Sushi Pop Restaurant — Restaurant in Oviedo

Very creative and very fresh. Portion sizes are perfect for putting together a number of beautifully prepared salads, starters, maki, nigiri, sashimi, and hot plates that vary with what's fresh and available.

I had been away too long since I last visited, but I won't forget to be back soon because everybody gets satisfied. Chef's sushi selection is a good choice if your experimental with sauces and serving styles, or simply order two or three pieces of each of your favorites and they will accommodate beautifully.

The little touches like having the fresh wasabi root option make the experience all the better. This attention to detail extends to a lovely but not overdone presentation in a(n) (intentionally) trendy setting that feels like a less crowded version of a cute Tokyo Ginza district joint.

Don't be afraid to bring along someone who wants hot items because there're always enough choices to satisfy them also.

There is even a sensible kids menu that satisfied an 18 month old who also enjoyed tasting bits of the hot items and was pleased to taste a four-flavor ice cream sampler that mixed East and West.

Beverage selections are complete with lots of creative concoctions and plenty of flavored sake, both hot and cold, to pair with every course if one so chose, and the mixers are all fresh if you want them in cocktail format. Order a lemonade and it comes made with fresh squeezed lemons and sugar just like Mama used to make with backyard citrus.

The menu doesn't have EVERYthing on it, as attempted by far too many sushi places. Instead you're just going to be offered what's fresh and in-season and, yes, you'll find the sushi staples are always in the offing. This is a marvelous strategy for making sure diners get only the very best available, and it allows the restaurant to stay the perfect size -- just big enough that you should probably make a reservation because on a busy night this place gets full.

The East-West fusion vibe is present as is the vibe of a selection of Asian dishes not limited to Japanese origin. But the fusion is not overwhelming and you can go strictly Japanese or strictly sushi if that's your bailiwick.

These fusion influences are just about right, which is a hard balance to maintain, but Sushi Pop does it beautifully.

The portion sizes help keep the bill size quite reasonable, and one can dramatically splurge with multiple courses for under $60 a person, or stick with a few favorites and be closer to $25 a person, and that's even including a couple beverages each. There are boxes that allow greater economy, probably even more so at lunch, but this is a place where you hate to miss out, so if budget is an issue, go with a few friends and share a number of small plates and you will find the pricing is more than reasonable considering the wide selection and absolutely prime quality to enjoy.

There are just no wrong choices here. See you again very...

I have been to dozens of different sushi restaurants all over the Orlando area, and even more elsewhere, and I can confidently say Sushi Pop is my new favorite sushi restaurant! How this doesn’t have a Michelin star is beyond me - I would imagine they’re going to get one soon though! Sushi Pop has the best-tasting food, most unique appetizers and rolls, incredible desserts, as well as great service and quick timing from when you order to when you get your food! Not only that, they have a GREAT happy hour menu with incredible prices!

Our first time visiting, we got: Thai Iced Tea, Mocktail, Pork Belly Bao Buns, Buffalo Rock Shrimp, Eight Ball (their take on grilled octopus), Coco Roll, Gold Digger Roll, Acevichado Roll, and finally the P.M.S. (a better chocolate lava cake) for dessert! Everything was EXCEPTIONAL! The Thai iced tea was perfectly-sweetened and one of the best we’ve had, Mocktail was even better than a regular mocktail, pork belly bao buns were better than restaurants in Orlando that literally specialize IN bao buns (so really freaking good), Buffalo rock shrimp was a saucy, fried flavor explosion in your mouth (absolutely incredible; wish I could have this every day), and grilled octopus was on another level - probably the best grilled octopus we have ever had, and we have that whenever we see that on the menu at any restaurant!!

As for rolls, the Coco Roll was a wonderful coconut-flavored roll very different from what we’ve had elsewhere, Acevichado Roll was so fresh and tasty (it was literally the perfect bite), and the Gold Digger Roll might honestly be the best single roll we have ever had anywhere!! I don’t know how they do it, but this roll is WORTH IT! The lobster and Wagyu steak blend together to give you the best experience ever. I still can’t get over how good this was!!!

Finally, we had such a difficult time deciding between desserts! When you come here, be SURE to leave room because unlike other sushi restaurants where they may have more simple desserts like fried cheesecake or mochi, Sushi Pop’s desserts are all made in-house and are incredible. We decided on the P.M.S., which was a perfectly-cooked chocolate lava cake with raspberry, peanut butter powder as well as salted caramel ice cream! Here’s the awesome thing: all of the ice cream they offer is made in-house by them! Everything from salted caramel to Cinnamon Toast Crunch to blackberry rum to ube…it’s some of the best ice cream you’ll ever have! They also have another incredible dessert we want to try next time called the Tiki Time. Just look at it on the menu…it looks like heaven.

All in all, you NEED to go to Sushi Pop ASAP. This is a restaurant you’d expect to see in a prime location in New York, London or Singapore, but it is right here in Oviedo! You’ll love...

Late last year, I heard that the Sushi Pop right by my place was about to unveil a brunch starting on New Years Day. Everything about my personality and who I am knew that I had to be there on day one. So I made my reservations and joined the group of people lining up at the front door for them to open up and get started.

Only half of the restaurant space was open, so a lot of people were seated at the bar, including me. I liked that. It made it seem a little more groupy, like a group brunch experience with all the other people in the room. Some people would probably hate that feeling, but I liked it in a weird way.

As I browsing their extensive brunch menu, I was sipping on some Vietnamese Iced Coffee. I like my coffee cold and white and sweet, and this coffee satisfies all of that for me. Delicious.

We ordered like four things and just went ham on all of it.

I started off with the Hong Kong Style French Toast (milk bread stuffed with peanut butter, condensed milk, Saigon cinnamon whipped butter, candied pecans). Insanely good. The ooey gooey of peanut butter and condensed milk is unlike anything I've ever had. The plenty of candied pecans gave some crunch to all that soft. Just a banger of a dish.

The Bao Benedict (crispy pork belly, bao buns, poached eggs, shiso hollandaise, arugula, black garlic home fries) was a little less of a banger. The pork belly could have been crispier, the bao buns absorbed a little more oil that I think they wanted them to, but the eggs were perfect, and the shiso hollandaise was very unique. A big swing on this dish.

Then the thing I was looking forward to most, the Okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancake filled with bacon, shrimp, cabbage, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, spicy mayo, nori, bonito flakes, scallions). Traditional Japanese meal that is very filling and dense. Accented well by the amazing amount of sauce and the fun little bonito flakes. I love this thing.

We finished things off with a Tokushu Box (life is like a box of nigiri, you never know what you're gonna get! (10 pieces)). Five pairs of lovely nigiri with fresh fish that were all very different from each other, which I love. Nigiri of fish that are very similar to each other annoys me and makes me feel like an amateur, so this was nice.

Overall, I gave this place five stars seven years ago, and here I am giving it five stars again. This place is great, and I'll definitely be back before seven...