Orlando’s Best New Restaurants

We often remark about the extraordinary array of Orlando’s restaurant choices, both in terms of their variety and the sheer number of them (more than 2,700 and counting!). Combined with the quality, which now includes Michelin-rated venues and fancy steakhouses, it’s no wonder the city is now rated one of America’s best for foodies.

And the fact is, new restaurants are opening all the time, some replacing others that fail, but plenty more that are completely new to the scene. Just keeping track of the latest options is practically a full-time job, and, by our reckoning, there have already been another 40 or so in 2024 to date.

That’s a LOT of food, and a LOT of extra dining choice for our visitors. So, with our UK guests in mind, we thought we’d do a quick run-down of what we believe are the best new restaurants from the past year, which should all be on the must-try list for your next visit.

Walt Disney World

Disney Springs had been touting the arrival of the expansive Summer House on the Lake for more than a year before it finally opened in February, but it has been worth the wait for this elegant, multi-faceted California-style eatery. It features a lovely full-service dining room as well as a scrumptious Cookie Bar from their in-house bakery, which you can enjoy both inside or to take away. The main menu offers the likes of delicious salads, fresh-baked pizza, sandwiches, tacos, pasta and two excellent chicken dishes, plus steak frites, salmon and baby back ribs, while there is also a terrific brunch menu at weekends.

Also new at Disney Springs this year, EET by Maneet Chauhan will thrill fans of Indian food as this US celebrity chef brings a range of well-priced counter-service offerings to The Marketplace area. The menu features a fresh array of shareable dishes, like the Bread Service with Pimento Whipped Paneer or Tandoori Chicken Poutine. It also features fresh salads and build-your-own-bowl options with rice and kebabs. For a sweet treat, try the delectable Chocolate and Strawberry Naan or Gulab Jamun Cheesecake. Different to the typical UK curry.

One that slipped under the radar last year was Rosa Mexicano at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, a stylish take on classic Mexican cuisine in a bright, bold setting. Replacing the former Fresh Mediterranean Market, Rosa goes all out for a regional Mexican culinary style with masses of flavour in both its traditional dishes and the latest food trends. The bar area is a real standout, while the main dining room features artwork by the renowned artist Frieda Kahlo.

International Drive

Helena Modern Riviera is the newest thing at ICON Park in the heart of I-Drive, and it offers a sophisticated but casual take on Mediterranean cuisine, with attentive service and some truly delicious dishes. It opened in February this year and we tried it recently for Orlando’s Magical Dining Season (Aug-Sept) and would heartily recommend it for the calamari, bruschetta and beef empanada starters and their Moroccan Lamb and Miso Glazed Salmon main courses. It’s a touch pricey at around $28-$54 for the mains, but there are some cheaper menu items (burgers and pasta dishes), plus a tasty Happy Hour menu (weekdays until 6pm).

For a unique combo of sports bar and cocktail lounge with a view, head to Tom’s Watch Bar, which is perched atop the multi-storey car park at the junction of I-Drive and Sand Lake Road. The menu is fairly predictable tavern-style fare, including burgers, tacos, wings, fish and chips and mac and cheese, but there are also some tempting poke bowls and crispy chicken dishes.

Just opened last month in Restaurant Row (aka the stretch of Sand Lake Road immediately west of I-Drive) is a Winter Park original now branching out with a sizeable new venue. Sixty Vines bills itself as “the wine-makers restaurant,” which means fresh, exciting cuisines from various wine regions of the world, all paired with the wines themselves, either tapas style or with a delicious range of pastas, pizza, seafood, chicken and steak dishes. This should be high on your to-do list next visit!

Also on Restaurant Row but a bit hard to find (look for it a few doors along from the excellent Vines Grille + Wine Bar), Mister 01 dishes up some of the best pizza in town. It is in humble confines (i.e. no frills, just good food) and it won’t cost a fortune, while their Antipasti & Burrata Bar adds a surprisingly sophisticated touch to the main menu. And, if you ever wanted to find out what Nutella would be like on pizza, then save room for dessert here.

Kissimmee

Old Town has been a part of the Highway 192 scene for as long as we can remember, and it got a major restaurant boost in May this year with the opening of El Cilantrillo, which specialises in Puerto Rican cuisine. Look out for terrific traditional dishes such as corn fritters, seafood stew, plantain soup, mofongo (stuffed mashed plantains), carne guisada (beef stew) and churrasco (skirt steak). There is even a gift shop selling genuine artisanal gifts and accessories.

For vibrant Brazilian tastes and flavours look no further than Adega Gaucha, in the former site of the old Outback Steakhouse in Formosa Gardens. It continues the steakhouse tradition but in distinctly South American style, offering masses of fire-roasted meats served tableside by the gaucho waiters. And don’t miss the Tres Leches cake for dessert!

Winter Park and Clermont

For those craving great barbecue (and wanting to look beyond the obvious Orlando signature BBQ of 4 Rivers), we can also now offer City Barbecue on Semoran Boulevard in Winter Park, where their original menu of brisket, pulled pork, bone-in chicken, sausage, smoked turkey, St Louis cut ribs and home-made side dishes have all the smoky flavour and richness you could want. It comes served up in tacos, sandwiches and nachos, or just in great, juicy slabs. You can sign us up for this one!

Grace O’Malley’s Public House is not like any Irish pub you’ve been in, but it does have a style all its own and there are some fab burgers, sandwiches and proper Irish soda bread on offer. Gracie’s Guinness Stew is worth coming for on its own, and the Bread Pudding is equally tempting. It is part of a small national chain, and it is odd to see it pop up somewhere like Clermont (on Highway 27, just south of the junction with Highway 50), but it is great to see some substantial investment in this area instead of the usual old brands. Give it a try if you’re in the pub mood. And don’t be put off by the industrial feel – it still has all the beers and pub grub you could want.

Do you have any new restaurant discoveries? Tell us about them on our Facebook, X and Instagram pages.