As new restaurants continue to make waves in Central Florida, we’re working nonstop to keep up with the influx of arrivals and big flavors. And with all those culinary changes, Orlando Weekly restaurant critic Faiyaz Kara hasn’t wavered in delivering weekly doses of local foodie perspectives.
From Sichuan eating houses to smoked meat purveyors to ramen palaces, here are all the Orlando-area restaurants we’ve reviewed so far in 2024.
Bakery 1908
2021 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando“It’s hard not to be awed by the dazzling variety of pastries, breads, buns, cakes, rolls, tarts, cookies and savory baked goods churned out at the perpetually buzzing Bakery 1908 in Mills 50. The place is reminiscent of the Hong Kong- and Taiwanese-style bakeries I visited growing up in Toronto and, specifically, Markham. A pair of tongs in one hand and a paper-lined tray in the other, I’d wander through the pastry shops in my parka perusing myriad options like a lost monkey in IKEA.” Read the full review here. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
Mister 01 Extraordinary Pizza
1210 International Parkway, Heathrow“Triangular-shaped, ricotta-filled pockets form an eight-pointed crust adding another textural dimension to the 13-inch rounds. In the case of the Star Luca ($18.99), a burning sun of tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami calabrese and threads of basil form a heavenly bake. It floats in the same crusty constellation as the Claudio ($18.99), streaked with comet trails of creamy burrata stracciatella and white truffle oil.” Read the full review here. Credit: Photo via Mister 01/Facebook
Chuan Fu
1035 N. Orlando Ave., Winter ParkChuan Fu is a Sichuan restaurant by the owners of Chuan Lu Garden and U and Me Revolving Hot Pot in Winter Park. Its menue is mostly mala-coded — the fiery, numb-spicy Sichuan specialty — but fine dishes of the not-hot variety are available too. Credit: Chuan Zeng
Eet
1780 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista“Who’s to say why it took so long for Indian food to make an entry into Disney Springs but, nevertheless, there’s one in place now. It’s called Eet and it’s by celebrated culinary personality Maneet Chauhan. If the name rings familiar, then you’re likely an avid watcher of the Food Network: The Indian-American chef is a regular on Chopped and maintains a pretty busy shooting schedule, we were told, so don’t expect to see her inside Eet’s quick-service kitchen anytime soon whipping up naan or pani puri.” Read the full review here. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
Wa Ramen
10627 Narcoossee Road, Orlando“‘Wa’ means ‘the Japanese way’ and the restaurant, says Wong, adheres to traditional Japanese methods and principles in food preparation and presentation. Seems Takayama is fully on board. His pan-fried gyoza ($8) came draped with a crisp square lattice that added a generous crackle to the pork-filled dumplings. Hanetsuki gyoza (or ‘gyoza with wings’) are what they’re called and they, along with chicken karaage ($10) and sweet purple potato tempura ($6), drew the noisiest grunts of affirmation from the riotous gang of gourmands at my table.” Read the full review here. Credit: Photo via Wa Ramen/Facebook
Summer House on the Lake
1498 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena VistaCali cuisine and breezy beach vibes rule at Summer House on the Lake, newly open at Disney Springs. It’s the perfect place to rock that coastal grandma fit while nibbling on salads, veggie-forward apps … and indulgent cookies from the cookie bar. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
1881 Dubai Restaurant
315 Pleasant St., OrlandoThe Uzbek/Turkish restaurant in Kissimmee has been (18)86’ed, albeit “temporarily,” according to representatives of the restaurant. 1881 Dubai Restaurant, subject of a highly positive review by OW food critic Faiyaz Kara, was home to both 1881 Restaurant (fronting Broadway) and 1881 Dubai Restaurant (on Pleasant). Both offered the exact same menu spotlighting the crossroads cuisine of Central Asia. Credit: photo by Rob Bartlett
Beef N’ Buns
12200 Menta St., Orlando“Along with a little help from Beirut Grill & Deli/Beirut Bakery & Deli owner Riad Elkhatib, the trio have been sizzling some of the finest burgers money can buy in the south lands of Orlando. Their secret: halal, grass-fed, hand-slaughtered beef.” Read the full review here. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
The Joint at West End Trading Co.
202 Sanford Ave. Suite 420, Sanford“There’s a wackass mural of some blitzed Florida wildlife on one of the bar’s walls. It held my gaze for a while and I felt myself getting tense. The bulging eye of the paranoid-looking red snapper was starting to freak me the F out, so I took to inhaling my Pineapple Express ($10), a quarter-pound hot dog sticky-ickyed with pineapple-teriyaki sauce and a mango-habañero slaw. It came with tater tots I initially dismissed as not being crispy enough, but these generously salted spud buds grew on me.” Read the full review here. Credit: photo by Rob Bartlett
Kyuramen
3402 Technological Ave., Orlando“Lin is a ramen-crazed geek who turned his ramen-ya chain into a fixture in Japan and Taiwan before opening 30-plus locations here in the United States. John Zhao, the man behind YH Seafood Clubhouse and Bakery 1908, among other eateries, runs the UCF-area outpost, and it’s been a hotspot since its debut in the student-heavy sector back in November. They come for the ramen, no doubt, but many a young’un have been lured by a viral little vid making the rounds on the socials.” Read the full review here. Credit: courtesy photo
Simply Capri
114 Ruby Red Place, Winter Garden“Nick Valenti has quite the résumé — James Beard Award winner, chairman emeritus at the Culinary Institute of America and former Patina Restaurant Group (now Delaware North) CEO. Over at Flamingo Crossings Town Center in Horizons West, Valenti’s latest concept — Simply Capri — anchors the master-planned, mixed-use complex of retail, shopping and dining. Oh, it’s also owned by Disney, which explains the very Disney-like experience we had inside the very Disney-like designed ristorante.” Read the full review here. Credit: photo by Rob Bartlett
The Drake Kitchen and Bar
361 N. Rosalind Ave., OrlandoThe couple behind the popular Duck & Drake Kitchen food truck, Heberto and Rona Segura, have embarked on a new culinary endeavor in a more permanent locale. The Drake’s diners can enjoy a diverse and seasonal menu with internationally inspired dishes and local ingredients. Credit: Photo via The Drake/Facebook
DBA
809 N. Mills Ave., Orlando“The object of desire: a creamy green-curry aioli brushed alongside a superbly fresh tuna tartare ($19) positioned atop triangular snaps of lavash. We even bypassed the pimiento cheese spread that came with the warm pretzel ($6.50) and scooped that aioli up with torn shreds of the Olde Hearth twister. Not that the pimiento cheese was lacking in any way. It’s just that we wanted more of the other comforting spread.” Read the full review here. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
Smokemade Meats and Eats
1400 S. Crystal Lake Drive, Orlando“Is there barbecue being served in this town better than the smoke-made meats and eats at Smokemade Meats + Eats? No. No, there isn’t. Pound for smoky pound, no one’s doing it better than pitmaestro Tyler Brunache. His regional barbecue style focuses on Central Texas, where beef, sausage and sauceless proteins rule, just like the barbecue gods of the Lone Star State intended. And that means seasonings are kept to a minimum as well, so that the flavor of the meat (smoked over Florida oak) speaks for itself.” Read the full review here. Credit: Photo via Smokemade Meats and Eats/Facebook
Pho Ga Hien Vuong
5282 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando“The flavors of the 15-hour liquid are as pure, clean and unadulterated as you’ll find anywhere this side of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. ‘We have so many elders who come in and thank us for making chicken phở like this,’ says Nguyen. ‘They all say it reminds them of when they would eat phở gà on Hiền Vương Street in Saigon.'” Read the full review here. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
Earthy Picks
420 E. Church St., Orlando“On one weekend visit, every seat in the cozy little joint was taken within 10 minutes of us showing up, and the bustling place was a vibe. The constant whir of Vitamixes suggested folks were really into the smoothies, us included. The 16-ounce ‘Fill Me Up’ ($10), with its mix of berries, bananas, peanut butter, dates and oat milk, emptied real quick.” Read the full review here. Credit: photo by Rob Bartlett
Boiled Fish
8910 Turkey Lake Road, Orlando“And in the case of the ‘lemon flavor sauerkraut fish,’ there’s a citrusy zip and a scorching stab courtesy of chopped red and green chilies. It’s my new favorite soup, and I’ve enjoyed it with both basa and sea bass fishies. Lolling in that zingy pool of golden fire were bean sprouts, Napa cabbage, tofu, tofu skin ribbons, wide vermicelli noodles and wood ear mushrooms.” Read the full review here. Credit: photo by Rob Bartlett
