Navigating Orlando, Florida's Award Winning Dining Scene

Forbes

4 hours ago

A table at Capa at The Four Seasons Resort Orlando
Orlando, Florida is well known as a popular travel destination. With its warm climate and variety of theme parks and attractions, it welcomes millions of visitors each year. In fact, WalletHub named Orlando number one on their list of the best places to visit in the summer of 2025. While roller coasters and sunshine help make Orlando a beloved vacation spot, the city also has a vibrant and award winning restaurant scene attracting visitors.
The culinary landscape in Orlando is booming. According to the Florida Department of Businesses and Professional Regulations, the number of restaurant licenses in Orlando has increased year over year. Not only is the number of restaurants growing, but the number of award-winning restaurants is increasing as well. Orlando now has the second highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the state of Florida, coming in behind Miami.
The Michelin Guide for Florida added 11 new restaurants to the Orlando line up for 2025. The city now has 59 restaurants that have been recognized by The Michelin Guide. That includes nine starred venues, 15 Bib Gourmands and 35 Michelin Recommended dining destinations. Orlando also had two James Beard nominated chefs in 2025.
Amy Drew Thompson is a multimedia food reporter for Orlando Sentinel who has lived in the city for 20 years. She calls the dining evolution in Orlando 'incredible."
'We have so much available now, at all price points, from killer weekly food truck events to, as of this year, two-Michelin-star venues for visitors to explore,' Thompson said in an email.
As Thompson notes, Orlando is the new home of one of only two two-Michelin-starred restaurants in the entire state of Florida. Sorekara, a restaurant in the Baldwin Park neighborhood that serves a tasting menu highlighting Japan's 72 micro seasons, was awarded the coveted distinction in April 2025 at the Michelin Guide Awards for Florida. The tasting menu at Sorekara starts at $275.
The dining room at Capa
Capa, a Spanish-influenced steakhouse perched on the 17th floor of The Four Seasons Orlando, earned a Michelin star for the fourth year in a row at the April awards. According to Capa's head chef, Chris Edwards, Orlando's not just a city for tourists to grab a quick bite, it's a place where food is taken seriously.
'It's an exciting time for the city for any culinary professional to grow and thrive. With Orlando being a major tourist destination, it gives us the opportunity to experiment with local ingredients and the fusion of multicultural techniques,' chef Edwards said in an email.
Steak at Capa at The Four Seasons Resort Orlando
The Four Seasons Orlando is also home to the Michelin recommended restaurant, Ravello, that offers a modern Italian menu. Bacán, a restaurant in The Lake Nona Wave Hotel serving innovative Latin American dishes, and Nami, the Lake Nona Wave's contemporary Japanese restaurant, are also Michelin recommended.
Diners can even get a Michelin-starred meal right in one of Orlando's famed theme park destinations. Victoria & Alberts is located inside Walt Disney World at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. It serves modern American cuisine in an elevated Victorian setting just a stones throw away from Cinderella's castle in the Magic Kingdom park. It's the only restaurant owned and operated by a U.S. theme park to be awarded a Michelin star.
But Thompson says it's not just pricy tasting menus and Michelin starred establishments contributing to Orlando's thriving food scene. There are restaurants at all price points serving up delicious food from cuisines around the globe.
The Mills 50 District, which is directly north of downtown Orlando, is a colorful neighborhood known for its wide variety of Asian-owned businesses and eateries. One of the neighborhood hubs is Mills Market, a food hall featuring two Michelin Bib Gourmand recognized establishments, Bánh Mì Boy and UniGirl. The Bib Gourmand distinction is reserved for restaurants that offer exceptional food at reasonable prices.
UniGirl is an onigiri snack shop designed like a Japanese 'konbini' or convenience store. They serve freshly made onigiri with fillings like spicy mentaiko (a Japanese delicacy made from salt-cured Alaska pollock roe) and sea urchin. Bánh Mì Boy is a Vietnamese café that takes a creative spin on traditional dishes, like a French dip bánh mì and Saigon street wings.
A dish at Kaya
Around the corner from Mills Market is Kaya, a Filipino restaurant set in a small bungalow with patio seating and a garden. Kaya earned a Michelin Green Star award which is given to restaurants that are eco-friendly and demonstrate exceptional sustainable practices. Kaya sources 90% of their produce from Central Florida farms. According to Thompson, Kaya diners should also head out to the backyard where they'll find a small stand that makes 'artisan-level' kakigori, a Japanese shaved ice dish. The stand is called Koko Kakigori and Thompson says it's one of her favorite desserts in the city.
Mead at Zymarium
For those looking for an award winning drink, bars in the area include Otto's High Dive, a rum bar specializing in Cuban dishes with a Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction and Zymarium, Orlando's first meadery. Zymarium has also been awarded the most 90 point meads in the world by The Mead Institute.
'The more attention the city gets, the more talent it attracts, so the culinary fires here, small and scattered to start, are starting to grow and spread,' Thompson said in an email.
According to chef Edwards, the food renaissance in Orlando is thanks to the thriving local food culture and an influx of talented chefs.
'With chefs and restaurateurs opening establishments that focus on high-quality ingredients and creative dishes, Orlando is increasingly recognized for its culinary talent, chef Edwards said in an email. "It's not just a city for tourists to grab a quick bite; it's a place where food is taken seriously."