FLORIDA
The Best Orlando Restaurants: Where the Food Beats the Roller Coasters
By Eric Barton | Aug. 27, 2025
Foreigner
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.
Back when I was in college just down the road, Orlando meant two things: a long day sweating through theme parks or a long night in clubs that smelled like fog machines. Nobody ever braved I-4 traffic just explore the restaurant scene.
Now? Orlando has chefs with résumés that stretch from New York to Tokyo, Michelin stars pinned to tucked-away bungalows, and counters so hard to book they feel like winning a lottery. Orlando still has its roller coasters and mouse ears, sure, but the real thrill ride now comes with a wine pairing.
So come along with me on a ride that doesn’t require a seat belt: these are the best restaurants in Orlando.
Bacán
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In Lake Nona’s Wave Hotel, Bacán is the polished room where Latin flavors meet a wood-fire glow and service that reads the table. Executive Chef Guillaume Robin’s kitchen leans vivid and contemporary—think citrus, chiles, and smoke—without losing finesse. The space is a looker, all curves and copper, built for special-occasion energy.
Best for: A dress-up dinner that still feels lively
Bar Kada
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Winter Park’s sake lounge from chef Michael Collantes keeps it dim, close, and quietly obsessive about rice wine. Small plates swing from Japan to the world—kinilaw-style sashimi one visit, roasted mushrooms with a puckery ponzu beurre blanc the next. Nab the bar, ask questions, and let them pour you something you didn’t know you liked.
Best for: Rare sake and small plates that’ll make the whole night worth it
Capa Steakhouse & Bar
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Seventeenth-floor views at Four Seasons Lake Buena Vista would be enough, but chef Chris Edwards cooks with intent—tapas that pop and flame-kissed beef that actually tastes like the grill. The room is dark, sleek, and celebratory without being stiff. Book sunset and pretend the fireworks are for your ribeye.
Best for: A star-studded steak night with skyline views
Camille
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Baldwin Park’s Vietnamese-French tasting menu from chef Tung Phan is hospitality with precision: an intimate counter, a tighter edit of courses, and not a wasted garnish. The flavors lean bright—herbs, acid, heat—structured with French discipline. Booths get an abbreviated set; the counter is the show.
Best for: A chef’s-counter date that actually feels personal
Edoboy
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Standing-room sushi in Mills 50 could’ve been a gimmick; instead it’s a study in pacing and temperature. Nigiri from head chef Tyler Inthavongsa and “second chef” Francis Varias lands one piece at a time, pristine and quick, the way your sushi-loving friend swears it should be. Go with someone who understands “we’ll talk after.”
Best for: Fast, focused, fun sushi without the fluff
Foreigner Restaurant
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In Audubon Park, chef Bruno Fonseca runs a tasting menu that feels like a conversation—smoke, acid, a little nostalgia, then a left turn. The kitchen works inches from you, which means you get the sizzle, the plating, and the why. It’s intimate and refreshingly un-performative.
Best for: Chef-driven counter dining minus the pretense
Kabooki Sushi
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Henry Moso’s flagship still sets the tone: moody room, sharp technique, and a menu that happily jumps from pristine sashimi to trash-panda-fun (on purpose) without losing craft. The lounge is both a place to spot celebrities and where half the city’s cooks end up after service. Order omakase and let them drive.
Best for: Big-night sushi with chef cred
Kadence
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Audubon Park’s nine-seat omakase is a jewel box—just you, the chefs, and a progression that rewards attention. Fish is treated like a thesis: texture, temperature, rice, the whole essay. It’s the reservation you take a screenshot of to make sure it’s real.
Best for: The purest sushi counter experience in town
Kaya
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The Mills 50 bungalow looks homey; the plates are militant about sourcing and waste, which is why they wear that rare Green Star. Filipino flavors get tight edits—vinegar bright, coconut lush, smoke calibrated—and the room hums like a dinner party. Order the vegetables like they’re the main event.
Best for: A sustainability-minded feast that still hits joy
Nami
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Also at Lake Nona’s Wave Hotel, Nami plays both sides: an à la carte room with swagger and a secluded 10-seat Chef’s counter where the narrative tightens. Expect playful luxury—there’s lobster in the donuts pictured above—and an intensity that never turns precious. The soundtrack and lighting say “date night,” not chapel.
Best for: Chef’s counter theater without stuffiness
Natsu
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Downtown’s North Quarter omakase is minimalist in the best way: a bare, beautiful counter and fish that tastes like someone obsessed over it all day. Courses glide from precise nigiri to a cooked bite you didn’t see coming. You leave a little quieter than you arrived.
Best for: A serene, precision-minded omakase
Otto’s High Dive
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The Milk District’s Cuban-leaning neighborhood spot pours daiquiris with dangerous grace and plates ropa vieja that remembers the point: beef, peppers, rice, done right. The room’s all tile, palms, and tropical swagger without kitsch. Come early, stay late, drink like a grown-up.
Best for: Cocktails first, everything else a close second
Papa Llama
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This bright and focused Peruvian tasting in Curry Ford West from Kevin and Maria Ruiz is where the fire is literal and the acidity sings. The natural wine list nudges you into something a little wilder and absolutely works with the food. It’s the rare tasting menu that feels welcoming, not ceremonial.
Best for: A star-level dinner that still feels neighborhood
Sorekara
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Baldwin Park’s nearly twenty courses from chef William Shen land like chapters—Japanese technique, micro-season obsession, and little winks of whimsy. The room’s a stunner, but the rhythm is what sticks: quiet, deliberate, then suddenly playful. It’s a destination disguised as a dining room.
Best for: A blow-your-mind benchmark meal
Soseki Modern Omakase
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Winter Park’s 10-seat omakase highlights Florida produce from a team that can carry a story from farm to fish to sake pairing. Expect chawanmushi that eats like silk and a pace that feels choreographed but human. If you think you know Orlando, this counter edits the thesis.
Best for: A seasonal tasting that actually tastes like Central Florida
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