Getting out of the Disney bubble

[VS85]

After spending a lot of time researching the restaurant boards and looking through menus of various on-site restaurants, we have come to the conclusion that very few of the offerings excite us. We're going to keep reservations for Spice Road Table, Ohana and Saana, and venture out of WDW for other meals (mainly dinners... We're fine with sandwiches and salads for lunch which we can find at the resort CS places). We aren't into chain restaurants or standard American fare (we are not steak and potato people). It looks like international drive might have some fun options, as well as nightlife too. Can anyone recommend reasonably priced restaurants with interesting food, or their favorite nightlife spots in this area? The list is so long, I'm hoping to narrow it down a bit.
If it helps, we love spicy food, Thai food, sushi, Indian food, small plate/tapas dining, and farm-to-table style restaurants.
Thanks!!

 

[DrivenByDisney]

We live here in Dr. Phillips and here are some of our favourite spots in the area:

Bee Won Korean
Rocco's Tacos
Saffron's Indian
Dragon Fly
Big Fin

The majority of these locations are on "Restaurant Row" in Dr. Phillips which is about 10 minutes from Disney property, towards Orlando.

 

[markmcalear]

Not quite in your list of "likes" but I cant do WDW without going to Hash House A Go Go and Giordanos

 

[tami82]

After spending a lot of time researching the restaurant boards and looking through menus of various on-site restaurants, we have come to the conclusion that very few of the offerings excite us. We're going to keep reservations for Spice Road Table, Ohana and Saana, and venture out of WDW for other meals (mainly dinners... We're fine with sandwiches and salads for lunch which we can find at the resort CS places). We aren't into chain restaurants or standard American fare (we are not steak and potato people). It looks like international drive might have some fun options, as well as nightlife too. Can anyone recommend reasonably priced restaurants with interesting food, or their favorite nightlife spots in this area? The list is so long, I'm hoping to narrow it down a bit.
If it helps, we love spicy food, Thai food, sushi, Indian food, small plate/tapas dining, and farm-to-table style restaurants.
Thanks!!

We will be trying something different on our next trip also. We will do our CS and a few TS inside Disney but will also be taking a small drive outside of Disney for some dinners. Of course Ohana and Kona possibly Biergarten are definitely. I put a thread on here a few days ago and got a lot of responses.

 

[GoBears 1980]

International Drive is nothing but very bad American chains (except Pointe Orlando, which has very good food, but in the form of GOOD chains instead of bad ones). Farm to table you'd need to get up to Winter Park or some of the restaurants in Dr Philips.

As to spicy, Orlando isn't great on Thai, Chinese, Indian or Korean.... Places that are different and unique are places like LA Boiling Seafood Crab & Crawfish (LA as in Louisiana not Los Angeles), Hot N Juicy Crawfish, King Cajun Crawfish and Lee and Rick's Half Shell Oyster Bar. Orlando does do BBQ okay with small chains like 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ, Sonny's BBQ or Smokey Bones.

Depending on where you are from and the quality of sushi you are used, you might or might not want to get it. I live in So Cal and can get great sushi. I've found one or two decent places in Orlando (Amura & DragonFly), but neither one would survive in LA.

 

[illinidp]

For tapas I would recommend Café Tu Tu Tango on I-Drive. It has a starving artist theme and a nice, eclectic menu.

Many of the lounges on property are great places to go for small plates as well.

 

[VS85]

Thanks guys! Between these suggestions and some places I found in Celebration, I think we'll have plenty to choose from. We are going to check out Seasons 52, Columbia, and Thai Thani... And see where we go from there
Many thanks! I'm looking forward to eating some tasty foods while on vacation and not paying an arm and a leg for it!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Our (nearby) off-site Recommendations:
. . . Bull & Bear - Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek - Fine Dining
. . . Café D'Antonio - Celebration - Casual Italian
. . . Columbia - Celebration - Casual Spanish/Cuban
. . . Fish Bones - Hwy192 - Seafood
. . . Venetian Room - Caribe Royale Hotel - Fine Dining
. . . The Hotel Tea Room - Davenport, FL - Casual - Friday Steak-Fry, Afternoon Tea *

* The Friday-Night (only) steak-fry will floor you. It is arguably the best Rib Eye in the area; it even beats Shula's, we asked and they would not tell use their meat source. It is 1-1/4" thick AFTER cooking. Additionally, the chef is an award-winning Best-in-Show pasty chef, in NATIONAL competitions. Who would have thought in such an old hotel setting?