Think Orlando is just a series of theme parks and chain restaurants? The truth may surprise you: Orlando has the most surprising food scene in Florida. You can see it in the newly opened best restaurants in Orlando’s theme parks, but even more so in the brick-street neighborhoods and districts around the city’s lively downtown.
From a jewel box omakase restaurant with just nine seats in the Audubon Park Garden District to big fine-dining players in the city’s many luxury hotels and a ramen hot spot in a co-op food hall that has gotten national attention, you’re in for a treat.
No matter what brought you to Orlando, these are the restaurants you won’t want to miss.
Hood line crunched the data to uncover the best restaurants in Orlando, with our special sauce to create a sorted list of options for the best restaurants in Orlando.
We apologize in advance for any cravings caused by this article. If you enjoy our blogs, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Best Restaurants in Orlando
Mealtimes often affect our selections, restricting our restaurant options. Allow Tripononline to assist you when your options are limited. We’ll point you in the right direction for the best restaurants in Orlando, saving you the trouble of calling around to find out when they’re open.
1. Domu
We want to use a word to describe how great Domu’s curry ramen is (and how good the other kinds are, too), but we don’t know how to spell the sound Homer Simpson makes when he’s really excited about food.
At Domu, everyone is talking about the ramen bowls, which are big enough to share, and the beautiful pan-Asian dishes. The food is definitely worth the fuss.
You can level up your bowl with add-ons like fried chicken thighs and braised pork belly, or you can skip the soup and get some crispy wings or the “cheezus,” a gloopy-wonderful cheesy bowl with melted mozzarella, mayo, fresh roasted corn, and Japanese spices.
Take note: Domu does not do take-out or reservations.
2. Capa Four Seasons Orlando
Are you looking for a restaurant with great service, great food and drinks, and a great view? Stop looking. Capa, which is on the top floor of the Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, is a great place to make a reservation for special occasions or just to treat yourself.
There are two large outdoor terraces with views of Walt Disney World and the beautiful grounds of the resort. All of this was done while eating caviar, A-5 Wagyu beef, and a new menu item that was a fancy take on Spanish paella. Capa Four Seasons Orlando serves best Spanish food in Orlando.
Calasparra rice is cooked in a Tempranillo red wine stock and topped with crispy chorizo and a Spanish sweet-and-sour pepper relish made with shishito peppers. Don’t let the fact that it’s “fancy” stop you from bringing your kids.
There is a special menu for kids, and the staff goes out of their way to help them.
3. The Ravenous Pig
The Ravenous Pig was pretty much the first place in Orlando where the term “gastropub” was used. Since it opened, the number of restaurants in the city has grown to a level that makes people talk (and the restaurant has swelled past its original location and moved into bigger digs on Fairbanks).
Local is the most important thing here. The food and craft cocktails on the rotating menu are made with ingredients grown, raised, or made in Florida. There are a few dishes that are always on the menu, but the rest change often, leaving diners to wonder what new treats they might find when they go.
Stroganoff with oxtail over tagliatelle? Pot-au-feu? Possible. If not, you can always try something else that was just made. Come hungry and thirsty.
There are great craft beers on rotating taps, including ones made by Cask + Larder, the bar’s brewery.
4. Prato
Prato is a nice place to celebrate a big anniversary or a well-deserved promotion, but it’s also casual enough that you can bring your kids (as long as they’re good!) for wood-fired pizza and sandwiches like the BLT panini or the great heirloom eggplant version.
The place has a cosmopolitan feel because it has exposed brick, lights that twinkle, and patio seating on Park Avenue. The menu at Prato is inspired by classic Italian, but it also takes into account how food has changed over time. Prato serves the best Italian food in Orlando Florida.
This allows for creativity and some turns that might surprise you. Most of the pasta is served in half portions, which is more like how it is done in Italy, where pasta is often served in small portions before the main dish.
This gives people more chances to share and try different things.
5. Wine Bar George
Wine Bar George is a wine-focused restaurant in a beautiful brick building near The Landing in Disney Springs. The tables are made of rustic wood, and bottles are stacked high over the center bar. Since the wine is the main thing, the menu isn’t very big.
At lunch, you can get BLT sandwiches, steak frites, and chicken salad sandwiches with chips made at the restaurant. Dinner can be a collection of small plates, like hummus, burrata, grilled romaine, artisanal cheese, charcuterie platters, and so on.
There is also chicken for a family, skirt steak, and a whole sea bass.
6. Knife and Spoon
With a discreet entrance tucked off the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton Grand Lakes, Orlando, the restaurant greets you in a grand way with a huge open kitchen, windows all around and a dramatic ceiling that looks like a geode cut and open with dim light coming down from above.
It’s Chef John Tesar’s new restaurant in Orlando, and he recruited other chefs from top Marriott hotels across the state. Everyone who knows food in Orlando is talking about this place—and also talking about how it’s good for a special occasion.
7. Se7en Bites
This cute bakery in the Milk District is open for breakfast and lunch and has a small, fresh-made menu that changes almost every day, making it easy to choose. Okay, that’s debatable, since people have different ways of choosing between creative, hand-made moon pies and fresh, local fruit-filled cobblers.
The easiest way? Bring a friend and do everything together. The smells coming from the Se7en Bites kitchen are wrong in all the best ways.
Be ready to buy something sweet on the spot and take it home. Southern comfort foods like eggs and biscuits, scones, and soups are given surprising new twists. If this place sounds familiar, it’s probably because you saw them on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Drives.”
8. Reyes Mezcaleria
Oaxacan food is popular at Reyes Mezcaleria in Downtown. Start with a ceviche of snapper and shrimp that has been cured with citrus or a queso fundido made with Oaxaca cheese.
Continue with shared plates, like elotes, tamales, or fish tacos, or choose a larger platos fuerte instead. For the second, anything with mole sauce or line-caught Veracruz snapper is a great choice (whole or filleted).
There’s nothing special about the dessert, so skip the churros and drink more mezcal instead.
9. The Edison
The Edison is a magical restaurant with a lot of light bulbs that has an industrial steampunk theme. The steam engines, boilers, and old-fashioned clock tower show that the theme park Imagineers were involved in the design.
“Inventors” walk around and talk to diners, which adds to the show. The menu is made up of slightly changed versions of classic gastropub dishes.
Appetizers include fried calamari, deviled eggs, and chips. Greek, spinach, and Caesar salads are on the menu, and main dishes include pulled pork sandwiches, fish tacos, burgers, and meatloaf.
10. Tiffins Restaurant
At Tiffins Restaurant, which has the feel of a five-star safari, the bread service starts with naan and lavash served with a spicy chutney and other sides.
Be careful not to eat too much too fast. The appetizers, like artisanal cheeses, falafel, and charred octopus, are mostly from the Mediterranean.
Try the butter chicken, the fish caught in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment and is then fried whole, or the hearty braised lamb shank. The guava mousse with lemon curd is a nice, light way to end the meal.
You Might Also Like
- The 13 Best Luxury Hotels in San Diego Are Well Worth the Money [2022]
- The 10 Best Beaches In The Space Coast For An Amazing Vacation [2022]
- The 10 Best Romantic Dining in Naples For A Memorable Date Night [2022]
- The 10 Best Islands for Beaches In The World [2022]
- Honeymoon Planning Tips: 17 Best Honeymoon Tips To Create The Trip Of A Lifetime
- The 15 Best Life-changing Trips for Couples To Treat Yourself A Lifetime Trip [2022]
- The 11 Best Places To Travel In June [2022]
- The 10 Best U.S. National Parks to Visit During Wildflower Season [2022]
FAQs About The Best Restaurants in Orlando
What is the most popular food in Orlando?
1. Ribs at Morimoto Asia.
2. Nashville Hot Chicken at Cask & Larder.
3. Butter Chicken Tacos at Pig Floyd’s.
4. Hearth Roasted Red Snapper at Slate.
5. Lamb Ribs at Osprey Tavern.
6. Mussels at Urbain 40.
7. Tonkotsu Ramen at Seito Sushi.
What restaurants are there in Orlando?
What’s Orlando famous for?
1. Universal’s Island of Adventure.
2. Kennedy Space Center.
3. Aquatica Park.
4. Legoland Florida.
5. Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
6. Universal Studios.
7. Blue Man Group Orlando.
8. The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens Orlando.
Does Capa Four Seasons Orlando take reservations?
You are able to make a reservation by selecting a date, time, and the number of people in your group.
How is Knife and Spoon restaurant rated?
Knife & Spoon is rated 4.4 stars.
Tell Us In The Comments About One Of Your Favorite Best Restaurants in Orlando!
Also, don’t forget to book your personalized holiday package with Tripononline. Let us make your vacation a romantic as well as a dreamy getaway.