We live in a city that makes headlines for Michelin stars and James Beard nominees, but there’s a breadth of restaurants in Winter Park that goes beyond the stars.
In a 10-square-mile radius, we have more than a dozen global cuisines—Greek, Italian, Irish, Japanese, Thai, Turkish, Spanish, Caribbean, Cajun, Mexican, Southern, Chinese, Korean—and so many stories to tell.
When we dine out, we play favorites (anything at The Ravenous Pig), but here we’re talking about the best bite, the single taste this year that was a revelation. Some are headliners, some might be undiscovered gems in your dining experience. But each of these dishes, for us, is sublime and worth every calorie.
For the sake of space, we narrowed it to nine best bites for 2025. Without leaving the 32789, here are our favorite tastes this year, plus a bonus treat that’s located just minutes from the city limits.
Mosonori. Fans of Kabooki Sushi know the level of perfection that Chef Henry Moso strives for in his restaurants, and Mosonori is no exception. Handrolls take center stage in the sophisticated, minimalist dining space where all 30 seats are at the horseshoe-shaped bar, front-row for watching the chefs in action.
Imported nori, grown and harvested in Japan, is the rarefied wrapper for pristine fish, and it’s the crackle of the roasted wrapper that makes each roll a standout, filled with warm rice and seafood. You’re encouraged to eat each roll immediately as it’s placed in front of you for the full crunch effect.
Everyone has a favorite: lobster, crab, eel, tuna, salmon, surf clam, branzino, bay scallops—but our best bite is the shrimp with rich tobanjan aioli, with the bluefin tuna with moso hot sauce a close runner-up. Sake is the perfect pairing, and end with their housemade soft-serve ice cream.
1100 Orlando Avenue, Suite A
321-972-6525 • osonori.com
M’ama Napoli. You might not readily see this little Italian grocery store/restaurant tucked in a little strip mall on U.S. 17-92, but step inside and you’re transported to Naples, Italy, home of owners Luigi Diana and Lilly Sola.
Luigi and Lilly fell in love with Winter Park on their travels to Florida and have returned to open a small version of their Naples bakery, where they warmly greet their customers from behind a glass case filled with sweet and savory Italian delights.
For breakfast, the freshest bombolones, croissants and crackly sfogliatella are perfect accompaniments for a latte or cappuccino; at lunch the paninis, pizzas and massive focaccia sandwiches fly out the door.
Luigi is a baker extraordinaire and all the meats and cheese are imported, so each bite of our favorite “Sophia” sandwich had us longing for a trip to the Amalfi Coast: imported mortadella and burrata on airy focaccia, slathered with pistachio pesto, topped with chopped pistachios and fresh basil. Share this one with someone you love.
965 South Orlando Avenue
321-972-6525
Omo by Jont. This splurge-worthy tasting experience starts when you’re seated in the “living room” to sip the French Champagne and relax for small bites like the gorgeous Gamtae Seaweed Tart, almost too pretty to eat.
The crisp tart is filled with citrus-cured kanpachi (yellowtail) and finished with romesco, zucchini and basil purée, topped with a whiff of fresh grated wasabi—it’s one perfect bite.
Michelin-starred Omo by Jont is an over-the-top, immersive experience with a luxurious menu by D.C. superstar chef Ryan Ratino, who graduated from the shuttered Le Cordon Bleu in Central Florida and vowed to return to open a restaurant in Winter Park.
With just 16 guests moving through three different rooms (one per course), Ratino’s Winter Park outpost is inspired by local and seasonal ingredients, all at the peak of perfection. But nothing, for us, topped that first morsel.
115 East Lyman Avenue
321-972-5225 • mobyjont.com
Hunger Street Tacos. This one is subtle. It’s all about the humble corn tortilla, made with heirloom corn. But even the ingredients in the suadero taco are humble.
There’s no steaming refried beans and rice, no gooey cheese. Just an authentic taste of Mexican street food with the earthiness of the corn taco and slow-braised suadero (a cut of beef from between the belly and leg of the cow). Add a little fresh onion and cilantro, a drizzle of lime and a dollop of guacamole, then fold the pliable tortilla for a simple pleasure worth repeating.
Chef Joseph Creech was born in Mexico, the son of missionary parents, and though he moved to Central Florida at age 6, he returned during his college years and discovered the joys of fresh, scratch-made street food—and met his wife, Seydi.
They loved to eat her favorite tacos de suadero in a little place called Calle de Hambre, or Hunger Street Tacos. Back in the states, Seydi missed her favorite suadero and encouraged Joseph to open a restaurant. His brother David joined in, and Hunger Street was born.
2103 West Fairbanks Avenue
321-444-6270
hungerstreettacos.com
Buttermilk Bakery. For nearly a decade, fans of Buttermilk’s sweet and savory baked goods have lined up at the family-owned bakery, where you’ll find mom Lena Rebroff working her magic in the kitchen most mornings.
We bounce around with our favorites but can guarantee that you’ve never had a pop tart like their guava cheese. If you grew up eating the store-bought version, this will be a revelation. With a thick crust that wavers between pie crust and sugar cookie filled with sweet, dense guava and sweet cheese, topped with crunchy finishing sugar, it’s a grown-up taste of childhood.
1198 North Orange Avenue
321-422-4015
buttermilk-bakery.com
Chayote. Chef Mario Pagan is a superstar in his homeland of Puerto Rico, and his striking Winter Park restaurant in Winter Park Village is stateside space for his Nueva Mesa Latina.
And here’s where we go beyond a single bite—the prueba tasting menu is a three-course, delectable bargain ($65) not to be missed. And it so happens that our favorite dish—and Chef Pagan’s signature—is the menu: the over-the-top black Chilean sea bass with truffled yuca mousse and port foie gras. Worthy of an Instagram snap.
480 Orlando Avenue, C-134
321-343-3003
chayotewinterpark.com
Soseki. Chef Michael Collantes is seemingly everywhere with his multiple culinary concepts, always with a smile, creating beautiful dishes with ease and grace.
But Soseki is home base, where his exquisite omakase and top-notch service earned his team a Michelin star plus a Michelin Sommelier Award for beverage director Benjamin Coutts in recognition of his global sake and wine program.
And with all the hoopla, there’s nothing stuffy about the intimate evening, with sushi chefs and staff conversing with up to 10 guests and sharing insights about each dish, many with ingredients that are locally sourced (and served on beautiful hand-made ceramics from a local artist).
The experience consists of 11 small, exquisite courses, each featuring the freshest seafood, local produce and eggs—but if we have to pick, we pick the Caviar Donut Explosion, a crisp, bite-sized donut with crème fraîche, caramelized onion jam and a dollop of Petrossian caviar.
Good news: they serve this little gem next door at their sister restaurant Bar Kada, so you can taste without the extravagant omakase. Hard to top this one-bite beauty.
955 West Fairbanks Avenue
407-619-3952 • osekifl.com
Krungthep Tea Time. Keep an eye out for the little pink building on West Fairbanks and tuck into a super-satisfying Gra-Pow Chicken sandwich. The crunch of hot grilled sourdough, warm chicken, stretchy melted mozzarella, fresh basil, crisp onion, a little red pepper and a backbeat of Thai spices in the basil mayo make this sando our favorite.
If you like it hot, ask for a side of Thai chilis. Iced Thai coffee is an oddly perfect pairing. You can get it to go, but we suggest you take a seat and enjoy it piping hot from the kitchen. (Krungthep is short for Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, the capital city of Thailand, also known as Bangkok).
1051 West Fairbanks Avenue
407-733-3561
krungthepteatime.com
The Chapman. The menu can be hit or miss in this newish Park Avenue space, so just order the Colossal Lump Crab Cake, a dry martini, and call it a day.
Savor each bite of the lightly packed, tender blue crab with a toss of lemon dijonnaise sauce, the crunch of freshly roasted sweet corn, a flourish of toasted butter crumbs on top and little else. The slightly sweet, smoky, ancho-chili remoulade and roasted chili purée are nice extras.
“There’s no bread filler as it’s not designed to stay
together like a traditional cake,” says Chef Cliff
Pleau. This is crab cake heaven.
500 South Park Avenue
407-733-3561
thechapman.com