Dining is just one more adventure for visitors to the International Drive Resort Area!

 

With a surprisingly diverse array of epicurean delights, culinary choices include American, Brazilian, Caribbean, Chinese, Greek, Ethiopian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, Mexican, Italian and Thai.

 

All of the familiar family-fun restaurants are located on I-Drive and there is something for every budget. From a visit to the World’s largest McDonald’s Playplace and the world’s largest Hard Rock Café, to dining with pirates or the excitement of the NASCAR Sports Grille, the I-Drive area has more than 200 restaurants. Check out this fun sampling:

 

 

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville (407-224-2155; www.margaritaville.com). The restaurant's large "beach" deck is a great place to enjoy music and a menu from the Caribbean, including conch fritters, Buffett's famous "cheeseburger in paradise" and Key lime pie.

 

Bahama Breeze (407-248-2499; www.bahamabreeze.com). Fruity umbrella drinks, nightly live entertainment and plenty of tasty Caribbean-style appetizers and entrees like coconut-curry chicken make this a popular spot.

 

Adobe Gila's Margarita Cantina (407-903-1477; www.adobegilas.com). Located in Pointe Orlando, featuring live music, sizzling fajitas and specialty margaritas.

 

 

Cafe TuTu Tango (407-248-2222; www.cafetututango.com). Named after an artist's loft, this fun restaurant with a bohemian attitude offers a tapas-style menu. It also supports local artists with a vast selection scattered throughout and non-stop eclectic entertainment.

 

 

Mama Della's Ristorante (407-503-3463; www.universalorlando.com) This is a delightful and colorful restaurant featuring Old World Italian favorites. Mama's strolling musicians and Mama herself greet guests as they overlook the Portofino Piazza, a cobblestone replica of an Italian seaside village. At Universal’s Portofino Bay Hotel.

 

 

Ming Court (407-351-9988; www.ming-court.com) For groups of 20 or more, Ming Court offers a popular program that introduces guests to the origins of Oriental cuisine, authentic cooking techniques and special ingredients used. There is also a competition to see who can make the best spring roll. Call for reservations and details.

 

 

Venetian Room (407-238-8060; www.thevenetianroom.com). Dramatic ambience and haute cuisine make this upscale dining room at the Caribe Royale Orlando a favorite intimate dining experience.

 

 

The Capital Grille (407-370-4392; www.thecapitalgrille.com). Diners indulge in dry aged steaks and select from more than 5,000 bottles of wine in an atmosphere of Floridian ease and elegance. For a more secluded dining experience, ask for a table on the outdoor patio.

 

The Oceanaire Seafood Room (407-363-4801; www.theoceanaire.com). As sleek as a 1930s ocean liner, this relaxed restaurant provides the perfect setting to enjoy seafood flown in daily from around the world. Located at Pointe Orlando.

 

Bice Orlando Ristorante (407-503-1415; orlando.bicegroup.com). Located at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando, Bice offers rustic Italian fare in an elegant and trendy setting.

 

 

Napa Restaurant at The Peabody Orlando (407-352-4000; www.peabodyorlando.com) Don’t miss! Bringing some of northern California’s most tantalizing dining and inspired wine pairings from the wine country, this new restaurant is part of the hotel's recent $450 million expansion. The menu is filled with gourmet dishes with sustainable ingredients from farm to fork.

 

Funky Monkey (407-418-9463; www.funkymonkeywine.com) Hot, new and trendy! Nearly 150 wines are presented by the bottle, glass or tasting flight in a non-intimidating environment. A copyrighted classification guide provides ten categories to help the novice identify his or her preferred tastes. At Pointe Orlando.

 

 

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar (407-226-1600; www.cubalibrerestaurant.com). This exotic restaurant offers a memorable experience that includes contemporary Cuban cuisine created by Chef Guillermo Pernot, lively Latin music, professional salsa floorshows, an open-air tropical ambiance with outdoor dining and an extensive rum selection. Located at Pointe Orlando.

 

 

Capriccio Grill (407-345-4450; www.peabodyorlando.com). Located in The Peabody Orlando, the food displays are luscious and enticing. Salads, pastas, freshly baked breads, croissants, pastries, mountains of jumbo shrimp, crab, smoked salmon, and saddles of lamb, beef and ham are just some of the seelctions. Desserts are decadent!

 

 

Matteo's Ristorante (407-345-4747); www.matteosristorante.com) New family-style restaurant. Founder Salvatore Sorrentino with his two son's Andrew and Matthew opened their first location in New York serving delicious platters of Italian comfort food. Matteo's has an abundance of dish's that use the finest meat, fish and vegetables prepared by professional chefs. 

 

Cala Bella (407-996-3663; www.calabellarestaurant.com) Escape to the Tuscan countryside at Rosen Shingle Creek dining in an elegant Italian bistro with a magnificent dining room, a wine cellar and presentation-cooking bar.

 

Maggiano’s Little Italy (407-241-8650; www.maggianos.com) Serves up classic Italian favorites prepared with only the freshest ingredients at Pointe Orlando. For an authentic home-style dining experience, order from the family style menu which offers portions large enough to share.

 

Bergamo’s Italian Restaurant (407-352-3805; www.bergamos.com) Features dishes delivered by serenading waiters with a repertoire of romantic songs.

 

 

Taverna Opa (407-351-8660; www.opaorlando.com) This Pointe Orlando restaurant features traditional Greek cuisine and festive entertainment including belly dancing and Greek music. Specialties include tzatziki, spanakopita, kebabs and selections of lamb.

 

Tommy Bahama's Restaurant & Bar (321-281-3888; www.tommybahama.com) in Pointe Orlando follows an old Florida theme with a unique shopping and dining experience. Signature menu items include the Saba Steak Salad, Tommy’s World Famous Coconut Shrimp and the Barbados Brownie. The attached shop sells clothing and home furnishings.

 

The B-Line Diner at The Peabody Orlando (407-352-4000; www.peabodyorlando.com) This lively restaurant is decorated in a fifties mode, complete with jukebox. The diner has been featured frequently on the Food Network TV as one of the best restaurants of its type in the nation.

 

Best of British Pub and Eatery (407-264-9189; www.bestofbritishpub.com) The walls are festooned with soccer memorabilia, photos and jerseys from the sport's biggest names for a great atmosphere. Televisions show English premier league soccer. This is a friendly, fun and authentic British Pub!

 

 

Experience a luau! The Makahiki Luau at SeaWorld Orlando (1-888-800-5447) and the Wantilan Luau at Loews Royal Pacific at Universal Orlando (407-503-3463) provide traditional Polynesian entertainment during dinners that celebrate Pacific cuisine.

 

Titanic Dinner Event (407-248-1166; www.TitanictheExperience.com) This new dinner show featuring 10 actors celebrates the most famous ship in history. The show runs on Friday and Saturday nights. The menu features high quality, prime foods that are market fresh and very similar to menu items from Titanic.

 

Pirate’s Dinner Adventure (407-248-0590; www.piratesdinneradventure.com) where guests enjoy several dinner courses while a swashbuckling, sidesplitting show unfolds aboard a fully rigged pirate’s galleon.

 

Treasure Tavern (407-851-0306; www.treasuretavern.com) This new 240-seat theater located in the Pirates Dinner Adventure features a unique combination of dancing, comedy, exotic acts and fun surrounding a lavish three-course meal.

 

At Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show (407-363-1985; www.sleuths.com) consider clues to the whodunit performances while enjoying several courses, including a “mystery dessert.”

 

 

One of several in the area, Texas de Brazil Churrascaria features an all-you-can-eat menu with 14 different types of meat, including filet mignon, sausage and Brazilian picanha plus a 40-item salad area. The restaurant's dramatic decor coupled with its selection of hand-rolled cigars, wines and cocktails provide an elegant, masculine atmosphere. (407-355-0355. www.texasdebrazil.com)

 

 

To help plan your dining adventures in the International Drive Resort Area, checkout the Dining! section for detailed listings. A map and information on the I-Ride Trolley service is also provided. Visitors may order an International Drive Resort Area Official Visitors Guide with maps and discount coupons to many restaurants.

05/2011