The Best Sushi Near Strand, by the Record

A standing sushi counter from the team behind Tori Tori and Domu, which tells you the pedigree before you've touched a piece of nigiri. You book a time slot, you show up on time, and you pick a dozen pieces from a tight edit of nigiri, seared nigiri, and hand rolls. The miso soup comes from the day's bones and trimmings, which is a nice way to close a meal that moves quickly by design.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
2. Time Out The 20 best restaurants in Orlando

Eight seats at a counter is the whole restaurant, which keeps things intimate enough that you'll know your neighbors' thoughts on the nigiri sequence before the ramen arrives. Kadence is an omakase spot where the chef works directly in front of you, moving from composed small dishes and sashimi into carefully paced nigiri, backed by a serious sake program. It holds a Michelin star, and the James Beard committee has taken notice too.

1. Michelin Guide 1 Star
2. Time Out The 20 best restaurants in Orlando
3. Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Orlando

Ten seats at a counter lit like a stage, dark walls and bright spotlights framing every course. Soseki is an omakase in Winter Park where chef Mike Collantes folds Florida produce into a progression that moves from small modern dishes into a faultless run of nigiri, each piece scored and sauced with quiet precision. A Michelin star hangs over the room, and dessert gets the same serious treatment as the fish.

1. AAA Four Diamonds
2. Michelin Guide 1 Star
3. Time Out The 20 best restaurants in Orlando

1. James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: South · Henry Moso
2. Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Orlando
3. James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: South · Henry Moso

Eight counter seats inside Plant Street Market, where guests fold their washi paper wrappers into origami cranes for a communal bowl that grows through the evening. This compact sushi counter earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and the fish gets handled with real care, paired with bright modern touches. The rice, loosely packed and well-seasoned, holds everything together. A ten-piece omakase or a few à la carte pieces both work fine here.

1. Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand