Non-Disney restaurants

feesh

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 20, 2016
I was wondering if anyone had any restaurants outside of WDW they would recommend. We are staying off site for the first time and figured we would explore some other options a bit this trip. I am thinking specifically of restaurants/chains they don't have in canada (or at the very least in Quebec where I live).
 
Is there any type of food you are looking for in particular? Also, what area are you staying offsite?

I will suggest something off the beaten path - North Orlando has something of a Vietnamtown, and my family likes going to Lac Viet. My MiL (who is from Vietnam but is ethnically Chinese) thinks it's relatively authentic, for whatever that's worth).

A few other thoughts:
Closer to the parks, Joe's Crab Shack is garbage, and you will find better crab houses via google search. Again, they might be in North Orlando.

TGI Fridays, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday and Applebees are your standard family bar/grill - think Boston Pizza or Kelseys. If that is what you are looking for, you will not be disappointed, but you will also be unimpressed.
 
We love Cafe Tu Tu Tango on International Drive. They have tapa size food. DD and I get to try different variety of food. We have gone every time when we visit Orlando.
 
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Celebration Town Tavern - www.thecelebrationtowntavern.com is very good.

The Ravenous Pig http://www.theravenouspig.com/ gets rave reviews but I haven't been there myself yet.

I've heard good things about Bonefish Grill as a chain.

Cowfish https://www.universalorlando.com/Restaurants/CityWalk/The-Cowfish.aspx over at Universal CityWalk sounds very intriguing.

I was not able to try Cowfish last time I went. I will not miss it this time in August!

If you are going to Citywalk, you may want to check out Chocolate Toothsome.
 
The Columbia Restaurant in Celebration. I recommend the Pompano en Papillot which takes some time to cook in the parchment.
 


Maggianos! Italian restaurant. You need a car to get there but it's worth the drive! Definitely get the family's style dining!
 
Check out the "Orlando Hotels and Attractions" forum here for a ton of threads on restaurants.

A lot depends on where you are staying in the Orlando area, as there are probably more restaurants per square mile than anywhere else in the US, and it is a very spread out area. Every chain is represented there; heck even local Ottawa chain Lonestar Grill opened their first international franchise there many years ago (still there, but I don't think they are associated anymore).

A general tip if you are a foodie is to read up a little online at the Orlando Sentinel (local paper). They have a regular food section and there are great reviews of what's hot and new in the area. We've picked up a few ideas there.

We eat in villa mostly, but a few of our go to places for quick eats are (in no particular order):

Sweet Tomatoes - casual cafeteria style buffet, has a really big following here on DIS. Have heard they have been economising a bit lately.
Burger 21 - gourmet burgers and truly safe gluten free options. This is a small Southern US chain.
Steak and Shake - regular burger and shake joint, big following
Seasons 52 is our favorite spot for a classy night out.

All four of these are places I have hit more than once. There are a ton of places I have only hit once, but restaurants come and go so quickly that I wouldn't even know if they are still there.
 
If you're looking for a good ole "southern" experience, try Cracker Barrell. It's fantastic and a really fun experience. It's looks like there's a few real close to Disney World. It's one f my favorite places to go when we are visiting the southern US.

Another great fast food place is Chick Fil A. There's a location at the Orlando airport and quite a few just outside of Disney World. The only Canadian location is at the Calgary airport and we are frequent visitors! If you like fries chicken sandwiches, it's a must visit! But keep in mind that it is closed on Sunday.
 
If you are looking for a good steak place you have to try Charlie's in Celebration....best steak I have ever had.....it's not cheap but it is very good!
 
If you're looking for a good ole "southern" experience, try Cracker Barrell. It's fantastic and a really fun experience. It's looks like there's a few real close to Disney World. It's one f my favorite places to go when we are visiting the southern US.

Another great fast food place is Chick Fil A. There's a location at the Orlando airport and quite a few just outside of Disney World. The only Canadian location is at the Calgary airport and we are frequent visitors! If you like fries chicken sandwiches, it's a must visit! But keep in mind that it is closed on Sunday.


I second both of these options! The Cracker Barrel is a must visit for us, and was my Grandma's absolute fave when we cross the border.
Chick Fil A is so yummy. I actually crave it some times!

My other suggestion is CICIs. It's an all you can eat pizza bar. They have basic salad fixings and pastas too.
My 4 kids love it. It's not the classiest place, but it's cheap and fun. And, they have arcade games which the kids love too!
 
The chain restaurants we like are Longhorns for steak and Olive Garden for Italian.
 
At the end of one of the Disney entrance off Hotel Blvd and SR 535 is a whole slew of restaurants, Olive Garden TGIFridays, Hooters, search Crossroads Lake Buena Vista, we pretty much ate there every day when we stayed offsite and didnt eat in the parks
 
We always go to Fuddruckers at Crossroads just past Downtown Disney. They are a burger place, the food is good and not a bad price. They do have Fuddruckers in Saskatchewan.
 

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