the exchange rate is very favorable right now, but still. The point stands that it’s an incredibly inexpensive meal.
We’ve been begging for EPCOT to do okonomiyaki (and ramen) for years. In a post a couple summers ago, we wrote this: We’d love Teppan Edo to do an okonomiyaki lunch menu; it’s approachable, fun, and Walt Disney World could overcharge for it without most guests realizing it. (We’d gladly overpay for the okonomiyaki experience!)
It now sounds like we’ll be getting the opportunity to eat and overpay for an okonomiyaki experience at Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya!
Ultimately, we are really hyped for Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya opening at EPCOT on August 30, 2023…as you can probably tell. Tokyo Dining was long overdue for a refresh to both the menu and interior, and this will hopefully give the restaurant a shot in the arm.
The concept of a sushi counter and izakaya is a great one, especially if Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya follows through on the promise of seasonality. If all goes well, Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya could transform a middling World Showcase restaurant and turn it into an asset–one that is both a memorable culinary and cultural experience.
Our only real concern is pricing. Obviously, there’s going to be a significant Walt Disney World premium; that much goes without saying. It’s also likely that the sushi bar will have some absurdly expensive options aimed upmarket; that also seems like a given.
However, our hope is that the restaurant stays true to the izakaya concept and offers affordable and shareable dishes, with prices much closer to Spice Road Table than Takumi-Tei. Our fear is that it’ll skew more towards the latter, aiming for a higher-end audience across the board. Here’s hoping that Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya delivers on its promise and potential without breaking the bank. We cannot wait!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the concept for the new Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya coming to EPCOT? Think this could be a good replacement or supplement to Tokyo Dining? Did you dine there any time in the last couple of years? What did you think of your meal? Excited for a sushi counter and pub-fare coming to the Japan pavilion? Agree or disagree with any of our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We paid ~$7 for our okonomiyaki in Kyoto, but didn’t have to cook it ourselves! This restaurant does seem pricy for that and Udon (which runs $15-23 at a Japanese restaurant near us, so not super inflated). The apps and sushi seems reasonable for the location. My daughter will be disappointed not to see onigiri on the menu (I know in a previous comment you indicated you would not muss onigiri, but she loves it).
Lunch menu is now live with prices — including a $300 sushi boat! https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/epcot/shiki-sai-izakaya-and-sushi/menus
Noticed this morning they’ve confirmed on the app that Shiki-Sai will be Disney Dining Plan eligible — but not until January 9, 2024. Hope helpful!
Judging from the pics alone this looks like a much more authentic experience, and worth a try when I go back alone in the fall! I’m lucky to have a more traditional-style bubble tea establishment nearby that also serves Japanese comfort food like donburi and real ramen that I can get door-dashed to my table. Given I live in St. Louis, MO – it’s a pleasing find.
I just wish Disney would either only put in their own restaurants or require third parties to meet their allergy standards. Unlike the rest of WDW, Epcot is an incredibly difficult and usually disappointing or dangerous place to eat with food allergies, as few are Disney owned.
Tokyo Dining opened up strong, replacing a bar and a bland tempura grill just over 15 years ago. It was still a great experience ten years ago in both my opinion, and Tom’s original review. (The blog format means that old content doesn’t have to disappear; maybe annoying for planning a vacation but good for comparing how things have changed over time.) By five years ago I was basically stopping for saki if I wanted to sit down or the stand in the Mitsukoshi store was overwhelmed; I found the actual food mediocre.
I wonder if they refreshed the menu as much as they seem to at Katsura Grill; I feel like I see a different menu every three years or so but I have mostly loved them over the years. Maybe I just prefer counter service Japanese food?
Mmm okonomiyaki. Can’t wait!
When’s the opening date?
Can you refine the window to something narrower than summer 2023? Thanks, Tom.
And speaking of Hawaii, they have a replica of the Byodoin Temple in Oahu that’s super cool. Love that you mention the real one. Can’t wait to try this restaurant – I love izakaya. Reminds me of some of the “gas station” tapas bars we frequented in southern Spain when we lived there. And yes, Hawaii too. Thanks for the review, Tom!
I really hope they don’t price themselves out of obscurity at this restaurant but most of all I hope the food is good. IE not fried chicken fingers and an omelet with some sauce. That said Totally excited to see how this turns out. Cheap and good Street food is so common in other countries so hoping they do this justice.
The last time we ate at Tokyo Dining was last May (2022), and it was, by far, the worst sit down meal that we had at WDW in 20+ years. The food was overpriced, and the portions were very small compared to the past. The sushi was not up to par and even the wasabi tasted bland. For years, we loved Tokyo Dining, and our picky eater son (who grew up going to WDW) always looked forward to this restaurant (he is now a 22 year old college senior). After last year, he said, “no mas”.
So exciting! Japan has such a great array of tasty and approachable foods that it always made me sad how basic the EPCOT Japan restaurants were. in addition to karaage and okonomoyaki, I’d love to see onigiri, yakitori, and/or katsu donburi. Fingers crossed they do well with this one!
“I’d love to see onigiri, yakitori, and/or katsu donburi.”
Agree to disagree on the first one, but STRONGLY agree on the other two!
Looks cool- would definitely check this next trip – assuming the ADR is available, seems to get harder to get reservations every time
I only ate at Tokyo Dining twice, 2009 and 2014, and both times it was fantastic. One of the better meals of both trips, but maybe over the last several years it declined. Excited to try the new one and I still need to experience Takumi-Tei!
Tokyo Dining was the worst of the sit-down meal we had on our trip, and we love Japanese food. I’m sure it suffered from us having lived in Japan and now living in the PNW, where decent Japanese food is plentiful. This new concept sounds like a real improvement. We love Izakayas. In Japan we had a Tsubohatchi right across the street from our apartment. Even for a big chain izakaya – it was so fun to drink beer and eat snacks like karaage and agedashi tofu. Since, we have yet to try Katsura Grill, that is likely our next WDW place to eat in the Japan Pavillion.
I lived in Japan for 7years. Rolls like CA rolls were not something I saw at sushi shops they catered to Americans around the bases. We preferred restaurants a bit further away. And my favorite dish is Katsudon, Japanese comfort food, the equivalent of mac and cheese. Haven’t had it since 2001. Never found d a restaurant that serves it except for once,and it wasn’t the real.deal.
I love katsudon…and katsu or donburi separately (and tonkatsu). Basically, if it’s a breaded fried cutlet or a rice bowl topped with stuff, it’s a winner in my book!
The last time I was in Hamamatsu, the line to get katsudon at this hole in the wall diner snaked out the door. People stood in line to get their turn to stand that little cubicles along the edge of the diner where you could watch the chefs.
This sounds like it might have been designed with the Bricker’s in mind!
This will be confirmed if it turns out you “order” from a vending machine so you don’t have to sit around and wait for the bill at the end of the meal!
I likewise am perplexed by their description of the new restaurant as an izakaya, since I think of izakaya being more like the restaurant featured on “Midnight Diner,” and this doesn’t really sound like a hole-in-the-wall with comfort food. But what do I know? But knowing myself, I’ll eat there anyway!
My wife and I were both disappointed that Teppan Edo was the only table service restaurant open in the Japan pavilion when we were there earlier this year. It’s not that I have anything against teppanyaki, but…it’s probably the easiest type of Japanese food to find in the US. Really hoping that Takumi-Tei is (a) still there and (b) actually open the next time we go to EPCOT.
Izakaya as rough and raucous, with 20 year old faded beer posters is definitely the stereotype–and most common incarnation of those establishments–but we’ve done newer ones that are a mashup of styles like this, too. Also, can’t fault that approach here as concepts need to be more broadly appealing at Walt Disney World.
Takumi-Tei is open, but it’s absurdly expensive (IMO) because they’re only doing the omakase menu right now.
This sounds exciting. If you asked me to list all the restaurants at Epcot, I probably could have named them all except for Tokyo Dining. I have completely forgotten that even existed and have never considered an ADR there based on consistently bad reviews from when we started going to WDW.
There was a time when we had a soft spot for Tokyo Dining and we enjoyed a couple decent meals there over the years…but it had been a while. I don’t think it was the worst table service restaurant in World Showcase, but definitely near the bottom of the pack.
What a treat to read a Disney blog about food written by someone who’s actually familiar with the cuisine! The younger Disney bloggers/vloggers often are comically unfamiliar with restaurant dining. It’s funny to get a take on a Japanese restaurant from someone who’s never eaten fish before, but their reviews aren’t particularly helpful for people who have traveled and are more familiar with a wide variety of restaurants.
There was a Disney vlogging couple just last month who reviewed Takumi-Tei and didn’t care for it, and while its difficult to guess what something tastes like from watching a video, it was obvious their point of reference was American hibachi grills and sushi restaurants.
It will be interesting to see if the seasonal fair includes fugu, which is hard to find in the US.
Thanks for the kind words! This is a very charitable comment in response to someone who just admitted to loving fried chicken from 7-11. 😉
There’s a gas station around here in NC that’s been reviewed in the New York Times and Washington Post for its food, so you never can tell :-).
That’s true! There’s a Chevron station in North Hollywood that’s home to Cilantro Mexican Grill and one of the best burritos I’ve ever had. I learned about it from…the LA Times.
Closest thing I’ve found to Japanese 7-11 or Family Mart in the US is the ABC Store chain in Hawaii, but even they don’t have karaage…there is a Lawson Station in Honolulu but it seemed off…more like a generic US convenience store than a Lawson Station in Japan.
“There’s a gas station around here in NC that’s been reviewed in the New York Times and Washington Post for its food, so you never can tell :-).”
Where in NC? I live near Raleigh, always interested in scoping out places that aren’t chain restaurants – increasingly harder to find here.
I was referring to the Saxapahaw General Store, which technically sells gas, and thus is a gas station, but also sells hardware and food. It’s located between Chapel Hill and Burlington.
Go on Saturday in the summer and there’s a local market from 5-8 and music 6-8. The old Mill complex includes a brewery, butcher, small shops, a concert venue, apartments, condos, etc. The other restaurant there is The Eddy, and it’s also very good, with amazing views of the Haw River.
I have lived in Japn. 7 years. A lot of what is passed off as sushi in America is not something you would get in you would eat in Japan. California rolls immediately spring to.mind.