This is an ever-expanding and changing list of dining options in Orlando. It owes a huge debt to Chowhound, and particularly the late Bob Mervine, without whom it would have been impossible to figure out where to start in this town. Feel free to email me with any suggestions or updates to the list.
Urban Flats, Winter Park: Flatbreads, salads, appetizers. Emily thinks the flatbreads are a little greasy, I like them. Inexpensive, and a nice place to go out for a drink and have a bite to eat.
The Ravenous Pig, Orlando Ave, Winter Park. See “Upscale”
Cityfish: 617 E. Central Blvd., Orlando; 407-849-9779. Owned by the same people who own Hue and Citrus, it’s decidedly less fancy. Surprisingly affordable. Fresh seafood (obviously) dominates, it was pretty solid. Emily’s margarita was pretty bad, made with sour mix. That said, we’ll definitely be back. http://www.cityfishorlando.com/menu.htm
Tap Room at Dubsdread, College Park. I had a good burger there.
Beefy King, Bumby. The original restaurant of a now-defunct chain, it is the last one left. Really great roast beef sandwiches, they’ve also got bbq pork and beef, corned beef, etc. Tater tots (beefy spuds). I’ll go back.
Cheeburger Cheeburger. Waterford Lakes Shopping Plaza. Saw it recommended somewhere. 50’s diner style in a new strip mall. Iced tea tasted like water. Burger, the meat itself was really bland. Good french fries, very good onion rings. Very good black & white shake. I doubt I’ll be back.
Logan’s Bistro, Virginia Ave, Orlando. Solid (though unspectacular and a little pricey) sandwiches and other bistro fare. Interminable wait at lunch. Seems like the kitchen was pretty seriously in the weeds.
K Restaurant & Wine Bar, 2401 Edgewater Dr, Orlando. Very good food but seemed pricey. We’ll definitely go back to try it again, but it competed price-wise and probably not food-wise with Ravenous Pug and Luma.
Bakeries 6 Nov 2007
The Dessert Lady, South Kirkman Road, Orlando: A dessert-only restaurant/cafe, they have maybe a 8-12 cakes/pies/desserts available at any time. They were good, but not outstanding. Portions are huge, you’ll almost certainly take half of your item home.
Olde Hearth Bread Co: I buy their breads at the Farmer’s Market in Winter Park and at Harmoni Market in College Park. Best bread I’ve found in Orlando.
Bagel King: 436 and Howell Branch Rd, Orlando: I spent a long time looking for decent bagels in Orlando, and these were without question the best. Dense, chewy, they taste great. The woman behind the counter gave us 20 bagels to our dozen, I think because it was the end of the day and the she had to keep going to the back to get the right kinds of bagels. We’ll go back frequently.
Bubbalou’s, Lee Road. As good as any barbecue we had on our road trips, including the interstate in memphis and the georgia pig. Excellent pork, great ribs, very good side dishes. Cheap. CityBeat Review
Blackwater BBQ, Edgewater. Way better pulled pork than Bubbalou’s, really excellent pork. According to Em, ribs aren’t as good. BBQ Sauce is sweet., hot isn’t that hot. They’ve got another location on Orange Ave.
Cecil’s, 2800 South Orange Ave, Orlando, FL. www.cecilsbbq.com. Texas style BBQ, pick your meat and serving (dinner, sandwich, etc) and pick a couple of sides from the buffet. Thought it was good. Soft-serve dispenser with tiny cones for dessert.
4R / 4 Rivers Smokehouse. Fairbanks and Formosa. Always a line here. Been a number of times, my thoughts: Spice rub on the ribs is a little weird, there’s some overpowering flavor. Pulled pork is good. They mix it with the sauce and plate it that way, so it’s pretty finely shredded but you always get good flavor. First time I had the brisket it seemed really fatty, but an in-the-know customer in line recommended i ask for it from the “lean side” and that made all the difference. The brisket is great. The corn is probably the best side. The puddings are both really good.
To Try: Cecil’s, 2800 South Orange Ave. Orlando, FL 32806, (407)423-9871, (www.cecilsbbq.com) which serves Texas-style brisket, hot sausage, as well as pork, beef, turkey and chicken.
Redlight Redlight, 745 Bennett Rd, near Colonial. Great beer bar. Always interesting cask ales and unique beers on tap. Cash only.
The Ravenous Pig, Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park. The bar side of the restaurant has a rotating great selection of beers on tap, and at $6/pint it’s not so expensive compared to other high end bars/restaurants. They also have great homemade caramel corn as the bar snack.
Scruffy Murphy’s, Edgewater Blvd. A decent local watering hole.
Will’s Pub. Mills Avenue. Dive Bar often has great live music.
Chinese 6 Nov 2007
Empire Szechuan, Orange Ave, Orlando. We’ve gotten takeout from here a few times, it’s the best delivery available to us. Very good dumplings and they’ve got good sesame cold noodles too (a rarity down here). Everything else we’ve had has been really solid. It’s our regular takeout place now.
Eastern Pearl, Altamonte Springs: Best chinese food we’ve found in Orlando. A fancy-ish dining hall in a publix shopping center. Dumplings are good, but the dipping sauce is really vinegary. All the entrees we’ve had have been very good. Probably too far for take-out, but we’re happy to drive for a meal. Less seafood, but comparable to JR Seafood on the west side of LA. Fantastic scallion pancakes.
Winnie’s, Orange Avenue in Winter Park: Nice decor, food was decent but not very authentic at all. Service was good, but the food wasn’t anything that’ll bring us back in the near future.
Tasty Wok, Shine at Colonial: Emily was unimpressed the first time we visited, but I’ve seen been back. It’s good, it’s cheap, the noodle dishes are the best.
China in College Park, Edgwater Drive, 32804: Decent, quick to deliver, but a little pricey.
Forbidden City, Mills Ave, Orlando: Ordered takeout and we didn’t like either of our dishes.
Chan’s Chinese Cuisine, Colonial Drive, Orlando: Had a good meal here, but ended up a little woozy after, I think due to the MSG.
Lam’s Garden, Colonial Drive, Orlando: This place has been solid for us, they deliver to College Park and the food’s good. They’re not perfect, but their dumplings are good.
Ming’s Bistro, just off Mills, Orlando: Specializes in dim sum. We’ll go back some time and try that, we had a mediocre dinner here. Got a great review in the Orlando Sentinel.
Cuban
Black Bean Deli, Orlando Ave, Winter Park. A little takeout counter, we had very good ropa vieja, they also had good very good empanadas. A recent lunch takeout order was fantastic, the pan con lechon (the pulled pork sandwich w/ mojo) was first class.
Don Pepe’s Habana Grill, 434 and 436, Altamonte Springs. We had a pretty good meal here, though I think we were hoping it’d be closer to Versailles in Los Angeles, and were a little disappointed when it wasn’t.
To try: Rolando’s 870 State Road 436, Casselberry
Orlando Sentinel: “Best Cuban food north of Havana,” gushed one voter for Rolando’s. And several noted the casual family atmosphere. My Foodie is headed back to Black Bean, although the tiny space doesn’t have much space left on its award-filled walls. Habana Grill was another reader favorite.
French 6 Nov 2007
Chowhound recs: Le Coq Au Vin is a classic country French reestaurant, 4800 South Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32824, (407)851-6980. I highly recommend it.
I suspect you are talking about Le Coq Au Vin, which isn’t terribly far from the I-Drive area. Two others come to mind. Chez Vincent in Winter Park and Paris Bistro in the Goldenrod area. They are all in the same ballpark, but the last two aren’t as convenient. There’s also a very nice place called Le Crepe in the Davenport area, west of Disney, just off I-4. It’s in the small strip mall there at ChampionsGate, not at the Omni.
Pretty solid food. We’ll likely go back when we have the craving for Indian.
Tabla, 5827 Caravan Ct 32819 www.tablabar.com Have been twice now, both times we had the lunch buffet. the first time it was excellent, the first time merely good. I’d like to try it ordering individual dishes rather than hitting the buffet.
To Try:
Passage to India 5532 International Drive, Orlando
Critic’s choice: Udipi Café (Vegetarian) 1275 S. U.S. Highway 17-92, Longwood
Memories of India on Turkey Lake Road near the Sand Lake Road interesction.
Dakshin, 12541 S.R. 535 (in the Crossroads shopping Center), Lake Buena Vista, FL 32836 (407)827-9080, www.dakshin-orlando.com/. I like them for their decor, their great service and the cuisine, which includes many of the spicier dishes from the north of India. I also like the Woodlands, 6040 South Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, 32809, (407)854-3330, www.woodlands-usa.com/. While their menu is totally vegetarian, the menu is diverse and the room has a comfortable feel to it. It’s near a neighborhood where a lot of white collar Indian people live and for them it is a hometown favorite.
Italian 6 Nov 2007
Gargi’s on Orange. Beautiful lakeside location, good food, more expensive.
Brio (Winter Park Village, Mall of Millenia) a small chain, pretty decent food. Expensive.
Valdiano’s, Baldwin Park. I think this may have changed name / ownership. We ate here once and had a decent meal, and then a year later had a pretty terrible meal.
Antonio’s in Maitland. We like eating downstairs in the cafe. Cheap and good.
Spiro’s on Lee Rd near home depot. very good very inexpensive informal Italian. nice complimentary soup, good garlic knots, nice pastas. we’ll go back.
Rocco’s Italian Grille 400 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park
Orlando Sentinel: This is the second year in a row you’ve sent the popular-vote Foodie to this Oviedo restaurant. “The food is great, and the family running the place is wonderful,” said one reader. That family, of course, is the Circostas, and they are gracious hosts. The critic’s award goes to Rocco’s this year, a charming little trattoria with excellent food.
Chowhound recs: For Italian try Mona Lisa in Longwood
Intimate Italian, moderate price in a converted home on one of the downtown cobblestone streets in Orlando. Bravissimo 337 N Shine Street
Saucy Bella (Italian) 1700 West Sand Lake Road, Suite 124 The pasta and bread were fresh, and the sauce was delish. You must try the vodka cream sauce – you do not have a choice in this matter! I had fettuccine with Bolognese and meatballs, which was pretty good. Toni had the lobster ravioli with Vodka cream sauce which was amazing.
Just wanted to post that we recently had dinner at Circosta’s on 426/Aloma close to Dean Rd. in Oviedo/Winter Park and our food was excellent. Their eclairs and canoli’s were to die for too. And decent prices….we will definitely be back there.
Japanese 6 Nov 2007
Sushi Tomi, 8463 S John Young Pkwy
Oyaji Japanese Cuisine – CLOSED. Apparently the down economy and dwindling business caused the chef to close the restaurant after 20 years. Too bad, it was the only place to find legitimate Ramen in Orlando. 6935 Municipal Dr http://www.orlandoweekly.com/dining/review.asp?rid=12869 We went here and finally found legitimate Ramen in Orlando. It may not be quite as good as Asahi or Ramen-ya in Los Angeles, but it was solid. They also had really wide menu: sushi, japanese curries, other noodle dishes, etc. We’ll definitely go back.
Fuji Sushi, Lee Road: Great sushi and priced decently. It’s not LA, but we’re not going to find LA-quality sushi in a town the size of Orlando. We’ve been back and the food was just as good the second time.
Wazzabi Sushi, near Winter Park Village: Fancy room but the fish wasn’t as good as it was at Fuji, and I think it was more expensive.
Hanamizuki, 8255 International Drive, Orlando. Very authentic. We went here in search of ramen, but apparently it’s only served at lunch. Sushi was good, the japanese-style fried chicken was good, and I had a nice udon-based soup. We’ll go back again to try the ramen.
Shin Jung 1638 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando Orlando Sentinel: “Shin Jung has been in this little old house (remember when it was a place called Chubby’s?) for a long time, but I hadn’t stopped in for years. When I did recently, I found terrific food and friendly servers. Not the prettiest place, but the important thing here is the food.”
La Granja, 490 N Semoran Blvd. A fast-food like peruvian chicken joint. Perfect roast chicken, rice, plantains, beans. The green garlicky dipping sauce is great.
Pio Pio Chicken, 2500 S. Semoran Blvd. Fancier inside than you’d expect, good roast chicken combo meals. Pretty cheap.
To Try: Brazas Chicken 4797 S. Orange Ave., Orlando Despite the name, Brazas is more than chicken, and the Peruvian food is all good.
The Greek Corner 1600 N Orange Ave http://thegreekcorner.net/index.php Had a great gyro here, Emily had a lamb sandwich (i forget the name) which wasn’t so hot.
Bosphorus, 108 Park Ave. S., Winter Park. We have had great meals here. Definitely higher end, it’s pretty expensive but definitely worth it.
House of Kebabs, Fairbanks, Winter Park. Solid takeout, but the hummus is a little bitter.
Recommended:
Theo’s at Michigan & Osceola. “Great fried chicken (odd combo – but it must work – they’ve been there over 20 years that I know of).”
Greek Flame Taverna 1560 Semoran Blvd., Winter Park
Cypriana Cafe 505 Semoran Blvd, Casselberry Chad recommends.
Cedar’s 7732 Sand Lake Road, Orlando
Orlando Sentinel: “Authentic” and “excellent hummus” are some of the comments about Cedar’s, which has received the critic’s choice award for a number of years. But when I announced the winners last year, I mentioned that Bosphorus would be a contender in ‘07. I recently revisited both restaurants back-to-back, and I had to give the nod to the Turkish restaurant this time, although Cedar’s still does a terrific job. As another commenter said, “Oh that bread!” Ali Baba’s was the only other vote-getter in this category.
Mexican
Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant 929 N. Semoran Blvd., Orlando
This is without question our favorite mexican restaurant in town. I had a really excellent carnitas platter and good flan. Very good burritos (again carnitas, reminds me of tacos por favor in LA), very good traditional taco (meat, onions, cilantro on homemade corn tortilla). Great chips.
We’ve been to El Potro a couple times and have had solid meals each time.
Paco’s, Winter Park. This place was very tex-mex and not very good. We definitely won’t be back.
Pancho’s / Beto’s SR436, Fern Park. Went here looking for Beto’s, but apparently this location was sold and is now Pancho’s. Fantastic Horchata, really medicore carnitas. Probably won’t go back, will try Beto’s on OBT.
Mi Mexico #2. 5214 Satel Dr, Just off Edgewater, Orlando. A little taco shop attached to a Mexican grocer and carniceria. Had legitimately excellent carnitas tacos and a very good horchata. Tacos are $1.29 or something, the meal was an excellent value. Chips were ok, Salsa was excellent and VERY hot.
Pizza
Anthony’s, Mills & Colonial: The best takeout available to us. Very solid, and they also have a great Sicilian style pie.
Little Anthony’s, Colonial: Pretty good pizza, but a little pricier, longer delivery time, and less good than Anthony’s.
Alfonso’s, Edgewater: Great sauce, good cheese, mediocre crust.
American Pie, Edgewater: I don’t remember what I didn’t like about this pizza, but I didn’t like it.
Brooklyn Pizza, Fairbanks: We’ve had some decent and some very good pizza from these guys. Sometimes the sauce may be a little too sweet, but the crust is as good as it gets in Orlando.
Pizzeria Valdiano, Baldwin Park. We had pretty good pasta at the Baldwin Park location and slices at the one in Winter Park Village. Pretty good.
Panino’s, Downtown. Ordered delivery from this place. Wasn’t impressed with the Pizza, likely won’t order again.
Orlando Sentinel: Readers were quite specific about the crust at Winter Park’s Pizzeria Valdiano. “Pizza crust is light and crispy,” said one, while another described it as “light but chewy.” I was close to awarding the prize to Carlucci’s a couple of years ago but backed off because of the stingy toppings. When I tried the pizza last year, everything about the pie was all wrong. This year it was all right. Good crust, light on the sauce, nice cheese and ample toppings. By the way, no mega-chain pizza maker made it into the top five. We’ve come a long way in 10 years, when Pizza Hut was the first winner in this category. Congratulations, Orlando.
Luna’s Pizza 1002 W State Road 434, Longwood
Thai 6 Nov 2007
SEA Thai, 3812 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando.
In a non-descript mini strip mall on Colonial, it’s more or less brand new inside and very tastefully decorated. The food we had was all excellent, particularly the curry. It was about the same price as other similar thai restaurants, but felt a lot nicer (decor, serveware, etc). Our favorite Thai restaurant in tow.
Thai House, 2117 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando.
Our meal here was just ok. We had a thai basil noodle dish that I hoped would be like traditional pad kee mao, but ended up with a very different flavor profile. It was still good. The masaman curry we had was really flavorless. I’d definitely go back to SEA Thai over Thai House.
Orlando Sentinel: Thai House was your choice in ‘98, and most of you have been loyal to it throughout the years. I’m at the newcomer in town, whose name is an acronym for Southeast Asia. At least we agree that East Colonial Drive has two good Thai restaurants. You also liked Royal Thai and Thai Basil.
Chowhound recs: Also, we have recently found Red Bamboo to make some really tasty Thai. Perhaps not transcendant, but I think they are quite solid and consistent and feel very comfortable recommending them.
I like Napasorn downtown because it always meets my criteria, where most of the strip mall places are either dirty or plain or just have poor service.
Tasty Thai on Curry Food is pretty good everyday, as is the Thai Cafe on Magnolia Downtown. Royal Thai at Semoran and Old Cheney Highway is a bit pricier, but usually good.
Upscale
The Ravenous Pig, Orlando Ave, Winter Park. The line between “American” and “Upscale” is often a tough one, but in the end I think it belongs here. We’ve had a number of fantastic meals here. They’ve got a pub menu and dinner menu, but you can order off the pub menu in the dining room. Great beer on tap, homemade caramel corn as the bar snack. The truffled fries were amazing, the burger very good, the scallops were great. The lobster tacos are one of the best things on the menu, the shrimp and grits is great too. One of our favorite restaurants in Orlando. You can spend a lot of money there or you can dine at the bar and walk out totally full for less than you’d spend at a mediocre chain restaurant.
Luma on Park, Winter Park: Best meal we’ve had in Orlando. Impeccable service, spectacular food (my duck was amazing, the quail appetizer was great). My one beef is that meals are usually only served with one of a starch or vegetable, and if you want both you need to order an additional side. On our second trip we had excellent fish and the pork tenderloin/belly/sausage dish. Everything was perfectly prepared, and the menu was almost totally different. I really liked the tiered wine list, you’re not driven to a particular wine based on what you might want to spend.
Graze, Pine St, Thornton Park. Probably our third favorite restaurant in town (behind Ravenous Pig and Luma). It feels like the most seasonal menu in town; in October we had a maple glazed pork chop and a short rib done in the style of osso bucco. Both were excellent. For dessert we had beignets with chocolate and caramel dipping sauce, it was very good. Appetizer (duck confit sprint rolls) was good too, seems like a great place to have a couple of cocktails and some appetizers.
Taste on Princeton in College Park serving American-style tapas. Nice room, open late. We’ve been there for appetizers and drinks and enjoyed it.
Hue, Thornton Park: Our meals were good but not incredible. Not nearly as good as Luma for approximately the same $. They did give me a free dessert on my birthday, which was classy. Nice room.
Citrus, Orange Ave, Downtown: Had some appetizers and drinks here, a nice room and strong cocktails. The flatbreads were good.
Emeril’s, Universal Citywalk. We went with my folks, it was interesting to compare to the Mesa Grill in Vegas. Our meal here was solid but nothing really felt inspired. Bold flavors but not a lot of nuance to the dishes. Brought us a nice amuse bouche for free since we were locals (and new to town). It’s interesting to imagine that restaurant as the first (and only) fine dining experience of someone’s life. Service was impeccable, and the breads (particularly the corn bread muffins) were top notch. Desserts were only so-so, my banana cream pie was without question the best dessert on the table. We went back for a second time. Corn muffins were again excellent, my “tuna stack” salad was stunning. Perfect tomatoes, great tuna, a really interesting balsamic glaze. Emily’s pasta was “eh.” Not enough salt or acid. We both had desserts, I again had the banana cream pie, which was too much for one person but excellent.
Still to try (Commentary by chowhound): Last year in November I spent a week entertaining clients at restaurants that included Del Frisco’s (superb, as good as New York), Chatham’s Place, Maison et Jardin ( a favorite), Emeril’s (a waste), Flying Fish (surprisingly good), Vito’s (much better than the name implies) and Victoria and Albert (would not confuse with the French Laundry). This November I’m returning and will again be hosting a number of meals. Is there anything new that has opened over the past year or so that is really outstanding? Is Manuel’s on 28th still around and if so what is it like? Does anyone have an opinion on what they are convinced is the absolute best restaurant in the Orlando area? Has anyone been to Louis’ Downtown in its new location?
Normans at the Ritz Carleton
Palm Steakhouse at Hard Rock is pretty much like every other one in the chain. Not at all bad, but nothing very memorable either.
In Winter Park, it seems safe now to suggest Chef Justin’s Park Plaza Garden on Park Ave. The renovation is mostly done and this is one of the city’s best up and coming chefs. There’s also Fleming’s at Lee Road and 17-92, a chain that caters to women executives with 100+-plus wines by the glass. But I would probably send you accoss the street to Ruth’s Chris, I find it a little less frenzied. Downtown, in addition to the others we discussed, Kres Chophouse on Church St. —old Pebles location—is a nice chophouse with a private dining area and Hue is a good, if noisy option in Thornton Park. Harvey’s can be a little clubby and Manuel’s can be a bit much. My number one choice however is Maison et Jardin in Altamonte. Great food, elegant service, a beautiful old estate setting and wonderful wines.
Vietnamese 6 Nov 2007
Tried:
Lac Viet Bistro: Sort of fancy, very very good. Awesome duck noodle soup, Em had some great lemongrass beef.
Viet Garden: Great Appetizers, very good food, a Vietnamese and Thai menu. The summer rolls were a standout.
Pho 88: Very good Pho, pretty good Bahn Mi, very inexpensive.They offer Pho takeout which if you split an “extra large” soup is about the cheapest possible meal for two.
Ba Le: Weird Vietnamese deli / french bakery. Sandwich fixings are gone in the early afternoon. That said, we had some great Bahn Mi here. The Grilled Lemongrass Beef sandwich is fantastic.
Little Saigon: Didn’t like this one as much as Viet Garden.
Anh Hong, 1124 E Colonial, Orlando. Tried this one on the recommendation of the Orlando Sentinel. I thought it was good (I had Bun), Emily thought the Pho wasn’t as good as at Pho 88.
This is an ever-expanding and changing list of dining options in Orlando. It owes a huge debt to Chowhound, and particularly the late Bob Mervine, without whom it would have been impossible to figure out where to start in this town. Feel free to email me with any suggestions or updates to the list.
—Philip Fibiger