OPENINGS & CLOSINGS: Korean-style beanery Haan Coffee has soft-opened at 1235 E. Colonial Drive in Mills 50. In addition to beverages like matcha, tea and, yes, coffee, Haan also serves croffles (croissant-waffles) inside the very handsome space ... A couple of months ago, Jollibee teased us with an Oct. 29 opening, which never happened. Then they fooled us again with word of a Dec. 16 opening, which they later also took back — now their reps tell us it'll be "early 2023." Fans of the Filipino fried chicken chain, slated to open at 11891 E. Colonial Drive, can only sit tight ... Purple Ocean Superfood Bar, the mobile op spotlighting açai and pitaya bowls, will open a permanent space at 1110 N. Mills Ave. Look for it open early next year ... Tabla, the fine Indian restaurant with locations in Orlando, Winter Park and Lake Nona, has opened a fourth location at 945 City Plaza Way in Oviedo ...
Barrio Tacos, a Day of the Dead-themed cantina featuring tequila, whiskey and a build-your-own taco menu, has opened inside the Waterford Lakes Town Center ... Nearby, Big Bad Wolf Barbecue & Brew has opened in the space previously occupied by Slapfish at 783 N. Alafaya Trail ... Out of Many Kitchens, a scratch kitchen specializing in Caribbean fare, has opened just outside of Parramore at 202 S. Orange Blossom Trail. Dishes include jerk chicken coconut, jerk snapper, brown stew chicken, curry chickpeas and potatoes, and more ... Tokyo Teppan Cafe, sister restaurant to Tokyo Steakhouse & Sushi, is serving hibachi bowls, ramen and boba tea at 583 S. Chickasaw Trail ... Siam O-Cha, a Thai restaurant that just opened on Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Longwood, will offer such dishes as shrang wa goong (grilled shrimp salad) and kaeng hung ley (pork belly curry) in addition to Thai staples ... Look for Beefy Brazilian Pie & Co. to open in the old Loving Vegan Market space at 2240 W. Fairbanks Ave. The restaurant will specialize in Brazilian pot pies filled with everything from Brazilian-style jerky beef to bacalao ... Juan Valdez Cafe has opened inside the Trader Joe's plaza in Winter Park.
NEWS & EVENTS: The 407 Food Fair Saturday at noon at Ivanhoe Park Brewing will be a festive occasion featuring a host of food vendors including Uncle Den Dogs, The Pizza Slut, Red Panda Noodle, Phat Ash Bakes and more ... Fabio's Table at Vinia Wine Kitchen returns Dec. 16, 17 and 23 themed around European holiday traditions, specifically traditions from France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and, uhh, Brazil. The five-course meal is $85 ($125 with wine pairings). Visit exploretock.com/viniawinebar for tickets ... World Food Trucks, one of the nation's largest food truck parks (which we reviewed Nov. 9), will host One World Christmas Dec. 17 featuring free toys, giveaways, a visit from Santa and a star-studded music lineup highlighted by Puerto Rican salsa singer Frankie Negrón and former Grupo Niche singer César Salaz ... Kaya will host a Christmas dinner inspired by the Filipino tradition of Noche Buena Dec. 23 and 24. Tickets are $250. Visit exploretock.com/kaya for more.
