Are we allowed to talk about non disney restaurants?

[debbs0723]

Are we allowed to talk about non-disney restaurants? :RpS_confused: If not that is fine, but this is our first year staying off site and not doing the dining plan so I should at least try to take advantage of it. I'd like some recommendations on a little bit nicer place as well as just some fun casual places that aren't all chain restaurants (although those are fine also). Does anyone have any recommendations on places in Kissimmee or somewhere between Disney and there?


Thanks,

Debbie

[Deb]

I love Brunos (http://brunos192.com/) Italian Restaurant. It's on 192 near Orange Lake. It's not a chain. It's casual, but on the nicer casual side. The pizza is good and the pasta is great. The brushetta is awesome. We go there all the time.

ETA - from another post it looks like you are staying near WH. This restaurant would be close to you.

[debbs0723]

Thank you, Deb. That is a great recommendation and I'm putting it on the list. Even if we don't stop in to eat it looks like a great option to get some pizzas takeout and have leftovers for breakfast. And yes I am staying near Windsor Hills. I think next door.

Thanks again,
Debbie

[Deb]

Our house is over that way so we are pretty familiar with the area.

In the Target Plaza, there's a Bahama Breeze. It's only been open for a couple of months. We ate there in May and I would definitely go back. Plus we got there before 6 and got some great drink and appetizer happy hour specials.

There's a ton of chain restaurants. If you want Chinese, we found a decent Chinese buffet. It's a little farther towards Davenport (1 light I think) than Brunos on the opposite side of the street. It's definitely NOT the one on the corner of 192 & Formosa Gardens Blvd! The better one is decent - not great but not bad either. We didn't find great Chinese food. There's a Giordannos in the plaza at 192 & Formosa Gardens.

Is there any specific type of food you are looking for?

[debbs0723]

Thanks again. No, nothing specific. We will be there for 9 nights with two kids so casual variety sounds good. That Bahama Breeze place sounds appealing. I, personally, am not a huge Italian fan other than pizza. I like exotic foods but anything like that would have to mean they had kid friendly food as well. My favorite is South American food. Honestly though at Disney it is more about getting some value for our buck and just getting convenient food. I do eat a lot while there though but we are also very active which is how rationalize it so I can sleep at night while I'm there. :RpS_biggrin:

[debbs0723]

We are without a doubt going to Bahama breeze. Maybe more than once. I'm going to look for a shorter day for us (maybe Animal kingdom day) where we finish the day off at happy hour there.

[MichaelColey]

Our "must do" off-site restaurant is Giordano's, using a certificate from Restaurant.com. Giordano's is Chicago style deep dish pizza, a chain from Chicago. With a coupon (Restaurant.com regularly sends out coupons), you can buy the certificate for anywhere from $1 to about $4. The certificate gives you $25 towards a minimum order of $35. We can feed our whole family with $35 worth of pizza there, so our total cost ends up being about $25 ($2 for the certificate usually, $10-15 for the part that the certificate doesn't cover, $3 for tax, and about $7 for a tip).

[youalleverybody]

I'm curious, too. We will be staying at Marriott Imperial Palms. What is close to that area? We love Asian...Thai and Vietnamese especially. Also anything fun and family friendly, that is NOT a chain in the midwest, lol. Nothing too pricey.

[sk8jdgca]

my kids love Sweet tomatoes-I think there is a new one by the Target

[famouschinesecontroller]

Thanks for starting this thread. My husband and I will be there a couple of nights without the kids, and not going into parks those days; so we'll be looking to try some off site places. Bahama Breeze looks very good.

[George]

I'm sure Bahama Breeze is good, but I'm rather anti-chain restaurants. I like to seek out good local places if I have some Disney Down Time.

Orlando has a bustling Asian population, and it shouldn't be too difficult to find Chinese, Thai, or Indian places, but those are located off the beaten paths, usually in strip malls around town. I'm sure you can find some good Orlando food blogs out there if you Google correctly.

One place I can recommend for fantastic southern home-style fare is Dixie Belles Cafe (http://www.dixiebellescafe.com/). It's the kind of place you'd see on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network. Everything from scratch, breakfast, lunch, and (on some nights) dinner.

[Adrienne]

Does giordano's deliver to Disney hotels? Could I use a restaurant.com gift certificatefor delivery? We don't have a car but this is an intriguing poolside dining idea.

[bnoble]

Yes, Giordano's delivers. There are two of them, one in LBV (probably the one to call if you are staying in MK area or east of World Drive) and one in Kissimmee (if you are staying west of World Drive). Usually, though, the restaurant.com deals are dine-in only. Check the fine print.

We have not done a lot of dining offsite, partly because we are normally in or near the parks during meal time, and partly because the area around WDW is chock full of every chain that's ever existed, and we are also not big fans of most chain restaurants. There are a few for which we make exceptions, but we can do that at home. You have to go a little farther out from WDW to get to "real" food. Full confession: even though Giordano's is a semi-chain, we still order from them from time to time. They exist mostly in Chicagoland, and Florida, so it's reasonably faithful to Chicago-style pie.

As for Chinese: I would really suggest going outside the "tourist zone" and towards town---let something like Yelp or Urbanspoon guide you here. I've only ordered Chinese once, years ago now, from the place in the Orange Lake Publix strip mall, and had all the right outward signs of a place that should have been good. It was absolutely horrid. It would be hard to pick one properly unless you know the local landscape.

[Deb]

I spent 3 months in Kissimmee and had a hard time finding good Chinese food. It wasn't for lack of trying. I'm convinced the area doesn't have good Chinese.

[quietgirll]

A good place is in Celebration, pretty sure its called Celebration Town Tavern- good food, good prices, and good service. When we've stayed offsite, Publix has also been my best friend! Great options in the deli, and AWESOME sandwiches! I had one I ate off of for 3 meals our last trip! We also enjoy Buffalo Wild Wings when stay offsite. There is also the Ale House, which gets pretty rave reviews- we've just found it to be ok when we've had it, altho its inexpensive and plentiful. Also love an excuse to go to Fuddrucker's at the Crossroads.