Map: Orlando theater community's favorite spots
Bookstores and coffee houses are indicated with orange icons, bars and clubs are indicated with blue icons and restaurants are indicated with knife and fork icons. (List provided by Fringe Festival producer Mark Baratelli)
Total Locations:
Lowndes Shakespeare Center
812 E Rollins StOrlando, FL 32803 Site of Fringe Festival
Stardust Video & Coffee
1842 E Winter Park RdOrlando, FL 32803 (407) 623-3393 Description from Metromix: Stardust is a popular hot spot known for its coffee and extensive independent video library. Herzog, Altman, Fassbinder -- they have it all. The reading room has been known to host art exhibits and acoustic performers, but usually its just a nice quiet area to sit down with a book or laptop.
Austin Coffee and Film
929 W Fairbanks AveWinter Park, FL 32789 (407) 975-3364 Description from Metromix: Like its Texas namesake, Austins offers a funky blend of java, cinema and vibe where you can discuss Truffaut while sipping espressos or throw back a beer while dissecting Tarantino's oeuvre. Austins Coffee also roasts their coffee beans in-house, which puts them on the coffeehouse A-List.
Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar
444 N Bumby AveOrlando, FL 32803 (407) 893-4994 Description from Metromix: This cozy new coffee shop is a great place to relax and unwind, or plug in your laptop and get some work done on a steady stream of java. Drunken Monkey serves a variety of coffee creations, like the usual lattes, mochas and iced coffees, but their signature drink is the super sweet Mojo Jojo. If you're popping in for a bite, try out one of their sandwhiches, quiches or homemade soups. They also have a few vegan options. Sunday and Tuesday nights are free movie nights and Thursdays are Lost parties for all you Dharma fiends out there.
Urban Think Bookstore
625 E Central BlvdOrlando, FL 32801 (407) 650-8004 Description from Metromix: The Thornton Park bookstore also has wi-fi and a beverage bar with coffee drinks, bottled beer and wine by the glass.
Cup O' Soul Coffee
906 W Fairbanks AveWinter Park, FL 32789 407-647-7685 Description from Metromix: Cup O Soul is serious about its coffee. Their specialty brews are roasted fresh every week and can be made to order. Stop in for a pick-me-up and grab a bite of their organic sandwiches, bagels or quiche. This inviting little cafe has a warm, friendly environment that makes you feel at home. Weekly events include a free movie night on Thursdays, open mic acoustic music night on Fridays and free wine tastings on Saturdays
Aroma Coffee and Wine
712 E Washington StOrlando, FL 32801 407-426-8989 Description from Metromix: The former owners of Babbo have resurfaced with a casual coffee and wine bar in Thornton Park. Aroma is located in a remodeled old home, which allows patrons to sip wine in the living room, or hang out on the porch with friends and a cup o' joe. They offer a large wine selection that concentrates heavily on Italian varieties, as well as authentic Italian coffee and espresso. If you feel like nibbling, Amora offers a small selection of panini and antipasti.
Paradise Orlando
1300 N Mills AveOrlando, FL 32803 407-898-0090 Description from Metromix: Find your paradise on Mills Avenue. The bar, which was formerly Studz, caters to gay clientele in Orlando's ViMi district. The casual atmosphere welcomes T-shirts, leather and guys wearing tight whities. This hang out is basically a great place for gay singles to chill with some brewskis
Peacock Room
1321 N Mills AveOrlando, FL 32803 (407) 228-0048 Description from Metromix: The Peacock Room is an art gallery and bar that has been known to hold court to various local bands in their live music room. If you're in the mood for some tunes with your spirits, stop in and enjoy Orlando's bubbling underground.
Hideaway Bar
516 Virginia DrOrlando, FL 32803 407-898-5892 Description from Metromix: The Hideaway is a Miami-Dolphins-themed dive bar (the exterior is teal and orange) known for bucket beer specials and 35-cent wings. You might want to swing by if you're into cheese steaks -- some say the Hideaway has the best in town, or stop by to play some pool, watch the game and check out the Happy Hour drink specials
Tom and Jerry's
1117 N Orlando AveWinter Park, FL 32789
Red Foxx Lounge
110 S Orlando AveWinter Park, FL 32789 407-647-1166
The Parliament House
410 N Orange Blossom TrailOrlando, FL 32805 407-425-7571 Description from Metromix: The Parliament House Resort and Entertainment Complex is a gay resort that features seven watering holes. Bare-chested boy toys serve the clubgoers cheap drinks and thrills nightly. DJs spin Top 40, disco and house music which keeps the drag queens and fit, metro-sexual types on the dance floor until the wee hours of the morning.
Wally's Mills Avenue Liquors
1001 N Mills AveOrlando, FL 32803 407-896-6975 Description from Metromix: Wally's is a no-nonsense bar and liquor store on Mills Avenue. The bar has been around for over half a century, and it's practically an Orlando institution for folks looking for a place to smoke and grab a beer. Don't look for anything fancy here.
Funky Monkey Wine Company
912 N Mills AveOrlando, FL 32803 407-427-1447 Description from Metromix: Funky Monkey Wine Company offers a fresh approach to dining with an ever-changing menu that offers exotic creations such as ostrich filet and shorvedar subzi. Choose from their large selection of wines or try a sake bloody mary or sake mojito. Funky Monkey is owned and operated by members of the Taste Guild of Orlando, the largest wine and food appreciation society in America. Catering is available for large and small parties.
Power House Cafe
111 E Lyman AveWinter Park, FL 32789 407-645-3616 Description from Metromix: Open since 1970, Power House Café is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant with a casual atmosphere serving health-conscious menu items such as pita sandwiches and baba gannouj. Take-out and delivery options are also available.
Infusion Tea
625 E Central BlvdOrlando, FL 32801 407-849-5004 Description from Metromix: One of the great things about Orlando is that sometimes you'll take a shortcut through a nice neighborhood trying to get somewhere and stumble onto an unexpected enclave full of boutiques and cute cafes that are far away from the crowds of tourists. But it's no surprise, really, that you'd find a great place like Infusion Tea hidden away in one of them. Specializing in organic and fair-trade teas, this teahouse offers a full vegetarian menu of sandwiches, salads, soups and smoothies. There's original local art on the walls and from time to time a local musician will take center stage, so treat yourself to an afternoon and enjoy something different.
Ethos Restaurant
1235 N Orange AveOrlando, FL 32804 407-228-3898 Description from Metromix: Who says vegan food can't be tasty? Ethos offers hearty home-cooked comfort foods as well as modern updates of American and old world favorites in a friendly, relaxed environment. The small menu changes often and all of their dishes are 100 percent vegan, making them Central Florida's first fully vegan restaurant.
Friends Restaurant
1326 N Mills AveOrlando, FL 32803 407-895-2444 Description from Metromix: Located in the multi-culturally diverse ViMi district, this is a small, friendly, family-run restaurant with excellent food offered at excellent prices. The decor is cozy, colorful and cute, and the customers are a refreshing mix of locals who know a thing or two about good eating. The menu offers both vegetarian and steak-house fare, so if you're looking for a place that can offer a selection of entree options, this gay-friendly, casual dining eatery is definitely worth taking a look at.
Brian's Restaurant
1409 N Orange AveOrlando, FL 32804 407-896-9912 Description from Metromix: Brian's Restaurant features omelets, pancakes and homemade biscuits with gravy for breakfast and meatloaf, sandwiches and burgers for lunch. The dining destination has been known for solid American comfort food for nearly 40 years. Their customers also keep coming back for more.
Princeton Diner
3310 Edgewater DrOrlando, FL 32804 407-425-5046 Description from Metromix: Princeton Diner is a throwback to all those great greasy spoons that dotted the landscape when the Fonz and Richie were still in high school. Pancakes, meatloaf and other filling types of food are their specialty, not to mention friendly service.
Midnight Blue
900 E Washington StOrlando, FL 32801 407-999-9012 Description from Metromix: Come to Thornton Park where you'll encounter Midnight Blue, a restaurant offering fine dishes with tastes from South America, the Middle East and Asia. The dining experience will shower you with dishes such as lamb kebabs and crab cakes. The meal presentation feels like you're watching a show on the Food Network.
HUE
629 E Central BlvdOrlando, FL 32801 407-849-1800 Description from Metromix: Offering a progressive American menu, HUE Restaurant is the current trendsetting dinner darling. The scene you want to be seen in, it sports a swanky modern decor with a sleek polished bar and a fairly-sized outdoor eating area. It's the kind of place the glitterati love to stand around in sunglasses and pose in. Make sure to get your highlighted hair razored and your perfect teeth lasered because around here, everyone's a star.
Tony's Deli
1323 N Mills AveOrlando, FL 32803 407-898-6689 Description from Metromix: Sandy-colored murals fill the small Tony's Deli, a Middle Eastern restaurant that has developed cult status amongst downtowners. Serving up classics such as baba ghanoush, hummus, tabouli and falafel, Tony's makes it easy with affordable combo platters so you don't have to miss out on any delicacies. Top off your meal with sweet baklava or make it your whole meal.
Stonewall Bistro
741 W Church StOrlando, FL 32805 407-373-0888
Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine
108 S Park AveWinter Park, FL 32789 407-644-8609 Description from Metromix: All of Bosphorous' chefs hail from Turkey, so when they say the food is authentic Turkish cuisine, you can believe it. The menu includes a variety traditional spit-roasted kebabs. Delicious ethnic cuisine and an elegant, refined atmosphere makes Bosphorous a Turkish delight.
Yellow Dog Eats
1236 Hempel AveWindermere, FL 34786 407-296-0609 Description from Metromix: The centenarian structure that houses Yellow Dog Eats in Gotha (est. 1879 according to the sign on the restaurant) has been a private residence, a general store and now a tasty cafe serving up healthy salads and sandwiches and lip-smacking ribs. The store has a stocked wine rack from which owner and head chef Fish Morgan draws for the occasional wine tasting. Check out the secret garden out back, where you can dine beneath vines with your four-footed friends and read odd signs from lands unknown.
Earl of Sandwich
1750 N Buena Vista DrOrlando, FL 32830 407-938-1762 Description from Metromix: In 1762, the Earl of Sandwich came up with the concept of meat inside two slices of bread. His decendant came up with the concept of using the name to make a buck and so the Earl of Sandwich chain was born. Guess what they serve. Bread is hearty and sandwiches are large.
Fuji Sushi Japanese Cuisine
1499 Lee RdWinter Park, FL 32789 407-645-1299 Description from Metromix: A lot of places offer sushi, but not many have the casual elegance of Fuji Sushi. Arguably, Winter Park's best-known sushi restaurant, Fuji Sushi is owned and run by two brothers. Reservations are recommended.
Dandelion Communitea Cafe
618 N Thornton AveOrlando, FL 32803 407-362-1864 Description from Metromix: Take a chance and experience eco-dining. It's just your normal friendly neighborhood co-op serving healthy, organic, vegetarian fare. The cafe's all hand-painted chairs portray a positive eco-attitude. There's always something going on, whether it's tarot card readings or art show openings. Check the Web site's calendar for a feel of what's going down.
Black Bean Deli
325 S Orlando AveWinter Park, FL 32789 407-628-0294 Description from Metromix: Winter Park's Black Bean Deli represents a paradise for lovers of authentic Cuban food featuring papas rellenas, empanadas and pan con lechon. And with prices as small as their diminutive digs on Orlando Avenue, its easy to see why this family-owned restaurant is now celebrating their 25th anniversary.
Bento Cafe
151 N Orange AveOrlando, FL 32801 407-999-8989 Description from Metromix: This new downtown lunch spot offers fast, friendly service, a moody, modern atmosphere and a wide selection of pan-Asian cuisine, including sushi, rice bowls, noodle soups and traditional meals served in Bento boxes. There's a wealth of sushi selections on a separate menu, plenty of signature rolls, sushi mix-and-match boxes, and nigiri. Try one of their many Boba tea selections for dessert.
O'Naturals
44 E Central BlvdOrlando, FL 32801 407-872-7422 Description from Metromix: This family-founded chain was started as a healthy alternative to fattening, fried fast food. O'Naturals uses organic ingredients and offers a wide variety of good-for-you menu items, including flatbread sandwiches, soups, salads, Asian noodles, pizza, breakfast-baked goods and specialty smoothies. Grab lunch on the go or sit down and relax. They also do catering, so you can make it a green party.
Amura Sushi Bar
55 W Church StOrlando, FL 32801 407-316-8500 Description from Metromix: Amura has three Central Florida venues which include downtown, Lake Mary and a location on Sand Lake Road. While the size and design of each venue varies, the common denominator remains which is well-executed sushi and other Asian cuisine. For taste, drop by any location and ask for the 'Rolls Royce.'
Ichiban Japanese Restaurant
19 S Orange AveOrlando, FL 32801 407-423-2688 Description from Metromix: Located in the heart of the downtown bar scene, this hip eatery has large colorful paintings on the walls, exposed brick interiors and blonde wood dining tables. You can sit at the sushi bar in the back but the tables out front make a great place to dine and practice your flirting skills. How sophisticated and refined can you look while you maneuver your chopsticks to pick up that dropped piece of sushi that plopped into your soy sauce?
Dexter's of Thornton Park
808 E Washington StOrlando, FL 32801 407-648-2777 Description from Metromix: This trendy restaurant features casual dining in a hip wine bar right in the Thornton Park district. The menu rotates monthly but never fear because the salads are good and the sandwiches are tasty (half orders are available). This is a sister restaurant to two others in town that feature fun and classy wine nights with local artists displaying their artwork on the walls and local musicians performing on stage.
The Pita Pit
1 S Orange AveOrlando, FL 32801 407-447-7482 Description from Metromix: If you've ever enjoyed a street pita, then you'll love Pita Pit place because they've got ingredients up the wazzing. You pick your meat, veg and sauce (try the tzatziki) and they cram it in a warm pita that's bigger than your head. The staff are tattooed and pierced and relatively friendly. There's not much room to sit, but the annoying cartoons of veggies on the wall make take out more attractive. Best thing is they're open until 3 a.m. or later on most nights.
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