13 Orlando’s Must-Try Restaurants For Every Food Lover
Orlando’s food scene is bursting with flavors that go way beyond theme park fare. From upscale dining experiences to hole-in-the-wall treasures, this city has something to satisfy every craving and budget.
I’ve eaten my way through the city (tough job, I know) to bring you the absolute must-visit spots that’ll make your taste buds do the happy dance.
1. Victoria & Albert’s: Where Disney Magic Meets Culinary Artistry
This place makes me feel like I’ve crashed a royal dinner party without an invitation. Located in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Victoria & Albert’s serves up multi-course extravaganzas that’ll make your credit card weep but your mouth sing hallelujah.
The chef’s tasting menu changes faster than Florida weather, featuring ingredients flown in from exotic locations daily.
Trust me, the price tag is worth it just to see your dining partner’s face when they taste the truffle-infused whatever-they’re-serving-tonight.
2. The Ravenous Pig: Gastropub Glory That’ll Make You Squeal
Where farm-to-table isn’t just a buzzword but practically a religion. The Ravenous Pig started Orlando’s craft food revolution, and it’s still showing everyone how it’s done with seasonal ingredients that never bore.
Chefs James and Julie Petrakis change their menu more often than most people change their minds. Their grilled steak with bone marrow butter has made grown adults cry tears of joy.
When you go, don’t skip the craft beer flight from their in-house brewery. It’s like a liquid tour of Florida’s finest grains.
3. Se7en Bites: Comfort Food That’ll Haunt Your Dreams
Though calories definitely count here, you won’t give a single damn once you taste their biscuits. Se7en Bites serves southern comfort food that makes your grandma’s cooking seem like amateur hour.
Chef Trina’s vanilla bean bourbon bacon jam should be illegal in at least 12 states. The chicken pot pie is what I imagine clouds taste like if clouds were made of buttery pastry and creamy chicken goodness.
Lines form early at this Milk District hotspot, but the wait gives you time to mentally prepare for the food coma that’s about to change your life.
4. Domu: Ramen That’ll Ruin All Other Noodles Forever
Are you even living if you haven’t slurped these noodles? Domu’s ramen will make you question every bowl of instant noodles you’ve ever shamefully eaten at 2 AM. Their Richie Rich bowl features a tonkotsu broth that simmers for over 18 hours.
The wings here aren’t just an appetizer, they’re a religious experience coated in kimchi butter. Owner Sonny Nguyen could probably charge double and still have lines out the door.
Come hungry, but leave your white shirts at home. Proper ramen eating requires enthusiasm that your dry cleaner can’t fix.
5. Kres Chophouse: Old-School Steakhouse With New-School Swagger
Did I mention this place is haunted? Allegedly. But the only spirits you’ll care about are the ones in their expertly crafted Old Fashioneds. Kres Chophouse occupies a historic building downtown where the steaks are aged longer than some Hollywood marriages.
Their bone-in ribeye has converted more vegetarians than I’m legally allowed to disclose. The tableside caesar salad preparation is theater that actually delivers on taste.
The place screams special occasion, but who says surviving Tuesday isn’t worth celebrating with a 40-day dry-aged porterhouse?
6. Hawkers Asian Street Fare: Street Food Without The Passport Hassle
When one cuisine just won’t cut it, Hawkers swoops in with a pan-Asian smorgasbord that’ll make your taste buds think they’re on an international flight. The roti canai flatbread with curry dipping sauce makes me want to book a one-way ticket to Malaysia.
Four friends started this place to bring their grandmother’s recipes to Orlando, and grandma clearly knew what was up. Their Korean twice-fried wings and Yi Yi’s chicken dumplings fight for the title of most craveable dish.
Portions are meant for sharing, but you’ll want to slap hands away from your favorites.
7. Morimoto Asia: Celebrity Chef Fare That Actually Lives Up To The Hype
However skeptical you might be about Disney Springs restaurants, Morimoto Asia will karate chop those doubts into oblivion. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s two-story palace of Pan-Asian delights feels like you’ve stepped into the fanciest food court in Tokyo.
The Peking duck requires 24-hour notice but delivers 48 hours of food memories. Their sushi is fresher than the pick-up lines you’ll hear at nearby bars.
Yes, it’s technically in a tourist area, but locals fight through Mickey Mouse ears just to get a taste of those sticky ribs and dim sum.
8. Prato: Italian Food That Makes Nonna Nod In Approval
This is where the beautiful people of Winter Park come to twirl pasta and pretend calories evaporate in good lighting. Prato’s wood-fired pizzas emerge with perfectly blistered crusts that make me want to kiss the chef (I’ve tried, security intervened).
The mustard spaghettini with rabbit sugo haunts my dreams in the best possible way. Their meatballs contain veal, pork, and beef in a ratio so perfect it should be studied by mathematicians.
The sidewalk seating on Park Avenue offers prime people-watching with your burrata, making the whole experience feel like you’ve teleported to a chic European café.
9. Black Rooster Taqueria: Tacos That’ll Make You Speak Fluent Spanish
When authenticity slaps this hard, you’ll find yourself involuntarily shouting “¡Dios mío!” after one bite. Black Rooster Taqueria uses non-GMO heirloom corn for tortillas that deserve their own Instagram account.
Chef John Calloway sources ingredients like someone with serious food trust issues, everything local, sustainable, and ridiculously flavorful. The carnitas taco with habanero salsa might actually solve all your problems temporarily.
Their agua frescas change daily and make you question why you ever drank boring water. The tiny space fills up faster than your taco dreams, so plan accordingly.
10. The Polite Pig: BBQ That Doesn’t Need Sauce (But Take It Anyway)
This ain’t your uncle’s backyard BBQ, unless your uncle is a smoke whisperer with a talent for turning meat into magic. The Polite Pig brings sophisticated Southern smoking techniques to Disney Springs, where tourists and locals battle for tables.
Their menu is stacked with flavor, and the baby back ribs fall off the bone faster than my resolution to eat healthy this year.
Don’t sleep on the sides. The tomato and watermelon salad provides the perfect acidic counterpoint to all that smoky richness. Just remember to grab extra napkins, dignity has no place in proper BBQ consumption.
11. Cask & Larder: Southern Hospitality With A Culinary Degree
What happens when Southern comfort food gets a PhD? You get Cask & Larder’s elevated takes on classics that’ll make you rethink everything you knew about grits. Now located inside the Orlando International Airport (yes, really), it’s the only reason to show up early for your flight.
Their chicken and waffles come with a bourbon maple syrup that should be sold by the gallon. The shrimp and grits contain more butter than I’m comfortable admitting I’ve consumed.
Even their airport location maintains farm-to-terminal freshness that makes you forget you’re about to be crammed into a metal tube with strangers.
12. Pizza Bruno: Neapolitan Pies Worth Fighting Your Grandmother Over
Hence the line out the door most nights, Pizza Bruno isn’t playing around with their wood-fired creations. Owner Bruno Zacchini ferments his dough for days, resulting in a crust that’s the perfect balance of chewy, crispy, and slightly charred.
The Crimson Ghost with spicy soppressata and hot honey will ruin all other pizzas for you. Their garlic knots are the size of your fist and more addictive than whatever show you’re currently binging.
The space is tiny and no-frills because all the attention goes where it matters, creating pizza so good you’ll contemplate moving within delivery distance.
13. Luma On Park: Fine Dining Without The Stuffiness
When you want to feel fancy without the white-glove treatment, Luma on Park delivers with its sleek atmosphere and seriously impressive wine cellar. The seasonal menu changes frequently enough to keep even the most dedicated regulars guessing.
Their seafood is so fresh it practically introduces itself to you before being served. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer prime Park Avenue people-watching while you sip something from their wine list that’s thicker than some novels.
The chef’s tasting menu is a culinary choose-your-own-adventure that never disappoints, even when you can’t pronounce half the ingredients.
