Tokyo Dining review

With so many great restaurants in Epcot, Tokyo Dining doesn’t always get a lot of attention. However, it’s managed to make its way to the top of my list of restaurants because I always have a good meal there. It helps that I enjoy Japanese food very much, especially sushi.

On our trip last February for Princess weekend one member of our party expressed a desire to eat here before the race. Since sushi isn’t for everyone, she said she’d understand if we went somewhere else. But everyone was on board for trying it! Side note: next time I take a big trip like this, I think I need to do an introduction post of everyone I traveled with. Then I can use their names instead of saying “my one friend” or “a member of our party”!

Tokyo Dining is located in Japan, on the second floor above the department store shop. If you go to the left you actually end up at Teppan Edo, the Hibachi restaurant, but towards the right is Tokyo Dining. They do share a check-in stand and everything. Due to having a group of 8 we got to try a variety of items, including drinks, and almost every sushi roll on the menu. Let’s begin with the drinks!

The Tokyo Sunset (Coconut Rum, Crème de Banana, Peach Schnapps, and Pineapple Juice) was a popular item at our table, with several ordered. It’s a sweet, tasty drink that should please many:

I chose not to have alcohol this evening due to the half marathon the next morning, but the drink I was the most jealous of was the Beer Shandy (Ice Cold Kirin Draft with Fresh-squeezed Grapefruit, Lemon, or Orange Juice). My friend got it with grapefruit and it looked so delicious with the fresh-squeezed juice. Plus you could decide how much to add based on your preferences.

Our birthday boy got the Premium Beer Tasting (Asahi Super Dry, Sapporo Black, Kirin Lager, and Edamame). The beers were all tasty (I stole a sip of each of them) and it was nice that it came with the edamame as well.

Over on the non-alcoholic side of things, I got the Iced Green Tea. I drink a lot of unsweetened tea to switch it up a little from water, and having the green tea was a nice change of pace. I enjoyed it a lot.

Jason is the only one who ordered an appetizer, because he said he was very hungry. He went with the Seafood Yuzu Shio Ramen (Ramen Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Asari Clam in Yuzu-Seafood Broth)

Jason clearly liked it, as he said, “The ramen was really really really really good. That was absolutely the right choice.” That’s 4 reallys right there, for those of you counting. If they had this in an entree portion he would have been thrilled.

Because this was before the race, one of my running friends knew exactly how she needed to fuel herself. And that was with Salmon nigiri:

20 pieces of it. Lots of rice for that carb loading for running! It looked like good nigiri. And she ate 20 of them, so it must be pretty good!

On to the sushi rolls! They have 6 rolls on the menu and we tried 5 of them. Jason and I are pretty big sushi eaters at home, so I will say that we’ve had some really good sushi. And overall I find the sushi at Tokyo Dining to be quite enjoyable, and not overly expensive (for sushi). I would love to see some more sushi roll options, maybe a couple more unique items, but I still really enjoy it. Jason’s comment on the sushi: “I’m sure the sushi was good too, but it was totally eclipsed by the ramen that night.

I know I wasn’t disappointed by anything.”

Dragon Monster Roll (Avocado, Cucumber, Cream Cheese topped with Eel, Smelt Roe, Micro Green, Eel, and Dynamite Sauce):

Vegetable Roll (Cucumber, Kanpyo, Asparagus, Pickled Ginger, and Carrot topped with Avocado and Sesame Seeds):

Volcano Roll (California Roll topped with Tuna, Yellowtail, Salmon, Smelt roe, Tempura Crunch, and Spicy Chili Mayo):

Fire Cracker Roll (Tempura Shrimp Roll with Wakame Salad and Jalapeno finished with Eel Sauce, Shredded Red Pepper, and Sriracha drizzle):

California Roll (Crab Meat, Avocado, Cucumber, Smelt Roe, and Japanese Mayonnaise):

And if you’re not a sushi fan, one of the group got a non seafood option, the Teriyaki Butter Grilled Chicken (Boneless Breast with Teriyaki Butter Emulsion and Seasonal Vegetables). She said it was delicious.

And despite all of that delicious food, we were not passing on dessert! Our birthday boy got a free one, the Green Tea Mousse Cake (Alternating layers of delicate Green Tea Sponge Cake with a matching Light Green Tea Mousse topped with a lush covering of fresh Whipped Cream and dusted with Green Tea):

I ate a Tokyo Dining in 2013 and have been dreaming ever since about the Ginger Mousse Cake (Layered Sponge Cake with Ginger Mousse filling a ribbon of rich Chocolate Icing to top it off):

Unfortunately, they’ve changed it a bit and it just didn’t live up to what it used to be. It was still very good, and I love the flavor of natural ginger, but it had a bit more chocolate last time and it was that combo which really impressed me. Basically, this needs just a bit more chocolate. Here’s a photo of the cake last time I ordered it for comparison:

Finally, there was also the Mango Mousse Cake (Mango-flavored Sponge Cake with a smooth and flavorful Mango Mousse filling decorated with a Mango Glaze):

Overall I really enjoy Tokyo Dining and I think it’s a bit of a hidden gem (though maybe not as much as, say, Sanaa). It’s good quality sushi, though perhaps not as unique or original as if you went to a sushi place outside of Epcot. Still, if you like sushi but you’re not a snob about it, I think you’ll enjoy it here. It’s also worth looking into the non-sushi options, as all the food we had that wasn’t sushi was rated very highly.

If you liked this post, also take a look at my Sanaa review and Via Napoli review!

Have you been to Tokyo Dining? What do you think of it?