12 Best Restaurants in Orlando, Florida

The Pig established the gastropub category in Orlando and then went on to spawn several offshoots. Run by James and Julie Petrakis, a husband-and-wife chef team with multiple James Beard Award nominations, its delicacies include pork porterhouse and the pub burger, though the daily-changing menu always includes less-expensive pub fare like rock shrimp tacos and homemade pretzels. All charcuterie is made in-house, from the spiced orange salami to the game-bird terrine. Adjacent is the Ravenous Pig Brewing Co., serving small-barrel craft beers and ales in a beer garden. The Pig received the Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022, which recognizes great food at great value.

Modern spins on locally sourced Southern staples are the crux of this sprawling restaurant, where scratch cooking by Ritz chefs is the rule, and produce is grown on the resort's own private Whisper Creek farm. Dinner entrées change regularly and might include Florida shrimp and grits, waffle fried quail or diver scallops with wild mushrooms. The "devil" chocolate cake and homemade doughnuts with coffee gelato are choice sweets. 

At this restaurant, award-winning, James Beard–nominated chef Braden McGlamery emphasizes innovative American dishes. Sophisticated barbecue might find a place on the menu next to Florida redfish as well as some of the best burgers in the area. The bar serves creative cocktails crafted with house-made tinctures, and the Sunday brunch is a must.

Trina Gregory-Propst and her team of bakers and cooks make the biggest and most satisfying breakfasts, lunches, and sweet treats in town. Try a from-scratch chicken potpie, which has the most glorious crust; the mile-high meat loaf sandwich; or the "7th Trimester" of buttermilk garlic biscuit, over-medium egg, and smoked bacon, smothered in five-cheese mac and cheese. Look for the "Let us fill your pie hole" mural.

Named a Recommended Restaurant in the Florida 2023 Michelin Guide, Sear + Sea has a wood-fired grill and features an elegant steak and seafood menu, a unique cocktail list, and a 1,200-bottle wine cellar. Dine indoors at a white marble table amid a relaxing natural color scheme, or head outdoors to enjoy your meal while overlooking the  resort’s pool and greenery.

Open from early breakfast to dinner and desserts in the Hyatt Regency, this slick modern diner is not exactly cheap, but the salads, sandwiches, and griddle foods are tops. The classic B Line Burger is done beautifully. And there are lots of selections you'd never expect to find here, like a stuffed avocado salad and a portobello quesadilla entrée.

Named after Jimmy Buffett's beloved yacht, the Euphoria Fish House is just off of the lobby of the Margaritaville Resort Orlando. It's open for breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner, when featured dishes range from lobster rolls to pan-seared Chilean sea bass served with citrus-marinated bok choy. Be sure to ask your server about the margarita of the day—after all, you are in Margaritaville!

A holdover from when neighborhood restaurants were actually in a neighborhood, award-winning Maxine's is casual, hip, local, and friendly. The menu ranges from sophisticated seafood to brisket burgers and Black Angus filet mignon. The wine list is unique and special, and the bar rivals the extended outdoor seating for popularity. There's live music several times a week, an unusual Friday brunch, and special events feature wine dinners and drag cabaret nights.

The big draw here is fondue, and the bubbling pots of bouillon, cheese, or chocolate on offer give fans of food on skewers a chance to share plates with friends. It might seem like an old idea, but Melting Pot continues to draw families and dating couples for a surprisingly fun meal. Lunch is available weekends, and there are midweek and date-night specials, too.

Part tavern, part bistro, and part sports bar, Nona Blue has a little something for everyone. Kettle chips smothered in blue cheese or Buffalo chicken wings, check; burgers and salads, check; filet mignon or a 16-ounce, $54 Delmonico rib eye, also (very much) check.

It's hard to believe that a chain restaurant can offer healthful yet hearty and very flavorful food, but the innovative Seasons 52 does just that, with some of its menu changing weekly as well as seasonally. Nearly everyone orders the flatbread starters, and entrées might include wood-roasted, dry-rubbed pork chop with braised cabbage or caramelized grilled sea scallops with butternut squash and leek risotto, broccolini, and lemon butter. An impressive wine list with dozens of selections by the glass complements the menu. For dessert, indulgent classics like pecan or Key lime pie and carrot cake are served in petite portions. Although the cuisine is haute, the prices are modest—not bad for a snazzy, urbane bistro and wine bar. It has live music nightly to boot.

Best bets at this family-friendly restaurant on Highway 192 are the signature, ½-pound, Wagyu-beef burgers, or you can go wild and order the jalapeño peanut butter burger with pepper jack cheese. Lunch specials include salads, wing baskets, and mashed-potato bowls.