Orlando’s restaurant scene is ever changing, and right now, there’s a lot to look forward to. This year has already seen dozens of new eateries pop up, but the last few months have even more in store.
Orlando foodies can look forward to new cafés, lobster roll stations, ramen bars and plenty of second, third and sixth locations of already established favorites.
Here are 17 of the hottest new restaurants coming soon to the Orlando area.
Superica
325 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park
Ford Fry, the Atlanta-based chef and five-time James Beard Award nominee, will open a 5,000-square-foot outpost of his Superica Tex-Mex chain in the Palm Hills development in Winter Park. The “casual yet whimsical space” will feature Fry’s “Northern Mexican-meets-Texas-ranch style of cooking,” complete with a 900-square-foot patio. Credit: Photo via superica.com/buckhead
Best Thornton Park or South Eola Restaurant
Winner: Jinya Ramen Bar Finalists: Soco Thornton Park, Rusteak Thornton Park Credit: Photo by Rob BartlettWhite Rabbit
27 E. Robinson St., Orlando
Upcoming sister spot to Vines Grille and Wine Bar, restaurant and bar White Rabbit promises international-themed tapas, small plates and craft cocktails in downtown Orlando. The shareable-style menu is the work of Chef Fabiano Almos (also behind the bites at Maxine’s on Shine and Vines Grille and Wine Bar). Credit: Image via WhiteRabbitOrlando.comZaru
1114 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
Zaru is set to open this September next door to Tien Hung Market with a 25-seat dining room and open kitchen. The concept will allow guests to enjoy scratch-made udon noodles, handcrafted from premium Japanese flour sourced from Kagawa prefecture, the birthplace of udon. Credit: ZaruI Love Orlando Cafe
151 E. Washington St.
I Love Orlando Cafe is set to open late September (according to the count down clock on it’s website) just across the street from Lake Eola Park in the former spot of B. Nice Patio Bar. They’ll serve breakfast as well as smoothies, ice cream, wine and beer. Credit: Screengrab via Google MapsJeff’s Bagel Run
1351 Alafaya Trail, Oviedo
This latest Jeff’s Bagel Run will move into a 1,200-square-foot space in the Alafaya Square Publix shopping center. This bagel spot will mark Jeff’s sixth location in the greater Orlando area. Credit: Photo courtesy Jeff's Bagel Run/FacebookEastwood
1024 N. Mills Ave., Orlando
Team Marketing Group is set to open this 3,300-square-foot, live-fire restaurant across the street from Plantees. The resto will feature a sizable custom wood-burning grill over a blend of oak and hardwood lump coal, as well as a large-scale smoker. Both will be used to fire, char and flavor meats, fish and vegetables, as well as influence some of Eastwood’s cocktails. Credit: Photo courtesy GrillworksMason’s Famous Lobster Rolls
2 S. Orange Ave., Orlando
The Maryland-based chain will serve both Maine- and Connecticut-style lobster rolls from the former Embassy Irish Bar space downtown. Mason’s boasts lobster hauled right from the sea off the coast of Maine, where they’re brought inland to be cooked simply and then prepared according to tradition. Credit: Photo via Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls/FacebookSmokemade Meats + Eats
Hourglass District
The beloved former pop-up brings Central Texas-style barbecue to the Hourglass District at its new brick and mortar location. The brisket might be the star of the show, but other items like cheddar-jalapeño sausage, spare ribs, smoked turkey and bangin’ sides are why barbecue fiends will flock to Curry Ford Road. Credit: Photo via Smokemade Meats + Eats/FacebookLight on the Sugar
Waterford Lakes Town Center
This bakery favorite has a few locations around town and in Jacksonville, but has just announced yet another spot to grab pastries, baked goods and more treats. This upcoming location marks the chain’s fourth sweets-filled location. Stay tuned in to Light on the Sugar’s Instagram account for opening details and more. Credit: Photo via Light on the Sugar/InstagramPacking District Food Hall
Princeton Street and North Orange Blossom Trail
The old Great Southern Box Co. building on the southeast corner of Princeton Street and North Orange Blossom Trail is being preserved and repurposed into a 22,400-square-foot food hall featuring an elevated plaza with outdoor green space (read: shade). Hospitality HQ, run by award-winning chef Akhtar Nawab, whose restaurant Alta Calidad in Brooklyn earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2018, has been selected to operate the hall with vendors focusing on “immigrant cuisine.” Credit: Image via PackingDistrictOrlando.comWave Asian Bistro
360 E. Horatio Ave., Maitland
The popular Mount Dora sushi house, known for its creative sushi donuts, sushi burritos and sushi burgers, will anchor the soon-to-open Maitland Social in a 1,373-square-foot space with a 500-square-foot outdoor patio. Credit: Photo via WaveMaitland/InstagramSorekara
4979 New Broad St., Orlando
The restaurant will embody “the Japanese philosophy of culinary arts re-created with European imagination,” said Chef William Shen. Credit: image courtesy of SorekaraBrooklyn Dumpling Shop
TBA
This “zero human interaction” automat-style restaurant announced its upcoming Orlando location back in fall 2021 and, although it hasn’t released an official opening date yet, we’re hanging onto that “coming soon” plastered on its site. Brooklyn Dumpling Shop offers 32 varieties of dumplings, including traditional and not-so-traditional dumplings, like vegan cheeseburger, peanut butter and jelly and cheese pizza. Credit: Photo via Brooklyn Dumpling Shop/FacebookDebonair Supper Club
183 S. Orange Ave., Orlando
This new immersive restaurant and lounge concept is set to open soon in downtown Orlando. Guests will be surrounded by vibrant, fantastical artworks and design touches across the dining area, VIP lounge, presidential space and wine lockers. Former Walt Disney World sous chef Thomas Wilkinson will serve as executive chef. Credit: Screengrab via Google Maps
Pho Ga Hien Vuong
5282 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando The owners of Z Asian Vietnamese Kitchen opened their appropriately named chicken pho concept, Pho Ga Hien Vuong, Sept. 9 at 5282 W. Colonial Drive. In addition to the eponymous Vietnamese chicken soup, com ga hai nam (Hainanese-style chicken and rice), goi ga (chicken salad) and other chicken dishes are offered. Credit: Screengrab via Google MapsEET
1486 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista
Chopped judge and Food Network personality Maneet Chauhan and her husband, Vivek Deora, are opening a new Indian restaurant in Disney Springs later this year. The restaurant, dubbed EET, is described as a “modern, fun Indian-inspired concept.” Other specifics are currently scant, including the exact location or time frame for opening, but the couple have hopes to open in the fall. Credit: Photo courtesy Maneet Chauhan/Facebook
