There are two Orlandos.
There is the one visitors see, which runs from the theme parks to Disney Springs and stops there. And there is the one the rest of us live in, which almost nobody writes about.
Nami is where that difference becomes obvious.
Where Do Locals Actually Eat in Orlando?
Lake Nona, increasingly. And Nami is the one worth the drive.
It sits at 6004 Artist Avenue, tucked discreetly on the west side of the Lake Nona Wave Hotel, next to the Lake Nona Sculpture Garden. You do not stumble on it. There is no signage shouting at you from the road. You either know it is there or you do not, and most visitors do not.
That is the difference between tourist Orlando and resident Orlando in one address.
Is Nami a Hidden Gem in Orlando?
It is, though it is running out of time to stay one.
Yelp named Nami number one on its Orlando Best New Restaurants list, number three in the South, and number fifteen nationally on its Top 25 New Restaurants of 2024. Orlando Magazine recognized it in its 2024 Dining Awards, and the room took an AIA Florida 2024 Award of Excellence for Interiors.
So the industry found it. The city mostly has not. That gap is the window.
Is Nami the Best Japanese Restaurant in Orlando?
It is BlinkCo’s pick, and we do not hand that out lightly.
The kitchen is Japanese-inspired rather than strictly traditional, built on Japanese ingredients with a deliberate European accent. The dining room seats sixty-seven. Modern, warm, a little theatrical without tipping into gimmick.
Nami is part of the Tavistock Restaurant Collection and is recognized by the MICHELIN Guide. Worth being precise here, because most write-ups get it wrong. Nami is 2025 Michelin-recommended. The Michelin star belongs to Culinary Director Freddy Money, earned at Atlas in Atlanta, where he is also Culinary Director alongside The Garden Room at The St. Regis Atlanta. He trained in the Alain Ducasse Group. Executive Chef Jason Beliveau runs the kitchen day to day.
That is a serious bench for a restaurant most of the city has never heard of.
What Is the Chef’s Counter at Nami in Lake Nona?
It is a ten seat counter serving an eighteen-course tasting menu, led by Executive Chef Jason Beliveau.
This is the reason to go, and it is the part almost nobody knows about. Ten seats, communal, seated directly in front of the pass. You watch the entire thing happen.
The courses rotate seasonally. Recent runs have included yellowtail confit with yuzu, sake toro with ikura and uni on brioche, Shigoku oysters, and Wagyu finished with osciètre caviar. Wine and sake pairings are offered alongside.
Book it in advance. Ten seats go the way ten seats go.
What Should You Order at Nami?
What Should You Order at Nami?
If you are in the dining room rather than at the counter, start with the lobster donuts.
They are the dish people describe to other people. The tuna pizza and the Nami Nuggets belong in the same conversation. The menu is built to be shared, so order across the table rather than each ordering a plate and defending it.
The bar deserves attention on its own terms. Handcrafted cocktails, curated sake, signature snax, and the full dining menu available if you would rather eat there than in the room.
Is Nami Good for Date Night in Lake Nona?
It is one of the best in the city, and it has a second act most places do not.
Friday and Saturday from 10pm, Nami Nights takes over. Live DJ, champagne service, and a late-night menu running to things like mushroom truffle croquettes and octopus. The dining room and the cocktail bar become one room.
So dinner does not have to end at dinner. And if you want to stretch it further, the Wave Hotel is directly upstairs.
How Do You Get a Reservation at Nami?
Book through namilakenona.com and choose the main dining room, the bar, or the Chef’s Counter.
The dining room is manageable most weeknights. The Chef’s Counter is not. Ten seats, advance booking required. Plan that one.
Nami has its own valet at the entrance.
Nami
6004 Artist Ave, Orlando, FL 32827
namilakenona.com
Nami is one of the reasons we started BlinkCo Bites. There are places here that locals guard and visitors never find, and this is one of them.
Go before everyone else does.
BlinkCo Bites is our running record of the food worth leaving the house for. Rankings are BlinkCo’s editorial opinion. This review is unpaid and unsolicited. We went, we paid, we are telling you about it.
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