Orlando's restaurant scene has long played second fiddle to the theme parks, but outside the tourist corridor there is a solid spread of independent kitchens. The Mills 50 district on Colonial Drive is the most interesting food neighbourhood: Vietnamese bakeries, ramen spots, and local institutions like Se7en Bites, a Southern bakery-cafe that does biscuits and quiche to a devoted following. For something more ambitious, Kabooki Sushi on East Colonial runs a proper omakase alongside its à la carte menu — one of the most serious Japanese restaurants in the city. Winter Park, just north of Orlando, has a walkable Park Avenue lined with restaurants and the reliable Ethos Vegan Kitchen for plant-based comfort food.
On the tourist strip, Sand Lake Road ("Restaurant Row") west of I-4 is where Cedars of Orlando and a handful of independent Lebanese and Italian spots compete with chain restaurants for the resort-hotel crowd. Disney Springs and CityWalk at Universal are where the brand-name celebrity-chef outposts land — convenient if you are already on property, but rarely where locals eat.