Best of ORL 2020 – Food & Drink
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El Zocalo Mexican restaurant in Sanford: Chef Conrado Alatoro (left) and owner Pablo Larios with tacos (pastor, carnitas, chorizo, chicken, steak) (ROBERTO GONZALEZ)
MEXICAN MAGNIFICENCE
When it comes to El Zocalo’s raved-about Mexican Tacos, the meat is the star. A choice of chorizo sausage, pulled pork, beef tongue, sirloin or grilled chicken is piled onto a house-made, soft corn tortilla with nothing but cilantro and onions topping it.
“The meat tacos sell a lot,” says owner Pablo Larios.
Another standout on the nearly four-year-old Sanford restaurant’s menu is pollo en mole—a rich dish made from 32 ingredients, including chilies, fruit and chocolate. Pollo en mole is what Puebla, Mexico—El Zocalo Chef Conrado Alatoro’s native state—is known for.
“It takes time to make, but the results are spectacular,” says Larios.
Alatoro creates other Puebla specialties, such as avocado salad, which Larios says is another restaurant favorite. The chef and owner have worked together in Mexican restaurants since they moved to Florida in 2010 from Puebla and Guatemala, respectively.
“He’s Mexican and even though I’m not, we both have a passion for the culture and the food. We recognized each other’s talent,” Larios says.
— Megan Stokes
Tacos
1 El Zocalo
Downtown Sanford
2 Rocco’s Tacos
Restaurant Row
3 Tin & Taco
Three Orlando-area locations
Community Coffee Spot
1 Foxtail Coffee Co.
Multiple Orlando-area locations
2 Axum Coffee
Three Orlando-area locations
3 Lineage Coffee Roasting
Mills 50 District and
Audubon Park
Wine Store
1 ABC Fine Wine & Spirits
Multiple Orlando-area locations
2 Total Wine & More
Three Orlando-area locations
3 Tim’s Wine Market
Four Orlando-area locations
Chocolate Shop
1 Peterbrooke Chocolatier
Downtown Winter Park
2 Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop
Disney Springs
3 Chocolate Museum & Café
International Drive
The classic cheeseburger, a specialty of The Tap Room at Dubsdread (ROBERTO GONZALEZ)
College Park Restaurant
1 The Tap Room at Dubsdread
Par Street
2 RusTeak Restaurant & Wine Bar
Edgewater Drive
3 Shakers American Café
Edgewater Drive
Downtown Restaurant
1 Kres Chophouse
Church Street
2 DoveCote Restaurant
Orange Avenue at Livingston Street
3 SoCo-Southern Contemporary Cuisine
Thornton Park
Winter Garden Restaurant
1 Chef’s Table at the Edgewater
West Plant Street
2 Urban Flats
West Plant Street
3 The Whole Enchilada
West Plant Street
Theme Park Restaurant
1 Cinderella’s Royal Table
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
2 Rainforest Café
Disney Springs Marketplace, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
3 California Grill
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Lake County Restaurant
1 Haystax Restaurant
Eustis
2 The Crooked Spoon
Clermont
3 1921 Mount Dora
Downtown Mount Dora
Osceola County Restaurant
1 The Catfish Place
St. Cloud
2 The All Italian Restaurant
Kissimmee
3 Philly Steak & Sub
St. Cloud
Winter Park Restaurant
1 Hillstone
South Orlando Avenue
2 Prato
Park Avenue
3 Luma on Park
Park Avenue
Eddie V’s on Restaurant Row (DARDEN RESTAURANTS)
Restaurant Row-Area Restaurant
1 Eddie V’s
West Sand Lake Road
2 Cedar’s Restaurant
West Sand Lake Road
3 Chatham’s Place
Dr. Phillips Boulevard
Seminole County Restaurant
1 Enzo’s on the Lake
Longwood
2 Palma Maria
Casselberry
3 The Town House Restaurant
Oviedo
I-Drive Restaurant
1 Café Tu Tu Tango
International Drive
2 Maggiano’s Little Italy
Pointe Orlando
3 Uncle Julio’s
ICON Park
Place for a Frozen Treat
1 Jeremiah’s Italian Ice
Multiple Orlando-area locations
2 Twistee Treat
Multiple Orlando-area locations
3 Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream
Audubon Park and
East Kaley Street
Place for Something Sweet
1 The Glass Knife
South Orlando Avenue
Winter Park
2 Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream
Audubon Park and
East Kaley Street
3 Gideon’s Bakehouse
Audubon Park
Specialty Foods Store
1 Trader Joe’s
Winter Park and Restaurant Row
2 The Fresh Market
Five Orlando-area locations
3 Whole Foods Market
Three Orlando-area locations
Watering Hole or Lounge
1 Froggers Grill & Bar
Five Orlando-area locations
2 The Guesthouse
Mills 50 District
3 Mad Hippo Saloon
Kissimmee
Food Delivery Service
1 Jimmy John’s
Multiple Orlando-area locations
2 Uber Eats
3 DoorDash
Caterer
1 Puff ’n Stuff Events & Catering
Orlando
2 Arthur’s Creative Events & Catering
Altamonte Springs
3 George’s Gourmet Cookies and Catering
Winter Park
Hotel Lounge
1 Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando
Downtown Orlando
2 The Alfond Inn
Downtown Winter Park
3 Lobby Lounge
The Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
Brewery
1 Crooked Can Brewing Company
Downtown Winter Garden
2 Hourglass Brewing
Curry Ford Road and Longwood
3 Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co.
Ivanhoe Village
