FLORIDA

The Best Affordable Orlando Restaurants: Where the Real Thrills Cost Less Than a Day Pass

By Eric Barton | Aug. 22, 2025

Domu

AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.

When I was younger, Orlando meant shelling out cash—theme park tickets, overpriced drinks in nightclubs, or the wallet-draining combo of both in one weekend. Nobody thought of it as a place where you could eat brilliantly on a budget.

But here we are: Michelin’s Bib Gourmands have landed, taco trucks draw lines longer than Space Mountain, and family-run strip-mall spots are where you find talented chefs putting out dishes that could make it in fine dining.

Affordable in Orlando doesn’t mean cheap—it means smart, precise, and run by people who care more about the plate than the décor. So come along with me on a ride that doesn’t require a day pass: these are the 12 best affordable restaurants in Orlando.

Black Rooster Taqueria

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In Mills 50, Black Rooster has long been the neighborhood’s answer to why tacos deserve to be fussed over. Tortillas are made in-house, fillings range from barbacoa to a roasted cauliflower that actually satisfies, and the dining room feels like the kind of casual you wish every fast-casual claimed to be. Michelin agreed, giving them a Bib Gourmand.

Best for: Tacos with bona fides that don’t break the bank

Bombay Street Kitchen

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On South OBT, this casual Indian spot makes Orlando’s most vivid chaat and biryani at prices that feel like a mistake. Chef Pushkar Marathe’s flavors come fast, layered, and unapologetically spiced. The walls are bright, the crowd’s always mixed, and nobody leaves hungry.

Best for: South Indian heat without fine-dining pricing.

Domu

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Yes, ramen can get expensive fast, but Domu’s bowls—tonkotsu that simmers forever, tsukemen that demands slurping—are still a bargain compared to flights to Tokyo. Add in the wings (crispy, sticky, essential) and the moody vibe at Domu’s two locations, and it’s easy to see why locals treat it like a clubhouse.

Best for: A ramen night out that feels like a party

El Pueblo Mexican Grill

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This taquería in Winter Park doesn’t have the branding of trendier spots but serves tacos al pastor carved off the trompo with no apologies. The salsas run from verde-friendly to face-melting, and the aguas frescas make you wish every restaurant poured hibiscus like this. It’s cash well spent every time.

Best for: Trompo tacos and a cold horchata

Kadence

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Yes, Kadence has a Michelin star for omakase, but the lunchtime to-go bentos are one of Orlando’s best-kept secrets. Sushi sets, chirashi bowls (pictured above), and daily specials bring the same precision as the counter at a fraction of the cost. It’s the affordable way into Orlando’s highest echelon of sushi.

Best for: Michelin-level sushi you can eat at your desk

Mamak Asian Street Food

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Also in Mills 50, Mamak cooks the flavors of Malaysia—laksa, roti canai, nasi lemak—fast and cheap but never thoughtless. The dining room is perpetually full of families and students, the portions generous, and the sambal fiery. It’s the kind of place you recommend with a grin.

Best for: Malaysian comfort dishes at everyday prices

Meng’s Kitchen

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Meng’s is a tiny Burmese spot located in the back of an Asian grocery store. It doesn’t bother with décor but nails the flavor. Tea leaf salad crackles with texture, noodles come slicked with garlic oil, and curry bowls hum with warmth. It’s a restaurant where “cheap eats” also will take you deep into a cuisine that might be new to many.

Best for: Burmese plates that feel like home cooking

Otto’s High Dive

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Yes, it’s cocktail-forward, but the Cuban comfort food is priced so even a couple of plates plus a daiquiri won’t crush your budget. Ropa vieja, croquetas, and arroz con pollo arrive like family recipes turned slightly sharper. Michelin’s Bib Gourmand is the official stamp of value.

Best for: Affordable Cuban plates with award-winning cocktails

Se7en Bites

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This bakery-café churns out southern biscuits, fried chicken sandwiches, and pies that sell out before you get to noon. It’s comfort food, but the kind your grandmother wished she could make. Bring a friend to split desserts—it’s part of the ritual.

Best for: Breakfast or lunch indulgence under $15

Sticky Rice Lao Street Food

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East Colonial’s Lao counter feels like a secret you tell carefully. Papaya salad sings with chiles, sausage comes with the snap you crave, and sticky rice is the base for everything. Michelin gave them a Bib Gourmand, and locals gave them their loyalty years ago.

Best for: Lao street food that feels like a discovery

Tako Cheena

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The Mills 50 pioneer of mash-up tacos—Korean bulgogi one night, Thai peanut chicken the next—still charges less than most fast-food combos. The art on the walls changes, the crowd rotates, but the tacos keep landing. Affordable doesn’t always mean safe, and here that’s the point.

Best for: Adventurous tacos that cost less than parking at the parks

Zaza Cuban Comfort Food

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At six locations including Orlando International Airport, Zaza slings Cuban sandwiches, café con leche, and pastelitos for the price of an airport bottled water. Off-airport locations mean lines of locals grabbing breakfast platters that feel like home. It’s the rare brand expansion that stayed true.

Best for: Cuban comfort food on the go