Aoba Japanese Restaurant

Very good sushi and reasonably priced. Just tried this 3 days ago as takeout and will definitely be going back!

Hidden gem! Courteous service, we even got hot towels as we sat down. The sushi was awesome and came out quick. The sexy girl roll and Africa roll were two of the better rolls I’ve had in town (and I frequent a lot of sushi restaurants). Definitely give this place a try. You won’t be disappointed!

Great service! I liked that I didn’t see the same old rolls that are over done. The quality of the fish was superb, had the Hawaiian, sexy girl, and the fire mountain.

Sushi is excellent. Do not order the filet mignon because it is not filet mignon. It is a sirloin.

Love the hibachi and sushi! Service is great and consistent.

The main server (if not the only one) Tommy is amazing. He remembers faces, is enthusiastic about his job, is so silly and lovable. He is the absolute best and makes the whole experience awesome. The sushi and everything I have had here is phenomenal. Kind of pricey if you are going for dinner but worth it.
My favorites
–the bubba roll
–the volcano roll
–the dynamite roll
–the sexy girl ;)
Definitely go here you won’t regret it!

Went for lunch. Had the lunch special of 2 rolls and a salad. House salad was outstanding with the ginger dressing. Sushi rolls were very good but not exceptional. Ordered unagi on the side and it was great. Will try sushi and sashimi next time. I highly recommend.

Again a great dinner this is a great local spot! Sushi is the best here leaving full and satisfied again!

Tommy greets you when you walk in. Kind service with a smile. Fantastic lunch specials. Yummy sushi!

Do you have to drive all the way into Windermere, pick up your family and then come back out to Orlando for great sushi? Stop! No more. One of Amura’s long time sushi chefs took over ownership of Aoba Japanese Restaurant on Maguire Rd. next to Publix.
He dazzled at Amura Sand Lake sushi bar for a long time, honing his skills while reaching for excellence and entrepreneurship. After a brief stint at owning a smaller sushi restaurant by the airport, he jumped at the opportunity to bring his attention to detail and freshness close to Downtown Windermere.
Aoba occupies a common strip mall anchored by Publix Supermarket in Plantation Grove Shopping Center. It is a few miles south on Maguire Rd from Colonial Dr. There are two other Chinese takeout restaurants and the newly opened Red Eye Bar and Grill. in the plaza. Don’t let the exterior and seemingly modest storefront fool you. Take a step in.
The open entry gives way to a line of semi private booths to the left and a long sushi bar on the right. There are two larger tables flanking the entrance. The high ceilings with hanging signs create an abundance of space. Farther back to the right is the restrooms, a left turn puts you in the kitchen. Unless you plan on washing dishes stay out. High activity.
Like every sushi restaurant the choices are enormous. Food is prepared in a hot kitchen and the sushi bar. Some items many come out a varying times depending on the amount of orders at each station. This restaurant has a hibachi grill, the traditional Japanese flat top. There is a whole menu section of items prepared on the Hibachi Grill. Naturally, there are noodle and rice dishes which includes traditional Japanese preparations and stir fry. Aoba Special Roll section is enormous and utilizes a wide range of ingredients. Common simpler cooked and uncooked rolls with spicy denotation rounds out the sushi list. There are many lunch combinations for a quick in and out.
Fried Calamari w/​Sweet Rice Wine Sauce — lightly battered, crisp, delicate sauce.
Ebi Tempura — lightly battered deep fried shrimp. Crisp, crunchy, tender. Balanced dipping sauce.
Edamame — lightly salted and steamed. Fresh.
Japanese Onion Soup — Onions, Mushrooms, Tempura flakes in Clear Soup. Light broth.
Royal Tuna Kobachi — Tuna cut into cubes mixed w/​spicy sauce on top of seaweed salad & avocado, topped with masago. Crispness of the seaweed salad melted into the sharp bite of spiciness smoothed over with tuna and avocado. Great salad.
Lower right: Super Crunchy Roll — Krab meat, tempura flakes, mayo w/​House Cold Smoked Salmon. Good combination of smokiness and crunch.
Left: California Roll — Krab, avocado, cucumber, masago. Fresh.
Middle: Hawaiian Roll — Spicy Tuna, cucumber & tuna, salmon, masago on top. Spicy kick from the tuna cooled by cucumber combined with the fresh textures of raw fish makes a great experience.
Right: Bubba Roll — Tempura shrimp, avocado, cream cheese & steamed shrimp on top. Crunchy shrimp and steamed shrimp textures sandwiched with avocado is a creamy mouth feel.
Volcano Roll — Baked scallop, krab meat & conch with mayo on California Roll. Very light mayo made this combination a stand out from the other restaurants mountain of artery clogger.
Sexy Girl — (Daily Special) Spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, topped with lobster salad, masago, sesame seeds, eel sauce and tempura flakes. She was sexy awright, the rich lobster salad mingled well with spicy tuna and crunchy shrimp sweetened by eel sauce was a masterful creation.
Sashimi — Tuna, escolar, salmon, yellow tail, and snapper. Fresh, clean, buttery.
Hibachi Sirloin Steak — tender, juicy, flavorful.
Hibachi Shrimp — lightly seasoned, tender.
Special Bento Box — Hibachi Steak, Combination of Tempura, California Roll, gyoza, and egg fried rice. Nice flavors and textures.
Aoba is ideally set in the neighboring Windermere, Ocoee, Winter Garden and Ilseworth area. Service is friendly and the atmosphere is neighborly. Now you don’t have to drive far for a good selection of sushi.

This is a friendly neighborhood sushi place. The fish seemed pretty fresh, but the various sushi we tried, while fine, never transcended ordinary, and considering we were almost alone it seemed rather slow. If I was in the area and wanted sushi I would return.

This is a fantastic neighborhood sushi restaurant. Excellent service and very fresh food. My husband and I really enjoy eating here whenever we can.

This is a local hidden gem! Tommy and crew are always attentive to every need and very prompt with service! Always want you to be pleased. (I always am!) They even took my order after a long day at work when they were closed! That is going above and beyond for the customer. I always usually get the same. House salad and soup, Salmon love roll, and a crunch roll. Their lunch specials are great as well. I have nothing negative to say about this place and am looking forward to my next trip!

We love this place! Discovered it thanks to a friend and was very pleased with service. I called ahead to inquire if they use soy paper in their rolls and was told they do and was then asked if I needed a menu or had any questions. I let the polite man know we would be stopping in and he excitedly said «ok see you soon!»
We arrived and were pleasantly greeted and couldn’t have been happier. Our server Tommy took great care of us and everything from the menu to the price to the speed at which our food came was exceptional. Needless to say we will be returning.

Apparently this place was closed for some time to remodel, and opened up again recently. Very intimate setting for a great sushi meal. It seems this restaurant offers extraordinary options. For example, I ordered the asparagus vegetable roll, which I have never heard of.
Some of the other options were cleverly name, liked the Beauty and the beast roll. I feel as if the server was very concerned about our experience and was definitely wanting to please.
I also enjoyed my miso soup, and appreciate brown rice is offered. I feel this is a solid choice for Japanese cuisine.

First off, I wish they’d include a phonetic spelling for this place on the menu cause I have no idear how to pronounce it!
Sat down in the newly renovated Aoba Japanese Restaurant the other day. They now have new booths for seating, so no more tables and chairs; except in the front right corner. you could sit 8 – 10.
I started off with the Japanese onion soup which is a light starter as one would expect. Had a couple slices of mushroom and scallions. A good beginning.
I shared the Crystal Bubba Roll & Assorted Tempura entrees with a small eater! Turned out to be ample food for both without touching the bowl of white rice.
The Crystal Bubba Roll is tempura shrimp, Kani, cucumber, avocado, with rice paper and a very thin steamed shrimp layer on the outside. An orange sauce is speckled on the platter for picking up a touch of sweetness. The Crystal Bubba has a rice paper incorporated into the roll. The Bubba Roll is w/​o the rice paper. Frankly, I think the rice paper gave the bites more of a mush texture, so I personally would go straight Bubba next time. The roll serving is pretty large and is probably 12″ long! ($ 12)
Their Assorted Tempura is a great example of what Tempura is all about. The ultimate in crispy but light crunchy yumminess. This too is a pretty large serving.(or else I have been eating at some pretty stingy restaurants). Onion, Broccoli, sweet potato, squash, carrot, mushroom and 5 shrimp tempuras. The shrimp are 5– 6″ long as typically extended for this entrée and were the highlight of my meal. Served with a mild soy. ($ 15.50)
I recommend this dish. Even at that price I believe the value supported the impact to the dining budget. I’m fine paying the price for good food and Aoba was a pleasant experience. Will likely return for more too.
Our server Tommy was a true good hearted spirit to have at the table and you could tell he was eager to help make our evening there a delight. He was attentive, positive, and eager to help with explanations of the pretty extensive menu when needed. Went out of his way to help avert an error on the bill he noticed before I even saw the issue.
I had ordered a soup appetizer and later ordered the Assorted Tempura which comes with a soup. He was going to be sure my soup was not charged as an appetizer since I declined a salad or 2^nd soup– even though the Miso soup across the table really smelled good!
Give the new AOBA a try. You have a pretty good chance at leaving happy and satisfied.
Okay, Why 4 stars and not five-​?? Honestly, I’m not sure but when I have that 5 star Japanese Sushi House experience — I’ll know it. Guess I’m one of those who has to be swept off the chair to give a place «Whoo Hooo — As Good As It Gets!!.

So I love Aoba! It’s really hard to find a family owned sushi place that is decent, never mind outstanding. The first time I went here was about three years ago with my dad after I got back from Japan and I was craving some sushi, and tempura, and tonkatsu… pretty much anything scrumptious. The owner TJ is amazing. He’s like a Japanese hippie. We talked about Japan and showed each other pictures that we both had in the same places. It was so neat. My dad and I loved it there so I’m not sure why it took us 3 years to go back. I guess because we don’t see each other that often. Anyways… we went back and we sat in the same seats as we did last time and it was like we came in a few days later. He remembered us and we were just chatting it up as he made us our wonderful sushi. He also let my dad try ¼th of a drop of this crazy hot sauce and my dad was like «That’s nothing, I can take that.» Like 20 min later his face was still red and his mouth was on fire. Too funny.
So if you’re looking for a sushi place that has great Japanese food of all kinds and customer service that can’t be beat, go to Aoba!

This place is good. I eat here about once a week. I have tried some of the best sushi spots in new York and San Francisco, and in my opinion, those spots don’t have anything on Aoba. My in-​laws are native Japanese and they feel the same way. Btw they do serve lunch. I had it for lunch yesterday.

This is my favorite Sushi restaurant in the Orlando area. I can’t believe anyone would call this sushi mediocre. I love the smaller rice and the fish is always fresh. The sashimi is so soft and yummy. The edamame is indeed great and has just the right amount of salt. TJson, the owner, prepares the sushi himself and was a lead chef for Epcot’s Japan Sushi restaurant before starting his own Sushi Restaurant. My favorite rolls are the JS roll, Spicy Tuna Roll and the Volcano Roll. TJson occasionally gives us a taste of something new without charge. In one word «Exceptional».

The sushi is mediocre. The miso is below average. The edamame is great. The seaweed salad is great but overpriced. Good place to go if you want sushi without driving all over Orlando. NO LUNCH