The 10 Restaurants that Represent Orlando (University, Winter Garden: how much, house, neighborhoods)

[theurbanfiles]

Hello! First time poster here. Originally from the Cleveland area (hence the name), however, I am currently attending graduate school here in Orlando. I did a post on the Cleveland board one time when feeling a tad homesick that was "The 10 Restaurants that Represent Cleveland". It was very enjoyable to discuss all the old fashioned mom/pops that were delicious and had developed cult type followings across the region. That's when it occurred to me. I've been here two years, and I'm not sure that I really have an awareness of the Orlando foodie scene as much as I would like. I understand that Orlando is heavily chain based, however, I find that there are certain areas (around UCF and Valencia, Park Avenue, and Downtown and several outlying neighborhoods), which seem to have a pretty good mom/pop scene. I have tried a few of these places, and some are just one's I have heard about, and I really tried to draw from four main categories in an effort to narrow it down to the "10" that you have to take tourists/visitors to the area to in order to help them get a "feel" for it. The four categories I looked at were college (because UCF's sphere of influence is HUGE it appears), local joints/diners, ethnic foods that were beloved around the city, and of course, the upscale, trendy spots. I tried to make sure they mostly appealed to Orlandoans, however, there were some chains that just had to be included due to how much people go there.

Diners:
Beefy King (never been)
Hot Dog Heaven
Christo's? (never actually been)
4Rivers (I know it's a chain, but John Rivers is probably more well known than Buddy Dyer)

Fine Dining:
Prato (excellent)
Luma on Park (Never been)
Ravenous Pig (Never been)
While I have noticed some upscale spots have moved in since I arrived, it appears to me that Park Avenue has a stranglehold on this category.

Ethnic:
Pollo Tropical (I had to do A LOT of digging to find a mom/pop Puerto Rican restaurant in the Orlando area, (Guavate, still haven't been) which is shocking to me. However, I can't drive more than about 3 miles without seeing one of these. And the beauty is they are REALLY CHEAP and quite good for what you pay. The value/cost ratio there is excellent, probably my favorite fast food place anywhere, other than perhaps Skyline.)
Anh Hong (I thought this had the most authentic atmosphere in Little Saigon, and best Pho/Banh Mi)
Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe and Polonia are awesome German/Polish places, but I don't know how beloved they are since they've both been relatively empty when I've been there.

College-y: (Help me out, is there a good cheap place to eat downtown? I've found it difficult to find both)
Lazy Moon Pizza: I've gotten some negative feedback on this one, but there's no denial it has a massive cult following and the atmosphere in there is the most hipster I've seen outside of Audobon Park, which doesn't seem to have a "the place", aside from Stardust of course.
Huey Magoo's: It's in the student union at the second largest school in the country, and is the best fast food chicken. Ever.
Jimmy Hula's: Very fun vibe/decor, and one of the better tacos I've had (really, it blows Taco Bus away)

Thoughts? Any way this list, and others, could be narrowed down to ten. As you can see, I don't get down to I Drive all that much, I've been to the theme parks a few times/enjoyed myself and had some pretty good food, but it doesn't really feel like an "Orlando" thing per se. Nothing against Disney at all.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by clevelander1991

Hello! First time poster here. Originally from the Cleveland area (hence the name), however, I am currently attending graduate school here in Orlando. I did a post on the Cleveland board one time when feeling a tad homesick that was "The 10 Restaurants that Represent Cleveland". It was very enjoyable to discuss all the old fashioned mom/pops that were delicious and had developed cult type followings across the region. That's when it occurred to me. I've been here two years, and I'm not sure that I really have an awareness of the Orlando foodie scene as much as I would like. I understand that Orlando is heavily chain based, however, I find that there are certain areas (around UCF and Valencia, Park Avenue, and Downtown and several outlying neighborhoods), which seem to have a pretty good mom/pop scene. I have tried a few of these places, and some are just one's I have heard about, and I really tried to draw from four main categories in an effort to narrow it down to the "10" that you have to take tourists/visitors to the area to in order to help them get a "feel" for it. The four categories I looked at were college (because UCF's sphere of influence is HUGE it appears), local joints/diners, ethnic foods that were beloved around the city, and of course, the upscale, trendy spots. I tried to make sure they mostly appealed to Orlandoans, however, there were some chains that just had to be included due to how much people go there.

Diners:
4Rivers (I know it's a chain, but John Rivers is probably more well known than Buddy Dyer)

Fine Dining:
Victoria & Albert's (might be out of most's price range, though)
Vito's
Charlie's
Fishbones (And pretty much all of Restaurant Row)

Ethnic:
Too many to name.
A personal favorite of mine, which caters more to people in the Lake County Golden Triangle, is:
Elijah's Cafe (Lebanese meets Greek... Probably the best Mediterranean spot I've found in all of Orlando Metro)

College-y:
I used to go to a Jamaican spot on the corner of Dean and University... until the owner got busted for running a huge marijuana distribution operation out of it. Not sure if the place is still there

[EditorJul]

It really depends on how you describe Orlando (and where you put the borders), because having lived in and near several college towns, Orlando doesn't feel like a college town. Once you get outside of the campus and off-campus housing, the college is not a blip on anyone's radar, really. As such, I'd totally nix the last category, personally.

For diners, I'm not sure why you put 4Rivers there -- it isn't a diner the way I think of diners.

My vote for Diner would be something like Avalon Diner. To me, that's what a classic diner is like. But if you're going more for the sandwichy vibe, maybe something like Yellow Dog Eats?

For fine dining, there's a decent number of higher-end restaurants in the tourist zone. I'll be able to chime in on V&A later this year, but I can't imagine that it won't be top-notch. I also am hoping to hit Capa at the Four Seasons and the Bull & Bear at the Waldorf Astoria, and while I've only done breakfast at Ravello at the Four Seasons, it was a wonderful meal with outstanding service. There's also a lot of swanky places along restaurant row in Dr. Phillips. (And does anyone remember Two Fat Chefs? I miss that place…)

For ethnic, it really depends on what ethnicity you're looking for. I love My French Cafe, Q'kenan, and Falafel House. My mother-in-law swears that Nipa Hut is of the same quality as she gets when she flies back to Manilla. Bosphorous is coming recommended, which is why I'm heading there this weekend. This place does lack authentic Japanese and Chinese food, no question. For Puerto Rican, have you tried Tropico Mofongo? It's another "on my list" ones, along with Padrino's for Cuban food.

One place that really seems to have a local clientele that we see often for games is over at Sea Dog. Yeah, it's sort-of chain-ish in that they have a lot of locations up in the tundra of the NE, but the bit about having a mug as a regular just creates that local vibe somewhat. (And how they know to sit certain people away from other people during certain games.)

My dad grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, so going to visit my grandparents there a lot, it did seem like everything was similar there--so getting a unified representation wouldn't be quite as difficult as down here, where there's a little bit of everything. But good luck with this, and I can't wait to see what other yummy places pop up to try.

[EditorJul]

Oh, one other thing to think about…more than any other city of its size, this area LOVES its food truck events. It is pretty insane but delightful. (I'm just hoping the weather clears tonight for the one in downtown Windermere!)

[annerk]

I would replace the "fast food" chain Pollo Tropical with San Joses--a chain but family owned and only three locations, and really delicious--and cheap.

I think you missed the mark by not including Funky Munky and/or Lake Eola Wine Co.

I don't think the never ending expansion of 4Rivers belongs on the list any more than Grafitti Junktion does. Just another chain in a never ending sea of chains.

For upscale I think a nod needs to go to A Land Remembered. It's one of the best hidden gems in the entire area. Where else can you get butter shaped like a gator? It blends old Florida with classic chop house for a true local experience. The Chef's Table in Winter Garden and Big Fin should also get mentions.

One other place that I'm not sure where you would fit it in is The Crooked Spoon. It began as a food truck and was so popular that they opened an always bustling brick and mortar location.

I think you lack a category for "moderate eats" where places like The Crooked Spoon, LEWC, and Funky Munky would go.

[brinkofsunshine]

I tend to like the artsy, hipster places around town. So here's my list of good local eats:

Coffee- Achilles Art Cafe, Drunken Monkey, Austin's, Downtown Credo, Lineage Coffee
Casual- Yellow Dog Eats, Pom Pom's Teahouse and Sandwicheria, Tako Cheena, Dandelion Communitea Cafe, Le Cafe de Paris, Beefy King, Black Bean Deli, Hot Krust, 4Rivers, Border Grill, The Strand
Dessert- Yum Yum Cupcakes, P is for Pie, Blue Bird Bakeshop

If you haven't checked out East End Market, I highly recommend it. Good food and great little shops.

[annerk]

YES! Yellow Dog and Dandelion definitely belong on the list. And Yum Yum is an Orlando institution.

[idr591]

Love brinkofsunshine's list. Very Orlando. I might add Se7en Bites and SoCo in there somewhere.

[brinkofsunshine]

Originally Posted by idr591

Love brinkofsunshine's list. Very Orlando. I might add Se7en Bites and SoCo in there somewhere.

Thanks! I haven't yet been to those places but both have been on my to-do list for a while.

[theurbanfiles]

Yeah I guess it is sort of tough with Orlando, Cleveland has distinct ethnic identities, all cornered in specific spots of town, just as many as Orlando has. The difference seems to be that because it's the second place many of those people are moving as Americans, which likely means they to some degree shed those roots. And so that and the way Orlando is set up leads to more of a hodge podge. As you mentioned.

As far as the list, I wasn't even necessarily looking for the 'best' places, but the ones that have the biggest cult following among Orlandoans (not tourists). So to me I guess I was just looking at either chains that have roots in Orlando, and/or are consumed by Orlandoans out of proportion with the rest of the country, and then mom/pops that have a cult like following, of various types.