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The dining scene in Orlando was at one time epitomized by a plethora of fast-food fare, but there's been such an explosion of artisanal and locally sourced restaurants over the past five years that there are now seven local chefs and nine international celebrity chefs with James Beard Award nominations around the city. Some of the best restaurants in town can be found in resort hotels and theme-park complexes such as Disney Springs, but if you have the time, explore the local treasures beyond the resorts.
The signs of Orlando's dining progress is most evident in the last place one would look: Disney's fast-food outlets. Every eatery on Disney property offers a tempting vegetarian option, and kiddie meals come with healthful sides and drinks unless you specifically request otherwise. Chefs at Disney’s table-service restaurants consult face-to-face with guests about food allergies.
Around town, locals flock to the Ravenous Pig, the Rusty Spoon, Artisan's Table, and other gastropubs where the menu changes regularly; Luma on Park, a suave home of thoughtfully created cutting-edge meals; and any number of dining establishments competing to serve the very finest steak. Orlando's culinary blossoming began in 1995, when Disney's signature California Grill debuted, featuring farm-to-table cuisine and wonderful wines by the glass. Soon after, celebrity chefs started opening up shop. And in 2013, Disney completely revamped California Grill so it's a trendsetter once again.
Orlando's destination restaurants can be found in the theme parks, as well as in the outlying towns. Sand Lake Road is now known as Restaurant Row for its eclectic collection of worthwhile tables. Here you'll find fashionable outlets for sushi and seafood, Italian and chops, Hawaiian fusion and upscale Lebanese. Heading into the residential areas, the neighborhoods of Winter Park (actually its own city), Thornton Park, and Downtown Orlando are prime locales for chow. Scattered throughout Central Florida, low-key ethnic restaurants specialize in the fare of Turkey, India, Peru, Thailand, Vietnam—you name it. Prices in these family-owned finds are usually delightfully low.
If you're looking for a break from greasy vacation food, stop by The Land Cart for a fruit and cheese tray or a veggie plate. It's a short walk to benches where you can eat overlooking the upside-down water fountain by Journey in Imagination.
Stone arches and dark woods help to evoke a cozy, well-heeled château setting at this restaurant, where a unique cellar of Canadian wines and beer complement such dishes as Prince Edward Island mussels, cheddar cheese soup, and AAA Canadian tenderloin. Lighter fare includes a plant-based Canadian tart or wild caught scallops. If you're itching to try yet another Canadian specialty, order one of the poutine dishes as a side. Desserts that nod to the land up north include crème brûlée made with maple sugar and a brown-butter pecan tart with maple ice cream.
The Liberty Square Market is filled with all sorts of fruits, trail mixes, yogurts, and cheese. Those looking for a heftier option can pick up a turkey leg to enjoy with their orange. This place is located perfectly along the parade route: grab a spot in the shade, and send one adult over to pick up a few items while you wait.
Every day is Thanksgiving in this tavern, which holds a prime spot on the parade route, so you can have a good meal while you wait. Each of the six dining rooms commemorates a historical U.S. figure (e.g., Betsy Ross or Benjamin Franklin), and both lunch and dinner feature the family-style, "all you care to enjoy" Patriot's Platter, with turkey, pot roast, sliced pork, and sides. A protein-based alternative is always available as well. The restaurant is decorated in lovely Williamsburg colors with Early American–style furnishings and lots of brightly polished brass. Wait times may be long, but don't let the always-crowded lobby put you off—the food is surprisingly good.
The open-air Lotus Blossom Café offers authentic pot stickers and egg rolls, as well as entrées such as orange chicken with steamed rice, chicken fried rice, and a Mongolian combo. The Joy of Tea cart along the promenade serves hot and cold tea, plus trendy bubble milk tea, beer, and cocktails.
Along with foot-long hot dogs, the Lunching Pad serves up tasty pretzels, stuffed with warm cream cheese. This is also a good spot for a blue-raspberry slushy or a midafternoon cup of coffee. This location also serves breakfast bowls. If you're able to wait, head to Tomorrowland first thing in the morning, get in a ride on Space Mountain or Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and then grab something to eat here.
Most people stop here on their way into the park—and end up waiting in their first long line of the day. Instead, return to the Main Street Bakery in the afternoon for a coffee and a delicious brownie. In addition to the usual Starbucks offerings, there are specialty cakes that kids will enjoy and giant cinnamon rolls that everyone can split.
Stop by the Milk Stand to grab a glass of blue milk, Luke Skywalker's favorite drink (green milk is available, too—who knew?). Both drinks are made with coconut and rice milk mixed with different fruits. Adults can have rum or tequila added to their beverage.
There is, of course, a sushi bar at this sleek, expansive Masaharu Morimoto establishment, and the Iron Chef himself takes control of it on the rare occasions when he's in town, though it's fun to watch any of the chefs at work. There's also an open kitchen and multiple dining spaces and lounges where the menu features pan-Asian favorites like Chinese duck, Korean noodles, and Singaporean laksa. A quarterly omakase (chef's choice) experience runs $250 and requires an advance deposit. The bar runs nearly the length of a football field as it snakes from the ground floor to the top floor, where an outdoor terrace overlooks the water. There's late-night munching at the Forbidden lounge, complete with an interesting cocktail menu, a balcony, and an outdoor street food window.
The dining room, with Victorian-style columns, high ceilings, and hardwood floors, is not only a great place seafood and steaks, but also to gaze out at the nightly fireworks over the Seven Seas Lagoon (an announcement is made when fireworks commence, and music is piped in). The menu changes regularly, but typical choices are blackened redfish and the surf-and-turf centerpiece—a butter-poached lobster tail and a tender, grilled filet mignon. The name of the place, incidentally, was not coined by Disney Imagineers; it's the name of a river and a small Central Florida town, both of which predate Disney. The bar, one of the more intimate in the resorts, specializes in fine whiskeys and spirits.
This Polynesian-themed restaurant offers two thoroughly entertaining, though incredibly different, experiences. Early in the day, the Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch is destination-worthy, and by night, you'll find a Hawaiian-theme dinner. The intergalactic Stitch and a human sidekick join families for the morning meal, and Mickey and Pluto join in periodically while kids parade around the restaurant with maracas and wide grins. At night, the restaurant serves family-style, all-you-can-eat Hawaiian specialties and lots of meat, dumplings, and signature 'Ohana bread. The kids have coconut-rolling contests using brooms, and even dads are known to try out the hula hoops between courses.
Housed in a paddleboat on Lake Buena Vista, this sophisticated seafood destination has multiple outdoor dining areas, where same-day, fresh-catch selections are presented in any number of ways, from raw bar delicacies to the traditional Gulf-shore jambalaya or the Build-Your-Own Seafood Boil. There are non-seafood dishes like filet mignon and pork chops, as well as vegetarian options. The casual rooftop bar offers views of the entire Disney Springs complex.
The James Beard Award–nominated chef-owners of the Ravenous Pig gastropub in nearby Winter Park opened this sit-down restaurant to give Disney visitors a taste of Orlando's finest. Not only do they source as many ingredients as possible from local farmers and purveyors, but they also house-smoke the ribs, brisket, and chicken, and they offer special Southern sides like tomato-and-watermelon salad or smoked corn with lime butter. Bar options include locally made beer and cocktails; a selection of nearly 100 whiskies adds an extra kick.
Na'vi-inspired treats, such as pineapple cream cheese spring rolls and giant pretzels, can be found here. But what kids will love is the Night Blossom, a limeade topped with boba. Pongu Pongu also offers breakfast, so if you find yourself deep into the park without having stopped to eat, grab a biscuit here.
At this tropical-themed chain restaurant your meal will be accompanied by singing birds (of the Audio-Animatronic type), aquariums full of fish (real), and an occasional thunderstorm (artificial). The menu features seafood, beef, chicken, and pasta dishes, as well as burgers prepared in a variety of ways, with a selection of seasonings. Kids can choose from a more limited selection, but everyone can share in the Sparkling Volcano, a towering chocolate brownie served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped toppings. Delighting adults is the Lava Lounge, an impressive serpentine bar with a wide selection of beers, wines, and specialty cocktails.
Under the leadership of Neapolitan chef Fabrizio Schenardi, Ravello is a chic, modern Italian restaurant. Hand-tossed pizzas emerge from the oven—perhaps finished with house-made ricotta, arugula, and truffle oil; the pastas might be familiar or ambitious, like ravioli made with veal, spinach, and wild mushrooms; and the entrées are simple yet hearty, perhaps a 16-ounce, dry-aged rib eye with Fabrizio's special rub or a swordfish fillet. In the morning, the dining room is fresh and bright, perfect for a buffet or à la carte breakfast. On select mornings, this is also the backdrop for a Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy & Pals character meal. The $46 adult/$24 kid price tag includes a buffet with an omelet station plus a pic of each guest with Goofy.
At the Refreshment Outpost, set on its own between Germany and China, kids love to test their drumming skills on the large authentic drums that invite players to improvise their own African folklore performances. Village Traders sells African handicrafts and—you guessed it—souvenirs relating to The Lion King. Buy a hot dog or frozen slushie, and enjoy the break at a table by the lagoon. A cool mist is set up to offer respite on hot days.
This all-American smokehouse offers barbecue from Texas, Kansas, Memphis, and the Carolinas. Although some aficionados might find it sacrilegious, consider having everyone in your party order a different type of barbecue and then decide which region should reign supreme. The beer-battered onion rings are the perfect side, and the Tennessee lemonade, made with Jack Daniel's, finishes the meal.
If you're looking for a quick meal in Galaxy's Edge, this is the place. Among the meats that have been "roasted over a pod racer engine," you'll find pork rinds, roasted pork, and vegetable wraps. For a small bite, the Andoan fruit with muja sauce is a spicy treat. Those who rushed straight for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run will be happy to know they can pick up breakfast here between flights.
If you're an Anglophile and you love a beer so thick you could stand a spoon up in your mug, head here—not only to soak up the suds but also to enjoy the British pub culture and feast on the best fish-and-chips in town. Other traditional English fare includes Scotch eggs, shepherd's pie, and, at times, bangers and mash (sausage over mashed potatoes); vegetarians can always find an adapted item, such as a savory hot pot. For dessert, try the sticky toffee pudding. A dinner package is available to enjoy a meal and one of the best fireworks-viewing seats at EPCOT.
Set at a Mexican market in perpetual twilight, this restaurant gets high marks from guests for its food and atmosphere. Everyone enjoys sharing the guacamole or queso fundido, and the camarones a la diabla (pepper and garlic-sautéed shrimp over poblano rice and crispy Brussels sprouts) are especially good. Although kids will enjoy tacos or quesadillas, their highlight might well be when the boats from the Gran Fiesta Tour attraction next door float by your table.
Most of the flavors are from India, yet Sanaa is really a celebration of the Spice Islands—locales off the coast of Africa that, for centuries, enticed traders from the world's far corners. Exotic yet approachable lunches and dinners make it a true find on the outer edges of the Disney empire; views of zebras and giraffes on the savanna right out the picture windows are another draw. Potato-pea samosas are good starters. For the main course, try the tandoori chicken or the potjie-inspired meal, a bowl with a mix of a protein and unique base. This is the only sit-down restaurant open for lunch at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
If you don't mind zombies leering at you while you eat, then head to this enclosed faux drive-in, where you can sit in a booth that looks like a candy-color, 1950s convertible while watching clips from classics like Attack of the Fifty-Foot Woman and Teenagers from Outer Space. The menu includes a variety of burgers, from barbecue to classic, as well as pan-seared chicken pasta and chicken-salad sandwiches. End with a hot-fudge sundae or plant-based cookie shake.
What food does the Headless Horseman like the most? It must be waffles, because Sleepy Hollow Refreshments has waffles aplenty. Stop by first thing in the morning for waffles covered in strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. In the afternoon, the chicken-and-waffle option has a bit of a kick and is served with house-made chips.
Look for the colorful, smiling (of course!) crocodiles on the side of this little hut offering delicious street tacos. Choose from pulled pork, chicken, or corn, and combine it with an Island Sunrise for a quick snack.
If you're just looking for a bratwurst and a cold beer, pop by the Sommerfest counter at the entrance of the Biergarten restaurant. There's not much seating, so you might have to eat on the run.
At what is, literally, an out-of-this-world restaurant, you board a special elevator to travel 220 miles above the planet to a dining room with panoramas of Earth through viewports that use real-time, above-the-clouds imagery. The prix-fixe menu ($55 at lunch and $79 for dinner, $29 for kids under 9) includes a liftoff (read: appetizer) and a star (main) course. Liftoff selections include starry calamari, blue moon cauliflower, and space greens; the star course menu features dishes like galactic miso salmon with glazed rainbow carrots and slow-rotation short rib with cheddar grits.
To accommodate the clamor for more fireworks dining, this restaurant was built along World Showcase Lagoon, and it's a great place to catch a meal and watch the 9 pm display. Here you'll find the cuisine to be more Moroccan-American, so amid the rice-stuffed grape leaves and the tiropitakia, you'll find house-made hummus fries and spicy fried calamari. Book the Fireworks Dining Package for the best views.
This family-style restaurant deep inside the Wilderness Lodge offers character dining with Snow White, Grumpy, Dopey, and even the Evil Queen. The prix-fixe menu includes a shared appetizer, a single entrée per person, and then a shared dessert. There's a good northwestern U.S. wine list to choose from as well. The lobby of the hotel is its own entertainment, with giant totem poles and a huge stone fireplace that features rocks from every strata of the Grand Canyon.
This market-style restaurant is great for a substantial meal or just a quick, healthy bite. Made using food sourced primarily on-site, dishes might include stir-fried chicken or shrimp, vegetable korma, or oak-grilled salmon. Fruit and cheese plates plus assorted fruits and vegetables grown in the Living with the Land attraction are also available.
