Kadence
The place
Nine seats. Thirteen courses. One of the few rooms in central Florida the Michelin Guide formally noticed. Kadence\'s husband-and-wife-and-friend chef team works in near-silence behind a counter the size of a kitchen island, plating each piece of nigiri the second it\'s ready — koshihikari rice, fish flown in twice a week, restraint instead of theatrics.
Orlando's only true omakase
Kadence opened in 2018 in a converted bungalow at the edge of Audubon Park and rewrote what an Orlando sushi dinner could mean. Chef Jennifer Bañagale, chef Lordfer Lalicon, and chef Mark Berdin built a 9-seat counter doing one thing: a chef-driven omakase progression, twice nightly, by reservation only. No à la carte. No menu. No substitutions.
That discipline got the room formally recognized in the inaugural Michelin Guide Florida — the only Orlando restaurant on the list at launch. Bookings open monthly at the start of each month and disappear within minutes. It's the hardest reservation in central Florida and worth every refresh.
The omakase
Each service is 13 courses, about $175 per person, runs roughly two hours. The progression starts with sashimi, builds through hot dishes (a black cod, a wagyu course, something seasonal from the team), and lands on a sequence of nigiri. The rice is koshihikari from Japan, seasoned with red vinegar and served at body temperature. Each piece is plated when it's ready — you eat it within seconds.
Fish flies in twice a week from Toyosu market in Tokyo. The team posts the day's sourcing on Instagram before service. Some nights it's otoro from a specific Tsukiji broker; some nights it's a Mediterranean turbot. The progression adjusts.
The optional sake pairing ($85) is the move if you've never done a serious sake flight — three to four pours, junmai through ginjo, matched course by course. The cocktail pairing exists but most regulars stick with sake here.
How to get in
Reservations open via Tock at 9 AM on the 1st of each month for the following month. Set an alarm. The full month sells out in roughly 10 minutes most cycles. Cancellations sometimes appear in the Tock waitlist a few days before service — worth checking daily if you missed the window.
The room seats 9, so they treat the booking seriously: $100 cancellation fee inside 48 hours. Plan for the night, then plan around it.
The neighborhood
Kadence sits on Winter Park Road, technically just south of Audubon Park — a quiet stretch with East End Market a block down, the Stardust Lounge across the street, and the Mills 50 dining corridor a 5-minute drive south. Dress code is smart casual; the room is too small for sneakers and t-shirts to feel right.
What to expect
A two-hour, 13-course meal in near-silence. Conversation happens but the room is intimate enough that volume settles. No phones at the counter is the unwritten rule. Smart casual; no jackets required.The shop, in frames
What people are saying
Frequently asked
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Closest spots by distance
Other places to fold into the same trip — measured straight-line from Kadence.
