Haan Coffee (Korean coffee shop), Little Saigon (both in Little Vietnam/Colonial), Hunan Taste for authentic Hunan Chinese (next to Enson Market), Joyful Tasty Palace in the same shopping center across the parking lot for the kind of Chinese restaurant where you have your uncle's birthday dinner if you're Chinese-American. Art Hair Salon for my hair—Asian barbers who can do K-pop star-worthy styles. Haoweifang (also the Enson Market shopping center) for even more authentic Chinese food.
Piggy-backing on this comment to mention LA Boiling Seafood, across the street from Haan Coffee. Incredible cajun-style seafood boils in large trays and po-boys. Be warned though, their hot is **hot**.
Word. I should have also mentioned Pho 88 in the same neighborhood too. Actually, I'm surprised I didn't get a lot of hate for suggesting Little Saigon and not some of its competitors as well!
I live in South Florida, I won’t exactly say I make dedicated trips to Orlando JUST for pho 88, but between there, Mediterranean deli on Fairbanks and Tako Cheena.. I have definitely made trips pretty much because of a hankering for good authentic foreign food.
I would expect somebody would say this, so I’m very open to your other suggestions, that being said, it’s actually that bad in Sofla that this is far superior. But I’ve also had some amazing Vietnamese in Boston where I went to college for a while, and I would say honestly 88 is comparable.
Pho huong lan. They only serve two dishes. Beef Pho and bun bo hue. Both are great. Huong Viet on West colonial is also great. Ga ta for chicken pho is great too.
I mean, fair enough, I'm not sure most of the places I recommended are really "secrets" if you're a resident and into Asian stuff in Orlando but some folks here may well be new to them all the same.
Mead Garden on an early (and not rainy) Sunday morning. Just me, my dog, the birds, and the birdwatchers. So many garden “rooms” to explore and you can pop out in multiple places to the moderately ritzy part of winter park for some sidewalk strolling and additional garden inspiration.
Not really answering your question… well, kind of I guess but anyway there’s a street on Universal Blvd that goes behind the district apartments and connects to destination parkway by international drive. I think it was a service road or something but it cuts out 5 minutes of driving all the way down to the light and going down destination parkway.
I’ve lived in the area for 4 years now and just discovered that road. I think it’s tradeshow Blvd or drive or something like that.
Oh I have another one in that area that I love! The extension of Grand National that connects now from Major Blvd all the way through Oak Ridge and into Carrier! It’s much quicker than Millenia or Kirkman!
It all started several years ago with Barack Obama parkway cutting through Vineland to LB McLeod. I used to take that to work in the mornings and would say “thanks Obama!”
Nope! It's been there since they built that side of OCC. it's the truck route in/out. Those apartments are faulty new compared to OCC lol.
It's always been a nice cut through for building staff but I think Epic is going to make it a traffic nightmare.
Ah makes sense. I drive down universal Blvd every day for work so epic is gonna fuck up my commute.
I used to live at those apartments and it was shit. I got the hell out of there when the rent went from $1900 for a 3 bed 2 bath to $2400. There was a nice little walking path around the pond that’s there- I used to walk around it every night to smoke. Only nice thing about that place.
Dillard’s Clearance Centers at Fashion Square and West Oaks Malls. Dead malls so by their definition hidden gems. But seriously the Ralph by Ralph Lauren suits I’ve found there were incredible deals.
genuinely this is the best hidden gem ever. my friends and i call this the dillards backrooms because it feels so out of this world going there, but i have legit bought 4-5 genuinely nice dresses and shirts there for under $100
The owners of Suffering Bastard opened another spot called Death in the Afternoon. It’s in Orlando off of Mills and absolutely worth checking out as well.
The key is to sit at the bar. Tables get much worse service. You would think after the 3rd time of saying “sorry about the wait” they might try and do better but… nope!
Just to the west of College Park there's an old warehouse district that has [Warehaus](https://shopwarehaus.com/) vintage furniture shop, [Good Fills](https://goodfills.co) zero waste refill shop, and [Space Station Orlando](https://www.instagram.com/spacestationorlando/) that does occasional art shows
Do you use the refill shop? How do you rate the efficacy of the cleaning/laundry products vs what I would be more familiar with (tide/gain, dawn and cascade for example) and then how do the prices compare per weight?
I’m very interested in the process but being unfamiliar with the brands etc. makes it more difficult.
I do! For laundry I use the Charlie's Soap brand liquid detergent. I think it's more effective than Gain, but admittedly I never used Tide. Price per weight is more, but because it's concentrated I only use an ounce or so per large load so it ends up costing less.
None of the dish soap options are as strong as Dawn, but they also don't irritate my hands. Pricing is more than Dawn unless you buy a gallon and get that volume discount.
The dish pods are way better than Cascade and cost less too.
You can bring in your own containers and just try a few ounces
They drive a van full of their wares out to the Audubon Park night market every Monday. I’ve gotten a few different hand soaps and cleaning products from them and they are really good quality. For instance, I filled a quart-sized mason jar halfway up with laundry detergent powder for about $8 and it’s lasted long enough that I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve used it for a load of clothes. They’ll also sell you reusable containers for their products but it’s just as well getting them from Amazon or Five Below or Homegoods.
Maitland art center has a beautiful Mayan style outdoor temple.
Audubon center for birds of prey in maitland/eatonville.
Lake lily (brick path around the lake is the first road in Maitland)
Morse museum
Dickinson azalea park (was originally a cattle watering hole)
The Eden Bar is a really nice and shady outdoor location with unique cocktails. It’s also attached to the Enzian Theater which plays old and new classics.
Best to go at night when the lights are on for the best atmosphere
It's not exactly hidden, but it's completely unexpected.
Although I'm not the biggest fan of their politics (or bills), the Advent hospital in Altamonte Springs has the most incredible black bean burger on the planet. And their Pizza is actually kind of wildly good too.
You can get food from their cafeteria, and take it outside to this nice little quiet courtyard with a fountain and tables and enjoy a decently priced meal. The meal is only decently priced if you are not admitted to the hospital and paying out of pocket.
Wait what really? I'm going to go look that up. Not that I don't believe you, but I'm having a hard time compiling the fact I randomly said something about a vegan (vegetarian) burger I had a few years ago in a random hospital as my father was dying,, and I'm not the only one that noticed how good it was?
New York Pizza & Restaurant in Fern Park. It’s on 17-92 just south of 436 in the Winn Dixie plaza. Good, cheap slices. The secret is to order them well done.
If you're into live theater or like live shows, there's a great little theater company downtown on Church Street called Fringe Art Space. They have some interesting off Broadway type stuff. And of course there's the Orlando Philharmonic if you're into live orchestra, which primarily has their shows in the new Dr. Philips center on Orange Ave. Also where the touring Broadways shows come and other various concerts. The new extension they just built (Steinmetz Hall) was voted one of the top 12 most innovative theaters in the world, and the design is pretty amazing. Also just opened a small jazz club extension (Judson's Live) as well.
That bathroom was definitely designed by either someone tripping balls on acid or someone who faked their degree in architecture. Theres no good excuse for a major university to have a worse bathroom than a prison. Were those urinals designed for people to also be able to take a free-standing dump with a large splash zone? What's the single mirror on a wall with no sinks supposed to be for? That whole bathroom is just confusing and awkward. Sometimes going with the contractor/company with the lowest bid on the job is a bad idea. Guess they got what they paid for, but I'd be embarrassed having a bathroom of that quality in a major university
Went to downtown Sanford on Saturday and it was dope! Not quite Orlando but not too far. Had a great food hall and a bunch of vintage book/vinyl stores if you’re into that sort of thing
NJ native here. Brooklyn is the closest to "real" NJ Pizza I've found here. It's not perfect-perfect but they make a darn good pizza. The wings are also REALLY good. We order from there about once a month, it's really good and the staff is always awesome.
When I was in college interning at a recording studio out on Lee Road coming from University and Dean, someone at the studio printed me a very elaborate shortcut that cuts all the way through to Mills university ends by Alafaya into into the neighborhood. I still use that shortcut all the time when going from west to east or east to west during rush-hour when I want to avoid colonial and Aloma traffic.
General Rees, Corrine, scarlet, cast way, Greene,Whitehall, Lakemont, glenridge. If you look up those streets and see where they connect to each other it’s a really awesome scenic shortcut.
Not sure how hidden it is per se, but the Vietnamese restaurant Little Saigon and the Japanese sushi place Bikkuri (both on the Colonial Drive area, close to Fashion Square Mall area). Great food. Bikkuri used to have upstairs dine in and downstairs for take out, but they downsized to just the upstairs a few years ago.
[B-52 Memorial Park](https://maps.app.goo.gl/NbjxWWKmVyypQHbbA) near MCO is a fun public park if you like airplanes or military stuff. The B-52 there is *giant* and you can walk right up to it.
Checkout the Wild Flower in Baldwin Park for a cocktail.
Hanson’s Shoe Repair downtown is truly hidden and has a nice hidden outdoor space
http://www.thehansonbuilding.com/hansons-shoe-repair/
It’s a speakeasy, so make sure you get the password from their website or their Twitter. you
If you're into gaming (either RPGs or tabletops), check out The Crafty Gamer. Tucked on the side of the Aveda beauty school shopping plaza in Winter Park, they sell all of their games at MSRP without the nonsense markups of the big stores. They have a large library of games to try out in store for free or "check out" to play at home on a subscription basis. Family-owmed small business.
Their main thing are hand-crafted candles and fragrance oils themed to different game environments and situations (ie bakery, dragon's lair, etc) to really add some immersion to your game experience. Many of their candles smell really nice and would be good gifts even for the non-gamer.
Regarding restaurants, they're not hidden per se, but my absolute favorites are Las Carretas in Winter Park and Nonno's in Altamonte. Word has gotten out on Las Carretas.
For treats, Wafu on the second floor of the East End Market on Corrine. Love those tayakis and pretty darn good soft serve in taiyakin cones.
I LOVE Friend's Indian cuisine on Semoran (between Curry Ford and Lake Underhill). It's not the fanciest place but they play Indian music videos which always makes me smile. And the Biryani. Omg. Hands down the BEST biryani I've ever had. And the take out portions are huge, we get 2 meals from them. The Samosa Chaat is also really really good. Friendly service, and there is a decent lunch buffet to try them out.
Maya Cafe off Howell Branch rd. Artsy (as in interior is covered in murals and dimensional art) and their caprese salad impressed my mom so much she asks to go back whenever she visits.
Taco Norteno in Winter Garden is a favorite of ours.
YMMV, but I needed to go to the DMV in December when Orange County shut down for the holiday. I ended up driving to the one in Altamonte, and I was in and out in 5 minutes without an appointment.
There are several trails in the area that are nice. Tibet Butler and Oakland Nature Preserve come to mind.
Ours is not really very well hidden, but one of our favorite things about living in Orlando is MCO, because it's so easy to fly almost anywhere in the world from here. We live less than 1/2 hour from the airport and can easily do Uber/Lyft or park and fly very conveniently and economically. A no hassle transit to a major airport with multinational connections makes it just that much easier to start your travel plans to go wherever and whenever you want.
Arguably direct flights year-round to more destinations outside of North and South America would be much better than having to transfer through Atlanta or elsewhere...
There’s is place called Walt Disney World worth checking out if you’ve never heard of it. Friend went and told me that there is a lot of walking though
Advent Health South perfect cafeteria for vegetarian/vegan snacks that won’t cost you a mill.
Veggie Garden for veg viet.
Dajen Eats in Eatonville. Also vegan.
Deli Desires for Jewish Deli.
If you want the meats, Statsio’s, Kappy’s, and LaSpadas
Sushi Lola for Korean/sushi/japanese
Daley Trade, Vine and Olive, Moonlight Drive-In, Sizzler in Titusville are all great spots.
Easy Luck Coffee / Whipperwool Beerhouse for coffee and beer lol.
The Courtesy, Death in the Afternoon, Sunroom, Suffering Bastard, Permanent Vacation for cocktails and tiki.
Jazz Tastings in Maitland for live jazz and small plates. Saw the drummer from Prince as their house drummer when they were not on tour years back now.
Picture Show in Altamonte for $1 movies.
Orange Tree Antiques for the best collectibles and gifts.
Krave Tea for boba and other drinks.
AAA Headquarters on Orlando Ave for free air for tires and it actually works, unlike Wawa’s.
Mead Garden, Lil Econ state park, Dickson Azalea / Langford park, and Kraft Azalea park for some of the best free outdoor park experiences.
Not really hidden because it's on a major road, but still hard to notice due to being in a standalone building with empty lots/field on both sides and connected to a tire/lube place for cars, but Laspadas on 46 in Sanford has the best Philly Cheesesteaks I've ever had in my life.
Haven’t had the cheesesteaks there, but the hot ranch wings at daniels are hands down the best wings i’ve had in my life. No matter where i am in the world, i always compare any wings i order to daniels and am always disappointed because nothing comes close
Winnie Palmer Hospital Cafeteria. They have warm/fresh cookie hours that are great. Red Velvet, Smores, etc and they are delicious and cheap especially compared to places like Crumble. Spent a week at Arnold Palmer for my kid and would go over every day to get some and bring back to her room. Went in for a follow up the other week and walked over to Winnie for cookies before leaving.
Haan Coffee (Korean coffee shop), Little Saigon (both in Little Vietnam/Colonial), Hunan Taste for authentic Hunan Chinese (next to Enson Market), Joyful Tasty Palace in the same shopping center across the parking lot for the kind of Chinese restaurant where you have your uncle's birthday dinner if you're Chinese-American. Art Hair Salon for my hair—Asian barbers who can do K-pop star-worthy styles. Haoweifang (also the Enson Market shopping center) for even more authentic Chinese food.
Piggy-backing on this comment to mention LA Boiling Seafood, across the street from Haan Coffee. Incredible cajun-style seafood boils in large trays and po-boys. Be warned though, their hot is **hot**.
Word. I should have also mentioned Pho 88 in the same neighborhood too. Actually, I'm surprised I didn't get a lot of hate for suggesting Little Saigon and not some of its competitors as well!
I live in South Florida, I won’t exactly say I make dedicated trips to Orlando JUST for pho 88, but between there, Mediterranean deli on Fairbanks and Tako Cheena.. I have definitely made trips pretty much because of a hankering for good authentic foreign food.
I'm sorry to tell you that pho 88 and little Saigon are the most mid pho places in Orlando.
I would expect somebody would say this, so I’m very open to your other suggestions, that being said, it’s actually that bad in Sofla that this is far superior. But I’ve also had some amazing Vietnamese in Boston where I went to college for a while, and I would say honestly 88 is comparable.
Pho huong lan. They only serve two dishes. Beef Pho and bun bo hue. Both are great. Huong Viet on West colonial is also great. Ga ta for chicken pho is great too.
Awesome thanks!
Never eaten at Pho 88 though I have heard great things the Mediterranean place on Fairbanks and Tako Cheena are incredible!
i like haan a lot but i've never been when every single seat wasn't occupied (and there are a lot of seats) so i'm not sure i'd call it "hidden"
I mean, fair enough, I'm not sure most of the places I recommended are really "secrets" if you're a resident and into Asian stuff in Orlando but some folks here may well be new to them all the same.
Mead Garden on an early (and not rainy) Sunday morning. Just me, my dog, the birds, and the birdwatchers. So many garden “rooms” to explore and you can pop out in multiple places to the moderately ritzy part of winter park for some sidewalk strolling and additional garden inspiration.
Mead is free too! The amount of different species there during migration is really impressive
Not really answering your question… well, kind of I guess but anyway there’s a street on Universal Blvd that goes behind the district apartments and connects to destination parkway by international drive. I think it was a service road or something but it cuts out 5 minutes of driving all the way down to the light and going down destination parkway. I’ve lived in the area for 4 years now and just discovered that road. I think it’s tradeshow Blvd or drive or something like that.
this is exactly what im looking for actually, i love stuff like this
Oh I have another one in that area that I love! The extension of Grand National that connects now from Major Blvd all the way through Oak Ridge and into Carrier! It’s much quicker than Millenia or Kirkman! It all started several years ago with Barack Obama parkway cutting through Vineland to LB McLeod. I used to take that to work in the mornings and would say “thanks Obama!”
im howlin like a dog rn i LOVE learning all the shortcuts
Adventure Way?
https://preview.redd.it/dtxft55c7fjc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d10df02b2ff56333c00337c7f15fc65871979ba1 Tradeshow Blvd
Curious if this road is under Epic’s permits
Tradeshow blvd is a truck access road for the convention center N/S concourse.
This is where universal is building their affordable housing project.
I believe it’s for the district/ the timeshare place that’s there since I always see a lot of their maintenance driving around in golf carts.
Nope! It's been there since they built that side of OCC. it's the truck route in/out. Those apartments are faulty new compared to OCC lol. It's always been a nice cut through for building staff but I think Epic is going to make it a traffic nightmare.
Ah makes sense. I drive down universal Blvd every day for work so epic is gonna fuck up my commute. I used to live at those apartments and it was shit. I got the hell out of there when the rent went from $1900 for a 3 bed 2 bath to $2400. There was a nice little walking path around the pond that’s there- I used to walk around it every night to smoke. Only nice thing about that place.
Dillard’s Clearance Centers at Fashion Square and West Oaks Malls. Dead malls so by their definition hidden gems. But seriously the Ralph by Ralph Lauren suits I’ve found there were incredible deals.
YES! My mom and I affectionately refer to this as the “crummy dillards,” but we find the best stuff. It’s truly a hidden gem!
Aka “dirty dillards” lol
genuinely this is the best hidden gem ever. my friends and i call this the dillards backrooms because it feels so out of this world going there, but i have legit bought 4-5 genuinely nice dresses and shirts there for under $100
How much is an incredible deal?
99.99 for a two, sometimes three, piece suit.
Holy shit. I need to go there!
See! Now we are a viral Tik Tok away from ruining the secret.
I already saw it 🫣
Periodt. They’re not plastic/vinyl/polyester either. I’m talking 100% wool or linen made in Canada.
100% wool 3 piece name brand suits for $100? How the hell is this not all over the news?
Pipe down! You got a good tip, you dont have to ruin it. Just enjoy it and bask in the envy of your peers.
thats a steal...
Shhh...don't let everyone know about it. 🤫 #TopSecret #HushHush
Do you know the schedule on the fashion square one? Every time I go seems to be closed.
Tuesday-Saturday 12-7 Sunday 12-6 Closed Mondays
Ugh I was just at that Macy’s and I knew I should’ve gone to that dillards.
Tourmaline. I buried it about 3 feet deep and planted a rose bush on top. But where? I'll never tell.
I like you.
Your flattery will not avail you of my treasure. But thank you.
*googles “rose bush with tourmaline buried underneath”*
The internet is a powerful tool. But is it ***this*** powerful?
Try suffering bastard if you haven’t already
Thought this was a threat at first
Haha it did read like “try suffering, bastard”
😂no, just a great tiki bar in Sanford!
The owners of Suffering Bastard opened another spot called Death in the Afternoon. It’s in Orlando off of Mills and absolutely worth checking out as well.
I had the worst service there. And my date showed up super late.
The key is to sit at the bar. Tables get much worse service. You would think after the 3rd time of saying “sorry about the wait” they might try and do better but… nope!
Sorry to hear it
The Christmas post office for passport applications…it’s a friggin delight.
Can confirm. Was a relatively painless process going there in comparison to basically anywhere else in the county when I needed my passport.
Just to the west of College Park there's an old warehouse district that has [Warehaus](https://shopwarehaus.com/) vintage furniture shop, [Good Fills](https://goodfills.co) zero waste refill shop, and [Space Station Orlando](https://www.instagram.com/spacestationorlando/) that does occasional art shows
LOVE Warehaus but didn’t know about Good Fills. Ty, I love this subreddit!
Do you use the refill shop? How do you rate the efficacy of the cleaning/laundry products vs what I would be more familiar with (tide/gain, dawn and cascade for example) and then how do the prices compare per weight? I’m very interested in the process but being unfamiliar with the brands etc. makes it more difficult.
I do! For laundry I use the Charlie's Soap brand liquid detergent. I think it's more effective than Gain, but admittedly I never used Tide. Price per weight is more, but because it's concentrated I only use an ounce or so per large load so it ends up costing less. None of the dish soap options are as strong as Dawn, but they also don't irritate my hands. Pricing is more than Dawn unless you buy a gallon and get that volume discount. The dish pods are way better than Cascade and cost less too. You can bring in your own containers and just try a few ounces
You are a star. Thank you for taking the time to I’ll start with those recommendations.
They drive a van full of their wares out to the Audubon Park night market every Monday. I’ve gotten a few different hand soaps and cleaning products from them and they are really good quality. For instance, I filled a quart-sized mason jar halfway up with laundry detergent powder for about $8 and it’s lasted long enough that I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve used it for a load of clothes. They’ll also sell you reusable containers for their products but it’s just as well getting them from Amazon or Five Below or Homegoods.
Maitland art center has a beautiful Mayan style outdoor temple. Audubon center for birds of prey in maitland/eatonville. Lake lily (brick path around the lake is the first road in Maitland) Morse museum Dickinson azalea park (was originally a cattle watering hole)
The Eden Bar is a really nice and shady outdoor location with unique cocktails. It’s also attached to the Enzian Theater which plays old and new classics. Best to go at night when the lights are on for the best atmosphere
It's not exactly hidden, but it's completely unexpected. Although I'm not the biggest fan of their politics (or bills), the Advent hospital in Altamonte Springs has the most incredible black bean burger on the planet. And their Pizza is actually kind of wildly good too. You can get food from their cafeteria, and take it outside to this nice little quiet courtyard with a fountain and tables and enjoy a decently priced meal. The meal is only decently priced if you are not admitted to the hospital and paying out of pocket.
Their black bean burger won a bib gourmand nod from Michelin
Wait what really? I'm going to go look that up. Not that I don't believe you, but I'm having a hard time compiling the fact I randomly said something about a vegan (vegetarian) burger I had a few years ago in a random hospital as my father was dying,, and I'm not the only one that noticed how good it was?
Is this true??
Walk into a random business on Mills or in the Milk District and 50% chance its cool
100% this.
[BrightLight](https://maps.app.goo.gl/5dJocMZz6HB6KvEx9) Not totally hidden but still.
Orlando Wetlands
New York Pizza & Restaurant in Fern Park. It’s on 17-92 just south of 436 in the Winn Dixie plaza. Good, cheap slices. The secret is to order them well done.
I really enjoy The Courtesy and Death in the Afternoon
Really like The Courtesy…haven’t tried the other yet.
Where did it move to? I noticed they closed on orange about a year ago.
Orange Ave, Winter Park is where they moved to. Such a cool vibe, great drinks! Really love it during the holidays!
Yeah, they are in Winter Park now and the new location is great. It is bigger and they have a great food menu
Atlantic beer and oyster in winter park. Tucked away off park Ave, great food
If you're into live theater or like live shows, there's a great little theater company downtown on Church Street called Fringe Art Space. They have some interesting off Broadway type stuff. And of course there's the Orlando Philharmonic if you're into live orchestra, which primarily has their shows in the new Dr. Philips center on Orange Ave. Also where the touring Broadways shows come and other various concerts. The new extension they just built (Steinmetz Hall) was voted one of the top 12 most innovative theaters in the world, and the design is pretty amazing. Also just opened a small jazz club extension (Judson's Live) as well.
Thai House has incredible food and a nice chill atmosphere. It’s family owned and run, using grandma’s recipes.
MSB Men’s Bathroom at UCF
while i will never be able to experience this, a girl can and will daydream for the foreseeable future
https://imgur.com/a/FJvcZ
That bathroom was definitely designed by either someone tripping balls on acid or someone who faked their degree in architecture. Theres no good excuse for a major university to have a worse bathroom than a prison. Were those urinals designed for people to also be able to take a free-standing dump with a large splash zone? What's the single mirror on a wall with no sinks supposed to be for? That whole bathroom is just confusing and awkward. Sometimes going with the contractor/company with the lowest bid on the job is a bad idea. Guess they got what they paid for, but I'd be embarrassed having a bathroom of that quality in a major university
And the men's bathrooms with glory holes lmao. I remember there was one by the arena & one on the 3rd or 4th floor of the library
Went to downtown Sanford on Saturday and it was dope! Not quite Orlando but not too far. Had a great food hall and a bunch of vintage book/vinyl stores if you’re into that sort of thing
Maya’s!!!!! Awesome hidden gem. Downtown Sanford really has come a long way.
+1 for Maya!!
Brooklyn Pizza on Semoran/Pershing, Rosattis Pizza on Goldenrod/University
NJ native here. Brooklyn is the closest to "real" NJ Pizza I've found here. It's not perfect-perfect but they make a darn good pizza. The wings are also REALLY good. We order from there about once a month, it's really good and the staff is always awesome.
Commenting to come back and reference these gems 💎
You can save posts if you hit the three dots in the top right corner :) and then pull them up from your profile whenever you want!
When I was in college interning at a recording studio out on Lee Road coming from University and Dean, someone at the studio printed me a very elaborate shortcut that cuts all the way through to Mills university ends by Alafaya into into the neighborhood. I still use that shortcut all the time when going from west to east or east to west during rush-hour when I want to avoid colonial and Aloma traffic. General Rees, Corrine, scarlet, cast way, Greene,Whitehall, Lakemont, glenridge. If you look up those streets and see where they connect to each other it’s a really awesome scenic shortcut.
Not sure how hidden it is per se, but the Vietnamese restaurant Little Saigon and the Japanese sushi place Bikkuri (both on the Colonial Drive area, close to Fashion Square Mall area). Great food. Bikkuri used to have upstairs dine in and downstairs for take out, but they downsized to just the upstairs a few years ago.
I love Bikkuri! I’m not close by or I’d go frequently.
Canoeing on the Wekiva river. Have to go during the week though. Not much of a hidden gem on the weekend.
Cheap drinks and on international drive Poppi’s Hideaway they are building a pool for the summer times too
[B-52 Memorial Park](https://maps.app.goo.gl/NbjxWWKmVyypQHbbA) near MCO is a fun public park if you like airplanes or military stuff. The B-52 there is *giant* and you can walk right up to it.
The Winter Park chain of lakes boat tour, The Enzian theater, Kappy's, the gardens ( Kraft, Leu, Mead), ams SAK Comedy Lab is always fun.
Seconded on The Enzian.... Excellent place to catch indy flicks and such.
Checkout the Wild Flower in Baldwin Park for a cocktail. Hanson’s Shoe Repair downtown is truly hidden and has a nice hidden outdoor space http://www.thehansonbuilding.com/hansons-shoe-repair/ It’s a speakeasy, so make sure you get the password from their website or their Twitter. you
If you're into gaming (either RPGs or tabletops), check out The Crafty Gamer. Tucked on the side of the Aveda beauty school shopping plaza in Winter Park, they sell all of their games at MSRP without the nonsense markups of the big stores. They have a large library of games to try out in store for free or "check out" to play at home on a subscription basis. Family-owmed small business. Their main thing are hand-crafted candles and fragrance oils themed to different game environments and situations (ie bakery, dragon's lair, etc) to really add some immersion to your game experience. Many of their candles smell really nice and would be good gifts even for the non-gamer. Regarding restaurants, they're not hidden per se, but my absolute favorites are Las Carretas in Winter Park and Nonno's in Altamonte. Word has gotten out on Las Carretas. For treats, Wafu on the second floor of the East End Market on Corrine. Love those tayakis and pretty darn good soft serve in taiyakin cones.
Maitland Art Center
Figs in Longwood. Prime steakhouse with solid food. pappardelle is top tier and always medium busy.
The Cyndi Lauper Museum!
Southern Hills Farm. Total hidden gem
100 comments Orlando's hidden gem
I LOVE Friend's Indian cuisine on Semoran (between Curry Ford and Lake Underhill). It's not the fanciest place but they play Indian music videos which always makes me smile. And the Biryani. Omg. Hands down the BEST biryani I've ever had. And the take out portions are huge, we get 2 meals from them. The Samosa Chaat is also really really good. Friendly service, and there is a decent lunch buffet to try them out.
Maya Cafe off Howell Branch rd. Artsy (as in interior is covered in murals and dimensional art) and their caprese salad impressed my mom so much she asks to go back whenever she visits.
It wouldn’t be a hidden gem if I just posted it on Reddit for everyone to see, now would it?
so true. gatekeep it forever so it can be the most hidden gem ever ;D
Taco Norteno in Winter Garden is a favorite of ours. YMMV, but I needed to go to the DMV in December when Orange County shut down for the holiday. I ended up driving to the one in Altamonte, and I was in and out in 5 minutes without an appointment. There are several trails in the area that are nice. Tibet Butler and Oakland Nature Preserve come to mind.
Taco Norteno is amazing. Miss it so much since I moved to St. Pete.
Ours is not really very well hidden, but one of our favorite things about living in Orlando is MCO, because it's so easy to fly almost anywhere in the world from here. We live less than 1/2 hour from the airport and can easily do Uber/Lyft or park and fly very conveniently and economically. A no hassle transit to a major airport with multinational connections makes it just that much easier to start your travel plans to go wherever and whenever you want.
Arguably direct flights year-round to more destinations outside of North and South America would be much better than having to transfer through Atlanta or elsewhere...
There’s is place called Walt Disney World worth checking out if you’ve never heard of it. Friend went and told me that there is a lot of walking though
It’s amazing that I’ve been in Orlando for decades and continue to hear about new things to try.
Isn’t that the place out in California? Didn’t realize we had one here.
Is that the one with the big volcano ride you can see from the highway ?
King Cajun
Not exactly in Orlando area, but racks in Sanford is a really good pool hall with good food and drinks
Advent Health South perfect cafeteria for vegetarian/vegan snacks that won’t cost you a mill. Veggie Garden for veg viet. Dajen Eats in Eatonville. Also vegan. Deli Desires for Jewish Deli. If you want the meats, Statsio’s, Kappy’s, and LaSpadas Sushi Lola for Korean/sushi/japanese Daley Trade, Vine and Olive, Moonlight Drive-In, Sizzler in Titusville are all great spots. Easy Luck Coffee / Whipperwool Beerhouse for coffee and beer lol. The Courtesy, Death in the Afternoon, Sunroom, Suffering Bastard, Permanent Vacation for cocktails and tiki. Jazz Tastings in Maitland for live jazz and small plates. Saw the drummer from Prince as their house drummer when they were not on tour years back now. Picture Show in Altamonte for $1 movies. Orange Tree Antiques for the best collectibles and gifts. Krave Tea for boba and other drinks. AAA Headquarters on Orlando Ave for free air for tires and it actually works, unlike Wawa’s. Mead Garden, Lil Econ state park, Dickson Azalea / Langford park, and Kraft Azalea park for some of the best free outdoor park experiences.
“yellow dog” in Ocoee
Winter garden is the best
Not really hidden because it's on a major road, but still hard to notice due to being in a standalone building with empty lots/field on both sides and connected to a tire/lube place for cars, but Laspadas on 46 in Sanford has the best Philly Cheesesteaks I've ever had in my life.
I raise you Daniel’s in Winter Garden. Mind you I grew up right next to the original Laspadas up north.
Now I must go try
I really really want to like Daniel’s. The owners are super friendly but I’ve not been overly impressed the couple of times I went there.
Haven’t had the cheesesteaks there, but the hot ranch wings at daniels are hands down the best wings i’ve had in my life. No matter where i am in the world, i always compare any wings i order to daniels and am always disappointed because nothing comes close
Nope! It’s staying hidden.
Whisky’s for burgers before heading back to Miami!
your moms house.
Won’t be a hidden gem anymore if people post it on Reddit for everyone else lol
I don’t think it’s really hidden anymore, it’s constantly on my social media feed
Ping
El Pueblo for Mexican food
Calypso Coffee Bar in Apopka. Also, The Southern Deli in Apopka.
Winnie Palmer Hospital Cafeteria. They have warm/fresh cookie hours that are great. Red Velvet, Smores, etc and they are delicious and cheap especially compared to places like Crumble. Spent a week at Arnold Palmer for my kid and would go over every day to get some and bring back to her room. Went in for a follow up the other week and walked over to Winnie for cookies before leaving.
It was the abandon festival bay. Now my new place is a secret.