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From casual to tré chic, we’re digging into the Mount Dora dining scene to help you find your new favorite restaurant!
As Central Florida real estate experts, we’ve gotten quite familiar with all of the best restaurants in Mount Dora, Florida. Today we’re sharing some of our absolute favorite places to eat and drink in the “Festival City.” Whether you’re a new Central Florida homeowner, a visitor from another town, or you’re considering a move to the area, you’ll definitely want to add these popular establishments to your must-visit list!
Before we get to the best restaurants in Mount Dora, however, we should share a little more about this beautiful city. We have amazing clients with homes in Mount Dora, and what they love most about their city is the small-town feel and sincere Old Florida charm you’ll find everywhere. Mount Dora is rich in history and boasts multiple museums and historic sites. Perhaps this city’s biggest claim to fame is the many festivals it hosts each year. From the Mount Dora Arts Festival to the Mount Dora Craft Fair, hundreds of thousands of visitors participate in the fun!
Now that you’re more familiar with Mount Dora, where should you plan to enjoy some food and beverages when you visit? Read on to find out!
8 OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN MOUNT DORA
There are many delectable restaurants in Mount Dora, which made it tough to narrow down this list. So, we turned to fellow foodies for some help! We hit up social media and chatted with the locals and frequent visitors to the city, then pared down the list.
Each of these restaurants came highly recommended by those we polled and had a minimum four-star rating with at least 400 reviews on Yelp and Google. Here’s who made the list:
The Goblin Market Restaurant & Lounge.
One of the highest-reviewed restaurants on our list, The Goblin Market has been serving happy patrons since 1996. This classy establishment specializes in American and international cuisine, with dishes like their Irish Whiskey Onion Soup, Truffle-Honey Scallops, and Cheshire Pork Chop being the most popular. Just the names of the dishes have us eager to make a reservation!
WAVE Asian Bistro & Sushi
If you love Asian Fusion cuisine, you’ll love WAVE Asian Bistro! Serving dishes like Sushi Donuts, Sushi Burritos, and Poké Bowls, this trendy downtown restaurant will appeal to your inner foodie. Their Sushi Burger is another popular menu item you won’t want to miss.
Fifth Avenue StrEatery
One of the newer kids on the block, Fifth Avenue StrEatery is a quaint, family-friendly outdoor restaurant that celebrated its first year of business in the middle of the pandemic. Owners Tim Habjan and Deborah McGann thankfully persevered and continue serving up some of the best “Southern Fusion Meets Down-Home Cooking, All Made Daily From Scratch.” They even offer a Bow Wow menu for your furry friends!
Among the restaurant’s tantalizing menu options are their Devilish Eggs, Southern Fried Green Tomatoes, Drunken Dog (a hot dog topped with chili, beer cheese, and bacon crumbles), and Southern BLT. When we asked the StrEatery team what their most popular item was, they said it’s hands-down the Mount Dora Burger (featured below). This mouth-watering burger comes topped with deep-fried goat cheese, bacon onion jam, and arugula, then it’s finished with a pesto cream sauce. Trust us, it’s worth the trip to Mount Dora to try it!
Mount Dora Pizza & Subs
We’re moving from one of the newest restaurants in Mount Dora to one of the most established. Mount Dora Pizza & Subs has been serving up delicious Italian fare to residents of Mount Dora and surrounding communities since 1978. They describe their menu as “Family Style Food from the Old Country,” they remain one of the most popular restaurants in Mount Dora. Work up your appetite and order one of their famous calzones. You won’t regret it!
PizzAmoré
We couldn’t mention pizza without adding PizzAmoré to our list of the best restaurants in Mount Dora! The folks at PizzAmoré locally source many of their ingredients, adding freshness to their already mouthwatering offerings. Whether you want pizza, classic Italian entrees like chicken parmigiana, or hot subs, you’ll find something to enjoy here. In their words, they “take something traditional and rethink it into something different.” With an extra focus on customer service and supporting the local community, PizzAmoré is worth checking out!
The Highland St. Cafe
If you’re looking for a welcoming “home away from home” to enjoy breakfast in Mount Dora, The Highland St. Café is a must-go. This uptown diner-style restaurant serves breakfast all day because the locals demand it! It’s also home to the popular Nell Burger, which is stuffed with jalapenos and onion slices, as well as many other delectable lunch options.
The Frog & Monkey Restaurant & Pub
The Frog & Monkey gastro bar was second only to The Goblin Market in terms of shout-outs from locals on social media. This whimsical, inviting restaurant located in the basement of the Renaissance Building specializes in gourmet pub-style food such as burgers, flatbreads, and paninis and offers a vast selection of cocktails, wines, and beers. In fact, their burger took Mount Dora’s Best of the Best! How could we not have The Frog & Monkey on our list of the best restaurants in Mount Dora?
The Windsor Rose Tea Room
A staple in Mount Dora since 1991, The Windsor Rose Tea Room is touted as “A relaxing escape to British tradition in beautiful downtown Mount Dora, Florida.” The Windsor Rose offers an English-style menu prepared on the premises daily and an impressive assortment of imported teas. The homey décor and friendly service make The Windsor Rose a popular choice for special events as well as casual tea and biscuits with friends.
Cody’s on the 4th
With less than 400 total reviews on Yelp and Google to date, Cody’s on the 4th didn’t quite make the cut for the above list. But when you add the 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor with more than 276 reviews, we just had to include this much-beloved restaurant as an honorable mention! Cody’s on the 4th is known for their delicious homemade breakfast and lunch menu items, including homemade baked goods, fresh salads, and hearty sandwiches.
Another reason this restaurant made our list? Their scrumptious carrot cake! Go ahead and get a slice. You can thank us later!
Claire’s Creperie
Another place that didn’t yet have enough reviews to make our top list of the best restaurants in Mount Dora is Claire’s Creperie…but because they’re rated five stars with the reviews they do have AND the locals rave about them, the creperie earned our second honorable mention. “Creating something good in the middle of something special” is this creperie’s slogan, and their love for crepes comes through in each of their creative menu items. The restaurant also supports local farms, offering decadent sweet, savory crepes and fresh, locally sourced coffee. We just had to give them a shout-out for supporting the Mount Dora community!
NEW TO THE SCENE
Back Porch Pizza Bar
One of the newest restaurants in Mount Dora, Back Porch Pizza Bar, is also worth checking out when you visit the city. This “casual-hip pizza spot” serves up fresh, creative food and craft cocktails, all in a fun location on the back porch of a historic Mount Dora home. They make their pizzas from scratch and have quickly become a favorite of the locals, as have their fresh poke bowls.
In the mood for a cocktail to go with your poke bowl? The Lose My Rind is a local favorite made with reposado tequila, lime, watermelon, and agave syrup. So refreshing!
PLACES TO GRAB A DRINK
While some of the restaurants that made our list of the best in Mount Dora do serve cocktails, beer, and or wine, we thought we’d round out our culinary tour with a few places that specialize in them! To make this list, the establishments had to have a minimum of 300 ratings on Yelp and Google with a 4.5 star average rating. Oh—and the locals had to approve, too!
Serendipity Brews
Featuring one of the most original culinary concepts on our list, Serendipity Brews serves up freshly brewed coffee and craft beers. This quaint coffee shop craft beer bar in downtown Mount Dora offers hot and cold coffee drinks and has 14 draft lines and more than 150 package beers. Drop by for coffee and a croissant or beer and a turkey and brie sandwich. We won’t judge!
Maggie’s Attic
Maggie’s Attic is a unique wine and beer cellar that has been a favorite of locals for nearly 20 years. This fun and quirky establishment boasts a selection of over 400 wines and 200 craft beers! Connoisseurs will enjoy participating in one of Maggie’s wine and beer tastings or the Wine and Beer Club. For any non-drinkers, Maggie’s Attic also includes an eclectic boutique with gift ideas for everyone.
HandleBar
The Erica Diaz Team shared all kinds of fun details about HandleBar in a previous post, so there was no way we could let this opportunity go by without giving this memorable bar another mention! Airy and almost zen-like by day with cozy speakeasy vibes by night, Handlebar serves up fresh concoctions daily with plenty of delicious seasonal options to keep patrons coming back.
Tremain’s Tavern
Located inside the historic Lakeside Inn, Tremain’s Tavern features a “traditional, club-like atmosphere” and has a comfortable, welcoming feel. Locals consider Tremain’s the perfect place to unwind with a cocktail after a long day, especially while enjoying the bar’s nightly live entertainment. In addition to their robust bar menu, Tremaine’s offers satisfying classics such as burgers and sandwiches for patrons who want to drink and dine. We’re sure you’ve worked up an appetite by now! So tell us…which Mount Dora restaurant are you going to visit first? ]We hope you’ve found our list of the best restaurants in Mount Dora, Florida helpful! Contact The Erica Diaz Team today if you’d like more information about living in Mount Dora or any of the surrounding areas. We’d love to help you find your perfect dream home!
