This year saw the opening of many significant event and meeting venues in Orlando/Central Florida. Here's a look at the best restaurants, party rooms, hotels, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open in 2015. These new and renovated Orlando/Central Florida venues suit groups large or small for private and corporate events, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
The much-anticipated Orlando Eye opened in May as the most prominent attraction at the I-Drive 360 entertainment, dining, and retail complex. The 400-foot-tall observation wheel is similar to the London Eye, and both are owned by Merlin Entertainments. The attraction has 30 air-conditioned capsules that each hold 15 people for a 20-minute ride that provides views of Central Florida in all directions. Private groups can rent one or more capsules for events. In addition, a hospitality room located on ground level holds 100 people for pre- or post-ride receptions. Larger groups can also buy out the terminal building and outdoor courtyard, creating a venue for as many as 2,500 people for receptions or 1,400 for a sit-down meal.
Morimoto Asia, a collaboration between Iron Chef star Masaharu Morimoto and Patina Restaurant Group, opened in late September 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. 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, 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 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 in mid-August.
Adjacent to the Orlando Eye is Madame Tussauds Orlando, which opened in May. The 25,000-square-foot museum has dozens of lifelike wax statues of historical figures and celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Jimmy Fallon, Derek Jeter, Abraham Lincoln, Pitbull, and more. The attraction is available for buyout and holds 400 people for receptions.
The Boathouse opened in mid-April as the first new restaurant at Disney Springs, the dining, shopping, and entertainment complex that was formerly known as Downtown Disney. Managed by Gibsons Restaurant Group, the Boathouse is a 24,000-square-foot waterfront restaurant serving steaks, chops, and seafood. The restaurant seats 400 people inside and 200 on a patio. Two adjoining private dining rooms seat 50 people each or can be combined for a larger group. The Boathouse also has a 40-foot Italian water taxi that can be used for private events on Lake Buena Vista for as many as 16 people, and it offers guided rides in vintage amphicars that seat three guests.
Tin Roof is part of a Nashville-based chain of casual live music venues. It opened at I-Drive 360 in early January. The 5,000-square-foot venue has a small stage that hosts live music nightly, varying from rock to alternative to country. The restaurant and bar space seats 155 people inside and 55 on a patio. The menu leans toward Southern-inspired cuisine, including shrimp and grits, baby back ribs, and a fried chicken sandwich, but also offers lighter fare such as an ahi tuna salad and a smoked salmon sandwich. The restaurant is available for buyouts and accommodates 360 people for receptions.
Memphis-based Lafayette’s opened at Pointe Orlando in July, making it the brand’s first location outside Tennessee. The venue is available for buyouts 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. The restaurant serves Southern fare such as po’ boy sandwiches, shrimp and grits, and beignets and offers live music nightly.
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center has redesigned and renamed the restaurant in the hotel’s Key West atrium. What was once Sunset Sam’s reopened in May as Moor, serving regionally inspired dishes with a focus on fresh seafood. The former restaurant’s signature 60-foot sailboat remains, but the rest of the decor is new, with neutral furnishings and multiple wood tones giving it an upscale, nautical feel. The restaurant seats 300 people or holds 700 for receptions. Various sections can be used for semiprivate events, and there is a private dining room for 28 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 buyouts 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 in July.
Wood accents, exposed brick, and a large central bar create a warm atmosphere at Slate, which opened in June on Sand Lake Road. The restaurant, developed by Atlanta-based Concentrics Restaurants, serves handmade pastas, burgers, fish, salads, and pizzas all prepared in an open kitchen. The 4,500-square-foot restaurant seats 160 people. Two exterior walls are made of sliding glass doors that can be opened in nice weather. It’s open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.
