24 Orlando dishes you need to eat before you call yourself a local

Beverly Hillbilly at Se7en Bites
207 N. Primrose Drive, 407-203-0727
Se7en Bites is a sweet and savory bake shop. This meal definitely sits on the savory side with eggs, bacon risotto, root beer braised short rib, hollandaise on a parmesan biscuit.

Photo via se7enbites/Facebook

Fried chicken from Chef Eddies
595 W. Church St., 407-826-1731
Chef Eddie’s specializes in soul food with crispy, fried chicken. For a sweet and savory meal, add red velvet or apple cinnamon waffles.

Photo via mrvx85/Instagram

Kickin’ Chicken Bao at King Bao
710 N. Mills Ave., 407-237-0013
Like the name advertises, this fried chicken bao definitely has a kick and a touch of sweetness with its cucumber sriracha aioli.

Photo via blanquiqui/Instagram

Oysters at Lee & Rick’s
5621 Old Winter Garden Road
Known for their incredible and fresh oysters, Lee & Rick’s, which is shaped like an old docked boat, has been a consistent and reasonably priced seafood place since 1950.

Photo via Angela L./Yelp

The rotisserie chicken from Pig Floyds
1326 N. Mills Ave., 407-203-0866
There are only a few rotisserie chickens smoked each day. They sell out fast, so plan ahead because it’s like nothing you have ever tasted.

Photo via otownbites/Instagram

Chicken Tender Publix Sub
Publix locations
Not quite a strictly Orlando dish, but a local favorite regardless. No one can quite put their finger on why a pub sub is so much better than other any other subs, but they just are. Any sub with Boar’s Head deli meat is good, but the chicken tender sub is heavenly.

Photo via donutjudgemydiet/Instagram

Poke bowl from Quickly Boba
3214 E. Colonial Drive, 407-270-4570
The Hawaiian chopped, marinated raw-fish dish is one of the hottest food trends. Here, you can personalize a poke bowl with yellowtail, ahi or salmon and have an assortment of toppings like avocado and seaweed salad.

Photo via whenamyeats/Instagram

Double Diablo pizza from Wine Barn
959 W. Fairbanks Ave., 407-599-9463
This spicy and tangy pizza, made to order in a wood-fire oven, has flavorful ingredients like calabrese hot salame, sopressata, baklouti green chili, San Marzano tomato and fior di latte.

Photo via yelpflorida/Instagram

Tonkatsu ramen from Sapporo Ramen
5080 W. Colonial Drive, 407-203-6777
The rich pork bone based ramen is an inexpensively priced noodle bowl and by far, the best on the menu.

Photo via yukil0ve/Instagram

Vegan Hot Dog Cart
65 N. Orange Ave., 321-303-3689
This cart has been helping settle drunk stomachs since like forever. It’s open until 3 a.m. for all your drunk eat needs.

Photo via theorlandogirl/Instagram

Doughnuts from Valhalla
2603 E. South St.
These vegan doughnuts taste as good as they look with the right amount of sweetness and flavor combos ranging from sophisticated (lavender and honey) to crazy (Fruity Pebbz).

Photo via valhallabakery/Instagram

Sushi & Seoul On The Roll

This food truck has sushi, Korean and Chinese street food like bao stuffed with soft-shell crabs, avocado fries and ramen bowls, perfect to pair with craft beers or cocktails.

Photo via ssontheroll/Instagram

“Summer ’92” pie at Pizza Bruno
3990 Curry Ford Road, 407-906-8547
Pizza Bruno is the newest kid on the block, but it's worth having on this list because it's sooo damn good. This spin takes a unique spin on a pizza joint with vegan sauce and dough. The summer '92 pie is a solid choice but it nearly ties with blanca, which is far from the typical bland white pizza.

Photo via Jessica Young

Thai Peanut Chicken taco from Tako Cheena
932 N. MIlls Ave.
The Thai peanut chicken crushes it (literally). The chicken house taco with a hint of sweetness comes with crushed peanuts and mixed cabbage, cilantro and scallion.

Photo via jeffus3/Instagram

Beefy King
424 N. Bumby Ave., 407-894-2241
Beefy King has been serving sandwiches for about 40 years so no matter which you order, it’s bound to be better than good. Beefy King has mastered roast beef sandwiches, beefy spuds (tater tots) and vanilla milkshakes.

Photo via pigskinpursuit/Instagram

Mama Ling Ling Thanksgiving at Pom Pom’s
67 N. Bumby Ave., 407-894-0865
Be thankful every day for the Mama Ling Ling Thanksgiving sandwich. The sandwich includes all the Thanksgiving food essentials: turkey, stuffing, ginger cranberry chutney and mashed potatoes.

Photo via pompomsteahouse/Instagram

Bowl of pho from Pho 88 Vietnamese Restaurant
730 N. Mills Ave., 407-897-3488, 9728 E. Colonial Dr., 407-930-7670
The family-owned restaurant has a variety of Vietnamese meals, but their popular pho bowls are a must-get.
Photo via joycekwak/Instagram

4 Cheese Mac empanada from La Empanada food truck

This food truck’s mac and cheese empanada is extra cheesy with four different kinds: mozzarella, provolone, gouda and fontina.

Photo via laempanadatruck/Instagram

Hideaway Special Burger at The Hideaway
516 Virginia Drive, 407-898-5892
The special burger has grilled onion, bacon, A-1 sauce and melted American cheese. It tastes even better with a side of tots.

Photo via lorddopey/Instagram

Sandwich from Handy Pantry Convenience Store and Deli
522 E. Amelia St., 407-423-8954
Handy Pantry is kind of a one-stop shop. It’s a mini grocery store with a delicious deli.

Photo via Colleen B./Yelp