WHERE TO FIND GREAT EATS

With a flourishing local food movement, many restaurants in Orlando pride themselves in farm-to-table dining and have created eclectic menus.

Slate

In the heart of the Dr. Phillips neighbourhood, Slate serves classic American dishes with a twist made from local, seasonal ingredients. Don’t miss the great salad with local farro, baby carrots, hearts of palm and avocado. Roasted kabocha squash is also a must try. For pizza, the wood-burning fireplace sets the modern yet warm mood.

Cask and Larder

Referred to as a “Southern public house,” this neighbourhood gathering spot in Winter Park features beers brewed on site, home-cured meats, hand-canned fruits and house-pickled vegetables plus fresh fish, shellfish and oysters. It’s a great casual place to eat food with a southern flair.

Urban Tide

With a view of a grotto pool, this coastal cuisine restaurant on International Drive offers fresh local seafood and a seasonal threecourse menu. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are beautifully presented and don’t miss the handcrafted cocktails and heirloom tomato salad.

Mills 50

Just northeast of downtown Orlando, Mills 50 is home to the largest Vietnamese-American community in Florida. Mills 50 contains local markets like Dong A Supermarket and 1st Oriental Supermarket that source local produce and has Florida’s only sustainable winery, Quantum Leap. You’ll definitely get your fix of pho here, where restaurants use local vegetables and meats to spice it up.

Hamilton’s Kitchen

Local ingredients are transformed into fresh and light flavours at Hamilton’s Kitchen inside the boutique Alfond Inn hotel in Winter Park, where you’re welcomed by an open kitchen and rustic tables. The butterscotch pudding laced with whiskey is fabulous.

Cask and Larder serves up hearty meals with a southern flair. The neighbourhood hub in Winter Park also has beers on tap and home-cured meats.

There is plenty of pho to be had in Mills 50.

Urban Tide’s seafood offerings are a must-try.