Need advice: Eating and attrations in Orlando, Florida

November 4, 2005 3:38 AM

Need advice: Eating and attractions in Orlando, Florida

I go to Florida tomorrow for the 2nd time and Im wondering if you guys know of any great attractions/eating places.

I did the 5 park pass last year (Universal, Islands of adventure, etc). This time around Im just focusing on Disney.

Are there any mini attractions that I should consider and excellent food places (with name of food item if possible).

Thanks in advance

posted by spooksie to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

Are you staying on or off property? Will you have a car (either your own or a rental)?
posted by Lokheed at 3:48 AM on November 4, 2005

Im staying on I-drive but using the I-ride facilities, but I would get a taxi if it is recommended.
posted by spooksie at 4:15 AM on November 4, 2005

Groovy. I-Drive is filled with mini attractions. My favorite is the Skull Kingdom Haunted Attraction located near the Wet 'n Wild water park. The shows during the day are family-friendly, but the shows at night are much more intense. Good stuff if you like haunted houses.

For food there's not a whole lot I can recommend on I-Drive. It's not really an area I go to for meals. While you are in the parks, though, I can make a few recommendations.

At the Disney/MGM Studios my favorite place is the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater. Lunch is better than dinner, and the prices are better to boot. The restaurant is set up like a drive-in theater, the tables are inside gutted-out 50's era cars, the waitresses are on roller skates, and throughout your entire meal the big drive-in screen is showing clips from classic 50's era B-grade sci-fi flicks like Invaders from Mars.

At Epcot there are a multitude of choices. For an expensive and high-quality sit-down dinner I like the Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada. My wife and I ate there on our wedding night. I also like the Rose & Crown in England.

There's not really anything at the Magic Kingdom or the Animal Kingdom that really stand out for me, just a bunch of overpriced counter service glop.

If you make it over to Downtown Disney, the House of Blues has some dang good eats, though.
posted by Lokheed at 4:36 AM on November 4, 2005

Seito Sushi in Celebration, Florida (Disney's planned community just outside of Disney) is one of the best sushi restaurants I've ever been to. They have a deep-fried whitefish roll where the entire roll is deep-fried, not just the fish inside.
posted by Gortuk at 4:48 AM on November 4, 2005

Try Boma, the buffet-style restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The buffet features food from all over Africa and it is incredible.
posted by necessitas at 6:06 AM on November 4, 2005

Emeril's restaurant in Citywalk has gotten some good reviews from my friends.
posted by mhuckaba at 7:16 AM on November 4, 2005

Let's see:

Higher class stuff:
* The Brown Derby in MGM has the best Cobb Salad ever.
* Norway in Epcot has a really good (but ~$20 per person) buffet.
* The Marrakesh in Epcot has good moroccan food (also, the live music is really fun).

Low brow:
* If you're in the mood for burgers and you're near Downtown Disney, there's a fun burger joint called Jungle Jim's.
* In Disney Qwest (the VR theme-park at Downtown Disney, which is also very fun), they have really good wraps.
posted by Laen at 10:57 AM on November 4, 2005

We were just there and had a wonderful dinner at Le Coq au Vin. If you go, order the small version of the meal so you have room for starters and dessert, as they're quite worth it. More advice in this thread.
posted by mimi at 11:25 AM on November 4, 2005

Try Jiko at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge; outstanding African wine collection and great food. Pricey, but worth it -- the filet mignon with a red wine sauce and (yes, really) macaroni and cheese is delicious, the tamarind-glazed ribs are good too. There's also a private savannah at AKL where you can watch elephants and all sorts of other animals, especially early in the morning or at night when it's cooler.

On I-Drive, there's a pretty good Moroccan place near Carrier Drive and Tu Tu Tango is fun for sangria and appetizers (I like the duck salad and the roasted pears on pecan crisps with blue cheese). I'll second the recommendation for Seito Sushi in Celebration, too. On Conroy Road (not too far from I-Drive) between Kirkman and Hiawassee, G&G Thai is great.

The Food and Wine Festival is at Epcot until November 13th; there's lots of great stuff there and some new booths this year -- Singapore, India, Turkey and the Florida Shrimp places all ranked pretty highly with my group of friends. Raglan Road, a new Irish pub just opened up at Downtown Disney (Pleasure Island), and from what I could tell of the preview night, everything looks good. (Since it's new, prepare for it to be busy.)
posted by ThatSomething at 11:28 AM on November 4, 2005

Also in EPCOT is Chefs de France, in France of course. There are actually two restaurants, one upstairs one down. The upstairs Bistro is much more expensive with much better service. But one of the things I miss most since I stopped working at Disney is having a pint at the Rose and Crown with the "British Invasion" playing in the garden across the street.

The Brown Derby is always great. It's one of the only restaurants in the Disney-MGM Studios that isn't supplied by Aramark.

If you are stuck at DAK (Disney's Animal Kingdom) and you don't want the crappy take away, there's a Rainforest Cafe outside the gates. It's themed in exactly the way you think it is and they serve huge portions.

I know there's a decent restaurant at the Magic Kingdom, but I'll be darned if I can call it up right now. They took so many of the good ones and turned them into buffets.

Outside the parks I have two recommendations. The first is one everyone suggests, Cafe Tu Tu Tango on I-Drive. Interesting atmosphere, a tapas menu, and resident artists. The second recommendation is Seasons 52. It's a Darden (Red Lobster, Olive Garden) concept restaurant. The menu changes weekly and all the main courses are under 400 calories. It's healthy *and* yummy.

Do you want a list of can't miss attractions in the park?
posted by Elsbet at 1:02 PM on November 4, 2005