The 24 best Orlando restaurants to hit up when someone else is paying

Soco Thornton Park
Greg Richie’s imaginative take on Southern classics has made Soco one of downtown’s premier dining destinations, thanks to such renditions as cassoulet of duck confit with boiled peanuts, molasses-glazed hanger steak with smoked brisket hash browns, and hot-smoked cobia with buttermilk potato cakes. Those with a penchant for indulgent endings will appreciate oatmeal spice cake with a pink peppercorn whiskey syrup or house-made moon pies served with a vanilla RC Cola float. Open daily. 629 E. Central Blvd., 407-849-1800; $$$$
Greg Richie's urban boîte, Soco, revels in Southern charm
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Capa
Four Seasons Resort Orlando, 10100 Dream Tree Blvd., Lake Buena Vista, 407-313-7777
Sexy rooftop resto at the Four Seasons shows off its style with Basque- and Spanish-inspired specialties and USDA Prime steaks. It’s hard to go wrong with any dish, but you’ll go right with hamachi crudo to start. Succulent roast duck with braised salsify, Florida peaches and pickled mustard seed is also a must. If beef is your craving, the bone-in filet is sublime, even if it sets you back $69. Desserts are all Instagram-worthy.
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Urbain 40
Urbain 40 made it into our Top Tables of 2015, despite the fact that we haven't yet officially reviewed it – we noted that the French brasserie with a swing-era vibe is "arguably the most beautiful restaurant space in the city." Owner Jaafar Choufani and his father, noted restaurateur Rashid Choufani, spared no expense in decking out the restaurant – now they just need to lock down the menu and get the front-of-house staff solidly on track. As we said in December, Urbain 40 is just too damned gorgeous to fail.
8000 Via Dellagio Way, 407-872-2640
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Hamilton’s Kitchen
Alfond Inn, 300 E. New England Ave., Winter Park
Inside the impressive Alfond Inn – a lovely place to spend an afternoon on the patio – sits this equally handsome kitchen, where chef Chris Windus spins a focused (and pricey) selection of Florida-inspired creations. Seafood, like skin-on monkfish atop a wondrous corn succotash or delicately fried Kumamoto oysters, complements black truffle-kissed Buckhead Beef filet and a damn fine lacinato kale Caesar. Make room for indulgent butterscotch pudding infused with 12-year-old Macallan scotch.
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Morimoto Asia
1600 W. Buena Vista Drive, 407-939-6686
The enormity of the 36-foot-tall, two-story space and its jaw-dropping design elements make you forget Morimoto Asia is situated inside Disney Springs. From rain-shower crystal chandeliers to a grand stairway to sushi heaven, the restaurant stuns, dazzles, astounds. Chef Masaharu Morimoto's menu doesn't present much that's particularly novel, but playing it safe doesn't mean the pan-Asian creations aren't creative. Dishes like duck ramen, sweet-and-sour crispy branzino, and rock shrimp with spicy gochujang aioli are exquisite. The Peking duck is a perennial favorite, and finding a potent potable to pair it with isn't difficult at all: Morimoto Asia has some of the best sake in the city. Allez cuisine!
Photo by ironchef_morimoto/Instagram

Urban Tide
9801 International Drive, 407-345-4570
We liked the restaurant as Napa when the Peabody Hotel Group ran it, and we like it now that it's called Urban Tide and the Hyatt Regency runs it. The best thing the Hyatt brass did was leave the restaurant alone – their "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach was a relief to Central Florida denizens and visitors alike. And while the decor may pose an aesthetic disconnect with the new branding, chef Jared Gross and his capable staff haven't missed a beat with their seafood-centric menu. Grouper cheeks with delicately bitter shishito peppers over sweet creamed Zellwood corn are a standout, and a blackened, skin-on Florida yellowtail snapper served over kale with charred lemon is simply immaculate. Dropping $8 on a spice-roasted pineapple rum cake with coconut sorbet and lime crisp? Like the schlep to I-Drive, it's totally worth it.
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Kres Chophouse
Downtown chophouse brings an element other steakhouses don’t seem to have – impeccable service with Jazz Age flair. The prime cuts of meat are damn fine too, be they rib-eye steaks or foie gras-topped elk tenderloins. An in-house sommelier roams the space proffering sagacious wine advice. Desserts, like white chocolate bread pudding with whiskey sauce, also cater to epicurean sensibilities. 17 W. Church St., 407-447-7950; $$$$?
Orlando’s Kres Chophouse serves filets with flair
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Siro Urban Italian Kitchen
Siro brings farm-to-fork dining to the tourist corridor, and does it with aplomb. Seasonal small plates like roasted bone marrow, spicy lamb sausage, crisp baby artichokes and cheese mezzaluna with sage brown butter are well worth the drive, more so if you happen to be in the area. Their staunch commitment to sourcing local should be applauded. World Center Marriott, 8701 World Center Drive, 407-238-8619; $$$$
Siro Urban Italian Kitchen: Cool tourist-area kitchen looks to lure locals with a farm-to-fork approach
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Fogo de Chao
A shrine to beef, with heavenly tableside service to boot. Juicy?skirt steak, salt-crusted rib-eye and meltingly tender filet are standouts, but accoutrements like deep-fried polenta squares, bacon-studded?rice and beans, and thick spears of chilled asparagus will also wow. The impressive wine list leans toward South American malbecs and rioja; the high ratio of staff to diners means service is equally impressive. 8282 International Drive, 407-370-0711; $$$$
Fogo de Chao: Orlando's newest churrascaria is a shrine to beef, with heavenly tableside service
Photo via @fogorestaurants on Instagram

Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Weighing in heavily on the masculine side of the top-dollar dining spectrum, the ambience, menu and service here are powerfully delivered. The New Orleans-based chain serves only aged meats from corn-fed Hereford cows, seared on an 1,800-degree?grill – so tender a knife isn’t necessary. For expense accounts and special occasions. Multiple locations, ruthschris.com; $$$$
Restaurant review: Ruth's Chris Steak House
Photo via Ruth's Chris Steak House Winter Park on Facebook

Le Coq Au Vin
Incredible French cuisine is the hall- mark of this south Orlando landmark. Graceful technique distinguishes dishes such as a grouper fillet crusted with toasted pecans and spices and bathed in citrus beurre blanc. 4800 S. Orange Ave., 407-851-6980; $$$$
Restaurant review: Le Coq au Vin
Photo via Le Coq au Vin on Facebook

Highball & Harvest
The Ritz-Carlton’s farm-to-table resto caters to the city’s food-conscious millennials with Southern-inspired dishes employing local, farm-fresh ingredients. Competently executed plates of comfort food issue from Mark Jeffers’ kitchen: You won’t go wrong with a starter of duck and andouille gumbo, followed by an outstanding skirt steak, capped with sticky toffee pudding. Don’t miss ham-hock-infused boiled peanuts. Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes, 4012 Central Florida Parkway, 407-393-4422; $$$$
Highball and Harvest in the Ritz-Carlton plays down the posh
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Osprey Tavern
4899 New Broad St., 407-960-7700
Baldwin Park has Jason Chin to thank for single-handedly injecting new life into the neighborhood's gastronomic heart. Chin's Seito Sushi has evolved into one of the best Japanese restos in town and, now, with Osprey Tavern, gastronomes are looking at Baldwin Park with voracious eyes. Osprey's interior – think Charleston's Husk meets high-class turn-of-the-century bordello – is worth a visit alone, but executive chef (and former Ravenous Pig chef de cuisine) Joe Cournoyer-Burnett's sensuous plates, be they luscious lamb ribs or basil-rubbed Florida black grouper served over butter sauce, ensure many return visits. Pastry chef Kristy Carlucci honed her chops at Cask & Larder, but the freedom proffered to her at Osprey Tavern has allowed her to spread her wings. I, for one, look forward to seeing Osprey Tavern soar to new heights in 2016.
Photo by Rob Bartlett

Texas de Brazil
One price buys overindulgence at this richly styled all-you-can-eat Brazilian churrascaria, serving 15 cuts of charcoal-grilled meats on large skewers that are delivered to your table until you tell ’em to stop. The salad bar is a country in itself, with a wealth of fresh vegetables and Latin standbys. 5259 International Drive, 407-355-0355; $$$$
Restaurant review: Texas de Brazil
Photo via Texas de Brazil on Facebook

Shula’s 347 Grill
Part sports bar, part trendy steakhouse, this hotel restaurant scores big. The scene and clamor may not suit all tastes, but the cowboy steak, a 16-ounce bone-in rib-eye, certainly will. Same goes for the grouper, simply grilled and served with balsamic-drizzled asparagus and smashed potatoes. 2974 International Parkway, Lake Mary, 407-531-3567; $$$$?
Restaurant review: Shula's 347 Grill
Photo via Shula's 347 Grill Lake Mary on Facebook

Rocco’s Italian Grille
The polished yet comfortable interior and the range of regional Italian fare are sure to delight discriminating diners with such singularly pleasing dishes as the golden-crisp veal Milanese and the linguine frutti di mare. Even simple herb-grilled chicken is impeccably prepared, and desserts, such as creamy tiramisu and dense, milky gelato, are heavenly. 400 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-644-7770; $$$$
Restaurant review: Rocco's Italian Grille & Bar
Photo via Rocco's Italian Grille & Bar on Facebook

Nelore Churrascaria
Park Avenue churrascaria offers?up an awesome 40-item salad bar, comprising crisp vegetables, fish, soup and more, but it’s the all-you-can-eat-meat extravaganza that packs ’em in. Our advice: Stick to the sirloin cuts (top sirloin and picanha) and avoid the lamb. Scrumptious Brazilian desserts are made in-house. 115 E. Lyman Ave., Winter Park, 407-645-1112; $$$$
Restaurant review: Nelore Churrascaria
Photo via Nelore Churrascaria Winter Park on Facebook

Oceanaire Seafood Room
A budget-busting bounty of unparalleled freshness awaits fish lovers at what is arguably Orlando’s finest seafood house. Up to 25 varieties of fish, lobster, crab and mussels, and 12 varieties of oysters are flown in daily from around the world. Family-style sides are available, though not necessary. Save room to share the enormous caramel brownie. 9101 International Drive, 407-363-4801; $$$$?
Restaurant review: The Oceanaire Seafood Room
Photo via the Oceanaire Seafood Room on Facebook

Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen
4040 Central Florida Parkway, 866-435-7627
Taking full advantage of the Grande Lakes Resort's on-site 7,000-square-foot garden, Whisper Creek Farm inside the JW Marriott offers up a variety of flatbreads, sandwiches and small plates, but beer hounds have been drawn to this farm-to-forker for different reasons. The restaurant taps into the resort's on-site nano-brewery for six different brews (five of them seasonal) to stay true to its hyperlocal ethic.
Photo via Yelp

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
You get what you pay for and, for?the most part, this pricey Dr. Phillips fish house delivers. Both the steak and lobster tartare and the jumbo lump crab make a splash as starters. Though it’s primarily a seafood place, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better steak than their 22-ounce USDA Prime bone-in rib-eye. 7488 W. Sand Lake Road, 407-355-3011; $$$$?
Eddie V’s throwback vibe attracts the Dr. Phillips crowd
Photo by Rob Bartlett