Our Top Choices for Christmas Dinner in Orlando

So, you’re heading to Orlando for Christmas. Congratulations! You’re heading for a wonderful festive extravaganza full of Yuletide spirit and seasonal excitement.

There is nothing quite like a Florida Holiday event, and you can be sure of plenty of special events and extra ambience around both the theme parks and other attractions.

But you may have one important question that hangs over the whole endeavour, one over-riding concern that is causing you some sleepless nights – the vital issue of where to get a proper Christmas dinner.

Well worry no more! We’re here with the essential advice and some sure-fire options for that all-important meal, and the good news is that there is plenty of choice (although you may need to get a move fast and book asap!).

Fact 1: Turkey’s Not a Given at Christmas

The first key fact to bear in mind is that, while there WILL be Christmas dinner offerings in many restaurants and hotels on the day in question, you’ll need to be selective if you want the more traditional British style of a turkey roast with all the trimmings.

The reason is that Americans tend to have their main turkey-fest at the big Thanksgiving holiday in November, and their primary meal for December 25 is more likely to be a something like a standing rib roast or prime rib rather than more turkey.

Of course, if you actually fancy a nice, juicy steak for your Chrissy dinner, you will definitely be in the right place. While some restaurants will close for the day, plenty will stay open, including steakhouses like STK at Disney Springs, BoVine in Winter Park and several Kobe and Benihana Japanese steakhouses throughout Orlando.

Fact 2: What To Look For Online

For several quick online resources that highlight restaurants open on December 25, check out:

The OpenTable website on this link.

Tourist company Visit Orlando, who have a website devoted to the Christmas period, breaking it down by four areas – Orlando Neighbourhoods, International Drive, Lake Buena Vista and the Surrounding Areas – on this link.

And local restaurant aficionado and food blogger Scott Joseph, who highlights some of the very best dinner opportunities in the general Orlando area on this link.

Fact 3: It’s a Buffet Time of the Year

After establishing which restaurants will be open for Christmas Day, it’s important to find out what kind of menu they will be offering.

Many hotels offer a tempting buffet choice, rather than a la carte, with a selection of roast carveries to underpin a wide range of side dishes, and you don’t need to be staying there to take advantage of their fare (although you will need to book).

In just about every case, the buffet will include a roast carvery featuring ham, beef and, in most cases, turkey, but you may want to check the menu in advance if turkey is essential to your Christmas dining.

The buffet will typically last through both the lunch and dinner hours, so there should be plenty of choice when it comes to making a reservation (which, if we haven’t mentioned it already, is likely to be essential!).

Fact 4: Universal Orlando Has a Fab Four

If you’re a fan of Universal Orlando and are likely to be heading there for some festive theme-parking, you’ll want to know that the resort features no less than four fabulous Christmas Day dining options to go with all the fun of Harry Potter and Co.

All are buffet choices and will definitely need to be pre-booked, and there is a truly mouthwatering array. Take your pick from:

• Portofino Bay Resort’s Trattoria del Porto, serving from noon-8pm. Look up the menu on this link

• The Royal Pacific Resort’s Islands Dining Room, which is open from 11am-4pm.

• The Hard Rock Hotel’s The Kitchen restaurant, from 10.30am-2pm.

• Or the chic Sapphire Falls Resort, where the Amatista Cookhouse will be open from noon-4pm.

Fact 5: International Drive is Open for Dinner

For those staying near International Drive, choose from any of Café Tu Tu Tango (featuring a carving station, all-you-can-eat side dishes and dessert, 11am-4pm), Mia’s Italian Kitchen (a three-course prix fixe dinner featuring fresh-carved ham, 11am-10pm) and the smart Castle Hotel, with a three-course holiday menu and drink specials from December 20-26.

The Rosen Hotels group are also well worth checking out, as each of the Rosen Centre, Rosen Plaza and Rosen Shingle Creek resorts all turn on the culinary style for special occasions and will be serving either a Christmas Brunch or Buffet that can be booked in advance.

If there’s one special location for that big dinner splurge this year, though, it has to be the Grande Lakes Resort, just 15 minutes from I-Drive, where the upscale Ritz-Carlton hotel has a variety of tempting dining options.

This lovely resort is set within self-contained grounds not far from the theme parks and is beautifully decorated for the festive season, and its restaurant choice includes two distinct Christmas options. The Michelin-starred Knife & Spoon restaurant offers a Christmas Day a la carte menu, as well as steakhouse favourites, while Highball & Harvest will serve up a full buffet choice, including a variety of roast meats.

Fact 6: Raglan Road Is Our Traditional Go-To

If we had to nominate just one restaurant that we know will hit the mark for our UK guests, it is the one at Disney Springs that always makes a real feature of the traditional turkey dinner – Raglan Road.

A long-time favourite pretty much since it opened in 2005, this authentic venue serves up a succulent set meal alongside its regular menu, together with a selection of local craft beers and seasonal cocktails. It also comes with Raglan Road’s regular Irish music and dance entertainment.

This year, the set Christmas Day dinner is $39.99 for adults and $19.99 for children and consists of butter and herb roast turkey, roast garlic mashed potatoes, duck fat roasties, honey glazed carrots, bacon glazed Brussels sprouts, sausage meat and walnut stuffing and red wine jus with cranberry sauce. And if that doesn’t sound like a festive feast, we don’t know what does!

Fact 7: You have A Kitchen, Remember!

Finally, for ALL our guests, with so many restaurant temptations practically on your doorstep, it’s easy to forget you have a fully-equipped kitchen in which to tackle the essential dinner question yourself and make sure you cater exactly to your family’s tastes.

The key question is just to know where you can get the essential fresh turkey. The frozen variety will be available at all supermarkets, including the ubiquitous Publix, but not all will offer the fresh version, hence you will either need to order in advance or get in early on Christmas Eve.

Your best bet is to visit either Whole Foods or Fresh Market and pre-book your turkey for collection at least two days in advance. The Orlando Whole Foods can be found on Turkey Lake Road, on this link, and you can even order a whole oven-ready meal, with turkey included. For all the Fresh Market locations in Florida (of which there are almost 50), look up this link.

And that’s our best advice for this year’s Christmas Day dining. There’s a lot in store – just make sure you book in advance if you’re dining out!

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