5 Underrated Restaurants That Prove Orlando Is A Food Town, According To A Local

For many visitors to Orlando, their introduction to the city's dining scene is one of the many chain restaurants that have set up shop within the tourist district. Honestly, who can blame them? Tourists are spending a full day standing in line for hours to board a two-minute ride, and food prices within the theme parks can make them feel like they have to take out a loan just to afford lunch. After dealing with all of this, a moderately priced meal at a fast food spot doesn't sound so bad. However, while the chains can be comforting, many miss out on the incredible range of local cuisine that Orlando offers. 

As a longtime resident that has watched this city's dining scene grow and expand over the years, Orlando's scene doesn't nearly get the attention that it deserves. Sure, we may not be in the same league as Miami or New York City, but people who consider themselves foodies will be pleasantly surprised at just how good our food scene is if they decide to leave the tourist bubble. You still don't believe me? Well, let me give you five underrated restaurants that prove that Orlando — the home of Mickey, Harry, and Shamu — is also home to great food.

I discovered this place while on a bike ride one day. I didn't eat any breakfast before the ride, and by the time I came out of downtown Orlando heading back to my car, my stomach was growling. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon City Food Hall, a 12,550-square-foot foodie institution that's home to numerous local restaurants serving a variety of taste palates. I needed some breakfast, but I knew that something heavy wouldn't bode well on my return ride to the car. That's when I laid my eyes on Egg Dose.

Egg Dose is a quick-serve restaurant that specializes in everything eggs, with the star of the show being the breakfast sandwiches. You can opt for a regular scrambled sandwich, which contains scrambled eggs and your choice of protein, or you can go for the pricier steak-and-egg sandwich, containing picanha steak cuts topped with a fried egg (cage-free), cotija cheese, caramelized onions, chipotle aioli, and pickles, served on an artisan brioche bun. If I'm eating at a restaurant for the first time, I normally go with a simple menu item to feel the place out. So, I went with the regular scrambled egg sandwich with bacon, and it was delicious. The eggs were scrambled soft (which I love), there was plenty of bacon, and the cheese covered nearly the entire sandwich. If you're not into sandwiches, no worries, as Egg Dose also offers build-your-own bowls that are just as filling. The best part of all? The food hall is connected to a small hike-and-bike trail that makes it easy for walkers and bikers (like myself) to reach it without a car. 

I love hot chicken, and, here in Orlando, we have a plethora of restaurants that will satisfy your hot chicken desires. However, there is one that is king of the rest in my book, Chicken Fire, located in the Coytown area of East Colonial Drive, just 10 minutes outside of downtown. Chicken Fire has long been a local restaurant that I hold near-and-dear to my heart. The mom-and-pop joint sells hot chicken tenders that are the size of your hand, and you can choose just how hot you want them. The heat meter ranges from Soulful, which contains no heat, to Hot X, which feels like it requires a waiver for you to sign because this flavor is extremely hot.

Personally, I go for the mild, which is just enough heat to satisfy my spicy taste buds, but not to the point where I could lose all my sense of taste for a week. My go-to item here is the Hot Box, which contains two jumbo chicken tenders, a ridged pickle on top of a slice of bread, seasoned fries, and coleslaw. To add a little more flavor to your Hot Box, dip the tenders (and your fries) into the Soul Sauce, the restaurant's signature sauce. In addition to the Hot Box, Chicken Fire also serves a "Mega" slider, a hot chicken sandwich topped with coleslaw, pickles, and the famous Soul Sauce.

I've long lived by the notion that the most underrated restaurants in a city are located off the beaten path, such as the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp not far from Orlando. One such restaurant closer to home that perfectly represents Orlando's underrated food scene is Bagel King. Located in the suburb of Casselberry in a non-descript shopping plaza, Bagel King is not a restaurant that immediately sticks out — but, once you find it, you'll have found a beloved local institution. 

Founded by Frank and Tina Perrotta, the first Bagel King opened in 1977 in Winter Park. While that restaurant is still open, they realized that they needed more space, so they moved the main location in 1994 to the shopping plaza in Casselberry, and the rest is bagel history. Bagel King carries 22 types of bagels, priced at $1.50 per bagel with your choice of cream cheese and toppings. As great as the bagels are solo, I go for one of the restaurant's bagel sandwiches, with my favorite being the Andy's with meat, a bagel sandwich with egg and your choice of meat, from applewood bacon to grilled pastrami. In addition to breakfast, Bagel King also serves up deli sandwiches, such as Neil's Hot & Spicy, a hand-carved sandwich complete with your choice of meat (the corned beef is awesome), Dusseldorf mustard, Thousand Island dressing, and horseradish on marble rye. One bite, and you'll taste why Bagel King is a long-time favorite among us locals.

Many years ago, when I lived on the south side of Orlando, I used to pass by Tortas El Rey on South Orange Blossom Trail on my way to downtown Orlando and wonder just how good the tacos were at this little mom-and-pop restaurant. I consider myself a taco connoisseur, and one day, when I was off work from my previous job, I decided to hop on the bus and take a trip up Orange Blossom Trail to give it a try. 

I wanted to judge Tortas El Rey by its tacos, getting the standard grilled chicken tacos that have long been my go-to; and, let me just say, I was surprised by how flavorful the chicken was, and how everything came together. It was so good that I ditched my previous favorite taco spot and made Tortas El Rey my new favorite. I would frequently make the 40-minute bus trip up "The Trail" (as we locals call Orange Blossom Trail) to indulge in some tacos and try other menu items, such as the grilled chicken torta, which was just as good as the tacos. In addition to the flavorful tacos, Tortas El Rey has a variety of tortas that will surely satisfy your tastebuds. You can get them made in nine ways, from Mexican sausage & egg to Hawaiian, which adds ham and pineapple to the mix. The small restaurant also sells burritos, Huaraches, and Gorditas; and while I haven't tried the latter two, maybe this is my excuse to make the trip back to Tortas El Rey to visit one of my favorite taco spots in the city.

When you think of roast beef sandwiches, you normally think of Arby's, right? We have plenty of those here for visitors who want a decent roast beef sandwich to help keep them fueled up during their high-octane Orlando adventure. However, as a local, if you want a truly great roast beef sandwich, you have to drive away from the tourist district and into the walkable Milk District, home to the legendary Beefy King. The restaurant has been serving roast beef sandwiches since 1968, the year Freeman and Margaret Smith opened the restaurant on Bumby Avenue just east of downtown Orlando. Since then, Beefy King has become a local institution that visitors should go out of their way to experience.

You can get your roast beef sandwich in three sizes, from the junior, the smallest, to the X-Large, which is quite big. I go with the regular-sized sandwich that will leave me satisfied, but not stuffed. Outside of the roast beef, Beefy King has six other meats that you can choose as your sandwich filler, from pastrami to corned beef. Oh, and don't get me started on the tater tots, known as "Beefy Spuds," which go perfectly with the sandwiches. What is truly remarkable about Beefy King is how, after all of these years, the restaurant has managed to keep prices low and affordable. For example, the X-large platter, which comes with coleslaw, large Beefy Spuds, and a Kosher dill pickle, is just $14.00 — a true value in today's economy. It's an underrated gem which proves that Orlando is more than just roller coasters and character meet-and-greets; we're also a pretty darn great food town, despite what some websites may think.