by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
February 26, 2023
The top winners in both the “Critic’s Choice” and “Readers’ Choice” divisions of the 2023 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards have been announced, and Disney restaurants have taken home honors in seven categories. Reader voting on the nominations for the best Central Florida restaurants closed on February 16.
In the category of Best African Restaurant, Animal Kingdom Lodge’s buffet Boma edged out signature restaurant Jiko to take the top spot for the Readers’ Choice Award, with Jiko sharing the runner-up spot with Orlando’s Nile Ethiopian, which also took the top slot for Critic’s Choice in the category.
Raglan Road in Disney Springs took home both the top spot for the Critic’s Choice for Best Irish Restaurant, as well as the runner-up spot from the Readers’ Choice category. Disney’s Toledo and Jaleo battled it out for Critic’s Choice for Best Spanish Restaurant, with Toledo taking top honors and Jaleo placing runner-up with Columbia Restaurant in Celebration. Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom took home the award for Critic’s Choice for Best Theme Park Restaurant, but all three of the restaurants in the Critic’s Choice section call Disney home. (They also took the runner-up spots in the category for Readers’ Choice, soooo, 5 of the 6 restaurants in the Best Theme Park restaurant bracket belong to the House of Mouse.)
Disney’s Biergarten, Victoria & Albert’s, Wine Bar George, Spice Road Table, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre, Le Cellier, and Tiffins all took home runner-up spots as well.
Here are the final winners in each category that Disney restaurants placed in. (For the full list of all 50 categories, head over to 25th Annual Foodie Awards at the Orlando Sentinel.)
BEST AFRICAN RESTAURANT: 2023 ORLANDO SENTINEL FOODIE AWARDS
Critic’s Choice
- Winner: Nile Ethiopian (Orlando)
- Runners-up: Selam Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine (Orlando) and Yene Romay Ethiopian (food truck)
Readers’ Choice
- Winner: Boma - Flavors of Africa (Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge)
- Runners-up: Nile Ethiopian (Orlando) and Jiko — The Cooking Place (Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge)
BEST GERMAN RESTAURANT: 2023 ORLANDO SENTINEL FOODIE AWARDS
Critic’s Choice
- Winner: Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café (Sanford)
- Runners-up: The Backhaus (Mount Dora) and Emmy’s Time Out Tavern (DeLand)
Readers’ Choice
- Winner: Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café (Sanford)
- Runners-up: The Bavarian Haus (Mount Dora) and Biergarten Restaurant (EPCOT, Germany Pavilion)
BEST IRISH RESTAURANT: ORLANDO SENTINEL FOODIE AWARDS 2023
Critic’s Choice
- Winner: Raglan Road (Disney Springs)
- Runners-up: Claddagh Cottage (Orlando) and The Sullivan Public House (Sanford)
Readers’ Choice
- Winner: Fiddler’s Green Irish Pub & Eatery (Winter Park)
- Runners-up: Raglan Road Irish Pub (Disney Springs) and Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub (Orlando)
BEST SPANISH RESTAURANT: 2023 ORLANDO SENTINEL FOODIE AWARDS
Critic’s Choice
- Winner: Toledo - Tapas, Steak & Seafood (Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort)
- Runners-up: Jaleo (Disney Springs) and Columbia Restaurant (Celebration)
Readers’ Choice
- Winner: Santiago’s Bodega (multiple locations)
- Runners-up: Columbia Restaurant (Celebration) and Bulla Gastrobar (Winter Park)
BEST SPLURGE RESTAURANT: 2023 ORLANDO SENTINEL FOODIE AWARDS
Critic’s Choice
- Winner: Kaya (Orlando)
- Runners-up: Juju/Kappo (Orlando) and Soseki Modern Omakase (Winter Park)
Readers’ Choice
- Winner: Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster (Orlando)
- Runners-up: Victoria & Albert’s (Disney’s Grand Floridian) and Bull & Bear (Orlando)
BEST WINE BAR: 2023 ORLANDO SENTINEL FOODIE AWARDS
Critic’s Choice
- Winner: Swirlery Wine Bar (Orlando)
- Runners-up: Digress Wine (Orlando) and Imperial Wine Bar (Orlando)
Readers’ Choice
- Winner: The Wine Room on Park Avenue (Winter Park)
- Runners-up: Wine Bar George (Disney Springs) and VINIA Wine & Kitchen (Winter Park)
BEST THEME PARK RESTAURANT: 2023 ORLANDO SENTINEL FOODIE AWARDS
Critic’s Choice
- Winner: Nomad Lounge (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
- Runners-up: Spice Road Table (EPCOT, Morocco Pavilion) and Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Readers’ Choice
- Winner: Mythos Restaurant (Universal’s Islands of Adventure)
- Runners-up: Le Cellier Steakhouse (EPCOT, Canada Pavilion) and Tiffins Restaurant (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
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