Takumi-Tei — Restaurant in Bay Lake

Takumi-Tei is possibly the best value meal at Disney World, but definitely not the cheapest. Sure, you can spend far less for themed dining, but the level of service and the quality of food was excellent for the price paid. I’ve had three Michelin Starred meals that cost three times what the Omakase at Takumi-Tei costs, but the genuinely wonderful service paired with a well executed meal felt like a bargain.

It was a slow, rainy day at Epcot; apparent from my parking space in the third row. Walking up to the front door, I was greeted by two smiling faces who seemed excited to have another customer. I asked if they had room for one more today, and they replied yes, and radioed to the back to expect a new customer. Upon entering, It was explained to me that each room had a theme based upon things like stone, fire, paper, and wood. I would be dining in the paper room, and was then guided to the main hallway of the restaurant. I was greeted by what seemed like the entire wait staff formally bowing to welcome me to the restaurant. I did my best to bow in return, and secretly started grinning at the pageantry of the entire experience.

I ordered the Omakase with the wine and Sake pairing. I learned a few minutes later that neither is covered under the Annual Pass discount, but I didn’t mind. If you’re splurging on an experience, 10% isn’t going to break the bank. The food was wonderful and unique. Every course was well balanced and showcased the quality of the ingredients. The A5 Wague was the star of the show, paired with its American counterpart. On the side was two roasted onions, potatoes on root vegetable puree, an orange zest concoction (which was also served with the bone marrow and was delicious with both), a mushroom and soy sauce spread in the center, and fresh wasabi (fresh wasabi, at a Disney park, I died).

All of the wines and Sake went exceptionally well with their courses. They were all unique and delicious; I could see myself enjoying any one of them again. By far my favorite drink was actually part of my meal. During desert, both waiters came out and did a small tea ceremony. It was the best cup of tea I’ve ever had. I love green tea, but I’m sure it’s ruined lesser tea’s for the rest of my life.

The service was probably the best part of the meal. I had two classically beautiful Japanese women who are well informed about what they were serving, polite, funny, and seemed genuinely excited to share the culture of Japan with their guests. I was visited by the manager twice who was equally as warm, and seemed anxious to finally be able to share his work with guests. And Chef Ty also came by at the end to thank me for coming in, and asked a few questions about how I enjoyed the service.

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience. I sincerely hope that they maintain the pageantry and excellent service that makes this experience feel unique and special -- because yes, the food is unbelievably good; but the real goal is to combine it with an emotional journey that elevates both, and leaves you feeling full in...

So this place is new to Epcot. It opened earlier this year. It promised me authentic Japanese cuisine with an accompanying experience unlike any other offered at a Disney restaurant. Holy crapola did Takumi-Tei deliver. The host escorts you through the initial hallway and explains the importance of the five elements to the Japanese people before she seats you in one of five dining rooms, one for each element.

There are plenty of delicious sounding options, but I knew I would have regrets if I didn't go with the Omakase Tasting Menu. It's a seven course tasting menu that was absolutely wonderful. I don't want to go too far into detail on what the courses are, but I will name them and give you helpful tips and tricks.

Otoshi Apparently this is different every day, which is very nice. What I got was some bites of asparagus that were wrapped in nori. It was a very light, natural dish that I loved very much. Sometimes a food's natural flavors can outshine heavy seasonings.

Temari Sushi These tiny balls of sushi were excellent. The slivers of seafood that are on top of the ball are very thin, so I recommend taking the pieces in two bites, so you can properly assess the flavor of each piece. Trust me, you'll see what I mean.

Nikomi Wagyu Bone marrow is amazing. Wagyu is amazing. The wasabi dots on this plate aren't very harsh. I recommend everyone try them at least once. Also, there's a smear of dried sauce running down the middle of the plate. The key is to plop the juicy meat on top of the smear to rehydrate it and then you can taste it. It's nice. It's got a mild sweetness to it.

Hashiyasume This is a palate cleanser, and it is very very cold. If you have sensitive teeth, do not take this in all in one bite.

Wagyu Tabekurabe The main event. Japanese vs. American Wagyu. I don't want to sound obvious, I really don't, but the Japanese was just better. You'll see. Everything on the plate was nice, but the true winner was "Matcha Maldon," which was a combination of matcha powder and sea salt. Oh my God. This stuff was so good. I ran out of it. I almost asked for more.

Shizuku This was fun. I've seen cakes like this on Facebook and stuff. It's absolutely flavorless, and the texture is reminiscent of the inside of a grape, which was nice, because there were grapes on the plate as well. Just make sure you grab some of the Yuzu Crumble with each bite of the cake, and you're golden.

Tea Ceremony This was amazing. Our server and another server joined forces to make tea from matcha powder right in front of me. One did all the work as the other one narrated, and then they taught me the proper way to drink the tea. So much fun.

Overall, wow. I don't know if ordering from the tradition menu items would yield to a five star review, but the tasting menu was a very, very good experience. Unlike anything I've ever even heard of in Orlando. If you're yearning for an authentic Japanese...

My husband and I went here in April for our five year wedding anniversary. We wanted to try this place to see how it compared to a kaiseki in Japan. We were NOT disappointed! We did the “Kiku” menu. When you first enter the restaurant, the hostess describes the different elements that each area of the restaurant is based off. We were placed in the stone room which was beautiful. We had Tsukiko for our waitress. She was super polite, and attentive. Our meals came out immediately back to back. Everything was delicious, except for the miso soup. We were hoping that the tofu was made in house, but it was made in the US by a Japanese company. The tofu tasted like cheap tofu you’d buy at a grocery store like Walmart.

The five seasonal appetizers consisted of sea urchin, edamame, lobster, seaweed with fish roe, and some kind of tofu in soy sauce with gold flakes (that was my favorite). All of the appetizers were delicious! All of the raw fish was fresh and delicious! They didn’t taste like frozen fish that’s super fishy. The lobster tempura was so good, especially with the yuzu salt (Tsukiko gave me extra salt to take home because I liked it so much). I got the A5 wagyu steak which was so good. It was tender, cooked perfectly, melted in your mouth, and just plain delicious. It came with mushrooms, sauce covered onions, potatoes, leek puree, and black sesame puree. I am a black sesame addict, but the leek puree was to die for! That whole dish I could eat every day! My husband got the grilled Chilean sea bass, which he really enjoyed. The fish was cooked perfectly. For dessert, I got the monaka daifuku with an extra scoop each of hojicha ice cream, and black sesame ice cream. My husband got the chestnut crème brûlée. Japanese chestnuts are so good. Both desserts were delicious.

After dinner we were served freshly made green tea which was good, of course. Before dessert, we were given complimentary champagne with rock candy on the bottom, for our anniversary.

Tsukiko made some origami for us. One included a cute little anniversary message. She was such a pleasure to meet.

This restaurant is very expensive. It’s definitely a place for a super special occasion, but it’s worth it. The whole experience, from the atmosphere, staff, service, and food was top notch. We can’t...