Cuisine from different cultures has never been something that Orlando shies away from, and the amount of new international restaurants is only growing in this city. From new ramen spots to Spanish fare, Orlando is more than ever a place where foodies can thrive. Here are a few Orlando area international restos that’ve opened in the last year.
Saint Anejo Mexican Kitchen
5248 Red Bug Lake Road, Winter Springs, (407) 636-3600
Saint Anejo’s south-of-the-border fare is better than your average Tex-Mexeria’s. Two superbly flavored (and flattened) ribeyes in the carne asada, for example, or a sweet and smoky (but not too sweet and not too smoky) mole rojo, are populist favorites. Don’t overlook the carne asada fries either, you’ll regret it. A sizable selection of margaritas, sangrías, cervezas and cocteles are also offered.
Photo via Rob BartlettWhat we recommend: Carne asada fries are food for the soul.
Photo via aerhostess/InstagramViet-Nomz
7581 University Blvd., Winter Park, (407) 636-6069
Affordable pho, rice bowls and noodle bowls makes this small, trendy eatery a bastion of collegians attending UCF and Full Sail. Fair warning: The place can get packed pretty quickly, but if you snag a table, take advantage and order the oversized “king pho” bowl with as beefy a broth as you’ll ever slurp. While bao and spring rolls are serviceable, the rice bowl with crispy tofu and the banh mi are sure-fire options.
Photo via Rob BartlettWhat we recommend: The rice bowl with crispy tofu is a fan favorite.
Photo via ahoyimchelsea/InstagramThe Taste of Yucatán1375 S. Semoran Blvd., (407) 704-2248
No-frills Mexican joint serves up a taste of Yucatán cuisine with a grand selection of tacos, salbutes (deep-fried tacos) and panuchos (salbutes stuffed with refried beans), as well as tortas, quesadillas and rice bowls. Fillings you’ll fancy: cochinita pibil, al pastor, barbacoa and vegetarian rajas poblanas.
Photo via Rob BartlettWhat we recommend: Salbutes- Mayan deep-fried tacos, enough said.
Photo via orlando.foodie/InstagramDomu
3201 Corrine Drive, (407) 960-1228
Popular ramen joint lives up to the hype offering near-perfect bowls of tonkotsu, shoyu, miso and curry ramen. There’s an uni pasta for those who want to forgo broth for the richness of sea urchin, but don’t overlook other soupless options like the crackling good Korean fried chicken with Korean butter sauce and the grilled octopus. Cocktails are taken seriously here.
Photo via domufl/InstagramWhat we recommend: The Korean fried chicken takes chicken wings to a whole new level.
Photo via domufl/InstagramMorimoto Asia
Disney Springs, 1600 E. Buena Vista Blvd., Lake Buena Vista, (407) 939-6686
Palatial resto offers pricey but well-executed pan-Asian eats. Rock shrimp tempura, braised black cod, duck ramen and arresting Peking duck wow, and spicy yellowtail rolls and ethereal otoro are wonderful. Pairing meals with potent potables is easy here: plenty of sakes, beers and wine from which to choose. Reservations are recommended, though the second-floor Forbidden Lounge is a draw for the walk-up diner.
Photo via patiarevalo/InstagramWhat we recommend: If you’re going to have raw fish, have it here and order the sushi, or otoro
Photo via hipwynn/InstagramOudom Thai & Sushi
100 S. Eola Drive, (407) 849-3739
Oudom, the latest in a string of restaurants to occupy the ground floor of the Sanctuary Downtown Condo building, can’t rely on history to make a successful run; rather, it’s banking on patrons seeking straight-ahead Siamese cuisine in a swanky atmosphere. We sampled everything from pad Thai to panang curry, and two dishes were stellar surprises – crispy duck and whole snapper.
Photo via Rob BartlettWhat we recommend: The whole snapper may look intimidating at first, but it’s conquerable and worth it.
Photo via bullmarketfoodie/InstagramiPho 2 Noodle House
156 Lake Ave., Maitland, (321) 422-0181
Vietnamese fare comes to Maitland with this second outpost of the Lake Mary original iPho. The interior won’t lift your spirits, but a savory golden pancake folded with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts will. Same goes for their signature pho – the broth veers toward the sweeter side, but it’s hearty and can be made heartier with the addition of oxtail. Bracing beef and pork noodle soup with lemongrass is a cold-sufferer’s delight. Don’t overlook their clay pots, and ask for the banh mi menu if you’re not handed one.
Photo via Rob BartlettWhat we recommend: Spicy beef and pork noodle soup will cure your cold and fill your stomach.
Photo via pameladavis/InstagramTapa Toro
8441 International Drive, (407) 226-2929
Tapa Toro has the looks and the dishes to match, no bull. Expertly crafted Spanish fare makes it well worth the drive to sample puckery gazpacho, perfect pulpo a la plancha, or pan rustico with a spread of Medjool dates and goat cheese. Plush skewers of beef tenderloin please and, apart from the lack of crusty socarrat, the paella with chicken, chorizo and lamb chops was utterly brilliant. More Spanish beers and sherries, please.
Photo via Rob BartlettWhat we recommend: The paella comes with enough food to feed a family.
Photo via Tapa Toro/InstagramPizza Bruno
3990 Curry Ford Road, (407) 906-8547
Arguably Orlando’s most popular and buzzed-about pizzeria entices with “neo-Neapolitan” pies: fermented dough and creative flavor combinations fired in a Ferrari-red Pavesi oven (it’s a beaut). Traditionalists can have a field day here, for sure, but the adventurous can employ such ingredients as hot honey, charred peaches, blueberries, maple syrup and the like on their fast-blistered pizzas. Garlic knots with “too much garlic” are practically a must – enjoy them with the ricotta meatballs prior to pie-eating. Online ordering was just added for those who’d rather not eat in.
Photo via Pizza Bruno/FacebookWhat we recommend: Some real good lookin’ ricotta meatballs.
Photo via the_jayf/InstagramDoveCote
300 N. Orange Ave., (407) 930-1700
It’s hard to find a clunker on this downtown brasserie’s menu of approachable French cuisine, whether you’re downing starters like French onion soup (a specialty), tomato-water risotto or Vietnamese seafood stew, or entrees like steak frites, moules frites or vermouth-braised pork cheeks. Partake in their progressive cocktail program, or enjoy one of the many French wines offered by the glass.
Photo via DoveCote/FacebookWhat we recommend: Tomato-water risotto, topped with a crunchy parmesan crisp.
Photo via orlandobungalower/Instagram
