Here's a look at the best new Orlando/Central Florida restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, conference centers, and private and party rooms to open for events this winter. These new and renovated Orlando/Central Florida venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, an aviation-themed lounge, opened September 22 at Disney Springs. The restaurant and bar is named for a character in the Indiana Jones movies. The main room is filled with aviation decor, vintage travel posters, and displays of correspondence between Jock, Indy, and their fellow adventurers. There is seating for 40 people inside and 100 on the balcony.
Universal CityWalk is now home to the world’s first NBC Sports Grill & Brew. A massive 100-foot-wide, high-definition screen towers over the entrance to the casual restaurant. Inside, 100 televisions display nonstop coverage of live sports events and stories. The open kitchen serves more than 75 items, from burgers and steaks to salads and crab Scotch eggs, and the bar offers more than 100 beers. The restaurant is available for buyout for 600 people. There are also two private dining rooms, one that seats 12 people and another that seats 30. The restaurant opened October 23.
Morimoto Asia, a collaboration between Iron Chef star Masaharu Morimoto and Patina Restaurant Group, opened September 30 at Disney Springs. The two-story, 11,000-square-foot restaurant has a contemporary design, with cascading glass-beaded chandeliers and glass mosaic artwork based on ancient Japanese prints. There is seating for 474 people at the restaurant, which includes the main dining room, two patios, and a private dining room that seats 36 or can be divided into four small rooms. A lounge and sushi bar on the second floor can be reserved for semiprivate events. In addition to sushi, the menu includes a variety of pan-Asian fare such as Peking duck and moo shu pork and dim sum during weekend brunch.
Within walking distance of the Orange County Convention Center, the new Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has multiple spaces for private dining. The Grand Cru room, with wood-paneled walls and contemporary lighting, seats 90 or holds 110 for receptions. It can also be divided into two rooms. Also on the main floor is the Executive Room, which seats as many as 28 people. Upstairs, the Eagle’s Nest is a smaller room that seats 10. The level also has a large lounge and a covered patio that together seat 130 people or hold 200 for receptions. The main dining room can also be reserved for seated events of 210 people. All of the private rooms have audiovisual equipment. The restaurant opened August 15.
One phase of ongoing renovations at the Orange County Convention Center is now complete. A renovated ballroom, meeting rooms, and a new terrace opened in the West building on August 1. At 48,600 square feet, the Tangerine Ballroom is the largest of the updated spaces and seats 3,120 banquet-style. It can also be used for expos and can hold 241 10- by 10-foot booths. Down the hall from the ballroom are the four Honeybell boardrooms, which each seat 24 people. Upstairs, the three Hamlin boardrooms each seat 72 people. The rooms can also be combined into one larger space. The Sunburst Room is also on the second floor and provides access to the new Sunburst Terrace overlooking International Drive. The 6,500-square-foot room seats 732 people.
Memphis-based Lafayette’s opened at Pointe Orlando July 27, making it the brand’s first location outside Tennessee. The restaurant serves Southern fare such as po’ boy sandwiches, shrimp and grits, and beignets and offers live music nightly. The venue is available for buyout and seats 376 or holds 700 for receptions. There are also three semiprivate rooms, which seat 60 people or hold 80 for receptions. Private groups can also use the restaurant’s patios, which each seat about 50 people.
Itta Bena, a new speakeasy-style, upscale restaurant at Pointe Orlando, is the second location for the Memphis-based concept. The 4,700-square-foot restaurant is available for buyout and holds 250 people for receptions. For a seated event, there is room for 160 people inside and 32 on the patio. Smaller groups can use a private dining room that seats 40 or holds 48 for receptions. The menu is focused on contemporary Southern cuisine from the Mississippi Delta region, including she-crab soup and sautéed shrimp over sweet potato grits. The restaurant opened July 8.
Cork & Fork is a new casual restaurant that opened September 18 in the Belle Isle area. The menu includes salads, soups, sandwiches, and entrées made with local ingredients. A full bar serves craft beers, local wines, and custom cocktails. The 3,600-square-foot restaurant seats 150 inside, including a private dining area that seats 50, and 15 on a deck.
Shake Shack is the newest addition to the I-Drive 360 dining, entertainment, and retail complex. The 3,800-square-foot restaurant has seating for 90 people inside and 50 on a raised patio, which also has shuffleboard and a boccie ball court. The chain is known for its environmentally friendly design. This location has wall panels made from pine salvaged from Florida’s Suwanee River. Chairs and booths are made from certified lumber and tabletops are made from reclaimed bowling alley lanes. The restaurant opened August 18.
Hampton Inn & Suites Orlando at SeaWorld opened September 30. The 105-room hotel has a 550-square-foot meeting room that seats 27 people classroom-style or holds 40 people for receptions. There’s also a business center with a complimentary printer. The hotel offers shuttle service to SeaWorld and Universal Studios.
