FORT LAUDERDALE | FLORIDA
Review: Sushi by Bou Brings Playful Precision to Pier Sixty-Six
★★★★★
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By Michael Lessne | Oct. 24, 2025
AUTHOR BIO: A native of South Florida, Michael Lessne is an expert on the Fort Lauderdale dining scene. By day, he is a bankruptcy and creditor's rights attorney and commercial litigator.
There’s something quietly cinematic about the walk to the new Sushi by Bou on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Tucked behind a private, adults-only pool on the freshly reimagined Pier Sixty-Six property on Fort Lauderdale Beach, the approach feels secretive—the kind of hidden passage that rewards curiosity.
A narrow walkway opens into a sleek glass space called the Nectar Room where, the Fort Lauderdale skyline meets the sunset, filtered through palm trees and the shimmer of mosaic-tile ceilings. Inside, orchids spill from planters, mirrored circles glow above, and for a moment, you forget you’re in a hotel at all.
Sushi by Bou began as chef David Bouhadana’s tight, time-boxed omakase—an idea shaped by his Florida roots—he grew up in Boca Raton—and later honed in New York’s most intimate rooms. And while the brand today has grown into a national chain with multiple South Florida outposts, Fort Lauderdale’s glass-boxed perch at Pier Sixty-Six might be the most cinematic of them all.
This isn’t the heavy, hushed omakase bar of Tokyo lore. It’s a vibey, social sushi experience—the brand’s calling card—set at a high-top counter that looks more cocktail lounge than kaiseki temple. No intimidating row of knives, no solemn chef in a headband; just upbeat music, sunset light bouncing off glass, and the faint scent of citrus drifting from the pool. One initial question presents itself: could this concept possibly work jacuzzi-side? By the end of dinner, the answer feels like yes.
We began with a High Ride—mezcal, Grand Marnier, butterfly-pea flower—smoky, floral, and unexpectedly balanced. An Old Fashioned Pearl arrived in a thin glass with a single clear cube; simple, elegant, deliberate. A shot of sake opened the omakase, followed by Heaven Sake Junmai Daiginjo—crisp, fragrant, a perfect companion for what was to come.
The 15-course procession played like jazz. Hawaiian kanpachi amberjack, crisp and bright, the perfect opener. Japanese flounder, subtle and pure, with a wasabi whisper. Sweet shrimp, a dividing line—if you love that sweetness, it’s a gem. Madai (sea bream), clean and elegant. Ikura, briny and bold. Akami (lean tuna with truffle salt), buttery and balanced. Shima aji, precise and delicate. King madai, all lush texture. Hamachi with a hit of Key lime for local flair. A warm scallop and a savory interlude of miso cod with garlic tofu.
Baby barracuda, smoky and fun. Salmon, torched with restraint and glossed with truffle oil—maybe the best bite of the night. Toro, clean melt. Wagyu crowned with uni, where the uni steals the scene. A tidy Japanese whitefish hand roll, then a caramelized close with BBQ eel and citrus. They were out of ocean trout that night, but nobody at the counter seemed to mind.
Courses arrived with rhythm and care—not the hushed reverence of tradition, but the smooth choreography of a confident kitchen. The chefs chatted easily while plating, and the sake flowed just enough to keep the edges soft.
Sushi by Bou joins Fort Lauderdale’s growing slate of omakase destinations, stepping comfortably alongside the city’s top billing. It’s exactly right for the new Pier Sixty-Six: sophisticated, a touch irreverent, and unabashedly about the experience. Arrive early for the show—the sunset through the glass is its own first course—and linger by the pool after if you must. Fort Lauderdale’s culinary scene has grown up; this shimmering little room is proof that precision, playfulness, and a hint of spectacle can coexist under one roof.
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