Wall feature Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Henry Moso, the local James Beard nominee for Rising Star Chef of the Year, has been spending a good part of the pandemic reinvesting into the future of Kabooki Sushi on East Colonial Drive.

Soon after opening Kabooki Sushi on Sand Lake Road, Moso began plotting out expansion plans for the original Kabooki Sushi and, now, the omakase hotspot is poised to reopen in its slick new digs.

And slick it is.

Moso, by the way, doesn’t just expend his creative energy on food — he spends a good amount of it on restaurant (re)design, as the photos below will attest.

Kabooki Sushi v2.0, all 3,000 square feet of it, will open by the end of the month with a full liquor bar, lounge area and late-night menu (think innovative izakaya bites). Rachel Kapelner, former general manager at La Luce at the Hilton Bonnet Creek, will serve as Kabooki’s GM, while Eddie Valladares, who spent the past five years at Seito Sushi Sand Lake, will serve as the restaurant’s lead bartender.

Main dining room Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Main dining room Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Lighting shadow boxes/hexagonal marble tile Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Lounge seating/concrete tile floor/porcelain tile wall Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Bar Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Bar Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Lounge area Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Porcelain tile bar Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Porcelain tiled sushi bar Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Kabooki Sushi Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara

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Orlando restaurant critic. Orlando Weekly restaurant critic since 2006.