10 Best Restaurants in Central Orlando, Orlando

Nestled in the funky Mills 50 neighborhood, this small, casual, Michelin Bib Award–winning taco place serves corn tortillas and fresh guacamole with every dish. Tacos like the vegetarian (shiitake mushrooms, onions, zucchini, and crema fresca) or the smoked greens (kale, shiitake, plantain, onions, and ricotta) are unusual alternatives to the classic chicken tinga or carne asada options. There's a second location in the hip Hourglass neighborhood with a Sunday brunch option.

The Grand Bohemian, a luxury boutique hotel, is the setting for this sleek city-center restaurant. Start with the calamari or the porcini flatbread followed, perhaps, by a selection from the famed Angus beef menu, the Chilean sea bass, or the Hunter's Board of handcrafted charcuterie. The Sunday Jazz Brunch here is legendary, with stations for omelets, seafood, and carved prime rib, as well as an expansive dessert selection. Local politicians favor this place for power breakfasts, and local jazz stars perform in the Bösendorfer Lounge most evenings.

Hipsters, families, and business groups dine side by side at this popular restaurant, a laid-back spot that specializes in Asian street food and has quickly become a Southern institution with 15 locations in seven states, including six in Florida. Travel Southeast Asia with scratch-made family recipes from across the region. Developed by four Florida friends, the adventurous menu includes roti canai, a flaky bread with a chicken-curry dip; curry laksa, a noodle soup with exotic flavors; and crispy Korean wings. More timid eaters adore the marinated beef skewers with Malaysian satay sauce, peanut-y chilled sesame noodles, and duck tacos.

A hip space nestled in a former private house off Colonial Drive, Kaya gives traditional dishes from throughout the 7,000 islands of the Philippines inventive new angles. Though pricey, the "five-wave Sama Sama Tasting Menu" is truly memorable—what should be a standard dish, the yam noodle pancit, becomes extraordinary, and California long-grain sushi rice is transformed into a revelatory fried-garlic-infused plate with locally grown squash, eggplant, and lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms. Indeed, chef Lordfer Lalicon, who honed his craft at the famed Blue Hill at Stone Farms, takes local sourcing very seriously. 

Standing out in a town saturated with taco places, Reyes brings authentic (meaning real Mexican) cuisine to Orlando. Michoacán-born chef Wendy Lopez honors the food of her homeland while adding inventive modern touches; Yucatán pork ribs, duck enchiladas, and a mixed grill of NY strip, chicken, and shrimp are just a taste. An extensive variety of agave-based liquors and the one-of-a-kind mezcal-soaked chocolate cake ends the meal on an alcoholic peak.

Trina Gregory-Propst and her team of bakers and cooks make the biggest and most satisfying breakfasts, lunches, and sweet treats in town. Try a from-scratch chicken potpie, which has the most glorious crust; the mile-high meat loaf sandwich; or the "7th Trimester" of buttermilk garlic biscuit, over-medium egg, and smoked bacon, smothered in five-cheese mac and cheese. Look for the "Let us fill your pie hole" mural.

The epitome of modern Japanese cuisine, Seito offers crowd-pleasing traditional and contemporary ramen bowls as well as unique, handcrafted sushi combinations and Japanese "kitchen food." The sophisticated and fun bar specializes in Japanese cask whiskey and multiple exclusive sake brands.

Armando Martorelli has opened many local restaurants in his career since coming from Italy to Florida, but his namesake eatery is the epitome of his craft. It has a relaxed neighborhood vibe and serves what is perhaps the area's best Neapolitan-style pizza. Other menu highlights include daily fresh-seafood specials, veal saltimbocca, and a signature pollo di Tatiana with vodka cream sauce.

A local favorite since 1947, this down-home steak house serves good cuts of meat, expertly cooked and reasonably priced. Butchery is done on premises, and there are no TVs over the bar to distract from a pleasant conversation over a great steak. The menu is short and to the point, including about a dozen steaks (most of them different sizes of top sirloin strip, filet mignon, or T-bone) and just enough ancillary items to fill a single page. Among the fish selections is the 12-ounce blackened red snapper. The chicken, veal, or eggplant parmigiana topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella is good for nonsteak lovers. With every entrée you receive a salad plus a choice of spaghetti (which isn't particularly noteworthy), baked potato, steak fries, green beans, or broccoli. There's even an old-fashioned early bird special for seniors before 6 pm.

A holdover from when neighborhood restaurants were actually in a neighborhood, award-winning Maxine's is casual, hip, local, and friendly. The menu ranges from sophisticated seafood to brisket burgers and Black Angus filet mignon. The wine list is unique and special, and the bar rivals the extended outdoor seating for popularity. There's live music several times a week, an unusual Friday brunch, and special events feature wine dinners and drag cabaret nights.