Orlando is a city with a wide range of culinary influences and this can be appreciated in the many fine restaurants throughout the city. While some great restaurants are in the city itself, others are further out, so arranging your own travel is recommended. But however you get there and whatever your choice of menu, here are five Orlando restaurants you may want to consider while on your travels.

Texas de Brazil

Dessert at Texas de Brasil by satanoid on Flickr

A steakhouse calling on Brazilian and international influences, this Orlando institution offers a mouth-watering selection of dishes together with a salad bar, delicious sauces, desserts and cocktails. Don’t think you’ll be going home with an empty stomach – there’s just too much to try. The management pride themselves on their attentiveness and levels of service, so you won’t be kept waiting either. The meats are slow-roasted following a technique from the gauchos of southern Brazil and brought hot and skewered to your table, where wait staff stop to carve you slices. Salads and sides include artisan breads, buffalo mozzarella, Portobello mushrooms and herbed sweet onions. A great dining experience.

Jiko

Maize-crusted Wreckfish at Jiko by HarshLight on Flickr

For romantics and lovers of ethnic cuisine, Jiko is a dream come true. The interior is both fun and elegant, with an open kitchen featuring glowing wood burning ovens and a wall that changes from pale yellow to fiery orange to echo the colours of the sun setting on the African savannah. Quirky additions such as flying birds are an amusing touch, but the real draw is the menu, which features Ethiopian, Eritrean and Moroccan cuisine. After a selection of wood-fired flatbreads, the starters include grilled wild boar tenderloin with mielie pap, and crispy beef bobotie with cucumber raita. Mains include grilled shrimp curry, braised beef short rib and maize-crusted wreckfish.

Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion

Green Tea Tiramisu by Roger Mommaerts on Flickr

Asian, Hawaiian and fusion food are the order of the day at this unique and innovative establishment. Signature dishes feature the finest seafood, and while many are firmly based around Hawaiian cuisine, there’s no shortage of Oriental influences either. Appetisers such as island style ahi poke, miso truffle soup and flash fried oysters with melted brie kick off the menu, while entrees include macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi with lobster cream, hibachi grilled salmon and teppanyaki shrimp. Try some tempura, Maui shrimp salad or blistered shishoto peppers on the side. An exotic experience.

MoonFish

Tuna Ahi Tartare by Michael Saechang on Flickr

Serving up the freshest seafood and prime aged steaks in superb surroundings, MoonFish is one of the best seafood options in the city. It’s also one of the most inventive, with an intriguing menu that combines fusion cuisine with sushi and other raw delicacies, all put together with vibrancy and flair. Try oysters from the fresh shellfish bar, or perhaps the seared tuna sashimi, crab claws or go all out with the iced shellfish tower. Mains include the bamboo steamer, with lobster tail, king crab and shrimp, and the MoonFish bouillabaisse.

Le Coq au Vin

Onion tart by Kirsten Loza on Flickr

Bringing fine French food to Florida, Le Coq au Vin also manages to successfully incorporate the freshest local ingredients and add a modern American twist. Many ingredients are sourced from the restaurant’s own family farm. You can dine al fresco on the garden patio or eat in the elegant dining room, and the staff are happy to offer special menus and any assistance. The classic menu includes starters such as traditional onion soup with apple cider, caramelised onion tart, soufflé au fromage, steamed mussels and steak tartare, while mains include aubergine du bayou teche, poisson with roasted pecans and beurre blanc, and braised veal sweetbreads.