Between Disney Springs And Discovery Cove Is Orlando's Beloved Retro Japanese Restaurant

While guests sit around low tables on cushions and old soda crates, chefs grill meat and skewer aromatic yakitori in an open kitchen. A long line of customers eagerly waits their turn outside, as this place doesn't take reservations. Inside, the sounds of barked orders in the kitchen mix with the slurping from people hunched over ramen bowls. On any day of the week, this is the average picture of Susuru, a self-proclaimed "retro izakaya" on Palm Parkway near Disney Springs.

Named after the Japanese word for "slurp," Susuru centers its menu around a series of ramen bowls paired with authentic Japanese dishes like yakitori, tataki, gyoza, and more. As the country with the second-highest number of Michelin restaurants, Japan is renowned for its mouth-watering cuisine and social dining culture. However, unlike many modern Japanese restaurants that pair minimalistic interiors with elegantly plated dishes, Susuru draws inspiration from a very specific era of Japan. The post-war era of Japan saw a rise in cultural products that would become worldwide phenomena, like Godzilla, Ultraman, and Power Rangers. Susuru's interiors feature walls covered in memorabilia and posters from that era, complementing the mismatched, busy seating inside.

Susuru launched in December 2018, featuring authentic Japanese cuisine that reminds folks of the venerated food markets of Tokyo. The restaurant brings Japan's izakaya (roughly "gastropub") culture to Orlando. "Izakayas are social environments in Japan that many people come to after work. That same energy and food is something that we could not find in Orlando, so we wanted to bring that experience here for our neighbors and those visiting," explains Chef Lewis Lin (via Tasty Chomps).

If you're looking for soft ambient sounds, minimalistic interiors, and a Japanese zen garden vibe, Susuru is not the place for you. This restaurant is unapologetically loud, chaotic, and whimsical. Pop-culture memorabilia clutters the walls, stools scrape on the floor, and the open kitchen lets guests hear the meat sizzling on the binchotan — a traditional charcoal that's essential to Japanese cooking. The seating arrangement has no regard for aesthetics, as crooked tables and soda crate stools allow for a more relaxed, social atmosphere.

Unlike Chef Lin's first restaurant, a traditional sushi restaurant, Susuru's menu was created to introduce Americans and non-Japanese tourists to lesser-known Japanese cuisine, similar to the street food and after-work fare in places like Osaka, known as 'Japan's Kitchen.' Ramen and meat skewers are the main features, and the restaurant offers a selection of flavorful sakes and beers. Susuru also leans heavily into its pop-culture theme with its cocktail menu, featuring drinks like Godzilla II (a yuzu mix with passionfruit and lemonade), Ultraman (a tangy, tart drink with Haku vodka, ginger beer, lime juice, dehydrated apples, and more), and Astro Boy Mule (a Haku vodka mule served in an Astro Boy can).

Chef Lin wanted to focus on Japanese small plates that go well with drinks — dishes that didn't get their spotlight when he first moved to Orlando. "Back then, all the restaurants in Orlando, especially Japanese restaurants, they only did sushi rolls, nothing else but sushi rolls," Lin said on the Florida Foodie Podcast (via Click Orlando). "I was thinking there is something better I can serve to friends or customers — bring some different culture, food to the city."