I’ve Eaten at 360 Disney World Restaurants and This Has Been My Favorite (2024)

I have dined at 360 Disney World restaurants, and while there are so many excellent restaurants to choose from, one restaurant after all of these years has reigned supreme for me.

I have dined at all the Disney World hotels and all four theme parks, both water parks and Disney Springs. I’ve even had the opportunity to dine at Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian, but after visiting this restaurant yet again, I can finally say that I have found my favorite restaurant, and it just happens to be located in EPCOT.

Background

There are so many great choices for both table service and quick service meals at EPCOT, especially in the World Showcase. But after dining at Takumi-Tei in the Japan Pavilion yet again, I can confidently say that my meals here have been my absolute favorite.

Takumi-Tei offers two multi-course tasting menus with Japanese-inspired dishes. Omakase means “leave it up to the chef,” and that is how the dining experience is here. You can choose from two omakase menus: the Kiku menu, which offers omnivorous courses, and the Hasu menu, which offers plant-based courses. Each of these menus starts at $250 per person. Dishes can include Japanese A5 Wagyu Steak, Lobster Tempura, Seasonal Sashimi, and Strawberry Yuzu Sorbet.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of this restaurant is so beautiful. Both times I have dined here, I have been seated in a room entirely by myself. This time I was seated in the Wood Room, which has nods to all the other elements in it. All the rooms are gorgeous and make for a beautiful ode to Japanese craftsmanship.

Translated, the name of this restaurant is House of the Artisan, and when you are here, it really does fell like that. There are no windows, and it does not feel like you are in EPCOT at all. Instead, it feels like you are actually in Japan.

When I dined here, I was greeted with a hand towel that smelled like eucalyptus.

Food & Drinks

To start, I ordered a co*cktail, the Shochu Shiso Fashion. While this is not on the menu quite yet, it was a delicious spin on an Old Fashion.

It came with a sphere ice cube that was crystal clear and melted beautifully. The Shochu is heady and really shined as the main ingredient. The Shiso acted as bitters and balanced out the flavor profile of the drink. I found it to have the perfect amount of sweetness, like a classic Old Fashion but with elevated flavors.

Ichijyu Sansai

To start, the first course was Ichijyu Sansai which came with a few dishes.

The first thing that I had was Tofu in White Miso Soup, which they recommend starting with. This was my favorite thing on the plate. The Miso Soup was so creamy, and typically, it was made with Red Miso, but the White Miso made it so much creamier. It still had the savory, complex qualities of Miso. The paper-thin breading from the deep fry had a touch of wasabi, which was a great way to kick off the meal.

Next up on the plate, I had the Sea Urchin Sushi. The Urchin was a real stand-out ingredient, and its texture and flavor were buttery and had an aggressive smoky fishiness to it. I don’t think this is for everybody, and my first thought while eating this is that you have to be a sushi lover to eat at Takumi-Tei. I will say that this did fall apart in my mouth and had a pleasantly gooey texture.

Next up on the plate, I had the Tuna with Ponzu. I really enjoyed this tuna salad; it had a much more familiar fish flavor. If you have ever eaten a spicy tuna roll, you will recognize the way that the raw fish tastes. It also had the mineral of tuna, and I loved the textural variation of this dish. There was a nice crunch from the zucchini that mixed well with the tuna and the Ponzu jelly.

As mentioned, by far, my favorite dish was the Miso Soup, and the chef did say that by eating the food in this order it was a traditional start to the meal that helped warm the belly up for all the delicious food that was to come.

Sashimi

The next course was Sashmi. The scallop had a mild flavor with a bright aftertaste. It was delicious and light but still had exciting complexity.

The Japanese Seabream had pink skin with a meatier texture. This carried the flavor of the soy with a mild umami. The Skipjack had silver skin with the thickest texture, but it was softer and away from the skin. It was also bright and buttery with a savory aftertaste. There was also a fatty tuna middle part that was so delicious it melted in your mouth.

The last time I dined here, the Sashimi was my favorite course. It is served alongside soy sauce with a milder flavor. I also really liked the wasabi because it was real wasabi and not just horseradish recolored. Texturally, it is less like paste and has more of a grain to it, but it was delicious with the fish.

Hassun

Next up was the Hassun course. First, there was Tofu Skin, which is in the center. It was very creamy and does taste like tofu. It had a kind of silken meatiness to it and was topped with Salmon Roe. The Roe burst open with sea salt. I liked this a lot more than I thought I was going to enjoy it.

Then I had the Spinach and sh*take, and I loved this. It was like a bite of cold stewed vegetables with a peanut sauce on top.

This course also included Egg Cake, which is very common in Japan. It is super soft and a little sweet. I found it to taste like moist angel food cake.

Also on this plate was Eel Sushi, and I was super excited to see this because Eel sushi is my favorite. This has a super meaty texture and awesome Umami that kind of sits in your nose. I found this to be the perfect piece of Eeel Sushi.

This course also came with Salmon with Lime. This was a super weird mix of flavors for me. The lime almost created a bitter flavor profile, which made for a really well-rounded plate, and it definitely cut through the butter salmon. It was still a sound bite, but the flavors mixed strangely.

Overall, I found this course to be really interesting. This course is when you start to get into some of the more traditional and experimental elements of the meal. I will say that this is the part of the meal that, if you have an American pallet, you are going to start to get a little fatigued with some of the more gelatinous textures. I started to feel that way, but I still loved the variety of flavors and textures on this plate.

Surf and Turf

The next course was the Surf and Turf Course.

I first had the Flounder. This was made in a White Miso Paste, which I was really excited about because I really liked Miso, but I mainly tasted Flounder. The skin had a lot of the Miso flavor, but once the skin was gone, it just tasted like regular white fish. This was still delicious; I just wish it had more Miso flavor.

The Wagyu was amazing and the heaviest course I had. I think anyone would enjoy this, even if they are not adventurous eaters. The Yuzu Salt on the plate was awesome. The last time we ate here, Breedlove was actually able to take some home! It is house-made and basically like citrus salt.

You can watch our review from last year below!

This was actually the first course that I did not finish due to the heavier and richer flavors, but I think that for most people, it would be their favorite course.

Wagyu

For the next course, we got an entree-sized version of Wagyu. If we are talking standouts, this is a standout. The Wagyu was outstanding, super thin, and perfectly cooked. The sauce that came with it was unbelievable. It was soy sauce and corn syrup that was so sticky that if you tried to lift the spoon, it created a string of gooey sauce that was somehow not sweet but instead savory.

The meat had ginger on top. The bamboo shoots were also cooked perfectly and did not even taste like bamboo shoots to me. They kind of tasted like potatoes to me. Overall, this dish was a real winner.

Gohanmono

Believe it or not, there is another course. This course was Gohanmono. I found it interesting that they were going back to fish after we had steak, but the scope of the meal made so much sense once I tried it.

The Eel, compared to earlier, was saltwater, I believe, and it had a meaty texture with a lighter flavor. I found this to be a transitional element between the heavy, meaty courses, helping me dive into the lighter part of the dessert course.

If you are unsure about trying sushi, try Eel, especially cooked Eel, which has a texture and flavor similar to tuna and chicken. Overall, I found this to be delicious, and the Japanese black pepper added incredible flavor to the Eel without the overwhelming flavor that American black pepper has.

Dessert and Tea Service

It was finally time for dessert. I had Pumpkin Pudding, and it was so good. It was a lot like crème brûlée without the caramelized top, almost like a custard.

Flavor-wise, it was like a less sweet pumpkin pie. It had more of a pumpkin flavor that let the gourd shine. The caramel sauce and whipped cream made it perfectly sweet. It was a happy end to the meal and a super satisfying dessert.

The meal did not end there, though; in conjunction with the dessert course, there was also a Tea Service. This is a traditional Japanese tea service where they whisk the Matcha to make a nice cup of Matcha Green tea right next to the table.

I have never really been a fan of Matcha. The flavor is typically a little too green for me, and I do not like the powdery texture. But, since they whisk it here, the powdered texture has gone away completely, leaving you with a super smooth Matcha Green Tea. It is a great way to end the meal.

The service here is not like service anywhere; not even at Disney World have I experienced service like this. They are so wonderful, and I kept chatting with my server, but I am not the kind of person to do this. It is very traditional Japanese hospitality.

I only ordered one drink, and my server brought out tastes of her favorite Sakes just because she wanted me to try them. I felt like I was having dinner with my most unbelievably polite friend. The servers even made handmade origami parting gifts, and mine came with a personalized note.

Should You Go?

The first time I dined here, I had not been to Japan yet, but after my recent visit to Tokyo Disneyland for the opening of Fantasy Springs, I would say that this is absolutely one of the most authentic Japanese experiences you can have outside of Japan.

I will say that this is an extraordinary experience, but you need to be a fan of fine dining and fancier experiences. This is not a casual dinner. You also need to be a fan of Japanese food and possibly even different cultural experiences than you are used to. The food here is super traditional and may be really adventurous for someone who is used to adventurous eats.

I think that even if you are a casual sushi eater, this will be well outside your comfort zone. But if you want an authentic experience, no one does it better than Takumi-Tei. Otherwise, I think this meal may have too many textures and flavors that are a little too adventurous, and for most, the experience may feel a little stuffy. As for me, I loved my experience here, and this is my favorite restaurant out of the 360 Disney World restaurants that I have dined at.

Would you want to try Takumi-Tei? Let me know in the comments!