Excellent deli sandwiches, quickly prepared. Lots of choices and generous portions, even in the pick two categories. Nice to have nachos as one of the pick two choices.
Really enjoyed my New Yorker with the Pecanberry salad.
McAlister’s Deli
Category Archives: Lake Buena Vista
San Jose’s Original Mexican Restaurant
There are quite a few San Jose’s in the area, but this one is definitely better than the others. It serves an extensive menu typical of American Mexican restaurants, so there isn’t really much in the way of authentic Mexican food, but it will seem familiar.
There isn’t much in the way of acoustic treatment, so it can be quite noisy, even when not at capacity.
Note that the top shelf maragarita is made with a lot of orange juice, which is rather odd, so if you want a more traditional margarita maybe go with the house margarita.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/san-jose-s-original-mexican-restaurant-orlando
Torchy’s Tacos
Nice location for this chain. Counter ordering with table service. There’s a large outdoor area here, in addition to the indoor “garage” feel.
Our go-to starter is the Threesome, a combination of fairly spicy green chile queso, guacamole, and red or green salsa.
My favorite tacos are Mr. Orange (salmon), and Hellfire (jerk pork plus a really spicy dipping sauce).
Staff is pleasant and the service is fairly quick.
Unusual for counter service places, they have margaritas and other spirits.
Gator’s Dockside
This is a nice new Gators with a very friendly staff. I love the way that Gator’s menu has gotten so creative lately, with lots of temporary specials. This is a great venue for watching sports, but also just a good place for traditional bar food plus some creative variations on same.
Paris Bánh Mí Kissimmee
This counter-serve place is light and airy, with nice seating and a great vibe.
My Grilled Pork Banh Mi was as good as any I’ve ever had. The secret to a great banh mi is great bread, and this baguette was fresh, yet crusty, and filled with crisp veggies. The sauce and pork were spot on, and there was plenty of cilantro and jalapeno. Just a terrific sandwich.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/paris-bánh-mí-kissimmee-kissimmee-2
Run & Run Chinese Delivery
This is the best Chinese food in the area. It’s always hot, and served on time. There are only three tables in the restaurant, so there’s a reason why delivery is in the name.
I particularly like their Singapore Mei Fun. It consists of thin noodles in a light curry sauce with assorted proteins. Servings are very generous.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/run-and-run-chinese-delivery-orlando-3
Kungfu Kitchen
Even though it’s in a tourist area, this is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Central Florida.
I don’t think I’ve ever had better dim sum, and the extensive, illustrated menu makes it really easy to order from. The seared soup dumplings (Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings) in particular were the best I’ve had.
The scallion pancakes are a bit unusual – more like a toasted flour tortilla than the traditional omelette-like preparation.
The large, airy space is inviting, and not too loud even when it’s busy.
Service is really good.
Charm Thai and Sushi
It’s about time we got a decent sushi restaurant in this area, and Thai to boot! Excellent service and nice seating make this place a win,
The yellowtail carpaccio was really fresh and tasty, with just the right crunch to the jalapeños. Spicy salmon roll and Philadelphia roll were both good. And while my companion had sushi I had a delicious Yum Nua salad.
Now we don’t have to drive halfway across the county for good Asian food!
Reel Bowls
This poke bowl assemblage concept offers an array of bases, fish, and toppings in a bright, spacious setting. You can choose between two types of rice or mixed greens as your base. Then pick a protein and up to four toppings.
My companion and I both went with greens and tuna and wasabi dressing. My favorite toppings were the edamame, cucumber, and seaweed salad. I highly recommend the fried onion bits as a garnish.
Service was fast and friendly.
Frontera Cocina
4 Stars
I’ve never been a big fan of Rick Bayless’ Chicago area restaurants, but I enjoyed our visit to this one in Disney Springs. The huge space is probably bigger than all of his Chicago restaurants combined! I’m sure it can get noisy at night, but a Monday lunch was sparsely populated.
The “Half & Half” was a nice combination of guacamole and pumpkin seed hummus, served with chips, jicama, and cucumber, plus red and green salsas.
My wife loved the Smoked Salmon Ceviche Tostadas. Conchinita Pibil was also good.
As with everything at Disney Springs, it’s very expensive. But on the bright side, Margaritas at our Monday lunch were only $5 instead of the usual $19.
Service was good.
