The 2024 Orlando Dining Awards: Readers’ Choice Part 1

A Note From Jennifer McKee

Eating. It’s something every single person—no matter what your religion, ethnic background, or beliefs—has to do every single day.  Some of us like the traditional three squares a day. Others like to graze throughout the day (and if you’re in the media, you’re often chowing down long into the night). It’s a good thing Orlando has so many stellar dining institutions. From food trucks to fine French, there’s a seemingly endless stable of restaurants to choose from in The City Beautiful, and with a little help from our friends—YOU!—our eyes are now opened to new choices we either haven’t gotten around to visiting yet or were otherwise unaware of. Thank you, and bon appétit!

Principal Photography by Roberto Gonzalez

Back to the 2024 Dining Awards

NORMAN’S | RESTAURANT ROW

Best Restaurant: Readers’ Choice 

Creating menus is something I love to do. It is the integration of seasonality, the food stories of Florida I have been telling for decades.

—Chef Norman Van Aken

Is there anything better than sitting on Norman’s covered outdoor patio, sipping wine as you enjoy the gentle Florida breezes? Or kicking back indoors in a refined space to savor an exquisite menu of fresh seafood, steak, chicken and pork entrees? Obviously not, since Norman’s takes top honors as our readers’ favorite overall restaurant. The critics agree as well, adorning Chef Norman Van Aken with a lengthy list of honors that’s too long to recount here, but he’s the only Florida chef who’s been inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s list of “Who’s Who in American Food and Beverage” and is known as the “Founding Father of New World Cuisine.” You can also thank Van Aken for introducing the word “fusion” into the dining lexicon. He’s a true Sunshine State treasure and has been hailed as “Florida’s Culinary Icon.” normans.com

NAMI | LAKE NONA

Best New Restaurant: Readers’ Choice 

A culinary gem located inside the Lake Nona Wave Hotel, Nami sparkles with its flawless dishes, cocktails that are works of art and its mirrored entrance. Any dining experience here is an exciting one, with on-point selections of crudo, maki rolls and meats from the robata grill, but the Chef’s Counter experience is extra-special—Michelin-Starred Chef Freddy Money and Chef Jason Beliveau take you through a 20-course bite tasting menu, designed to tantalize your senses. Seats fill up fast, so waste no time securing your reservation. Love expertly curated cocktails? The mixologists are pros, and you’ll get to sample some of their best drinks during Nami Nights (on Fridays and Saturdays), plus a special late-night menu. The energy level stays high thanks to Nami’s in-house DJ. namilakenona.com 

©Nami

VOODOO BAYOU | RESTAURANT ROW

Best Instagrammable Restaurant: Readers’ Choice 

A bayou may be full of sluggish water, but there’s nothing stagnant about Voodoo Bayou—on the contrary, this gorgeous restaurant is full of bright colors and floral prints, exquisite chandeliers and crowds looking for a place with that “buzz.” This is it. Chefs plate up masterpieces such as redfish served on the half shell, jambalaya and for hearty eaters, a Cajun ribeye, in the exhibition kitchen on the opposite side of bar stocked with every spirit to cure what ails you. Are you a fan of oysters? You can get ‘em every night, but on Wild Oyster Wednesdays, pay $1.50 for raw, $2 for fried or $2.25 for wood-fired (minimum order of three oysters). Another don’t-miss is brunch, when it’s all about the bs—bubbles, benedicts and bottomless cocktails. voodoobayou.com/orlando-location

©voodoo bayou

NATSU | DONWTOWN ORLANDO

Best Michelin Star Restaurant: Readers’ Choice 

We’ve always felt honored to have chefs cook for us, so the omakase format is particularly appealing: a chef crafts a progression of dishes around a journey of discovery, leaving guests to savor and anticipate with delight. Pair that with sushi, and we’re in heaven. Enter Natsu, the Michelin-starred wonder helmed by Chef Stone Lin, who has been working with Japanese cuisine for more than 15 years. Freshness is key, and ingredients are sourced and flown to Orlando directly from Japan to ensure freshness. The innovative restaurant won Michelin stars in 2022 and 2023. natsuomakase.com

©Natsu

CAPA | LAKE BUENA VISTA

Best Hotel Restaurant: Readers’ Choice 

A Michelin-starred steakhouse that encompasses the entire 17th floor of the Four Seasons Resort Orlando, Capa pays homage to Spain’s Basque culture in its cuisine and design. Its recent expansion showcases chefs in an open kitchen as they assemble dishes. Delicate fans now hang from the ceiling, mimicking a flamenco dancer’s dress and a matador’s suit. Outdoor terraces (with spectacular views of Walt Disney World fireworks) have refreshed décor and new planters. Capa also received the seal of approval from the Embassy of Spain, who awarded it a prestigious “Restaurants from Spain” designation.  fourseasons.com/orlando/dining/restaurants/capa

SUMMER HOUSE ON THE LAKE | DISNEY SPRINGS

Best Theme Park Restaurant: Readers’ Choice 

It’s never winter in Orlando, and that’s why Summer House, Lettuce Entertain You’s California-inspired restaurant, fits in so well here: the theme is “never-ending summer.” The brand became popular in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas for its sunny coastal feel and cuisine, and you’ll really feel it here at Disney Springs—Summer House sits on Lake Buena Vista, where you can say yes to gentle breezes, sun-soaked afternoons and frosé every day, from the restaurant’s very own rosé cart. Graze your way through the menu, noshing on tuna & watermelon tostadas, the grilled avocado, potato salad deviled eggs and grouper fish ‘n’ chips, but be sure to save room for dessert (or take it home); Summer House debuted the brand’s first Cookie Bar, and the choices are large and decadent.  summerhouserestaurants.com/disney-springs

©Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

PIRATE’S DINNER ADVENTURE | INTERNATIONAL DRIVE

Best Family Friendly Restaurant: Readers’ Choice 

Shiver me timbers, mateys, Orlando’s got a pirate-themed dinner show! So, gather all yer little scalawags together and get thee over to Carrier Drive for a show filled with adventure on the high seas, full of high-flying pirates, cannon blasts and pyrotechnics. It all happens on an 18th century-inspired Spanish galleon with 40-foot masts, anchored in a 300,000-gallon indoor lagoon. You’ll laugh, you’ll cheer, you’ll be rendered speechless! Included menu choices are a roasted ¼ chicken, pasta and chicken nuggets, but if you spring for an upgrade, you’ll be treated to pork loin, beef tenderloin, grilled salmon and more. piratesdinneradventure.com

PEACH VALLEY CAFE | MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

Best Breakfast: Readers’ Choice 

This Southern staple has been serving up homemade breakfasts, lunches and brunches since 2001. We always have trouble deciding between sweet and savory when it comes to breakfast, and the café has a well-balanced menu that offers mouthwatering selections in each category. For the savory, we’ve got it narrowed down to the Greek omelet, vegetable & egg croissant egg benedict and the roast beef hash benedict, a signature dish. As far as sweet goes, you’ll definitely want to indulge in the  pièce de résistance, an apple fritter: fresh Granny Smith apples are added to homemade batter and cooked to a golden brown, then tossed tableside in a cinnamon-sugar coating and served with brown sugar-scented strawberry yogurt. peachvalleycafe.com

©Peach valley cafe

CHEZ VINCENT | WINTER PARK

Best French Restaurant: Readers’ Choice 

Fine French cuisine and an impressive wine list makes Chez Vincent one of Winter Park’s stand-out restaurants. Chef Vincent Gagliano and his wife Terry opened the restaurant in 1997, and 27 years later, it’s still receiving raves. Gagliano worked in kitchens all his life, beginning as a teenager in France and graduating as the top apprentice from culinary school in Clermont Ferrand, France. He’s worked in French restaurants around the world, from the Ivory Coast to Mexico before settling into Orlando. Start with delectable escargot, in a puff pastry or a garlic butter sauce, and graduate on to cream of mushroom or French onion soup. Among the long list of entrees, the duck a l’orange, free-range venison and grouper provencale stand out. The there are the savory crepes! Go slow and try a little of everything. chezvincent.com

©Chez vincent