
New American restaurant · Mt. Tabor
Intimate, feminine, and filled with light thanks to a corner spot with lots of windows, Coquine showcases French-trained chef Katy Millard’s superb seasonal cooking from a tomato-watermelon-feta salad with shisho to pork-and-peach ragu atop mafalde and olive-oil–cured Oregon albacore with two types of beans and benne seed. By day the adjacent Coquine Market offers pastries and sandwiches, and at night it becomes Katy Jane’s oyster bar for casual snacks like oysters and smoked trout dip paired with an ice-cold martini or Hopewell chenin blanc. - Hannah Wallace

Wine bar · Midtown West
I find Sohm’s eponymous wine bar to be a place of star power where Sohm — also Le Bernardin’s wine director — pairs affordable glasses like Lambrusco and Cinsault with splurge-worthy special-reserve wines poured via Coravin (many priced upward of $50 per glass). Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Midtown spot offers a prix-fixe lunch ideal for quick networking meetings and is one of the rarer wine bars in the city with a full back bar for guests who want to switch between wine and cocktails like a Negroni or spritz. - Oset Babür-Winter, CNT Editors
Fine dining restaurant · Coytown
Chef Bruno Fonseca’s convivial ten-seat tasting bar celebrates Central Florida purveyors in a monthly changing sequence. Praised by Orlando Weekly for hospitality, storytelling, and a strong sense of place.

Chinese restaurant · Baldwin Park
Dialed-in Sichuan cooking that balances heat and nuance—think cold noodles, mapo tofu, and pickled pepper fish. A Michelin Bib Gourmand mainstay and long-standing favorite among Orlando diners.
Japanese restaurant · Orlando
A sleek Mills 50 counter devoted to Sanuki-style udon made with Kagawa flour, served in soulful broths with precise toppings. Recognized with a Michelin Bib Gourmand and embraced by locals.

Restaurant · Highland
Family-run and deeply neighborhood-focused, this Mills 50 staple turns seasonal ingredients into comforting, Southern-leaning plates. Michelin Bib Gourmand and a frequent pick by respected regional editors.

Restaurant · Colonialtown South
A spirited neighborhood rum bar serving heartfelt Cuban and Floridian plates—ropa vieja, mojo chicken, oysters. Michelin Bib Gourmand; its cocktail program and sense of place earn consistent local praise.
Filipino restaurant · Orlando
A Filipino restaurant anchored in Mills 50 and community, sourcing heavily from local farms. Holder of a Michelin Green Star for sustainability and celebrated by critics for vibrant, modern Filipino flavors.

Vietnamese restaurant · Baldwin Park
Chef Tung Phan’s Vietnamese-French tasting menu turns quail, crab curry, and pho nuances into elegant courses. One Michelin Star and lauded by Orlando Weekly for inventive, deeply personal cooking.

Japanese restaurant · Central Business District
A minimalist, two-seating omakase where otsumami and pristine nigiri shine through restraint. Awarded one Michelin Star; inspectors commend its balance and purity of flavor.