ORLANDO, Fla. – Nomikai by Sushi Saint officially opens today, Wednesday the 19th, bringing a lively new dining experience from chef Michael Collantes and his 86 Hospitality team to ICON Park.
When I last spoke with Collantes at Sushi Saint, he hinted that Nomikai would feel completely different from his other concepts—and that difference is immediately clear on arrival.
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Nomikai is not an extension of Sushi Saint’s hand-roll bar or another take on Soseki’s intimate omakase. Instead, it leans into a more social, energetic identity, with house music, creative cocktails and a dining room designed for lingering.
That nightlife-inspired feel fits ICON Park, one of Orlando’s busiest entertainment hubs. Nomikai feels built for a full night out—whether you’re celebrating, meeting friends or settling in for cocktails and shared plates.
The name reflects that idea. “Nomikai” is a Japanese term for a celebratory social gathering centered on food, drinks and conversation. The menu reinforces it, encouraging guests to pass plates, share dishes and stay awhile.
I started with warm house-baked bread served with umami butter, furikake and Maldon sea salt—some of the best bread service I’ve had in Orlando. The bread was incredibly soft, almost melting on contact, while the butter was rich, savory and deeply umami.
From there, I moved into appetizers and toasts.
The hamachi truffle potato wrapped buttery hamachi around crispy potato hay, finished with truffle aioli, ponzu and serrano. It was the standout appetizer—balanced, textural and still one of my favorite dishes across Collantes’ restaurants.
I also tried two brioche toasts.
The lobster toast was the favorite: sweet lobster with brown butter-yuzu kosho aioli, crème fraîche, lemon zest, chives and yuzu tobiko on crisp brioche. The tuna caviar toast offered a lighter, more delicate contrast with tuna tartare, wasabi, citrus, nikiri and caviar.
A Japanese Caesar salad followed, made with gem lettuce, miso-anchovy dressing, bonito flakes and a garlic-parmesan crumble—familiar, but clearly influenced by the kitchen’s Japanese foundation.
The miso black cod was the highlight of the mains. Marinated in white miso, mirin, sake and house soy, it was silky, tender and deeply flavorful without feeling heavy. We paired it with fire-charred asparagus in yuzu kosho béarnaise, and the citrus notes tied the dishes together beautifully.
The meal then shifted into Nomikai’s more communal, large-format offerings.
The shiso chimichurri picanha arrived with whipped potatoes and blistered tomatoes, while creamy kurogoma spinach added a rich, savory counterpoint with black sesame and crispy garlic-parmesan breadcrumbs.
Together, the dishes encouraged a relaxed, shared dining style—plates passed around the table rather than a structured progression.
Dessert included matcha Basque cheesecake and freshly baked madeleines, with the madeleines standing out for their light texture and delicate sugar crust.
Collantes has built a reputation in Orlando for distinct, focused concepts: Soseki’s Michelin-starred omakase, Sushi Saint’s Bib Gourmand hand-roll bar, and Perla’s Pizza, which blends pizza, cocktails and vinyl culture.
Nomikai continues that trajectory, but in a more social, high-energy direction. It carries the same precision and attention to detail, but channels it into a space designed for sharing and celebration.
During my visit, Collantes also hinted at additional projects in development beyond Nomikai, suggesting his footprint in Orlando—and beyond—is still expanding.
For now, Nomikai gives the city a new reason to gather. Come for the sushi and seafood, but bring people ready to share. The restaurant is at its best when the table is full and no one is in a rush to leave.
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