Grub hub

Orlando used to be known as the “chain capital” of the world. But it’s grown up into a serious foodie destination, thank you very much

Orlando was long a place whose restaurant reputation preceded itself. If you visited “The Chain Capital of the World” in the ’80s, ’90s and early aughts, you very likely binged at the buffets of Ponderosa, scarfed the peanut butter pie at Bob Evans or went to town on the chicken-fried chicken at the Black-eyed Pea. Olive Garden and Red Lobster? Both were born right here in Central Florida. But over the last 20 years, Orlando hasn’t just freed itself from the shackles of the “Chain Capital” designation, it’s overhauled and reshaped its culinary image.

Disney, of course, had something to do with it. To this day, the Mouse continues to roar, luring newcomers and residents alike to such high-end bastions of gastronomy as Victoria and Albert’s, while nearby Disney Springs has transformed into an Olympic Village of celebrity chef restos, with José Andrés, Masaharu Morimoto, Rick Bayless, Art Smith, Wolfgang Puck and Guy Fieri all competing for tourist dollars. More importantly, however, all that corporate investment benefited Orlando’s independent restaurant industry. Home-grown chefs nurtured by the giants have opened establishments of their own, and the complexion of the city’s restaurant scene has changed for the better.

Drive around Mills 50, arguably the most culinarily diverse neighborhood in Orlando, and the change is noticeable. Long-established Vietnamese restaurants like Little Saigon and Pho 88 now sit next to a new generation including Z Asian, Ga 2 To and Paris Banh Mi. A slew of pan-Asian restaurants have opened in the’ hood as well offering Malaysian, Laotian, various provincial strains of Chinese, Japanese and Korean fare. But West meets East in Mills 50: tacos, barbecue, Jewish deli and American bistro are all mainstays. In many respects, Mills 50 is the new face of Orlando’s restaurant landscape, and is garnering the city a new rep as a culinary powerhouse for its varied cuisines. What they all have in common is an extremely relaxed vibe — nothing stuffy allowed.

In Audubon Park, East End Market offers a microcosm of that diversity in each of its food stalls and at Domu, the ramen-ya anchoring the popular food hub. Around the corner, omakase house Kadence established itself as one of the city’s finest restaurants. In addition to the Michelin-starred Kadence, Orlando abounds in fine sushi options, from high-end to more casual, in almost every neighborhood.

Orlando’s cheek-by-jowl neighbor, chichi Winter Park, is home to the Ravenous Pig, the gastropub that put Orlando on the culinary map 15 years ago and paved the way for the generation of chef-run boîtes that followed. Main drag Park Avenue is home to the greatest concentration of restaurants in Winter Park, many of which tout the prestige of their brick-lined locations. If you’re looking to impress while staying out of the swanky dining rooms of the big resorts and the corporate-backed fat cats along West Sand Lake Road in Dr. Phillips — Park Ave is the place.

For the adventurous, there’s no shortage of affordable international flavors along West Colonial Drive and South Orange Blossom Trail. They’re both somewhat blighted strips, but outstanding meals can be had nonetheless. On West Colonial, Orlando’s Chinatown houses numerous Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean mom-and-pop joints. Down south on OBT, find tacos and tortas (the drive-thru lane at Tortas El Rey is a local blessing) as well as reams of Indian and Pakistani markets, chaat stops and sit-downs.

To not mention Orlando’s legacy restaurants would be a disservice to any newcomer. Nikki’s Place has served meat-and-threes to the Parramore community for nearly 75 years, and Linda’s La Cantina, Lee & Rick’s Oyster Bar, Beefy King and Lam’s Garden are noteworthy for their survival skills as much their historical ties to the city.

This patchwork of restaurants may seem like a lot for a recent transplant to take in, but they create a mouthwatering mosaic that extends into the outlying communities of Kissimmee, Winter Garden, Longwood, Lake Mary, Sanford and East Orlando. Consider this a snapshot, or a picture, of the city’s dining landscape … one hopefully worth the thousand words.

——— By Faiyaz Kara

Hungry Pants in SoDo caters to “plant-curious” eaters.

PHOTO BY ROB BARTLETT