Kathryn G.
Yelp
Ummmm yep, I'm obsessed with Totoya! Not sure if they recently changed names, but I swear it was Ootoya when I looked it up in the past...
Anyway, parking around Thornton Park and Lake Eola is never the best, but we found a lot nearby for $10. There's also street parking available if you can snag it, or nearby parking garages.
Walking in, the vibe is great - dark and moody with cool lighting, especially the fish pendants! We sat downstairs near the sushi bar which was fun, plus they have more seating in an upstairs area. Our waitress was so sweet (I forget her name but she was at UCF for Biomed!!!) and attentive, which really added to the experience. I hear they've got a GREAT happy hour here too, but we just missed it.
For drinks, I tried the Yuzu Mule ($12) and it was delicious and gingery. Their Espresso Martini ($12) was also delicious, as was their Mai Tai ($13).
For apps, we went for the Pork Gyoza ($8) which were a great price and the perfect balance of crispy and soft. So good we had to get two orders! We also tried the Salted Edamame ($6), which was good but could've actually used a bit more salt. Lastly, we went for the Blue Crab Fried Rice ($18), which isn't usually an app but we just had to try it, and it was SO good! There was plenty of chunks of crab in there and you could smell it right when it hit the table. Reminded me of the crab fried rice at Tori Tori if you've tried theirs!
We tried a bunch of sushi rolls, including the Hollywood Roll ($22) which was INSANELY good. We had to order it again after trying it and most of the table agreed that it was our favorite roll of the ones we tried. Still dreaming of it! The Crazy Roll ($14) was also a big hit and offered something a little different with it being fried (and we also ordered it twice!). I loved the Hokkaido Roll ($18) with the creamy scallop on top - so tasty. The Eola Roll ($18) was also really yummy, but quite spicy. You need the Tuna Lover Roll ($16) if you can't get enough of tuna because dang was it good. The Tuna Delight Roll ($17) offered another tasty take on the fish with seared tuna. Lastly, I didn't get to try it, but we ordered the Tropical Roll at the recommendation of our waitress (she said it was her favorite roll on the menu!) - it got the thumbs up from the table!
Outside of sushi, the Crispy Spare Ribs ($25) were ordered and loved, especially the sesame favored veggies. The Wagyu Fried Rice ($24) was also a hit, as was the Ginger Salad that it came with! Because I was graduating, they were so sweet and brought me a tempura ice cream dessert!
I am 100% coming back to Totoya! The prices were extremely reasonable compared to other similar nicer sushi restaurants, food was amazing, service was great, and the vibe was perfect! I couldn't have asked for a better dinner with friends and family.