Dining Options Outside The Parks/Resorts?

[PSUGuy]

Feel free to move this if there's a board for it. We'll have a car for the first time in years at WDW and we're interested in exploring off-property dining options, all types, sit-down, buffet, whatever, fairly close to 'The World' if possible, less expensive than Disney preferred. Thanks for any info you can offer.

Bill From PA

 

[eliza61]

Feel free to move this if there's a board for it. We'll have a car for the first time in years at WDW and we're interested in exploring off-property dining options, all types, sit-down, buffet, whatever, fairly close to 'The World' if possible, less expensive than Disney preferred. Thanks for any info you can offer.

Bill From PA

The nearest eating spots are at the crossroads plaza maybe a mile from DTD. very easy drive. It is the normal "mall" chains of food. Olive Gardens, TGI fridays, Bertuccis. The prices are also lower than Disney, pretty much what you find at home.
There is a very good seafood restaurant in the back of the crossroads called "the crab house" that we always have a great meal at but it's a little pricey. Of course that could be because we always order king crab legs. LOL. It has a seafood buffet but I'm not a big fan of seafood buffets only because after a while on ice, seafood becomes tasteless to me, so I can't comment if it's good or not.

A disser by the name of Scott joseph, not sure of his Dis user name has a nice restaurant guide.

http://scottjosephorlando.com/

Check it out. Personally I've found driving in Orlando very, very easy. disclaimer: I'm a NY'er so my perception may be skewed. LOL. After 30 years driving in Midtown Manhattan,pretty much any thing is easier.

 

[Kae]

We like Cafe Tu Tu Tango. The have a website.

Kae

 

[TDC Nala]

Moving to the Orlando Attractions board.

 

[Redwitch]

We ventured off site and off the beaten path in October. We had....

Viet-Thai... http://vietthaicafe.com/ I really enjoyed the Pho’ Dac Biet. (Yak & Yet, bring back the pho!)

Indian... http://www.tablabar.com/index.html We have limited Indian options here to compare, but we really enjoyed our meal.

American Steakhouse... http://www.evergladesrestaurant.com/default.asp This is pricey fine dining, like a Signature at Disney. The Alligator Bay Chowder was plated table side and delicious. Entrees and desserts wonderful. We enjoyed the meal.

American Burger... http://www.steaknshake.com/ Amazing milkshakes, wish I had one now, and a pretty mean burger. We plan to make this a regular dining spot when in Orlando. We ate at the one on I192 (West Vine Street) in Kissimmee. We do not have Steak-N-Shakes here in PA.

We also stopped at the Chick-fil-A on I192 for a late night dinner. None of these close by either.

 

[pipervali]

American Burger... http://www.steaknshake.com/ Amazing milkshakes, wish I had one now, and a pretty mean burger. We plan to make this a regular dining spot when in Orlando. We ate at the one on I192 (West Vine Street) in Kissimmee. We do not have Steak-N-Shakes here in PA.

And I mourn that fact all the time. I simply adore their Frisco Steakburger. Had two of them on our recent trip.

We tend to like Golden Corral for a simple buffet, but the one on Vineland is much better than the one on 192.

Sweet Tomatoes is also a favorite for a fresh/light inexpensive dinner.

I agree with one of the previous posters who said that navigating around the offsite areas is pretty easy. Especially within Disney, everything is very visibly marked, and it's not hard to manage your way around the local areas that are densely populated with different food options.

 

[bankr63]

One of the best "restaurant rows" for the foodie set in Orlando is along Sand Lake Road West. It is only about a 10 minute drive from Disney. We have a couple of favorites we have found there, especially Seasons 52.

But our best tip is that we usually check the Food section of the Orlando Sentinel online before we go. The best way to find out what is hot and what is not currently is reading the current reviews.

 

[iloveokw]

Reasonable eats near WDW...we always have a car...all near Crossroads.

1. Giordano's Pizza.....Chicago deep dish....have gotten certificates from restaurant.com.
2. Orlando Ale House.
3. Flippers Pizza in Crossroads.
4. Sweet Tomatoes in Crossroads.
5. Bahama Breeze.

You can't go wrong with Earle of Sandwich in DD.

 

[fa mulan]

Sweet Tomatoes is also a favorite for a fresh/light inexpensive dinner.

We ate here tonight, based on DIS recommendations, and because DH had a sore throat so I thought lots of soup would be good for him.
It was wonderful. I was hesistant b/c salad bars can be SO bad... But this one is excellent: extremely fresh, different salad toppings like matchstick butternut squash, zucchini, fresh (not canned) matchstick beets. Tasty soups, from Canadian Cheddar to thick chicken & rice... It was GREAT!

 

[pipervali]

We ate here tonight, based on DIS recommendations, and because DH had a sore throat so I thought lots of soup would be good for him.
It was wonderful. I was hesistant b/c salad bars can be SO bad... But this one is excellent: extremely fresh, different salad toppings like matchstick butternut squash, zucchini, fresh (not canned) matchstick beets. Tasty soups, from Canadian Cheddar to thick chicken & rice... It was GREAT!

We had the Canadian Cheddar last week, it was fantastic! I might have had more than one bowl......

Hope the DH is feeling better

 

[Orlando Vic]

One of the best "restaurant rows" for the foodie set in Orlando is along Sand Lake Road West. It is only about a 10 minute drive from Disney. We have a couple of favorites we have found there, especially Seasons 52.

But our best tip is that we usually check the Food section of the Orlando Sentinel online before we go. The best way to find out what is hot and what is not currently is reading the current reviews.

Agree 100% about Seasons 52. IMO, It may be the best all-around restaurant in greater Orlando. Also on Sand Lake is Bonefish Grill. Both are technically "chain" restaurants, albeit high-end chains, not Red Lobster/Olive Garden quality by any means.

As for Golden Corral and Sweet Tomatoes...well they are just standard buffets - nothing special. Cheap but not great. It depends on what you want. Cheap vs. Good (or very good)

 

[TotoToo]

We tend to like Golden Corral for a simple buffet, but the one on Vineland is much better than the one on 192.

Yes, for some reason there is a dramatic difference in quality in favor of the 535 location. The 192 location seems messy, food less fresh and service spotty. We would choose a different restaurant rather than GC on 192 if those were our choices.

The 535 location is as good or better than the average GC not that any of them are anything special.

 

[Orlando Vic]

A disser by the name of Scott joseph, not sure of his Dis user name has a nice restaurant guide.

Scott Joseph was the restaurant critic of the Orlando Sentinel for approximately 20 years. You can believe what he says. And, his web site is very good.