We’ll be staying at the Dolphin and I have my eye on Kimonos for the karaoke! Is the food really good?
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Stick with simple nigiri, and basic maki. It’s almost a bargain when you consider it’s in the middle of Wallytown. Hopefully you’ll have some fun karaoke singers, to boot.
Don’t sleep on Fuel, either. The hot sub sammiches and self serv froyo (you mite see Dole Whip) are not to be missed, imo. The Fountain is a good bet for darn fine ice cream treats as well. There’s a whole lotta very good food just steps away from your room.
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Hmm, this makes it sound like you think the Kimonos food is just … fine? So do you love Kimonos mostly for the karaoke, or the good value, or something else? What made you choose it?
Here’s my explanation of why I like Kimonos:
In the realm of WDW overpriced mediocrity, the quality of their simple nigiri and maki, is high enough for them to be charging a lot more. Once you get into the hipster mayo maki rolls, then the prices look to get nutty. I’d assume they are fantastic, but imo, that stuff is just all gimmicky add-ins. The quality of the simple stuff will be on par with your neighborhood sushi joint at home, and the price will be as well. So, instead of spending the WDW premium on something of inferior quality than something you can get any day at home, Kimonos will hook you up with sushi of very decent quality for around the same price as you can get at home. I’d rather pay 100 dollars for a good sushi dinner, than 70.00 for a 30.00 dollar dinner I could get at home. I’m not sure how to phrase it, but all in all, imo, the relative value of Kimonos is fantastic. If I stay Epcot area for more than 4 days, I’m probably trying to eat at Kimonos twice. FWIW, I live in a big city with tons of restaurants from over the top high end, to barely-passing-inspection counter and 2 tables joints serving fantastic cheap grub, so for the prices, WDW dining is more of a damage control proposition for us once we get outside of their unique dining experiences.
I’m pretty sure you’ll find Kimonos to be in almost all “Best Sushi” conversations of Orlando, not just WDW. I tend to take recommendations with a grain of salt, just cuz I’ve had some experiences - I mean, Pecos Bill’s was one of the only inedible meals I’ve had in my life, that so many ppl absolutely loooooove, so everyone’s mileage may vary, of course. There’s plenty of places in WDW to overpay for mediocre or very subpar meals. All in all, I consider Kimonos a borderline bargain for the quality.
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Thanks for the detailed and thoughtful reply!
So they cancelled your reservation in favor of another group?!?!?!?!?
This was their exact email below. I might have assumed a private party of some sort when reading it the first time. But when it says “closed to the public” and not just “closed”, I made assumptions.
"We are contacting you regarding your dining reservation with us on Tuesday, February 1st, 2022. We will unfortunately be closed to the public that evening. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and we will do our very best to accommodate your party on any other available date. If you find difficulty booking with another restaurant, we can offer you a reservation at our sister restaurant, Splitsville or help you to find seating elsewhere in Disney Springs.
Please reply to this email or call (407) 828-6094 with any questions or to reschedule with our Sales Directors. "
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The gall!
“We can’t get you into the Ritz Carlton, but we own a Motel 6 across the street if that works for you.”
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My thoughts exactly.
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Sadly, no.
Except Splitsville is perfectly good bar food. Even their sushi is solid. And the same operating company runs both Splitsville and Homecoming. And Art Smith did the menu for the Splitsville in Tampa.
Would I choose it over Homecoming? No, but it wouldn’t be a catastrophe.
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So where is the best sushi in Orlando?
Dragonfly Robata
Seito
Kabooki Sushi
Kadence
To name a few…
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There is nothing there that isn’t phenomenal.
For lunch on Monday I had the thigh high chicken and biscuits; I ate 1.5 for lunch and took the other 1.5 for my in-flight dining
We also shared the fried green tomatoes which were over-the-top good.
Be sure and get a moonshine mash 
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(Whistles nonchalantly)
Yes, everything is pretty phenomenal. And when one doesn’t need to drive anywhere a parade of Moonshine Mash cups are easy to rack up.
Service is also excellent, and has been since it opened. I’m fortunate to know the general manager and he’s extremely sharp.
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1.) Boma (breakfast)
2.) Beaches & Cream (grilled cheese is phenomenal)
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Be Our Guest. I know some people trash the food, especially lately, but Beauty and the Beast is my favorite. I go for the ambiance.
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Have you ever been in that big boring room? No ambiance there unfortunately.
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No. We’ve been pretty lucky at getting a table wherever we wanted.
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Narcoossee’s, but since I’m seeing Toppolino’s getting so much love I may change my answer after my next trip! 
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