The Milk District is deceptive – at first glance, it seems like a sleepy strip of storefronts, but once you spend a little time in the area, you'll find that the eclectic character of the Robinson Street strip across the street from the T.G. Lee dairy plant is the hub of a wider area of cool bars, restaurants and hangs that make it one of the city's most bustling areas.
GRAB A BITE
Se7en Bites
207 N. Primrose Drive, 407-203-0727, se7enbites.com
Tasty confections, amazing breakfast and lunch concoctions (homemade pop tarts, chorizo benedict, eggplant and mushroom pot pies) and heavenly dessert pies (salted caramel dark chocolate pecan, apple ginger, coconut cream) make this one of our favorite places to fill our pie holes (as the mural painted on the wall outside suggests).
Gringos Locos
20 E. Washington St., 407-841-5626, gringoslocos.net
Downtown's favorite cheap eats now has a spot in the Milk District. Counter service only, so you'll have to get your nachos, burritos and sloppy tacos to go.
Pho K5
101 N. Bumby Ave, 407-532-7373, phok5orlando.com
Though it's located just outside the area generally known as Orlando's Little Saigon, the pho at this Vietnamese noodle house is sublime.
HAVE A DRINK
Barley & Vine Biergarten
2406 E. Washington St., 407-930-0960
It didn’t seem like we needed another craft beer joint in town, but then Barley & Vine opened and we realized that oh yes, we did. Awesome craft selection, knowledgeable and friendly bartenders and a patio that’s perfect for outdoor drinking make this one of our favorite new hangs.
Spacebar
2428 E. Robinson St., 407-228-0804, facebook.com/spacebarorlando
This small but mighty club hosts weekly underground comedy shows, DJ nights, live music, reggae nights, dance nights and more – some would say it’s even the heart and soul of the hip Robinson Street strip.
Sportstown Billiards
2414 E. Robinson St., 407-894-6258, sportstownbilliards.com
Sometimes, you need a side of ping-pong with your beer. Or pool. Or foosball. Or skee ball. Or a video game. When that’s the case, you go to Sportstown, which has all the games you need to keep you busy when you’re imbibing.
Whiskey Lou's
121 N. Bumby Ave., 407-896-2593
The giant neon sign looming over this humble watering hole on Bumby lures those looking for a divey, old-school bar, which is exactly what you’ll find when you walk through the doors.
CHECK THIS OUT
Kyle’s Bike Shop
203 N. Primrose Drive, 407-228-7088, kylesbikeshop.net
Yes, you can stop in here to get your wheels tended to, but Kyle’s is also a great biker’s resource – Kyle’s hosts regular bike rides for riders of various levels. Get to know your city by bike while getting to know other cycling enthusiasts, too.
Crossfit Milk District
2401 E. South St., 407-894-1272, crossfitmilkdistrict.com
The neighborhood’s home base for non-traditional (but totally hard-core, as well as fun) workouts. How else are you going to burn off those calories you consumed eating at Se7en Bites and Gringos Locos?
Comedy nights
Interestingly, the Milk District is home to multiple local comedy nights. On Wednesdays starting at 10 p.m., you can check out Spacebar’s comedy showcase (2428 E. Robinson St., 407-228-0804, facebook.com/spacebarcomedy). On Fridays at 8:30 p.m., you can check out a comedy open mic at the Drunken Monkey coffee shop (444 N. Bumby Ave., 407-893-4994, drunkenmonkeycoffee.com). Every first and third Saturday, the Bull & Bush (2408 E. Robinson St., 407-896-7546, bullandbushorlando.com) hosts Shit Sandwich, a standup comedy showcase.
