Kappo at East End Market

Omg this place is heaven!!! It actually made me wanna live there instead of Cali. Everything is so fresh and delicious. I loved their eel and uni so much I wanna live in this restaurant!!! I have only good things to say and will definitely visit this place next time I come to Orlando. THIS PLACE IS AWESOME.

YUMMY, FUN and AMAZING! The end. But if you want to read more…
Jen, Mark and Lo are so friendly, inviting and funny! As soon as you sit down, the conversations flows and instantly they make you feel like you’re their friends from way back.
The first time we came it was back in August when we went to Orlando for the weekend. We went on a Friday and they were doing a special event for friends and family to support their No Sneeze Guard petition. So it was a free event where they served you FREE, yes FREE sushi pieces, desserts, etc. I was amazed! We loved it so much that we made reservations for the next day (Saturday) and loved it so much on Saturday that we made reservations again for Sunday. I could eat omakase everyday!
Each piece is skillfully made and the taste is delicious and seems so simple but it’s so much more to it than just putting a piece of sliced fish on some rice. Overall each piece and plate just melts in your mouth. When we heard they were going to stop serving end of December 2015, we had to go back one more time. They were accommodating to fitting us in on a weekend that would work for my hubby and I and they were booked! They are going to look for a new place and hopefully open soon– I can’t wait to get my omakase fix again soon!
When they open their new place, you have to go check it out! Yummy yummy in my tummy approved!

Perfect food.
My only complaint is that I made reservation at 7:30 but got seat at 8 pm.

Wow! What an experience! I took my mom here a few months back for lunch for her birthday and I can definitely say she was as happy as a clam! The finesse that goes into every dish is so perfectly executed. They definitely take their work very professionally. It’s art on a whole other scale.
My recommendation, make reservations! This spot is quickly growing in popularity so to make sure you can get seated at the time you’d like, call in advance to get a reservation! I’ll be back again as they took very great care of me and my mom, even with our shellfish allergies! Couldn’t be more satisfied!

We had the pleasure of eating at Kappo for my birthday and it didn’t disappoint. This is now my favorite place to eat and everything was amazing. I love that they choose the menu and enjoyed tasting some new foods. Hands down the best sushi in Orlando. The service is top notch and it was tons of fun too. Loved meeting the other couples at the counter with us. Can’t wait to return and am so happy they now take reservations!

We’re on a seven day vacation at Orlando and decided to look for a nice cozy place to eat. Came across this place that was highly recommended by Unilocalers! And it was indeed a very good place to have Omakase experience!
Food was great from start to finish!!!
to the chefs who did a magnificent job on their preparation, presentation and execution of menu!
Please see amazing pictures and enjoy!!!
Mabuhay to these Filipino Chefs!!!

Hands down! This place is the truth.
I rarely give compliments lol but this place lives up to my expectations. We will definitely come back!

I rarely write reviews but this food experience I just had on the whim of my girlfriend warranted this. It is a very small space that allows 8 diners, I believe, at dinner. It sounds like tight quarters but is reasonably comfortable.
The food is hands down delightful. We had the kappo omakase that varied with raw and cooked foods. My favorites would have to be the scallop sushi and the uni combo dish. The scallop just felt like it dissolved into butter over the rice. I hope everyone can imagine that. I refer to the other as an uni combo dish because it was a mish-​mash of ingredients I couldn’t remember with uni as the centerpiece. It was surrounded by what I somewhat remember being told as a foie gras-​brioce custard. One of my fellow diners described it perfectly by exclaiming, «I need a cigarette after this!»
What made it an experience was the interaction with the staff the smaller space provided. Lo interacted with us throughout the entire meal getting to know us and allowing us to get to know him and his coworkers. I even did a shotgun with a Japanese drink there with him at the end of the meal because we had such a great time.
In conclusion, get a reservation! We got lucky with getting an available seat at the last minute but this is an experience you do not want to miss.

Can you let someone else you’ve never met before make your food selections? If your answer is yes, this is the place for you. If not, maybe you’ll change your mind after reading this. Kappo stands to change all the rules of dining in Orlando. No menu, no options, no substitution, no, no, no,… just accept divine offerings and indulge.
For centuries, highly acclaimed and well respected Japanese chefs have served the chosen few in tiny restaurants. The personal interaction and service from these master chefs is worth every ounce to an appreciative fan. This kind of dining is not for everyone. One has to be totally open minded and willing to try anything. Complete appreciation for ingredients and chef skills takes the frills out of dining. These restaurants seat just around a counter with hardly any other space. The walls sometimes act as chair backs. Décor is not a factor, one goes here for food and chef. That’s it. No frills, no high pressure servers, no nose in the sir sommeliers, no corporate high clicker asking how was the food. None of that. Just honest to good food. This is Kappo.
Their food takes cue from Japanese cuisine. It seems as though the chefs submit to ingredients rather than pulverize food into submission for personal interpretation. Very few ingredients are used to compliment or contrast a main ingredient. This allows for ingredients to shine all the way through. A simple cut of fish on top of rice with a drizzle of ponzu or soy burst with flavors that speak for themselves. The difference here, that cut of fish does not exist in any sushi restaurant in Orlando or that delicate balance of sushi rice dances ever so lightly. Only freshly grated wasabi root is used in preparation none of that green bitter tasting paste.
Kappo is challenging Orlando diners to expand their palate and dining vision. Who said that there must be a sushi case, kimonos, Japanese bells, menu and everything in bamboo or ultra industrial modern or food that all taste the same? These young chefs put their training on display. Their food speaks for itself. The restaurant menu and style evolves every hour. Who knows what they are doing today or tomorrow. Every high profile chef started somewhere. If these young chefs continue at this level, we are experiencing the birth for something truly special. If you can open your mind to entertain a dining experience like no other in Orlando, go and submit to greatness in the making.

Nur acht Sitzplätze und die freundliche Frage am Anfang ob wir Zeit hätten…
Zeit, um uns in aller Ruhe von oben bis unten durch alle angebotenen Sushi-​Varianten zu essen.
Das hat sich gelohnt. Tolles Sushi in entspannter freundlicher Atmosphäre. Durch die nur acht Sitzplätze kommt man schnell mit seinen Nachbarn und auch den Mitarbeitern ins Gespräch.
Ein Tip für alle Sushi-​Liebhaber in Orlando!

We were so lucky to get a seat within a few minutes arriving. People that arrived after us had to wait 15 to 30 minutes. It’s so worth the wait as this is nothing like any sushi restaurant. We ordered a variety of Nigiri and sashimi and all were so fresh which didn’t require any wasabi. We didn’t get a lot of the fresh — grated wasabi but these delicate fish didn’t require any. The awesome thing was that they used and made everything from scratch and used fresh ingredients: japanese horseradish, edible flowers, micro-​cucumber, radishes, fishes and ice cream.
The waitress/​pastry chef was a bit occupied, busy making the ice cream, serving customers and washing dishes. That’s multi-​tasking — something I still have trouble with at times.

Kappo is a tiny little food stand in a small market and seats about 8 people at a time. So clearly, you have to time it accordingly if you don’t wanna be stuck waiting forever to be seated. But it lives up to the hype!
I was in town for the day so my bf and I wanted to try Kappo based on word of mouth. We went on a Thursday afternoon around 1 and only had to wait about 10 minutes for two seats to open up. I initially intended on getting the chirashi bowl but my bf wanted to try their omakase so I ultimately decided to join him. We each got the basic 10-​piece omakase for about 40 bucks each. Keep in mind that you probably shouldn’t order this if you’re in a rush because it takes time for each part to come out. Every single course that came out was both delicious and a work of art from the sashimi to the nigiri. Each omakase also comes with a small soup and dessert, so I was perfectly satisfied by the end. I was hesitant at first because I have quite the voracious appetite and wasn’t sure if I’d be full, but the 10-​piece omakase actually comes with a lot more than I expected.
The staff is so friendly and we had a great conversation with our chef, Lo, throughout our entire lunch. They even shared their staff lunch with us (which was quite good as well)! If I had the money and lived in the area, I could easily see myself coming here every week. I’ve done the omakase at other restaurants before, but you can tell Kappo really takes pride in their quality and individuality while maintaining a flawless authenticity. And I know my Japanese food since it’s by far my favorite cuisine.
Their menu changes all the time, so no experience is like the last. Which is precisely why I’ve been dying to go back to try other things they come up with. Outside of their great tea selection, even their drinks sound intriguing! Matcha soda? Should’ve tried it when I had the chance! Why must I live so far?!

Finally got to try this little spot! My husband and I had a wait time of 2 hours when we arrived. We mostly strolled around the East End getting some coffee at Lineage and it ended up being the same day as the feedback fair. We ended up local roots for some drinks before we got sat down.
We had a tough time choosing what to select but ended up doing the 8pc sushi omakase that comes with a soup a dessert. I ordered a matcha green milk tea which was delicious!
They serve you each sushi piece one at a time. And each piece was as fresh and amazing as the last. I’m usually just a tuna person when it comes to sushi but here I had no problem what was being served. There was one piece I was not a fan of and that was uni which was my first time trying and its probably more of an acquired taste. I enjoyed the entire experience and would definitely come again!

I AM IN LOVE.
My boyfriend fed me Kappo’s Sushi Omakase on my birthday and now I wish it’s my birthday everyday. I love the atmosphere and the quality service here. The chefs creates pieces individually for you while you melt away in happiness.
I’ve been dying to try an omakase and decided that Kappo would be the place to do it and I don’t regret my choice. Sadly, they only do it during the lunch hours and it’s RSVP for group parties for dinner. Since it was the two of us we couldn’t get any dinner omakase set up, but it’s okay. The lunch sushi omakase is just as good!
Each piece I put in my mouth was delicious. From the tea down to the dessert. This is delicious high quality fish. It makes me happy just thinking about it. I totally recommend Kappo to everyone! It’s a great experience just to try, but I’ll come back… multiple times!

Kappo provides a pleasantly personal and intimate dining experience with authentic sushi that you won’t be able to find anywhere else especially priced so reasonably at $ 60 for their Magical Mystery Tour which is a 12 pc daily changing sushi set that comes with dessert and a soup. The three chefs, Mark, Lo, and Jen, take you on this magical tour are friendly, personable, and just masters of their craft. Make sure you make reservations ahead of time as there are only 8 seats and they fill up quick! I was lucky enough to get a 3:00pm seating and had one of the best dining experiences of my life.
Their fish is amazingly fresh and sliced perfectly and you get to watch the chef prepare it all right in front of you. My favorite was the seared salmon. So perfectly done and fresh! It’s incredible how one can work a sushi knife as their primary tool of food art. I also came to learn that they’re friends with the Naoe Miami folks right in my backyard! Small world! Their Foie Gras was also a big hit with my taste buds!
I would expect this type of quality and freshness in Tokyo, but Orlando?! This tiny 8 seater has changed the game for the state of Florida. I don’t think there is any place like it and if there is, it’s most likely going to cost you an arm and a leg. Do yourself a favor and try Kappo out for yourself. But picky eaters beware: this is not your california roll type of place you’re used to!

Holy fuck. What an experience! Sushi was so good I had to make a Unilocal account to write my first review, ever.
Omakase is definitely the way to go if you want to take your taste buds on a magical and beyond satisfactory journey. Service was also excellent from the entire staff. I’m already planning my next visit!

It’s taken months to get a spot to dine at Kappo in the East End Market. Mostly because I tried a few times then gave up, like most do. I wonder if Alton Brown had this much trouble.
Thanks to my foodie friend Kristin, I was able to get in on a Sunday for a late lunch after months of drooling over other people’s pictures and envying their rave reviews. If you work full-​time, finding a spot available on the weekends to dine can be quite a feat. Not to mention a splurge. $ 60 on lunch per person seems a bit insane, but the experience was worth the price tag.
We arrived at 2:00 pm for our reservation but ended up having to wait until 2:30 to be sat. Pro for diners, you aren’t rushed out, con if it’s your turn you might be waiting with a stomach making velociraptor noises and scaring the people in line for coffee at Lineage.
We hovered closely as we waited our turn and once the time came we saw bright, shining, elated faces emerge from behind the sheer curtain. People literally walked through us as though they were drunk on food. Side note: Why hasn’t Weird Al come out with a Beyonce parody of Drunk in Love to Drunk on Food. Get on that Al!
We did not wait long for our first course (out of 6) which was an appetizer plate filled with goodies.
Seared scallops with turnip purée
Foie gras with foamed radishes and rice cracker
Sashimi — Salmon and another fish I did not jot down. (I know for shame)
Oyster with Rutabaga purée
You will have to forgive my descriptions. They rattle off all the ingredients of each dish, but I certainly did not catch every item nor could I spell them all properly. I also didn’t want to distract from the experience by continually asking as I typed furiously on my phone before eating each dish. Sometimes it’s better to just eat and enjoy. I would actually love it if they produced menu cards with all the ingredients and where they source them from, especially since everything is as local as possible. What seemed to be the item from furthest away was still in Key West.
Back to the food, although I’m not normally a fan of Oysters and Foie Gras, that didn’t stop me from devouring each item on my plate. The Salmon was most assuredly the best I’ve had. It was as smooth as butter. I also noticed they give you a very small amount of soy sauce, and I’m sure they do that because this fish is so good it doesn’t need much else accompanying it.
It’s best to note that on Sunday’s at Kappo, you are seated to enjoy the courses presented to you. You have no say in what you eat. So if you are not adventurous or have many food allergies to worry about this is probably not the place for you to settle in for two hours.
The next course was a Miso Soup with shellfish & mushrooms. They gave it a really nice foam and it was delicious! Unlike anything I’ve ever had.
Next up was what could have possibly been a dessert course, but was more of a palate cleanser. Fennel, strawberry, Rutabaga with a little tempura.
This dish was great because it was light, had sweetness from the local strawberries, but the tempura gave it such a nice crunchy salty flavor.
Next was Sweetbreads. They were delicious, although I immediately thought of what Sweetbreads actually are and was mildly hesitant. To my delight they were really just like little fried balls of protein with nice flavor, and not all were Sweetbreads, there were some scallops in there as well, along with a nice cucumber pickle purée and tomatoes. Phew!
Our last course was a simple dish of seared fresh Salmon on a bed of steamed white rice. It was presented to us, but we were told to wait until one of the chefs came by with a broth that he poured in each of our bowls.
You would think this simple dish wouldn’t pack the flavor punch that it did. That’ why these people at Kappo are legit. Even the simplest dishes are powerful.
We were treated to a final dessert course of Matcha ice cream with a Macaroon and strawberries. Again, simple yet so amazing and the perfect end to great dining experience.
I would definitely say that Kappo lived up to the hype. For me, it’s more of a treat yo’self meal for special occasions, but I’ve been told the lunch menu is more wallet friendly and easier to get a seat.
Alas if you are looking to book your reservations, the Kappo team is headed back to Japan for the month of March for some R&D, so you will have to wait a little bit longer to get in on this great experience.

I truly believe this is as good as sushi gets here in Florida. I’ve seen pictures and descriptions of all the other Unilocal listed sushi restaurants and they just look terrible. Pictures of the lunch omakase + dessert to come later (after my phone charges back up).
I ordered the lunch omakase; they have no room for dinner reservations as it is completely full. The trio of chefs are London, New York, and Kyoto (per their website) trained and can talk as sophisticatedly about food as you like without making you feel dumb about it. Fortunately, I am quite familiar with Japanese food and know the good from the bad and the right from wrong pronunciations. Talking to the chef about everything from location down to their shari (sushi rice) preparation was reassuring and confirmed the chef’s knowledge of their craft. I felt lucky to be able to feel the sushi with my hands and have refreshing gari to eat in between.
After chatting with the chef a little bit about his preparations, it made sense that he’s accommodating the taste of the locals here. I get that. I respect that. And I’m in no place to complain about it. I could have used a little bit more of a subtle finishing to each piece as I felt they had a little bit too much soy sauce on it. The chef, I am assuming knows about this and again, is trying to accommodate the strong flavors of the local cuisine and what the people here like. They are all trying hard to bring authentic flavors of sushi here without scaring them away. And they do just that.
I am fully satisfied with my meal and I hope I will be able to make one last visit before I leave in a couple of days.

Let me start by saying that this is not just a restaurant. It is a dining experience.
From the moment you walk into this small establishment you immediately feel warm and welcome. Three amazing chefs create a multi course meal that will stimulate all of your tastebuds. Your meal begins with a sake shot for everyone including the chefs to «loosen up the mood.» :)
Every single course was enjoyed immensely… I think I followed every bite with «this is so amazing.»
Toward the end of the meal we felt stuffed but powered through because we did not want to miss a single bite. After you’re filled to your eyeballs and thoroughly pleased, you are presented with two amazing dessert courses by Jen.
This was truly the best meal and best dining experience of my life.

SUMMARY: One of the best sushi experiences I’ve ever had. Cheapest omakase I’ve ever had too.
I seriously went back and forth on whether to write this review or not. The reason not being I didn’t enjoy my dining experience, but rather the opposite! I thoroughly enjoyed the food so much that I had to come back the next day! It’s the best kept secret for one of a kind sushi experience.
Kappo only has 8 seats so plan accordingly. So if they open at 11, you should get there 30 mins to an hour earlier. Our first time there was on a Friday night. We were driving from Tampa and we didn’t get there until 4:15 and they graciously sat us even though they were about to close to prep for their omakase dinners. About their omakase dinners, you can only make reservations through their website. Unfortunately, they are booked solid until March. There is no phone number so you can’t even call them, but when you are there you’ll see why.
Now onto the food and dining experience. Kappo is like a popup restaurant within East End Market. East End Market has a community kitchen in addition to the community garden where they grow produce used in their food etc. The kitchen is for prepping items that require an oven etc otherwise, everything was made at Kappo’s shop.
Jen, the pastry chef who trained in London sat us and gave us the daily menu. Each day there is a different menu dependent on what fish or item is fresh that day. Luckily uni also known as sea urchin is always in abundance! Mark and Lo are the sushi/​food chefs. Backstory on Mark, Lo and Jen is that they all met at the University of Florida and have been friends ever since.
This isn’t your typical sushi restaurant with California rolls or lots of maki rolls so don’t come thinking you can get a Volcano or Philly roll here because you won’t. There are only about 15 – 20 items in total each day. Omakase 8 – 10 piece selection is available everyday and very reasonably priced compared to other omakase I’ve had at other places. Omakase for $ 39 is a great deal! Now if you are wondering what omakase means, it is translated to ‘Chef’s choice”. Meaning you leave it up to the chef to concoct whatever dishes. With omakase, you aren’t only paying for the sushi, but also the experience. There is no rushing when it comes to omakase. Order sake or beer then sit back and watch Mark, Lo and Jen get to work.
We wanted to get the full experience so we ordered a few items in addition to the omakase. We ordered the scallop uni truffle, a ½ dozen skookum oysters, ½ dozen Kumamoto oysters, and Foie gras of the sea. The oysters were deliciously dressed 3 or 4 different ways, but my favorite was the kumamoto oysters. The foie gras of the sea wasn’t really foie gras though. It was actually monkfish liver hence the phrase, «fish of the sea.» The monkfish was good, but I would have preferred real foie gras! Now the scallop uni truffle was amazing!!! There was so many elements within each bite. Uni is one of those sushi items that you would never order from a place where it’s usually not busy because it’s probably not fresh. In Kappo’s case, however, that’s not a problem because they incorporate uni in a lot of dishes.
Omakase! Let’s talk about that. Have you ever watched an artist at work? Well that’s how it felt while we watched Mark do his thing. His body movements as he sliced, diced, or torched and prepared each dish was rhythmic like. Every piece or item he made was like, WHOA! We were served three different uni’s-japanese uni, Maine uni and Santa Barbara uni. My favorite has probably got to be the Japanese uni. Oh I forgot we also ordered a chirashi bowl. I would rename it the whole kitchen sink bowl because there were so many items in it from salmon roe, uni etc. It was very filling and thank goodness we saved that for the end.
Dessert-Jen’s turn to impress us. We had starfruit sorbet with meringue I believe. It had nice tartness from the starfruit. The next day we came, we were given three different flavors of ice cream. Black sesame ice cream was my favorite of all.
Everything was so good that I didn’t want the meal to end. Did I eye my sister’s and other’s sushi in case they didn’t want it, maybe:)
So after reading this review and you aren’t rushing to eat here then you are seriously missing out! I’m already thinking of making plans to go back for their omakase dinner.

If I could give this place 6 stars, I would. Unilocal really needs to add the 6^th star for this restaurant.
We found out about Kappo when we were researching dining options in Orlando, since we made a pretty last minute booking to Disneyworld. After reading all the wonderful reviews, we decided that we HAD to visit this place. Unfortunately, the online reservation system showed that the restaurant was fully booked till Dec. I decided to take a chance and begged for a reservation through email, since we were flying across the country. Fortunately, they were willing to accommodate us for a Sat 4pm seating for the sushi omakase. (Would have loved to go for dinner omakase instead, but that was fully booked)
The restaurant is pretty small, in fact, it is literally a hole in the wall. They seat only about 7 – 8 people at the sushi bar counter, and you can watch the chefs prepare the food right in front of you, which just makes the experience that much better.
We started off with a half dozen of oysters, 2 of each kind, all from the West Coast. There were 3 different types of accompaniment, which was quite a delight. This was followed up by a sashimi platter of trout, scallops, sea bream and ikura, all slightly seared and rubbed with a little yuzu pepper.
We saw that they had a special king crab dish served with burgundy truffle in the ala-​carte menu, and requested to try that. The dish was beautifully presented with the king crab meat sitting on top of the truffle sauce, topped with egg vinaigrette and shavings of black truffles. The combination was perfect and it made me want to lick the plate at the end. In fact, we both liked it so much, my boyfriend almost didnt want to share that last piece.
Next up was the sushi, served piece by piece. We were given wet towels to wipe our hands, since it was recommended for us to use our hands for the sushi as using chopsticks would cause it to fall apart. As the sushi was being prepared, the conversations flowed. We had lion fish, sea bream, trout, scallop, king crab, lobster, salmon belly… I forgot to take a picture of the salmon belly sushi, and they happily made one more for me, just for the pictures. Of course I gobbled it down greedily: P
We chatted with Mark and Lo about food in San Francisco, and casually mentioned that we were disappointed that foie gras was banned in California. Following which, they served us a sushi with foie gras custard, uni and quail egg. This was totally orgasmic as we popped the sushi into our mouths.
They also served us a foie gras terrine topped with sturgeon caviar. This was very very good too. We discussed how to make the foie gras terrine and this dish has definitely inspired us to retry making it again. In fact, they gave us some pink salt to bring home since it was needed to cure the foie. How thoughtful!
Just as we were getting full, our final dish was an ikura handroll. In my opinion, this was the weakest dish in the entire omakase menu.
Desserts were meant for a separate stomach, and we enjoyed a persimmon ice dessert topped with cream and walnuts. This was very light and refreshing. Great for cleansing the palate. We also had another plate of yuzu marshmellow (Very very light), matcha cake (served warm, and oh so good), mango something (sorry I can’t pronounce the name)… kinda like a jelly thing, and the ultimate miso macaron. The surprising combination of savory umami and sweetness worked extremely well. It was so good we packed another 6 pcs home!
The total bill came out to be $ 140+ for 2 people. It was well worth the price, and we were very very very happy with the experience. We even got 2 free onigiris to bring back. Mark, Lo and Jen were extremely friendly and the entire culture and atmosphere of the restaurant makes you feel very homey. kinda like going to a friend’s house for dinner. It was evident that they had many regular customers, since they greeted everyone like old friends and were super eager to feed everyone (sometimes even for free).
If I were to be nitpicky, I’d say that there was too much seared fish. Perhaps it was because the fish were not as fresh as they’d liked it to be, so they tried to dress it a little? Or maybe they just wanted to be creative and go with the flow. To be clear, the fish here IS fresh. I’d have loved to have some plain nigiri sushi. But that’s just me.
They’ve only been open for 3 months, but I heard they’ve got the lease for 2 years in the incubator. I can’t wait to see all the great things they come up with. I’m sure they’ll be very successful wherever they go. I just wish that they’d preserve that culture and atmosphere as they continue to grow.
Keep up the good work guys! And definitely come visit SF bay! :)