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There are a lot of options for the Orlando foodie, but sometimes you have to look outside your usual haunts to find truly choice cuisine. Here are a few Orlando area restaurants that you might not have tasted before.
Viet-Nomz
7581 University Blvd., Winter Park, 407-636-6069
This trendy restaurant spins a modern take on popular Vietnamese cuisine and street fare, including pho noodle soups, bowls, banh-mi subs, street tacos and baos. Inspired by the streets of Saigon, this Asian cuisine will make any foodie drool at the pic-worthy opportunities to be found from a DIY herb bar and an oversized broth bowl.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Beef Noodle Bowl
Photo via yoursonripisonlinetoot/InstagramNorth Quarter Tavern
861 N. Orange Ave., 407-757-0930
Comfort is the key ingredient in many of the dishes sent forth from this kitchen, which serves up pub grub like nobody’s business. You might feel a little tight around the belt after gorging on fried chicken over potato salad smoked kielbasa over pumpkin-potato hash, but you’ll regret it if you don’t save room for an ice cream flight.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Fried Chicken
Photo via northquartertavern/InstagramHunger Street Tacos
2103 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 321-444-6270
Next Taco Tuesday don’t settle for some greasy fast-food knock off: try the authentic, high quality Mexican fare at Hunger Street. The sautéed hibiscus and guac might raise a few eyebrows, but the shop’s signature double corn tortillas stuffed with brisket, chorizo and beans will satisfy any connoisseur.
Photo via jenlumiere/InstagramMust Try: Brisket Tacos
Photo via bombtoybox/InstagramGreen Kitchen
7055 S. Kirkman Road, 407-413-5005
Green Kitchen’s healthy, organic and eco-friendly ethic is ramped up a notch with a Brazilian twist. The menu is sure to fit into any diet, offering up plenty of savory salad options. Sip a glass of pineapple-mint juice with your meal or sample one of the other fruity concoctions created by the eatery — its smoothies make a great dessert to go.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Tofu with Coconut Rice
Photo via greenkitchenorlando/InstagramFuel BBQ
120 S. Park Ave., Sanford, 407-328-4848
The BBQ chains have nothing on this local joint, where succulent pulled pork seasoned with rib drippings, brown sugar and butter are piled up high on metal trays. Reminiscent of 4 Rivers, but with better fried okra and collard greens, Fuel packs its menu with enough ribs, briskets and pulled meats to make any carnivore happy.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Beef Brisket
Photo via chadgallivanter/InstagramThe Parkview
136 S Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-647-9103
This unassuming eatery has an unpretentiously comfortable air that its Park Avenue neighbors don’t, offering up nearly 60 wines by the glass. But there’s more to this place than just cheese plates: Try returning for brunch where mimosa flights and croque madames make any Sunday morning better.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Croque Madame
Photo via orlando_brunch_bunch/InstagramSaint Anejo Mexican Kitchen and Tequileria
5248 Red Bug Lake Road, Winter Springs, 407-636-3600
The food at this eatery sticks close to the populist Tex-Mexeria wheelhouse, which might not offer the most traditional preparation. What it lacks in authenticity, it makes up for in flavor, offering up delicious bites like Mexican street corn, mole rojo chicken and habañero-spiked braised beef taquitos. If you’re not too stuffed, you can always round out your meal with a few sugary churros.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Mexican Street Corn
Photo via chefhollywog/InstagramJimotti’s Restaurant
2545 S. French Ave., Sanford, 407-952-3329
Junichi Takazoe, a former chef at Disney Springs’ Morimoto Asia, helms this izakaya venture, which serves up “Japanese-style tapas,” like deftly fried chicken kara-age and intensely flavored Kurobuta sausages. It might be the last thing you’d expect in Sanford, but you won’t find more traditional Japanese cuisine, from spicy tuna rolls to sashimi to soba, anywhere else in Central Florida.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Tonkotsu Ramen
Photo via pintsizeeasts/InstagramTaste of Yucatán
1375 S. Semoran Blvd., 407-704-2248
Take an excursion into the fare of this Mayan peninsula, offering an authentic taste of traditional Mexican flavor. Try anything on the menu, from beefy vaporcitos wrapped in a banana leaf to stuffed panuchos, and your taste buds will thank you. But remember the habañero pepper is an essential element in Yucatecan cuisine, so expect your meal to come with a bit of a kick.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Pollo Adobado Salbute
Photo via orlando.food/InstagramAntonella’s Pizzeria
360 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 407-636-5333
Local Italian restaurateur Stefano LaCommare might have retired, but his daughter Antonella is still slaying the Central Florida pizza game. Her casual joint near Rollins college is a favorite with undergrads, but you don’t have to be a student to appreciate garlic goodness at a great price. These New York-style pizza pies won’t break the bank and the best part is, you can fill up on multiple slices, giving you a chance to sample a variety of Sicilian flavors.
Photo by Rob BartlettMust Try: Chicken Parmigiana Garlic Knot Sliders
Photo via tipsyfork/Instagram