Somehow 2026 is already approaching its final days, but not without some final pushes toward culinary excellence. Orlando’s biggest and best names in the foodie scene are squeezing in some final hot new openings around town.
We’re leaving this long year behind with new globally inspired cheesesteaks, the latest addition to Mills Market, Domu’s new little sibling and lots more. Plus, we have the scoop on what’s replacing some long-gone longtime favorites, so here’s what’s in store for the former homes of Hammered Lamb, Tornatore’s Ristorante, Saigon Market and more.
Pacchioni’s Cheesesteaks & Pizza
2429 Edgewater Drive, Orlando
Pacchioni’s, a popular mobile operation since early 2025, will take over Pizza Bruno’s College Park space as their first brick-and-mortar, and they’ll offer pizza when the College Park store reopens in early December. Pacchioni says they won’t offer Jersey-style pies but, rather, a “fusion of a few styles” that, like their cheesesteaks, may be “world inspired.” Those cheesesteaks have lured throngs to local food gatherings and spaces including Tasty Takeover, Faire of the Dog, GB’s Bottle Shop, The Guesthouse and Market on Fifth. Pacchioni, who’s joined in the venture by friends/business partners Yeosh Bendayan and Jon Ruhff, says the College Park store will offer “new and improved” versions of the cheesesteaks sold from the food truck, including the bread.
Unimart: Conbini Experience
1110 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
UniMart No. 2 will open this December in the Center of Winter Park plaza at 501 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 227. It will be situated next to Light on the Sugar, another venture backed by the Tungs, and just two doors down from the restaurant that started it all for the high-flying brothers, Bento Asian Kitchen. The 1,000-square-foot space will be significantly larger than the UniMart inside Mills Market and offer a broader range of foodstuffs, beyond the konbini fried chicken, bento boxes, freshly prepared sushi, Japanese snacks and other grab-and-go items.
Little Sister Dumpling
713 N. Mills Ave., Orlando
Little Sister Dumpling, a fast-casual operation offering a wide variety of dumplings from the classics to modern twists to vegan options, will open next door to Tiger Sugar this year. (We’ve been looking at that sign for months now — c’mon, folks!) Expect small plates and noodle dishes, as well as beer and wine options and late-night vibes on weekends.
Oza Kai
1821 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
This modern take on Kyoto and izakaya traditions already has a location along Central Florida Parkway, and will soon expand to Colonial Drive bringing eats like tsukune (Japanese chicken meatballs), smoked dashi ramen, hokage salmon and more.
Pomelo
1632 N. Mills Ave., Orlando
Top Chef Season 3 champ Hung Huynh will soon showcase his Mills Park venue Pomelo. It’ll be infused with Southeast Asian flavors and offer a menu of shareable plates and live-fire eats.
Fan Hwa
709 N. Mills Ave., Orlando
Owner Eric Jiang (Sushi Izuki, Jiang’s Kitchen) will also open this Chinese dessert and bao shop in the heart of Mills 50. The corner space will feature an inviting interior design with natural wood tones, open kitchen and “modern Chinese aesthetics.” Sweet dessert soups called tong sui will be the specialty here, as will bao both sweet (red bean paste) and savory (barbecue chicken).
Robin’s Creamery
926 N. Mills Ave., Orlando
Robin’s Creamery, a halal-friendly ice cream shop also offering gelato, premium matcha, Dubai chocolate, boba tea, coffee and sorbet, will open in the old Smoker’s Safari space soon.
Uji Matcha
1016 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
The Mills 50 neighborhood will soon be home to yet another matcha and tea purveyor when Uji Matcha Cafe opens along Colonial Drive.
Wavy Baby
1242 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
The facade of the commercial strip of businesses anchored by Bb.q Chicken along East Colonial Drive in Mills 50 is getting a proper facelift and with it, some new culinary destinations. Wavy Baby, offering Filipino-inspired breakfast and lunch sandwiches, a pastry program and non-alcoholic beverages, will open later this year or early next in the old LA Boiling Seafood Crab & Crawfish space.
Nomori
1232 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
Nomori, a new concept by Akasaka/Tapanomi chef-owner Dong Shin, will open in the Old Saigon Market space along Colonial Drive. The restaurant will either serve Japanese cuisine or Korean tapas.
Hyperbolic Brewing
1235 N. Orange Ave., Orlando
The former Hammered Lamb space will see “traditionally decocted European lagers, fruited sours, IPAs and premium barrel-aged ales” being poured when the highly anticipated spot finally opens. The 10-barrel brewhouse and taproom will have a covered 1,000-square-foot outdoor seating area and will offer eats via culinary partner Gentry’s.
Eola Food Hall
150 Central Blvd., Orlando
The 15,000-square-foot, two-story venue across the street from the Orlando Public Library will have 10 vendors, a “small fine dining restaurant,” a wine room/speakeasy and a cocktail bar, not to mention panoramic floor-to-ceiling views of Lake Eola Park.
Terra Modern American
434 Orange Ave., Orlando
Look for Terra, a restaurant/lobby bar inside the Society high rise downtown, to open soon. The concept by Thriving Hospitality (Lamp & Shade, Thrive, The Packwoods) will feature composed New American dishes by chef Ryan Stewart. Terra will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Nếp Sài Gòn BBQ & Hot Pot
6817 Eagle Watch Road, Orlando
Pho Au Lac has closed its Winter Springs location and will reopen Nov. 6 as Nếp Sài Gòn BBQ & Hot Pot near Orlando International Airport. Along with the new name and new interior is a new menu featuring Vietnamese barbecue, street food staples and hot pot.
Penelope’s Coffee & Baked Goods
507 Main St., Windermere
Penelope’s Coffee & Baked Goods will open this fall at 507 Main St. in Windermere serving fresh-baked breads and pastries, fresh-pressed juices, matcha and coffee using beans from Lineage Roasting.
Amor y Chile Mexican Restaurant
3818 Edgewater Drive, Orlando
Amor y Chile Mexican Restaurant will bring the love and spice to the former Tornatore’s Ristorante and Italian Market space in College Park. Expect a filling assortment of breakfast, lunch and dinner staples like chilaquiles veracruzanos, molcajete and bistec encebollado.
Oh Que Bueno
1049 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs
Oh Que Bueno, the local Colombian restaurant with locations on South Semoran and South OBT near the Florida Mall, will open a location in Altamonte Springs before the end of the year in an old Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ space.
Chaska
8379 S. John Young Parkway, Orlando
Chaska, a Pakistani street-food concept from Umer and Bilaal Dugan, the brothers who run Koyla Pakistani BBQ, soft-opened Saturday, Oct. 17, in the old Shoufi Mahfi space. Chaska will offer everything from paratha rolls and bun kebab to Pakistani chopped cheese sandwiches and fried chicken zinger burgers.
Ceviche Arigato
4898 S. Kirkman Road, Orlando
Ceviche Arigato, with locations in Weston and West Palm Beach, will bring its Japanese-Peruvian “Nikkei” cuisine to MetroWest when it takes over the old Ahi Sushi space in the Kirkman Shoppes this winter.
O-Ku
1311 Minnesota Ave., Winter Park
Following the opening of Corner Chophouse in Hannibal Square, Indigo Road Hospitality Group will open its O-Ku concept (to join 11 others across the South) in Minnesota Row, a mixed-use development taking over the Winter Park Business Center. “Authentic Asian cuisine” in contemporary digs is what’s being promised.
Udon Fifty
1222 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
It’s been in the works for six years, but Sonny Nguyen’s udon noodle concept we teased back in March of 2020 (and again this past August) is finally soft opened. Udon Fifty adds to Nguyen’s portfolio of restaurants that includes Domu, Gyukatsu Rose and Rion’s Ocean Room in Audubon Park, and Tori Tori and Edoboy in Mills 50. Udon Fifty is designed to mimic the mom-and-pop noodle shops found in the Kanto region of Japan with a small, intimate space housing a 10-seat counter and an eight-seat dining room. Nguyen says the noodles will be fashioned in-house from a machine he’s importing from Japan.
