It’s been a long year for Orlando’s restaurant scene. While we’ve seen new culinary endeavors launched, Michelin nods handed out, and plenty more positive happenings, we’ve also lost some greats. Between a year of big change and a spate of rapid-fire restaurant closings this fall, spots like Graffiti Junktion, DaJen Eats, Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria, and Hamburger Mary’s are no more.
Here are the Orlando restaurants that closed in 2024 that we’ll miss the most.
Did we miss your fave eatery that closed this year? Let us know here.
Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria
67 N. Bumby Ave., OrlandoLongstanding sandwich spot Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria will close its Milk District outpost in October, after nearly 20 years of business. Pom Pom’s opened in 2005 and has since become a staple eatery in Orlando. It’s been known for “East Meets West” themed sandwiches, unique salads, sides and teas, with an entire menu under $16. Credit: Photo via Pom Pom's Teahouse and Sandwicheria/Facebook
DaJen Eats
323 E. Kennedy Blvd., EatonvilleDaJen Eats Cafe & Creamery was a Jamaican vegan restaurant in Eatonville. Chef-owner Jenn Ross left Jamaica and came to America at 16 years old, developed an appreciation for cooking and embarked on a vegan lifestyle. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
Garden Bistro
712 E. Washington St., OrlandoGarden Bistro, the Thornton Park eatery formerly known as Island Time, closed in June — saying that their landlord decided to not renew the business’ lease. Garden Bistro/Island Time has been a mainstay of Thornton Park on Washington Street since 2019, particularly for their rollicking (and oft-sold out) Drag Brunches — kickstarted by local drag star Trinity the Tuck — on weekends. Credit: Photo via Garden Bistro/Google Maps
V’s Vegan Diner
908 State Road 436, CasselberryV’s Vegan diner, first a food truck, opened its brick-and-mortar outpost in Casselberry. The long-awaited restaurant specialized in plant-based, scratch-made diner classics like burgers, gyros and cheesesteaks. The non-carnivorous dining destination V’s Vegan Diner announced in March it will be shutting down for good. Credit: Photo via V's Vegan Diner/Facebook
Bem Bom
3101 Corrine Drive, OrlandoPopular Portuguese restaurant Bem Bom on Corrine closed in February after five years of sharing authentic food with the Orlando area.The news came three years after the concept lost its co-owner, late chef Francisco “Chico” Mendonça. Bem Bom, co-owned by Mendonça and A.J. Campofiore, got its start as a food truck before its brick-and-mortar location opened in 2018 at 3101 Corrine Drive. Bem Bom, which is Portuguese for “very good,” had a reputation of being just that. Credit: Photo via Bem Bom on Corrine/Instagram
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
Quantum Leap Winery
1312 Wilfred Drive, OrlandoQuantum Leap Winery vacated its space on Wilfred Drive in Mills 50 at the end of April after 12 years in operation. They’re still finalizing plans for a long-term home, but will move into a “nearby interim location.” Credit: Photo via Quantum Leap Winery/Google Maps
Cloak & Blaster
12226 Corporate Blvd., OrlandoOrlando-area gaming bar Cloak and Blaster closed its doors in January after nearly a decade in business. Cloak and Blaster was originally located on 875 Woodbury Road, before moving to the UCF area on Corporate Boulevard a couple of years back. “The idea of drinking in a tavern while rolling dice was a fantasy left to, well, the fantasy books!” read the post, musing on the bar’s novel business model of combining spirits and D&D-style gaming under the same roof. Credit: Photo via Cloak & Blaster/Google Maps
Slate
8323 Sand Lake Road, OrlandoThe Dr. Phillips restaurant Slate closed its doors permanently in January. Slate, located on Sand Lake Road, specialized in modern American fare and had been operating since 2015. Credit: Photo via Slate/Google Maps
La Boucherie
7625 Turkey Lake Road, OrlandoLa Boucherie, the casual and approachable steakhouse chain from France, closed its Orlando outpost on Turkey Lake Road in February after nearly five years of service. The spot specialized in familiar, classic French cuisine. Credit: Photo via La Boucherie/Google Maps
Dolce
500 E. Central Blvd., OrlandoDolce, the intimate South Eola restaurant and dessert bar specializing in crepes, cakes and confections, has closed its East Central Boulevard doors. Credit: Photo via Dolce/Facebook
Deadwords Brewing
23 N. Orange Blossom Trail, OrlandoOrlando’s Deadwords Brewing, which only recently celebrated its two-year anniversary, closed after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October. The award-winning craft brewpub, which features an eclectic rotating tap of quality beers, first opened in December 2021. In a statement, the brewery said their decision to close “follows several months of negotiations with the brewery’s landlord and the inability to reach a feasible arrangement to enable the brewery’s continued operation at its current location.” Credit: image courtesy Deadwords Brewing
The Hall on the Yard
1460 Alden Road, OrlandoThe Hall on the Yard food hall in Ivanhoe Village closed in April amid a lawsuit with its landlord over unpaid rent, according to court records. Records indicate that the Hall on the Yard owed nearly $250,000 in unpaid rent. Marketed as “the world’s first full-service food hall,” the space housed nine food stalls, five event spaces and three premium cocktail bars. Credit: Photo via The Hall on the Yard/Facebook
Financier Cafe & Bistro
212 N. Park Ave., Winter ParkThe Winter Park counter-service eatery has halted service. Open for brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks, the New York City-based eatery offered both indoor and outdoor seating in a casual cafe environment. Credit: Photo via Financier Cafe & Bistro
Tijuana Flats
Various locationsDon’t worry, hardshell-taco fans — there are more than a dozen local TF restaurants still in action! But in April, the Winter Park-based Tex-Mex chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed 11 of its stores, 10 of which were in Florida and several in Orlando. The chain was founded in 1995 in Winter Park by University of Central Florida alumnus Brian Wheeler, who sold in 2015 after building the concept into a well-known chain. Credit: Image via Google Maps
Thai Basil
5800 Red Bug Lake Road, Winter SpringsLong-standing Winter Springs restaurant Thai Basil closed in January after two decades of service. Thai Basil offered lunch and dinner, with menu items like curry fried rice, noodles, stir fry dishes, desserts and more. Credit: photo: Google Street View
Jack and Honey’s
808 E. Washington St., OrlandoThornton Park restaurant Jack and Honey’s closed this fall after just a year in business. It opened its doors in late 2023, as a new brunch-forward venture from the folks behind Hammered Lamb and The 808. Credit: Image via Google Maps