Orlando Favorites
As our time in Orlando comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the places I will miss the most when we move. The food scene in Orlando is pretty great these days and I will for sure miss the seemingly endless options.
Favorite Coffee & Tea
Cups and Pups in College Park is an adorable spot that welcomes people and pups, makes great lattes, seasonal cold brew flavors, and cold brew delivery!
Foxtail Coffee Co. is a local coffee chain with THIRTY NINE locations. It started with one small shop and roaster in an old Winter Park auto body building just a few blocks away from my office and has exploded since then.
Axum Coffee in Winter Garden serves up delightful coffee and treats, on a picture perfect Main Street. So grab a coffee, a pal, and people watch for a bit.
RoyalTea is our favorite place for a cheese mousse tea. I was very skeptical at first because it’s basically cream cheese frosting on top of tea, what?! But it’s really good and I will miss it.
Pom Pom’s Tea House & Sandwicheria is a cozy space with a cool vibe, with daily tea specials and an extensive menu of loose leaf teas available hot or cold. Plus food, see below.
Favorite Casual Food
Beefy King is an Orlando roast beef sandwich institution with an iconic bright yellow sign featuring a bull’s face. We love the classic Beefy meal deal, a regular roast beef sandwich, tots, and a drink for under $9. Add some of their bbq sauce and it’s the perfect casual meal.
Pom Pom’s Tea House & Sandwicheria is a favorite for teas and sandwiches. A few of our favorites are: Colossal PB&J, Spicy Elvis, Mama Ling Ling’s Thanksgiving, and of course some days just call for a build your own. The soups and grits are also great, our favorite is a rare one, white cheddar poblano soup, but when they have it we drop everything to go get it.
Black Rooster Taqueria is a great little place for tacos! They have great chips and made to order guacamole. My favorite tacos are chicken tinga and carne asada, plus the hibiscus tea is very refreshing, especially in the disgusting Florida heat.
Black Bean Deli has our favorite Cuban food in Orlando. We love the lunch special (half a Cuban sandwich with black beans and rice), the Havana pork plate, any of the empanadas, and the maduros. Don’t forget to cap it off with a cafe con leche.
Alex’s Fresh Kitchen is a small, local place that packs a big punch. I love their pancakes, burgers, and club sandwich. Plus if they have the peanut butter chocolate cake while you’re there, get it!
Papa Sabz is a great spot for hot sandwiches, especially gyros and cheesesteaks. It’s a family owned place with great food that holds up well even when delivered. We will definitely miss this place.
Favorite Pizza
Boardwalk Pizza is our family pizza spot. We’ve been going there for over 20 years and we don’t even call it buy the full name, it’s just called pizza in our family. We have celebrated all kinds of occasions here and feel like the owner and staff are an extended part of the family.
Lazy Moon Pizza is a great for a late night slice. The slices are HUGE, like bigger than your face huge. We love to go to Lazy Moon after any kind of show or outing downtown for a slice on the way home. I love a plain cheese slice, but if I’m feeling a like something a little more exciting I have a hard time choosing between pepperoni and caramelized onion and the Down Home BBQ chicken slice. They do sell whole pizzas, but you’re going to need a bunch of friends and a big ass truck to get them home because they come in either a 20 or 30 inch pie.
Favorite Sit Down Restaurants
Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Cafe in Sanford is our absolute favorite German restaurant to grab a pint of German beer, eat some sausages and Schnitzel, and don’t forget to order the giant, soft Bavarian pretzel.
Colorado Fondue Company is the best fondue in town, hands down. Our family has been celebrating birthdays and other special occasions here since they opened in the early 90’s, it’s always my birthday dinner request. They serve traditional cheese and chocolate fondue, but for the meat course you get to cook your meat on a blazing hot rock. Inside is a ski resort style dining room, with super friendly servers, great drinks and food, and an overall fun experience. I would recommend the Expert trail with southwest caesar salad, original cheddar cheese, and the original chocolate for a first time visit. Once you’ve experienced the basics, go wild spicing things up.
Teak Neighborhood Grill is our favorite place for a big juicy burger. They have an extensive burger selection including a secret menu, check their Facebook page for the password. I highly recommend the Harry Carry, Engine Oil, the Hawaiian, or the Mighty Bacon Swiss (last two are from the secret menu, so act surprised). Pro Tip, always order the onion rings, they are huge and perfect. So perfect I have no pictures of them.
Kres Chophouse is a great place for a fancy date night. They have great steaks and cocktails in a moody atmosphere. We love it for a celebration dinner.
Favorite Sweet Treats
Gideon’s Bakehouse has legendary half pound cookies, but I roll up for the giant cake slices. Their cake is incredible and maybe some of the best cake I have ever put in my mouth. You can order whole cakes for special occasions and I recommend serving the cake with a side of ice cream from Kelly’s.
Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream is the best ice cream in Orlando, hands down. My favorite everyday flavors are strawberry and ore-dough, and each month they have a selection of seasonal flavors. My favorite time of year is Christmas or Christmas in July because the candy cane ice cream is perfection. They have great milkshakes and serve ice cream flights if you want to share a small portion of a bunch of flavors with a friend.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice has been around since the mid 90’s and Chris and I have been eating strawberry lemon ice together since we met in middle school. My favorites are strawberry lemon ice + vanilla soft serve, P-nutty or cookies and cream ice + chocolate soft serve, and in the fall, pumpkin pie ice + vanilla soft serve. This is the perfect treat all year round, but extra refreshing while you sweat to death during the summer.
Twistee Treat is a soft serve ice cream shack shaped like an ice cream cone and they have strawberry soft serve. It’s delicious and I wish twistee treat was everywhere so I didn’t have to give up strawberry soft serve.
Light on the Sugar is a bakery that specializes in pastries and tea with an Asian twist. They are known for their cream puffs, but my favorites are the dark chocolate pistachio tart and any of their macarons. Don’t forget to get a coffee or tea to sip on while you eat your sweet treat.
Favorite Bars
Eden Bar at the Enzian is an outdoor bar at the Enzian theater, a single screen independent theater we also love. It’s super relaxed, with a great cocktail list and great bar snacks.
The Guesthouse and Sunroom are both very trendy cocktail lounges next door to each other. I love them both so much. The Guesthouse get super busy and Sunroom is a little more chill, both are very mid-century inspired, and both are great places for a group or friends to hang out or for a date night drink.
Bowigens Beer Company is a local brewer that makes a huge selection of craft beers with a couple of really great tap room locations. Bottles and cans are available to take home.
The Imperial is located in furniture stores for an extra cool atmosphere. They have live music regularly and a great drink list. Highly recommend.
Favorite Breakfast
Bagel King is our very favorite place to get bagels. They have a great selection, other breakfast foods if you want more than a bagel and the long time staff are all super friendly.
Shaker’s American Cafe is named for it’s giant collection of salt and pepper shakers displayed all around the cafe. It’s a kitschy place with great food, and don’t miss out on grilled biscuits. They cut a biscuit of your choosing in half and grill it on the flat top with butter and holy shit, it’s so good.
Buttermilk Bakery has the best pastries. I haven’t tried anything I didn’t love, so get there and try it all. Some of my favorites are morning bun, bacon cheddar pull apart croissant, chocolate croissant, brioche doughnuts (weekends only), Kouign Ammans, any pop tart or fruit danish. I just love buttermilk so much.
Donut King is a long time Orlando donut shop that makes incredible donuts. They have a large selection of toppings and flavors, but regular, not super frilly over the top donuts. They are so so so good. The Minneola location is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and has a drive thru. My favorites are boston cream, maple frosted, chocolate frosted chocolate cake, lemon filled glazed, blueberry cake, raised chocolate glazed, and sour cream. They also serve breakfast sandwiches and mini burgers, but I love donuts and this place will be a must visit anytime we come back to town.
Metro Diner isn’t specifically local to Orlando, but it’s a local-ish chain that started in Florida. They have my absolute favorite waffle and peach iced tea. It’s one of my favorite places for a basica American breakfast, the Metro club sandwich is my favorite lunch item, and if we go for dinner, I like the pot roast or breakfast for dinner.
Favorite Main Streets
Park Avenue in Winter Park is where Christopher proposed to me. There is a large green space, lots of upscale shopping and tons of great places to eat and drink. There is also an Amtrak/Sunrail station in case you want to take the train.
Plant Street in Winter Garden has lots of great food and fun shops. It’s near the West Orange Trail, so there are bike shops and places to rent bikes for a fun ride. Just make sure to grab a little something to eat or drink before you get ridding.
1st Street in Sanford hosts tons of festivals and a weekly farmer’s market. There are art galleries, great food and drinks, and it’s only a couple blocks away from Lake Monroe.
Corrine Drive in Orlando is a little less cute main street and more street with lots of delicious food, coffee, and bars. Plus some cute shopping.
We will definitely miss a lot about Orlando, but we are very excited for the new adventures ahead.
Title Graphic Photo by Done By Alex on Unsplash
