Best Resaurants in Orlando

There are so many amazing restaurants in Orlando beyond this list but these are some of my favorite places to visit for lunch, dinner, and brunch. I figured it would be a helpful guide for visitors or even locals looking to dine out and enjoy some of the best cuisine in the Central Florida area.

Shari Sushi Lounge
 Shari is my all-time favorite sushi restaurant located downtown Orlando. They have happy hour on sushi rolls and drinks everyday from 5-7pm so I frequent here often with my girl friends to catch up.

Santiago's Bodega
I'm a huge fan of Spanish tapas. Santiago's has an amazing tapas dinner menu and also one of the best all-inclusive brunches in town.

Dinner

Brunch

Hash House A Go Go

Known for their incredibly huge portion sizes and delicious food. I went for brunch recently with some coworkers and we felt like it was a Man vs Food challenge. Definitely a must if you want to indulge!

Monsieur Paul

This French restaurant is located in Epcot's France pavilion. We went for Valentine's day on a double date with some friends and had a nice view of the fireworks over the lake. K said it was the best steak he's ever had and my roasted duck was pretty fantastic. 

Cafe Tutu Tango

An art-inspired tapas restaurant featuring local artwork and live entertainment including belly dancing, magicians and live music. Located in the heart of International drive, this place is a must!

Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine
K and I had a lunch date at Bosphorous located on Park Avenue in Winter Park and I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. The food did take quite long to come out but it was well worth the wait. A family-owned Turkish gem in Central Florida.

Pom Pom's Teahouse
I absolutely love this Teahouse and Sandwicheria located downtown Orlando for some eclectic sandwiches and amazing teas. The chef is originally from Thailand and she has created very unique sandwiches plus soups and sides that are just out of this world!

 
Maxine's On Shine
One of my absolute favorite brunch spots located in a neighborhood street in the heart of Orlando featuring live music, amazing food and fabulous drinks. Maxine herself makes an appearance often and stops by your table to chat.

Brunch

Dinner

Taverna Opa
I rang in my 30th birthday a few years ago with a bunch of friends at Taverna Opa. The Greek food and entertainment makes this restaurant a fun spot to visit to celebrate. Dancing on the tables also happened because they encourage it. Expect to have a good time here located in Pointe Orlando.

We've been back since my birthday to take my BFF visiting from Trinidad to have a nice dinner out since the environment and food are amazing! 

 
Spice Modern Steakhouse
Spice offers a nice atmosphere for a date night with steak and sushi being their specialty. I'm a big fan of their brunch and lakefront scenery.

Cooper's Hawk Winery

The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

Sushi and burgers seem like a strange combination for a restaurant but we decided on this spot for a blate with Ashley and I was so pleasantly surprised. Naturally I went for the sushi and it's so different from the typical sushi restaurant but absolutely delicious in it's own way. 

Tell me about your favorite restaurants so I can come visit some day!

2015 Year Recap: Part 2

It's incredible 2015 has come to an end. Overall it was an amazing year and I kept very busy with traveling and celebrating weddings, birthdays, new babies and everything in between. I posted Part 1 of 2015 last week so here goes the second half of the year.

July:
We traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate a girl friend's 30th birthday and our fifth wedding anniversary. We saw Tiesto in concert and had dinner at the top of the Stratosphere for our anniversary.


 

August:

Celebrated Kate's birthday at Sunday brunch downtown Orlando.

September:

September was a fairly busy month. K and I flew to New Orleans to celebrate his birthday and explore the city. One of my favorite restaurants we ate at for lunch was Pierre Maspero's.

We went to explore Wekiva Island with Kate and her hubs.

Celebrated some friend's at their joint bachelor/bachelorette party.

Also went to Animal Kingdom with K and enjoyed a safari ride and a few other rides.

October:

My parents came in town to visit for a couple weeks and we went to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival.

K and I went back to Disney the following weekend to explore Hollywood Studios and went on several rides.

November:

We flew to Barbados for a girl friend's wedding which I was a bridesmaid in.

 

While we were in Barbados, K and I took an amazing catamaran boat cruise around the island and then toured the island with friends.

Met Kristen at Epcot while I was there with Pamela and Kerri for the Food & Wine Festival.

K and I also visited Magic Kingdom one last time before our Disney annual passes expired.



We attended our first holiday party a friend's house and got to catch up with all the girls.

December:

December is always a busy month with holiday parties and my birthday so lots of fun was had.

We went to Kate's annual holiday party which included a photo booth so everyone had a blast with that plus the white elephant gift exchange had some hilarious gifts.

My work holiday party at Universal Studios was also an amazing night and Kate came as my date since K was traveling for work.

I got to reconnect with some  college buddies over a sushi dinner and ring in my 32nd birthday downtown Orlando at a bar for a quick drink at midnight.

The girls came out on Sunday the 13th to celebrate my birthday at the best brunch spot in Orlando and I got spoiled with their love and gifts.

K finally returned from his work trip and we had another (late) birthday celebration the next weekend at the Orlando Eye.

Christmas was spent with my in-laws and extended family in Sarasota. It was a nice relaxing weekend with lots of good food and quality time with family.

I have to say 2015 was a pretty epic year and I'm looking forward to what 2016 has in store for us.

I hope you all enjoy NYE night and wishing you the very best for 2016!