Orlando 9

Part III: Settling into Orlando

of hot and cold deli sandwiches, wraps, and salads for those looking for a

light meal at a very decent price. It’s one of the best dining deals at Disney.

1800 E. Buena Vista Drive. (in Downtown Disney Marketplace). % 407-827-8500.

www.disneyworld.com. Reservations not accepted. Main courses: $4–$6. AE,

MC, V. Open: Daily 9:30 a.m.–11 p.m.

Emeril’s

$$–$$$ Universal Orlando NEW ORLEANS

The Florida home of culinary genius Emeril Lagasse, star of Emeril Live on

cable TV’s Food Network (and, therefore, rarely on the premises), offers a

feast for both the eyes and mouth. This two-story restaurant resembles

an old warehouse, albeit one with pricey art on its walls. The second floor

has a 12,000-bottle wine gallery. If you want a show, I highly recommend

trying to get one of the eight counter seats where you can watch the chefs

working their Creole-cuisine magic, but to get one, you’ll need to make

reservations excruciatingly early. (Reserve at least six weeks in advance.)

Best bets include the Texas redfish (an extremely moist white fish with

roasted pecan-vegetable relish and meunière sauce) and a grilled-and-roasted

half chicken served with rice pilaf. Though jackets are recommended for

gents at dinner, you’ll find a lot of diners, fresh out of the Universal theme

parks, far less dressy.

Emeril’s lunch menu is cheaper but has many of the same items as the one

at dinner. It’s also easier to get a reservation, and the dress code is more

casual.

6000 Universal Studios Blvd. In CityWalk. % 407-224-2424. www.emerils.com/

restaurants/index_Orlando.htm. Reservations far in advance are a must.

Main courses: lunch $18–$28; dinner $31–$50. AE, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 11:30 a.m.–

2:30 p.m.; 5:30–10 p.m. (11 p.m. Fri–Sat). Jackets suggested for men.

50’s Prime Time Cafe

$$ Disney–MGM Studios AMERICAN

If you yearn to go back to a time when life was simpler, this is the place for

you. The décor is right out of the television sitcoms, and servers deliver

comfort foods, including meatloaf, fried chicken, and pot roast. The food

isn’t quite the way mom used to make it, but the place offers enough fun

that you may love it anyway. Black-and-white TVs air shows such as Topper

and My Little Margie as servers zap you back to the days when you had to

finish your vegetables if you wanted dessert. Mom, aka your server, may

very well scold you if put your elbows on the table or don’t clean your

plate. Desserts like s’mores and sundaes top off the menu, and there’s even

a neat selection of specialty drinks.

Near the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. % 407-939-3463. www.disneyworld.

com. Advanced Dining Reservations recommended. Main courses: $11–$20 lunch

and dinner. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: 11 a.m. to park closing.

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Chapter 10: Dining and Snacking in Orlando

Flying Fish Café

$$$ Walt Disney World Resorts SEAFOOD

Welcome to Coney Island, circa 1940, à la Disney. The vibrant colorful décor

here is almost as elaborate as the show kitchen, which puts the chefs at

center stage where everyone can see meals being prepared. The seafood is

among the freshest in town, so the menu changes frequently. Headliners

may include potato-wrapped red snapper and oak-grilled salmon. You’ll

also find beef, poultry, and veggie options. If you can’t get a table here, ask

about sitting at the counter — you get a great view of the kitchen.

See map p. 130. At BoardWalk Inn Resort & Villas. % 407-939-3463 or 407-939-2359.

www.disneyworld.com. Advanced Dining Reservations recommended. Main

courses: $28–$37. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 5:30–10 p.m.

Fulton’s Crab House

$$–$$$ Downtown Disney SEAFOOD

Lose yourself in a world of brass, shining mahogany, and river charts as

you dine on the city’s best seafood while inside a moored Mississippi

Delta-style paddlewheeler (just bring your bank account along). Lobster

(Maine and Australian) and crab (stone, king, and Dungeness) dominate

the menu. The grilled tuna mignon is served rare, and the Dungeness crab

cakes are a real treat. One popular meal for two combines Alaskan king

crab, snow crab, and lobster with potatoes and creamed spinach. You’ll

find a comprehensive wine list. You can dine on the outdoor deck if the

weather’s fair.

See map p. 130. Aboard the riverboat at Pleasure Island. % 407-934-2628. www.levy

restaurants.com. Advanced Dining Reservations recommended. Main courses:

lunch $12–$45; dinner $17–$47. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

and 5–11 p.m.

Hemingway’s

$$ Lake Buena Vista SEAFOOD

If Papa were to eat at his namesake, he might dive into the beer-battered

coconut shrimp with horseradish sauce and orange marmalade or the

blackened swordfish with Cajun tartar sauce. No doubt, he would skip the

wine list (there is a decent one) and opt for a few Papa Dobles, a potent

rum concoction he invented and, according to legend, once downed 16 at

one sitting! The interior of Hemingway’s has a Key West air, and the walls

are adorned with several sepia photographs of the famous author and his

fishing trophies. The eatery has a romantic, indoor dining room lighted by

hurricane lamps, and there’s a wooden deck near a waterfall. It’s usually

childfree, although there is a kids’ menu.

See map p. 130. 1 Grand Cypress Blvd. (off Hwy. 535). In Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Resort. % 407-239-3854. www.hyattgrandcypress.com. Reservations recom-

mended. Main courses: $21–$36. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 6–10 p.m.

142 Part III: Settling into Orlando

Hollywood Brown Derby

$$ Disney–MGM Studios AMERICAN

The huge derby marks the entrance to this restaurant at Disney–MGM.

Inside, this re-creation of the restaurant where Hollywood’s stars gathered

in the ’30s and ’40s is decorated with caricatures of the regulars on its walls

and white linens on the tables. The food (on the pricy side) won’t win an

Academy Award, but the restaurant does have a respectable pan-seared

black grouper with green beans al dente and mustard-crusted rack of lamb

with acorn squash and sweet-and-sour cabbage. The restaurant’s two sig-

nature dishes are the Cobb salad, invented by then-owner Bob Cobb in the

1930s, and the excellent grapefruit cake with cream-cheese frosting.

Hollywood Blvd. % 407-939-3463. www.disneyworld.com. Advanced Dinner

Reservations recommended. Main courses: lunch $13–$19; dinner $19–$28. AE, DC,

DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 11 a.m. until park closing.

House of Blues

$$ Downtown Disney AMERICAN

Inside this Louisiana clapboard building, you find hearty portions of down-

home Southern food served in an atmosphere literally pulsing with rhythm

and blues. Exceedingly crowded on days of big concerts, the music in the

nightclub next door is as much a draw as the food. Funky folk art with a

voodooish feel covers the rustic walls from floor to ceiling. The back patio

has seating and a nice view of the bay. Foodwise, the spicy Creole jamba-

laya (shrimp, chicken, ham, and andouille sausage) and pan-seared

voodoo shrimp are good bets. Sunday’s Gospel Brunch is a ton of foot-

stomping fun, with plenty of southern favorites like chicken jambalaya,

cornbread, and BBQ chicken alongside breakfast staples including

omelets, sausage, and bacon. Brunch is the only time you can make reser-

vations, and it sells out fast, so make them early.

See map p. 130. Located under the old-fashioned water tower at Disney’s West Side.

% 407-934-2583. www.hob.com. Reservations not accepted (except for Gospel

Brunch). Main courses: $10–$26; pizza & sandwiches $9–$11; brunch $30 adults,

$15 kids 3–9. AE, DISC, MC, V. Open: Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m.; Sunday brunch

10:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Jiko

$$–$$$ Walt Disney World Resorts AFRICAN

The signature restaurant (translation: most expensive) at Disney’s Animal

Kingdom Lodge, Jiko has a show kitchen, sporting two wood-burning

ovens, and turns out a unique menu of international cuisine with African

overtones. Dishes, depending on the season, include Maylay shrimp curry,

pan-roasted monkfish, and lemon-cumin marinated ahi tuna. The wine list

features an extensive number of South African vintages. If you have an

adventurous palette, it’s well worth the trip.

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Chapter 10: Dining and Snacking in Orlando

See map p. 130. 2901 Osceola Pkwy., at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. % 407-939-

3463. www.disneyworld.com. Advanced Dining Reservations recommended.

Main courses: $18–$33. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 5:30–10 p.m.

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville

$–$$ Universal Orlando CARIBBEAN

The laid back atmosphere may take you to paradise, but after the parrot-

heads have had enough to drink, the noise can make it hard to hear your

table mates. You have your choice of three watering holes: the Landshark

Bar, the 12-Volt Bar, and the Volcano Bar, which comes complete with a

two-story, margarita-spewing mini mountain. Despite the renowned cheese-

burgers in paradise (yes, they’re on the menu at $9.95), the food has

Caribbean leanings. And although it isn’t contending for a critic’s choice

award, it’s fairly tasty. Best bets include jerk chicken, jambalaya, and a

Cuban meat loaf survival sandwich that’s a cheeseburger of another kind.

The “Porch of Indecision” offers the best spot for those with kids along.

Watch your tab. At up to $8 a pop for margaritas (the mango ones are

best), the bill can climb to $50 or more for a routine lunch.

1000 Universal Studios Plaza, in CityWalk. % 407-224-2155. www.universal

orlando.com. Reservations not accepted. Main courses: $8–$22 (most less than $15).

AE, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 11 a.m. to midnight.

Kim Wu

$ Universal Orlando Area CHINESE

Tucked away in a shopping center corner near Universal, you’ll find this

award-winning favorite, which offers traditional Chinese food done right.

Dishes are flavorful and excellently presented. Best of all, most entrees are

priced in the single digits. It’s been around for over 20 years, and for good

reason. Most nights, owner Tom Yuen works the floor greeting guests like

family.

See map p. 139. 4904 S. Kirkman Rd. (just a few blocks north of Universal Orlando at

the intersection of Kirkman and Conroy). % 407-293-0752. Reservations not

accepted. Main courses: $4–$13. AE, DISC, MC, V. Open: Mon–Fri 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.;

Sat 4 p.m.–11 p.m.; Sun 12 p.m.–11 p.m.

Le Cellier Steakhouse

$$–$$$ Epcot STEAKS

You’ll feel welcome in this cozy steakhouse, which tends to be less

crowded — and less manic — than some of Epcot’s other restaurants. The

dining room resembles a wine cellar, where you’ll sit in tapestry-upholstered

chairs under vaulted stone arches, with lanterns lighting the room.

Although it doesn’t compete with some of the better outside-world steak-

and-chop houses, it has a surprisingly good selection of Midwest, corn-fed

beef in the usual cuts: filet, porterhouse, prime rib, rib-eye, and so on.

Wash your meal down with Canadian wine or beer.

144 Part III: Settling into Orlando

See map p. 136. In Canada Pavilion, World Showcase. % 407-939-3463. www.

disneyworld.com. Advanced Dining Reservations recommended. Main courses:

lunch $7–$20; dinner $16–$37. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily noon to park closing.

Liberty Tree Tavern

$$ Magic Kingdom AMERICAN

This sit-down restaurant’s 18th-century colonial pub atmosphere (period

music plays and the décor features antiques, oak-plank flooring, and a

huge fireplace filled with copper pots) and good service help make it one

of the better places to dine in the Magic Kingdom, but few will be com-

pelled to visit a second or third time. The cuisine is traditional American,

and the vittles are basic: roast turkey, carved beef, and smoked pork with

all the trimmings. Lunch offers à la carte service, while dinner gives you a

character buffet (see “Dining with Disney Characters” later in this chap-

ter for more on the character meal). Note: Even though this place calls

itself a tavern, it does not serve alcohol.

See map p. 130. In Liberty Square. % 407-939-3463. www.disneyworld.com.

Advanced Dining Reservations recommended. Main courses: lunch $12–$15; dinner

buffet $22 adults; $10 kids 3–11. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. and

4 p.m. until park closing.

Little Saigon

$ Downtown Orlando VIETNAMESE

Situated in the heart of a tiny Vietnamese neighborhood, this ethnic eatery

has been open since 1987 and thrives on regulars from the community.

The menu offers everything from appetizers to noodle dishes to stir-fries

that mix and match pork, beef, seafood, and vegetables. The combo plates

are a good deal. Service and attention depend on the traffic. Order food

by number; if you need a description of a dish, you may need to ask the

manager, whose English is better than that of some of the servers. Don’t

miss the summer rolls with peanut sauce.

See map p. 147. 1106 E. Colonial Dr., just east of I-4 on Highway 50. % 407-423-8539.

Reservations not accepted. Main courses: lunch under $5; dinner $5–$10. AE, DISC,

MC, V. Open: Daily 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

L’Originale Alfredo di Roma

$$ –$$$

Epcot ITALIAN

Sample southern Italian cuisine in a re-creation of Alfredo De Lelio’s

famous eatery in Rome, including some lovely wall murals and an exhibi-

tion kitchen. It may be the World Showcase’s most popular restaurant

(Advanced Dining Reservations are a must), but Alfredo’s servers can be

snooty and its pasta is very overpriced. Your best bets include the signa-

ture fettuccine Alfredo and the calamari in a white wine, garlic, and tomato

sauce served on fettuccine. The dining room noise level can be quite high,

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Chapter 10: Dining and Snacking in Orlando

so if you want a quieter meal and a more casual atmosphere, ask for a seat

on the veranda.

See map p. 136. In Italy Pavilion, World Showcase. % 407-939-3463 or 407-827-8418.

www.disneyworld.com. Advanced Dining Reservations recommended. Main

courses: lunch $10–$25; dinner $17–$38. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily noon to

park closing.

Lotus Blossom Café

$

Epcot CHINESE

The open-air cafe offers familiar favorites much like what you find in

Chinese restaurants located in mall food courts. Expect slightly above fast-

food quality stir-fry, hot-and-sour, lo mein, and pork-fried rice. The outdoor

(though covered) seating is refreshing. You can buy Chinese beer and wine

as well. Quality aside, it’s still a bargain in pricey Epcot.

See map p. 136. In China Pavilion, World Showcase. % 407-939-3463. www.disney

world.com. Advanced Dining Reservations not accepted. Main courses: $4–$6.50.

AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily 11 a.m. to park closing.

Manuel’s on the 28th

$$$

Downtown Orlando INTERNATIONAL

Manuel’s is, literally, the pinnacle of elegance, situated in a posh,

panoramic enclave on the 28th floor of a downtown bank. Come here for

a stunning after-dark view of the sparkling, sprawling metropolis that

Orlando has become. To make sure you don’t miss out on the view, the

dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows. The best news: The food

matches the scenery, despite the small kitchen. The dozen or more appe-

tizers and entrees hit high notes with duck, lamb, yellowfin tuna, lobster,

and filet mignon. One popular dish is miso-marinated Chilean sea bass.

The service is very professional, and the restaurant has a great wine list.

See map p. 147. 390 N. Orange Ave., in the Nations Bank Building. % 407-246-6580.

www.manuelsonthe28th.com. Reservations required. Main courses: $26–$45.

AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Tues–Sat 6–9:45 p.m. Jackets recommended for men.

Marrakesh

$$ Epcot MOROCCAN

For a spot of romance and truly authentic flavor, head for Marrakesh. Of

all the World Showcase restaurants, this venue best typifies the interna-

tional spirit of the park. Hand-laid mosaics in intricate patterns set the

scene for lavish North African dining, complete with belly dancers.

Marrakesh uses a long list of spices, including saffron, to enhance flavor-

ful specialties. Most entrees come with the national dish, couscous

(steamed semolina with veggies and sometimes other embellishments).

Good bets include a marinated shish kebob of lamb roasted in its own

juices, and a seafood medley.

146 Part III: Settling into Orlando

See map p. 136. In Morocco Pavilion, World Showcase. % 407-939-3463. www.

disneyworld.com. Advanced Dining Reservations recommended. Main courses:

lunch $12–$18; dinner $17–$26. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open: Daily noon to park

closing.

Ming Court

$$–$$$ International Drive Area CHINESE

Dine in a romantic setting, graced by lotus ponds filled with colorful koi

while you’re entertained by — get this — zither music. One of O-Town’s

favorite Chinese restaurants, Ming Court lets you rub elbows with more

locals than tourists thanks to innovative twists on traditional cuisine. The

flavors are delicate and probably more balanced than at your neighbor-

hood Chinese place. Try the grilled filet mignon with Szechuan seasoning

or the lightly battered and deep-fried chicken breast with lemon-tangerine

sauce. Portions are sufficient, there’s a moderate wine list, and the serv-

ice is excellent.

See map p. 139. 9188 International Drive (between Sand Lake and BeeLine

Expressway). % 407-351-9988. www.ming-court.com. Reservations recom-

mended. Main courses: lunch $7–$13; dinner $13–$36. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Open:

Daily 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 4:30–10:30 p.m.

Nine Dragons

$$–$$$ Epcot CHINESE

Nine Dragons shines in the décor department with carved rosewood pan-

eling and an amazing dragon-motif ceiling. But the food doesn’t match its

surroundings, and portions tend to be smaller than what most expect in a

Chinese restaurant. Main courses feature Mandarin, Shanghai, Cantonese,

and Szechuan cuisines. The dishes include spicy beef stir-fried with

squash in sha cha sauce, lightly breaded lemon chicken, and a casserole

of lobster, shrimp, and scallops sautéed with ginger and scallions. You can

order Chinese or California wines with your meal.

See map p. 136. In China Pavilion, World Showcase. % 407-939-3463. www.disney

world.com. Advanced Dining Reservations recommended. Main courses: lunch

$8–$22; dinner $13–$38; sampler for two $43.98, for four $59.99. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V.

Open: Daily 11:30 a.m. until park closing.

’Ohana

$$ Walt Disney World Resorts PACIFIC RIM

This restaurant is a hit in the fun department, but the decibel level can

climb pretty high. Servers will address you as “cousin,” as ’Ohana means

family in Hawaiian. As your luau is prepared over an 18-foot fire pit, the

staff keeps your eyes and ears busy. A storyteller is followed by coconut

races in the center aisle, and then you can find out how to shake your

booty during a hula lesson. Soon after you’re seated, the feeding frenzy

begins in rapid succession. (Ask your waiter to slow down if the pace is

too fast.) Included is a variety of skewers (think shish kebob), including

147

Chapter 10: Dining and Snacking in Orlando

Dining Elsewhere in Orlando