Let’s face it, after an extraordinary 2024 when tasting menu giants Ômo by Jônt and Sorekara — along with future perennial stalwarts Coro, Smokemade Meats, Mosonori and Mills Market — lent this city a rarefied credibility, living up to last year’s openings was going to be a next-to-impossible task. In fact, 2025 stood out for its numerous, and notable, closures like 310 Park South, Blu on the Avenue, Hanamizuki Japanese Restaurant, Chez Vincent, Little Saigon, Soco and Bar Kada, to name just a few. But the notables that did open wowed, with more than a few firmly ensconcing Orlando as a serious food city of the South. Here, then, are the very best restaurants to have opened in 2025.
No. 1: June
Opened July
The contemporary Yucatecan restaurant in the corazón of Thornton Park is charged with a cosmopolitan CDMX pulse, but it’s the verve of chefs Jason Campbell and Nick Grecco that sustains June’s inimitable energy. The depth of detail and technique the pair exhibit, be it in the sextet of salsas served with a rustic guac finished with herb oil, or drippy-lush, carnitas-style duck confit cooked with condensed milk, Mexican Coke and chilies à la Enrique Olvera then seared and roasted on the wood-fired grill, elevate the duo into the pantheon of Orlando’s most gifted culinarians. Most dishes, in fact, are licked by the flames of Florida oak, notably a fillet of Hawaiian kanpachi set in a pool of blood-red guajillo-tomato butter; chili-buttered lump crab on tostadas slicked with brown butter aioli, and an absolutely bonkers bone-out short rib set in a demi-glace fortified with ancho chiles, black vinegar and more south-of-the-border cola. Veg options like sweet potatoes with miso mole and butter-braised cabbage with onion soubise foam are anything but afterthoughts. When Campbell and Grecco immerse themselves in live-fire cooking at the soon-to-open Eastwood in Mills 50, expect it to be on this list next year. (700 E. Washington St., juneorlando.com; review)
No. 2: Sparrow
Opened May
Jason and Sue Chin can do no wrong. The 2025 James Beard Award finalists for Outstanding Restaurateur opened not one but two restaurants this year, both of which made this list. Sparrow places Reyes Mezcaleria executive chef Wendy Lopez and beverage director Lorena Castro front and center in a Euro-inspired wine bar with a mid-mod manner meshed with a sultry, after-dark aesthetic. The menu glitters with dishes drawing on French, Italian, Portuguese and, of course, Spanish influences. Of note: a sole meunière prepared as Escoffier intended, an earthy mushroom pâté splashed with the sweetness of Madeira, and house-made lumache pasta smothered in vodka sauce and spiked with nduja and Calabrian chili. Castro’s curated Spanish-leaning wine and cocktail is just as striking and, much like Sparrow’s fare, gives you wings. (807 N. Orange Ave., sparroworlando.com; review)
No. 3: Osteria Ester
Opened December
Osprey chef Michael Cooper helms this latest concept from Jason and Sue Chin that pays tribute to Cooper’s grandmother with studied and technically proficient riffs on Italian-American comfort fare. His bone-in veal chop parmigiana is the stuff a cheese-filled dream is made of, one that ends with an equally fanciful butterscotch budino. Just as noteworthy as the kitchen’s seductive creations is the alluring interior revamp of the former Soco space. Also attractive: the price point of Italian varietals curated by Lorena Castro. Cocktails, like the cacio e pepe 50/50, are seriously fun. (629 E. Central Blvd., osteriaester.com)
No. 4: Nuri’s Tavern
Opened February
Chefs Jason Campbell and Nick Grecco, the duo behind the culinary chemistry at June, spent more than two months and many sleepless nights experimenting and tinkering with a recipe to perfect their tavern-style pizza. The result: thin, crackly-crusted pies offered in “party cut” 12-inch rounds — “so that customers can have a beer in one hand and a square in the other without having to put either down,” says Campbell. The vodka pie, as well as the pepperoni and jalapeño with sweet-sticky chili crisp, are can’t-miss, but don’t pass on the incredible wings, chopped salad or crispy eggplant. “It’s modern Pizza Hut for millennials,” says a friend of mine. The place is festooned with knickknacks and memorabilia, so don’t lose sight of the sweet ending — soft serve. (63 E. Pine St., nuristavern.com; review)
No. 5: Slap! Hand-Ripped Noodles
Opened November
Slap! does just that. Orlando’s newest noodle house features a lantern-filled room from whence hand-ripped noodles of the biang biang variety are whacked and thwacked. Noodle bowls are heaped with enough chili crisp to choke David Chang, prior to a pour of hot oil. Whether it’s the signature three-way chili slap noodles with the short rib add-on or the vegetarian option, there are no bad choices here. More good choices: skewers of crispy beef and chicken gizzards; crispy, meat-filled pancakes; and the best chili oil beef and onion dumplings. (6532 Carrier Drive, instagram.com/slap.noodles.usa)
No. 6: Corner Chophouse
Opened September
The most prominent corner in Hannibal Square was snagged by one of the South’s most prominent restaurant groups earlier this year — Indigo Road Hospitality, led by four-time James Beard Award nominee Steve Palmer. This brand-new concept, a Prohibition Era-styled chophouse, fires budget-busting USDA Prime cuts and seafood selections befitting a high-end steakhouse. But sides like bone marrow dusted with Aleppo pepper, smoked beef tartare with black garlic and a beautifully presented bluefin tuna crudo, augment the beefed-up menu. The chocolate cake slice is as scrummy as it is photogenic. (558 W. New England Ave., Winter Park, cornerchophouse.com; review)
No. 7: Lima 1535
Opened August
That Lima 1535 is the only local restaurant to serve the rarely found rocoto relleno makes it deserving of being on this list alone, but there’s so much more than the stuffed Andean pepper this fetching Lake Underhill Peruvian restaurant brings to the table. For instance: lomo saltado with wok-fired alpaca, herb-marinated grilled octopus served on a tabletop charcoal burner and beefy tostones tarts. The decor has been thoughtfully designed, right down to the gorgeous, and heavy, stone tableware. (7347 Lake Underhill Road, lima1535.com; review)
No. 8: Zen Dumpling
Opened February
Given the spate of joints specializing in soup-filled, steamed and pan-fried meat pockets, Orlando may as well just start calling itself Dumpling City. This Jacksonville-based outfit’s show kitchen where dumplings are prepped gives off Din Tai Fung vibes, as do the impeccably crafted xiaolongbao, from their delicate wrappers right down to the burst of flavorful broth. “Tapas” items like beef pancake rolls and wok-fired noodle dishes are also worth exploring. A second location in Altamonte Springs opened in December. (423 N. Alafaya Trail, zendumplings.com; review)
No. 9: Talay
Opened March
Riding on the coattails of the highly lauded Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient Isan Zaap, this NoDo looker presents a menu of refined, gorgeously plated, seafood-leaning Thai fare from an equally gorgeous space. It’s a unique take on Thai cuisine not before seen in the city and exemplified by the hor mok talay and its mix of seafood in red curry custard and coconut milk served in a coconut. A corridor projecting holographic waves washing over the floor leads the way to watering hole Noir Bar, a moody speakeasy connected to the restaurant. (861 N. Orange Ave., talayorlando.com; review)
No. 10: Rawsha Mediterranean Cuisine
Opened March
Orlando’s first Iraqi restaurant has become a draw for its ridiculously succulent “Iraqi kebab” fashioned from lamb, lamb fat and a secret blend of baharat. A mixed grill highlighted by flavor-packed chicken kofta is another must-order, as are the “crispy” shawarma and Baghdadi wings. Hummus here veers toward the creamier side, while baba ghanoush isn’t heavy on the smoke. The beverage of choice with Rawsha’s heady eats: calming cardamom tea. (8956 Turkey Lake Road, rawshamediterraneancuisine.com; review)
Honorable Mention: Perla’s Pizza
Opened September
The second go-round of Michael Collantes’ nonconformist pie house was resuscitated and reanimated in a new location (Winter Park) with a new vibe, but with the same brand of individualist takes on pizza that made Perla’s v.1.0 such a hit. What Collantes calls “Florida Man pizzas” get eccentric combinations of topping like bananas, kimchi, Takis, corn and pineapple jam. Perla’s v2.0 adds the thumping vibe of a vinyl record bar to the pie house experience. (959 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, perlaspizzafl.com; review)
Other notable 2025 openings:
A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine — renovated interior and revamped “Chuan Lu Garden” fare
Black Coffee-Café Negro Bistro — Latin-ish concept by Univision personality Jose “El Negro” Figueroa
Bourbon Steak — chi-chi chophouse by celebrated celeb chef Michael Mina
The Burger Vault — superb, flame-broiled, all-halal better burgers
The Chapman — Florida-centric fare that taps into the history of Winter Park
Chayhana — bringing the delights of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to Altamonte
Cupid’s Hot Dogs — all-beef wieners and arepas in Longwood
Daniel Gabor’s Alpine Bar & Grill — German and alpine comfort staples in Ocoee
Grappolo Cucina — fresh-made pastas, Neapolitan pizzas and handmade dolci on Park Avenue
Gyukatsu Rose — flash-fried beef cutlets self-seared tableside
Imperial on Park — wine, beer, cocktails and a food menu from the former chef of Dexter’s Thornton Park
Jala — Indian fine dining off Park Avenue
Ji Bei Chuan — rice noodles and ramen in the tourist sector
H&H Brazilian Steakhouse — churrascaria by way of Beverly Hills
Leiah — dolled-up tasting menu fare on the ground floor of the Hilton Garden Inn
Lorelei Wine Bar — Riviera-styled wine bar from the pair behind Death in the Afternoon and Suffering Bastard
Luca Turci — a credible roster of serious Italian fare
Mirchi Indian Street Food — a fusion of flamboyance, flavor and straight fire
Moa Kai Hawaiian Diner — tapping into Hawaiian food and culture
Outpost Neighborhood Tavern — a fab place for dining, drinks, drag and sports
Pig Floyd’s Urban BBQ — “Bori-Chino” barbecue comes to Winter Park
Pho Bar — signature homemade pho with noodles made daily from scratch
Southern Fowl — breakfast and lunch fare from Va Propst
Sushi Izuki — a modern meets traditional omakase house
Tamale Co. Modern Mexican Kitchen — hand-crafted tamales and modern Mexican street fare
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This article appears in Dec. 24-30, 2025.