Recommend non-disney restaurants, near WDW please

[SandraC]

Hi ~ dd and dh don't love WDW food, we have eaten just outside Disney at Olive Garden and Shoney's. Please recommend other restaurants in the WDW area. THANKS! Sandra

 

[sheilap]

I guess it depends on how far you are willing to go, but we LOVE going to Sweet Tomatoes. I think it's about a 10-15 minute drive, but worth it. It's primarily a salad bar, but not just any salad bar. You can certainly make your own salads with the many fixin's they offer, but they also have I think 5 or 6 gourmet salads as well. Everything is fresh and clean. Then there is also a soup bar (6 offered, I think), fresh breads and bakery items, and a pasta bar where they make it to your liking. There is also a dessert bar with sweets and soft ice-cream. Everyone in the family gets what they want, and we've never had anything close to a bad meal. It's a must-do for us!

I wish I could give you directions - if I was sitting in your car with you I could tell you, but I don't know the names of the streets. You can go to www.sweettomatoes.com and get directions.

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

I have to say Outback steak house!!

 

[fla4fun]

Just outside DTD on SR535, there are tons of restaurants, including Chevy's (Tex-Mex), Romano's Macaroni Grill, TGIFridays, Pizzaria Uno, Olive Garden, Pizza Hut, Chili's, the list just goes on and on.

My particular favorite though is the Cheesecake Factory at Mall at Millenia. Their variety can't be beat if you have a large group and the desserts are fantastic.

 

[Kellyscrapbooks]

My kids love Sonic. I know that there are a number of them around.

 

[ohpoohmetoo]

My husband has to go to the Boston Lobster Feast it's all you can eat seafood buffet featuring lobster. I think the food is pretty good for a buffet and you used to be able to get like a $5.00 discount if you arrived before 5:00 it looks like they have a free drink coupon now instead. Here is a link to their website. There are three Orlando locations.

http://www.bostonlobsterfeast.com/RestaurantIndex.cfm?idsPageID=1

Well, it's not a link but that's the web address to use. There is a link on this page to MapQuest. We've been to the one on Sand Lake and the one on International Drive. They were both equally good.

 

[MajorWoody]

Hello,


Some of our local area favorites are : Romano's Macaroni Grill, Kobe Japanese Steakhouse ( on 192 and also off of 535 just north of Hotel Plaza Blvd), Bonefish Grill ( we ate at one in Norfork a few weeks ago, and it was much better than your average chain food). There are pretty much every chain restaurant known to man within a 15 minute drive from WDW, so you should have no problem finding something. I'm not to up to date on independent restaurants, you might want to check the Orlando Sentinel online for restaurant reviews.

Hope that helps,

Take care,

Bill

 

[jobie61]

CheeseCake Factory:::: There is one in orlando somewhere. It is the best food ever.

 

[disnut8]

We just found a great buffet on Highway 192 at Holiday Trail near Old Town. It's Sizzlin Grill and it's right at the corner of the intersection. $10.99 for adults and I don't really know what for kids (didn't have any). It's billed as a steak and seafood buffet but they have so much more than that. Cheeseburgers, spaghetti and meatballs, grilled chicken, fried chicken, real mashed potato and gravy (smooth and creamy), clam chowder (pretty tasty), chicken noodle soup, five different flavors of jello (including blueberry), strawberry cobbler, ice cream with different toppings, huge salad bar. That's what we had. I didn't even see the steak and they brought out turkey and cranberry sauce since it was Thanksgiving. Drinks are extra but refills are plenty. You can find a 10% discount coupon in the many coupon books laying around.

Another favorite on Highway 192 way down around marker 15 is Shell's, a seafood place. There's also a Joe's Crab Shack near Celebration. And of course, the New York Pizza World next to the IHOP on the west side of World Drive.

 

[eandt]

Domino's Pizza 5-5-5 deal........$23.90 including an order of brownies and tax.......AND they deliver to your hotel lobby all you gotta do is meet them there to pick it up. Not gourmet but try feeding 5 on less than that!

 

[maedelken]

Has anyone been to Flemming's near Orlando? I know the one in Baltimore is good. Anyone know if this one is too?

 

[MulanMom]

Pebbles is a good restaurant located near Gooding's.

 

[Missec]

My kids love Sonic. I know that there are a number of them around.

Wow you still have Sonic's?
They all closed in Indiana.

 

[StephSFL]

Has anyone been to Flemming's near Orlando? I know the one in Baltimore is good. Anyone know if this one is too?

The one in Winter Park? I was there a year ago and it was very good!


As for my suggestion, there is a great restaurant in Celebration called Columbia's. The original Columbia's is located in Ybor City (Tampa) and is over 100 years old. Great Spanish/Cuban food. Lunch is pretty reasonable.

Hope this helps!

 

[castleri]

We always eat at Jungle Jim's in the Crossroads Shopping Plaza across the street from the entrance to hotel plaza blvd off 535.

 

[GIGI&MIMI]

We love Bahama Breeze off I-Drive.

 

[kennancat]

I'll second the Jungle Jim's nomination. Giordano's makes really good deep-dish pizza if you like that. There's a location right next to the Steak 'n' Shake off Apopka-Vineland.

 

[ohpoohmetoo]

Pebbles is a good restaurant located near Gooding's.

Love their desserts

Those cakes are half foot tall!

 

[ohpoohmetoo]

We just went to Boston Lobster on Saturday on 192 and I must say I was surprised by the difference of the quality of food. Limited selection of things that appeared edible.

My husband still loved it because he just eats the lobster and likes that he can have all he wants. I did eat the snow crab legs and they were decent. But it is an all-you-can-eat-buffet. The quality of the food and presentation/cleanliness of the restaurant was much worse than I remember.

I would not reccommend it. Maybe the one on Sand Lake or International Drive is not as bad but the one on 192 I would not recommend again.

 

[Wendy1953]

Cracker Barrel