Restraunt suggestions?

gholtmeyer

New member
Hello fellow reefers! I will be traveling to your area this coming Friday. I am taking my family to Disney World for the week. I was wondering of places near by to take the family to eat. We are not looking for anything up-scale. Rather we are looking for the mom and pop places that just serve good food and are family friendly. We will be looking for breakfast and lunch/dinner food. Any suggestions would be great and thank you in advance. And if there are any reef stores that I need to take a look at let me know those too! Thank you!

G. Holtmeyer
 
I know of nothing mom and pop in the Disney area but our two favorite places down there are Bahama Breeze and Kobe's Japanese Steakhouse. Bahama Breeze is at Lake Buena Vista and I-4 and Kobe's is in the palm plaza.
 
Yeah, sucks to say, but the tourist corridor is pretty much just that. Orlando is about 45 minutes NE from there. most of us stay far away from all the theme park areas if at all possible!
 
I like Bahama Breeze too, but I agree not a locals type hangout except maybe the weekend bar scene. It's a Darden chain.

If you can make it out toward downtown Orlando there are some good choices. Too far?
 
What parks will you be visiting at Disney? there are some not-too-shabby choices that aren't overly expensive compared to most of the food that is down there.

You can get a great idea of their food at allearsnet.com which is "deb's webpage" known to the locals.

Orlando does have a lot of chains but you may also check out mycityeats.com to see if there is anything that looks good in the area you'll be staying near.

I know that toward the airport and not so much toward disney there's a Cracker Barrel and a Joe's Crab Shack which are both pretty good.

In the parks themselves if you'd like to stay on the cheap (which who could blame you when a sit down lunch cost more than a nice dinner sometimes) I recommend the Columbia Harbor house in the Magic Kingdom. They have some fish and chips and a cool upstairs where you can watch the people walk by while you eat if you find the little nook I always like to sit in. There is also an affordable noodle type place down mainstreet and to the right before you get to future world.

In Epcot there are lots of dine in restaurants but also cheaper but still delicious eateries that are usually found outside. Mexico has a nice one, China, Japan, Germany, and Morocco too. Stuff ranging from big taco salads, orange chicken, brats and saurkrat (and beer!), to Gyros (aka lamb wraps). All depends on what you like but these meals tend to be in the $10 range instead of the $25-30 range a lot of dine ins can be. Oh, also in Epcot, there's a fantastic pastry shop in France you can't miss either but its up in the backside of the country so you may have to look for it a little bit.

If you visit MGM, while it is a tad expensive, the Drive-In theater is a must-see if you have nolstagia about old drive in theaters and sci fi B movies. There are a few quick eateries there but they don't come to mind off the top of my head.

Animal kingdom has a great barbeque place! There's also an asian restaurant that is a little pricey but we'll go and share an appetizer dish that has dumplings and stuff and it isn't too bad doing it that way. They have little stations for tea and specialty items too to keep you cool in the heat.

I don't know if you're staying just near disney or on it but another relatively inexpensive way to eat is to visit the disney hotels. They are a sight to see themselves and many have a food court or counter service that won't put a big hole in your pocket. My favorite is Port Orleans Riverside- they have a great food court by a big water wheel next to an old swimmin hole. When you're with family who can beat having a variety of food options?

Now I'm just getting hungry thinking about this :) Downstairs in the Polynesian hotel is a cool eatery that has burgers and what not. There's a nice restaurant that is very florida themed and not too bad called Olivia's I believe at the key west resort too.

There are restaurants at Downtown Disney like the Rain Forest Cafe and other themed ones but may be a tad pricey for what they offer.

Hope this helps a little bit <-- huge disney fan :)
 
I'll have to second Morocco at EPCOT. There's a very good Cuban restaurant in Downtown Disney that has very good food also. Not the cheapest but not over the top either.
 
Wow, thanks for all the replies so fast! We are going to stay in Daytona Beach and drive up to Disney. I know what you mean about amusement parts -I like to give them a wide path but . . . I have two kids and they are the right age to take to Disney. So, we will be traveling some. We are coming from MO so we have the tex/Mex, Asian, Italian, steak house places covered there. I like to eat local when we go on vacation. So mom and pop southern cafe/diner and/or seafood places is what we are looking for. Yeah, we will eat at Disney and thanks for the suggestions. But we will be here for a bit over a week so lots of times to eat.
 
Where you staying in Daytona?

Not many good stores around here but there are many on the way to Disney, just not sure the times they are open and the timing at the parks will make it easy to visit them.

I-4 can be a real PITA too. If you leave Daytona around 8:30 am heading for Orlando, you should avoid the rush hour. I try to avoid I-4 Mon - Fri from 7 -9:30 amd and again from about 3:30 - 7:0pm
 
Wow that's quite a drive, you will definitely have some places to explore! Since you'll be up a tad North in florida and coming down I'd check out our stickied list of LFS and see the ones in Lake Mary through downtown (basically reefworks through Sea in the City and the ones inbetween) the orca site has a great google map of the stores.

As far as food, Cracker barrel is about as southern as you can get, but it is a chain. I watch food and travel channels with my husband sometimes and we get jealous of the lack of mom and pop stuff in the area. There are a few but not many. Your best bet for "local" food will definitely be in Daytona and along A1A I think. I remember finding a great eatery with a hot cuban sandwich to die for in Ormand beach once. Don't make it out that way too often but a lot of the touristy places as you go inland are.. made for tourists and not for locals :(

My idea of seafood is Joe's or Red Lobster :) But I think there are a few niche places out by the beach that can probably serve better, just haven't been out that way in a while.

Have a fun and rewarding trip!!! And be prepared to drink lots and lots and lots of water and pack or buy sunscreen, if its full blown sunny when you get here (we've had a little overcast days now) you'll need it.
 
Hall's Seafood on Granada BLVD is a fresh seafood store that has a small, cafe/restaurant next to it...not very flash, but excellent food.

Park's Seafood on Riverside Drive, just north of LPGA BLVD is a typical Florida Cracker, Family owned seafood restaurant that's moderately priced and has very good food. I recommend the Cobia, excellent mild fish that you usually don't find on menus.

In Downtown Daytona, on Beach street between International Speedway Blvd and Main Street is a very good Thai restaurant, Siam something.

I'll have a think about some local haunts that have excellent food and aren't too pricey. They're hard to find sometimes in the Redneck Riviera.
 
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If your in Daytona if you go south to New Smyrna there is a restaurant called The Garlic that we like to go to. There is a nice area outside to sit and a different selection of food. Also if you are at Disney you need to check out the Rain forest Cafe at entrance to Animal Kingdom. They have some huge tanks with some of the biggest tangs I've seen, worth a stop in even if its just to walk around.
 
Lobster Feast. All-you-can-eat seafood..lobster, crab legs, fish, shrimp, salads, desserts. I think I remember there being London Broil on there, too. IIRC, it's $25/person for adults.

There are two in the International Dr. / Disney area.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12576149#post12576149 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Famous
If your in Daytona if you go south to New Smyrna there is a restaurant called The Garlic that we like to go to. There is a nice area outside to sit and a different selection of food. Also if you are at Disney you need to check out the Rain forest Cafe at entrance to Animal Kingdom. They have some huge tanks with some of the biggest tangs I've seen, worth a stop in even if its just to walk around.

When was the last time you were there? They used to be excellent, my favorite restaurant, but the kitchen staff left and opened a new restaurant called Fresh in So. Daytona. Last time I was at Garlic, about a year ago, it was disgusting, deplorable service, food and attitude. Haven't been back since.
 
We just ate at the Garlic in New Symrna for Mothers Day. We love that place! Service and food were great.

New Symrna is a much nicer beach than Daytona IMO if you want a somewhat less developed beach. You can drive all the way north on the beach from NS to the inlet, climb around on the rocks (Be Careful!), etc. You could also head a little north to Ormond or south from Daytona to check out the lighthouse at the inlet from that side (opposite of New Symrna)

On your way in to Orlando, if you want to stop somewhere interesting for lunch, check out Ethos Vegan Kitchen. Don't let the vegitarian thing scare you, there's plenty of good food IMO.
http://www.ethosvegankitchen.com/
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12576407#post12576407 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rdmpe
We just ate at the Garlic in New Symrna for Mothers Day. We love that place! Service and food were great.

New Symrna is a much nicer beach than Daytona IMO if you want a somewhat less developed beach. You can drive all the way north on the beach from NS to the inlet, climb around on the rocks (Be Careful!), etc. You could also head a little north to Ormond.

Good to know. I'll have to give them another try. Agreed that New Smyrna and North Ormond have nicer beaches.
 
I don't know if there are restaurants that are considered not-upscale but check out some places in Winter Park. I know there's a cool place called the mellow mushroom I've been meaning to get to and Fiddler's Green irish pub is pretty cool.

If you're on the east side of Orlando there's a place called Firkin & Kegler that's an irish pub / bowling alley / arcade /pool room you name it kind of place thats a neat place to hang out and is near a few LFS too
 
North of Daytona on A1A in ormond by the Sea is Alfie`s, nice family place(my local breakfast on day off). Hull`s as mentioned is good. Steve`s Famous Diner on Nova rd. and Beville by Office Depot, and Booth`s Bowery farther south on Nova rd. in Port Orange couple places.
The few reef shops are mostly all on Nova rd. here also, for what we have.
 
Since you are from MO and are used to food with spice, you are gonna be dissapointed in most food especially in the tourist areas. There are a few good places to eat, but you have to get off the beaten path to find them. The food in any tourist area is spice free for the old folks compared to what i am used to being from Oklahoma. Don't even bother with any mexican food here.

At disney, inside Epcot, Scandanavia i believe ( where the big wooden trolls are, is outstanding, and not bad priced for the food and service.

Outside Disney, If you want to go a few miles west on hwy 44 just past Deland, there are 2 excellent places. One is called JC's lobster pot. They have the best clam chowder in the world, and the prime rib is great too. It is a country family atmosphere where you can just eat and have a good time for not much money. Then there is Emmy's. It is an authentic German restraunt also just past Deland, but just off of hwy 44. It is as authentic as it comes. The waiters all wear authentic German dress, and interact with the room dooing German dances and songs as you eat. They have the biggest best prime rib i have ever seen. You would have to look up the address and directions on yellowbook, but both are well worth the drive.

For seafood, it's a tiny bit upscale, but still family, south of you in Titusville is Dixie Crossroads. If you've never had broiled rock shrimp, you have never had seafood. If you like seafood at all, you will love it here in Florida. The seafood here is far fresher then what you get back in MO.

Have fun and hang on to your wallet ;)
 
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