Taste it all at Orlando’s top-tier tables and lauded local hangs

Photo courtesy of Justine Marie Photography

This adorable restaurant's menus are inspired by wine country and dishes are made with local, fresh ingredients. Offerings change depending on the season and what local farmers are growing. Sixty Vines is knowns for its tasty, unique pizzas with toppings like local honey, micro basil and house-ground sausage. Whatever you eat, you can be sure there's a perfect wine to pair with it. The restaurant is wine-centric, particularly with a concentration on California wines. There's a small, intimate patio dining space complete with a fire pit. Connected to the patio is a beautiful greenhouse where you also can dine and have an outdoor feel. Be sure to request one of these spaces when making reservations. The restaurant is open for lunch or dinner during the week and offers brunch on the weekends.

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: The menu will change depending on what fresh, local ingredients the chefs can find and the dishes are always creative and delicious.

Michelle's expert tip: Those who are gluten-free can feel comfortable visiting Sixty Vines. There are numerous menu items you can eat and the staff does not play around when it comes to cross-contamination.

Read more about Sixty Vines →

This quaint working Milk District bakery is open for breakfast and lunch with a manageable, fresh-made menu that changes near-daily and makes choosing easy. Okay, that's arguable, since how one chooses between creative, handcrafted moon pies and fresh, local fruit-infused cobblers. is subjective. Easiest method? Bring a friend and share everything! Cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pies - the smells emanating from the Se7en Bites kitchen are wrong in all the best ways possible. Be thoroughly prepared for a sweet-related impulse buy to take home. Eggs and biscuits, scones and soups, Southern comfort classics and lots of surprising modern twists. If this place sounds familiar, it's because you probably saw them on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Drives."

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Se7en Bites' buttery, down-homey, deliciousness will not be ignored. Your best low-cal intentions, however, will be.

A.D.'s expert tip: Se7en Bites is cozy. Keep your dining party small for best results or simply go the takeout route.

Read more about Se7en Bites →

Photo courtesy of Bulla Gastrobar

Clean, modern lines meld with Spanish sensibility, colorful tiles and a convivial, festive vibe, at this fountain-bedecked enclave in Winter Park, where deliciousness comes in many flavors, spanning salty meats to sugary churros and a range of succulent in-betweens. Diners here most often go tapas-style, choosing myriad plates from which all can partake, enjoy, discuss. That's not to say for a moment, however, that the large plates, from steamy, seafood-laden paellas to succulent short ribs to Spanish-influenced pub burgers. Good stuff. Bulla, by the way, is pronounced "boo-ya," which is precisely what you might say when your teeth sink into its delicious, little cod fritters, or you take your first sip of Rioja on its airy, open patio.

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: You're looking for the best, right? If Ritz-Carlton can rely on Norman Van Aken to represent its interests, it's safe to say you probably can, too.

A.D.'s expert tip: Larger tables can be set inside but Bulla also offers big groups private options, both on its patio (up to 40) and in two private rooms that host up to 24. AV is available for presentations, as well. Check their website for sample menus.

Read more about Bulla Gastrobar →

Celebrity Chef Richard Blais' of Top Chef fame opened his first Florida restaurant right here in Orlando. Four Flamingos: A Richard Blais Florida Kitchen opened in 2022 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. The menu incorporates fresh Florida flavors including coconut, mango and passion fruit into dishes like tuna, shrimp, crab and more. You can even pick your own lobster from a tank and have the chefs prepare it for you. Doesn't get much fresher than that! Also be sure to ask about the "Feast of the Day," which is designed to feed several people. The beverages also are a site, some topped with liquid nitrogen making for that perfect Instagram photo.

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: A celebrity chef's first Florida restaurant, which combines fresh local ingredients and culinary beauty in one.

Michelle's expert tip: Restaurant guests receive free valet or self parking at the resort.

Read more about Four Flamingos: A Richard Blais Florida Kitchen →

Photo courtesy of A.D. Thompson

Its air-conditioned confines may be miles away from the sultry Southeast Asian climes in which one would enjoy the layered flavors of the Malaysian food stalls for which it is named, but Mamak Asian Street Food's plates, small and large, are an exotic journey without the plane fare. From the familiar (spring rolls, street tacos) to items the less adventurous might deem out-there (fish balls, curry gravies) its menu culls from various Asian nations creating a mix of flavors that beg to be sampled. A central location in Mills 50 makes exploration of the neighborhood a pleasant to-do, pre-dinner or post-lunch.

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Malaysian food isn't a regular on many dining rosters and if you're new to it, Mamak is a great place for firsts.

A.D.'s expert tip: Can't find on-street parking? Circle around to a lot in back.

Read more about Mamak Asian Street Food →

Photo courtesy of Michael Pisarri

Prato is an upscale enough venue in which to celebrate a landmark anniversary or well-deserved promotion but also casual enough to bring the (well-behaved, please) kids for some wonderfully crispy pizza from the wood-burning oven and sandwiches like the BLT panini or the excellent heirloom eggplant version. Exposed brick, twinkly lights and some patio seating on Park Avenue give the place a cosmopolitan feel. Prato's menu pulls on classic Italian for inspiration but pays due diligence to culinary evolution, allowing for creativity and some turns that might surprise you. Half-portions on most of the pasta allow for a more authentic Italian experience (pastas are often served in small portions before entrees in the Old Country) and offer more opportunities to share and sample.

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: You can't go wrong with pizza, but Prato ticks so many more boxes. It's an almost certain universal pick that's virtually guaranteed to please everyone.

A.D.'s expert tip: The Cetriolo cocktail, a refreshing amalgam of cucumber-infused vodka, lime, white cranberry and basil, imbues one's happy hour with spa-like Zen.

Read more about Prato →

Photo courtesy of Four Seasons

Looking for a restaurant that has it all: impeccable service, outstanding food and drinks and a spectacular view? Look no further. Located on the top floor of the Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, Capa is the place to book for special occasions or whenever you want to treat yourself. There are two large outdoor terraces that offer views of the resort's gorgeous grounds as well as Walt Disney World. All this while dining on everything from caviar to A-5 Wagyu beef to a new menu item - an elevated twist on traditional Spanish paella. The Calasparra rice is cooked in a Tempranillo red wine stock and topped with crispy chorizo and a shishito pepper escabeche, a Spanish sweet and sour pepper relish. Don't let the "fanciness" deter you from bringing your children. There is a children's menu and the staff goes out of their way to accommodate the little ones.

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: This place has it all, elegance and spectacular views, unique, delicious dishes and attentive, educated staff.

Michelle's expert tip: Visit on Wagyu Wednesday for seared cuts of A5 Quality Miyazaki Japanese Wagyu Beef presented by Chef Gabriel Massip and his culinary team, along with Sommelier curated regional wine pairings.

Read more about Capa →

Winter Park Biscuit Co. has been known to the locals since 2017 when the husband-wife-owned business started doing pop-up kitchens around Orlando. The restaurant moved into a brick-and-mortar location inside East End Market in 2020. Diners repeatedly ask again, and again and again, if the crispy "chicken" sandwich is really vegan (it's made of a soy and pea protein patty) or if the "buttermilk" biscuits really contain dairy. It's true! Not a lick of animal product or byproduct in any ingredient. In fact, the oat milk, which becomes the "buttermilk, is made in-house. There's typically a line formed when the kitchen opens at 11 a.m. If you're there right at opening, there's a good chance you'll be able to snag some hot, fresh-out-of-the-oven baked goods, like seasonal scones, cinnamon buns or donuts. Good news for fans, the owners are looking to open a second location sometime in the near future!

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Yes, it is a vegan restaurant. Yes, even the carnivores will be frequent customers. Yes, it's that good.

Michelle's expert tip: Take advantage of online ordering when it's available, Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Read more about Winter Park Biscuit Co. →

Photo courtesy of Domu

There's a word we want to use about Domu's phenomenal curry ramen (the other varieties are palate stunners, as well) but we're not sure how to spell that noise Homer Simpson makes when he is particularly food-enthralled. Ramen, the bowls are definitely shareable, and an array of beautifully plated pan-Asian offerings are what all the fuss is about at Domu, and the fare is definitely fuss-worthy. You can level up your bowl with adds on including fried chicken thighs and braised pork belly, or skip the soup and go for some crispy wings or the "cheezus," a gloopy-wonderful cheesy bowl comprised, in part, of melted mozzarella, mayo, fresh roasted corn and Japanese spices. Take note: Domu does not do take out or reservations.

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Visit the original East End Market location or the Dr. Phillips neighborhood location for a classy-but-casual happy hour for dinner. The cocktails here are superb.

Michelle's expert tip: Heatseekers who'd rather not do curry might consider the spicy tonkotsu ramen as their steamy (and fiery) bowl of choice. Takeout orders can be placed online, but not over the phone.

Read more about Domu →

Photo courtesy of The Ravenous Pig

The Ravenous Pig was pretty much the first to bring the term "gastropub" into the Orlando foodie lexicon. Since it opened its doors, the city's dining scene has swelled to epic buzzworthy proportions (and the restaurant has swelled past its original location and moved into bigger digs on Fairbanks). Local is king here; a rotating food and craft cocktail menu feature ingredients grown, raised and made by Florida purveyors. A few dishes are mainstays, but the rest change up with regularity, leaving diners to wonder what delights they may find when they venture in. Oxtail stroganoff over tagliatelle? Pot-au-feu? Could be. If not, another fresh-made creation is sure to please. Come thirsty, as well. Rotating taps feature phenomenal craft beers including those of its own in-house brewing operation, Cask + Larder.

Recommended for Best Restaurants because: Its empire now sees off tourists at MCO and fills bellies with BBQ at Disney. Visit the flagship where it all started and you'll understand why.

A.D.'s expert tip: Reservations recommended. Bar seating is first-come, first-served. And if there's a tiny milkshake on the dessert menu? Order it. Happy hour: Tuesday - Friday 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Read more about The Ravenous Pig →

Source