Dining Out in Orlando.
Dining out in Orlando is just one of the many experience that are unique to the USA, and for many visitors from the UK having food prepared and cooked for you is a big draw and rightly so. The drawback however can be that this can become very expensive, depending on how frequently you eat out, and where you eat out, and don’t forget about the gratuity rates that accompany table service venues. These add anything from 15% to 22% onto the total bill.
One of the things we have noticed whilst dining out in Orlando, is that portions tend to be on the large side and again a culture that many people have adopted is to split a dish, whether it be appetisers or entrees (This also reduces food waste which is one of our pet hates). You may also be asked if you would like a box as the culture here is to take home your leftovers for later.
Alcohol in bars and restaurants tends to be expensive, but sodas can also rack up the bill as the initial glass tends to be at a premium cost, however, most restaurants have free refills for fountain drinks, which can help reduce the cost overall. Often iced water (which is free) is more refreshing in the heat.
Another way to manage your budget whilst dining out in Orlando, is to look around for promotions as many eateries have ‘specials’ or ‘happy hours’ so you can eat for less. When you are out and about it is worth keeping an eye out for the visitor coupon booklets, these are free and often have money off vouchers for a whole host of things including restaurants. Another way to make your ‘buck’ go further whilst dining out in Orlando, is to have a late lunch (some places serve up to 3pm) this is often similar or the same fayre, but cheaper than the dinner menu.
We try to find a balance between eating in and eating out, and have found that breakfasts can be as much as an evening meal, so we tend to not dine out for breakfast.
4 of our local favourites are: –
1.Bahama Breeze
A relaxing family orientated restaurant with a Caribbean theme, Bahama Breeze operates a great happy hour between 4-6pm Monday to Friday with half price appetisers. The portions are very generous, so we often order a few of appetisers to share whilst enjoying a cocktail or beer, also from the happy hour menu.
Our local Bahama Breeze is located 9 miles from our villa Hills Bay Hideaway, at US192 West; 8160 Irlo Bronson Hwy, Kissimmee. Check out their website for up to date offers and menus.
2. Buffalo Wild Wings
We really like Buffalo Wild Wings, especially on a Thursday (all day) when they offer their boneless wings at buy one get one free. They also have a happy hour that operates from 3pm through to 6pm Monday to Friday. The offers are different each day, which includes a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as well as appetisers from $3-$6.
There are also other specials to look out for including on a Tuesday (all day) they have traditional wings buy one get one 50% off. They have a range of sauces and rubs to choose from to suit everyone’s taste, our favourites are ‘parmesan garlic’ and ‘Asian zing’. We like this venue as they have a trivia quiz running on the screens all around that you can participate in and the more points you win the more prizes you earn such as a free drink or free wings for a month etc.
Our local Buffalo Wild Wings is located 7 miles from our villa Hills Bay Hideaway, at 3099 Formosa Gardens Blvd, Kissimmee, FL 34747. Check out their website for up to date offers and menus.
3. Manny’s Chop House
There are only three Manny’s Chophouse locations, in Orlando, they are in Lake Wales, Winter Haven and the one closest to our villa Hills Bay Hideaway in Haines City. Happy hour operates between 4-7pm everyday and offers 2-4-1 on a great variety of alcoholic drinks, which happens to include some amazing and very strong frozen Margaritas. On Wednesdays, Manny’s Chophouse offers 2-4-1 on their chicken or steak fajitas.
Manny’s is our go to place for all kinds of steak, we find that the quality is very good and the setting is unique. Customers have the choice of endless warm bread rolls and house salad (which is amazing) or an extra side dish with their main meal.
If you are celebrating a birthday, let your server know, the staff will come over and sing happy birthday and the birthday boy/girl will receive a free ice-cream. Remember to ask for an extra spoon, they will definitely need help!
Our local Manny’s Original Chophouse is located 13 miles from our villa Hills Bay Hideaway, at 35496 Hwy 27N Haines City, FL 33844. Check out their website for up to date offers and menus.
4. Miller’s Ale House
This is our go to bar/restaurant to watch sport. We find the food here to be good quality and a fair price. As with everywhere in Orlando the alcoholic drinks can be expensive, however if you are happy with the local draught, they are a lot more reasonable. Our advice is to check their website for current deals and offers as they can change very regularly.
Miller’s offers consist of a different discounted dish for each weekday. The dish normally forms part of their standard menu so you can see first hand how good the offer is. If you like to try different ales and beers, Millers has an extensive range to choose from.
A lot of these restaurants don’t do reservations, but you can call ahead, and they place you in the queue if it is particularly busy, however sometimes you still have to wait a few minutes for a table to become available.
Our local Miller’s is located 3 miles from our villa Hills Bay Hideaway, at 8170 Laura Ln, Davenport, FL 33896. Check out their website for up to date offers and menus.
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