Restaurants in Four Corners

Born in the Lebanese city of Tripoli before moving to Canada in the '80s, Frank Ishraki was raised on the traditional cultures and flavors of his homeland. Ishraki dedicated himself to sharing the classic, healthy flavors of Lebanese cuisine, first in Canada, then at his family of restaurants around Orlando. The Metro West, Semoran, and Haines City locations resemble convenient, quick-service shawarma stops complete with chicken, lamb, and beef loaded on rotating spits to cook evenly and slowly hypnotize diners. Guests can enjoy meats wrapped in pita or served on a platter with tabbouleh and hummus or go vegetarian with rice-stuffed grape leaves and fried falafel. At Lake Buena Vista, a friendly wait staff presents platefuls of elegant Lebanese feasts and housemade desserts complemented by white, red, and sparkling wines or puffs from hookah pipes.

Since departing from his native Bombay, Uday Kadam's culinary career has taken him through 17 countries, 38 states, and a handful of major U.S. cities before finally leading him to Orlando. There, he opened Passage to India as a means to return the favor, transporting the rich heritage of his homeland's cuisine to the United States for the enjoyment of a new audience. The menu immerses diners in the flavors of North Indian cuisine. Servers act as willing tour guides and actively make suggestions for diners unfamiliar with the dishes or menus in general. The extensive menu boasts two categories of dishes: tandoori specialties build around one of four meats roasted in a clay oven, and basmati grains cushion a quartet of rice specialties. Though the meals are traditional, they are not inflexible—the staff can specially prepare entrees with Halal meats or to comply with vegan, vegetarian, or Jain vegetarian diets.

The aromas of South Asian spices lure passersby into Abhiruchi India Cuisine, where they typically pause for a moment to savor the décor and read the descriptions of more than 100 Indian specialties. Halal and vegetarian options are both well represented on the lengthy menu, which features spicy curries and tandoori-baked entrees based on chicken, seafood, and lamb or goat. When they aren’t scooping tikka masala into trays for the lunch buffet or pilfering Marco Polo’s travelogues for new recipes, the restaurant’s chefs accommodate partygoers with catering services.

CiCi’s Pizza combines the variety of a buffet with the thrill of bottomless pizza. Each pie is crafted with dough made from scratch daily and then slathered with homemade marinara and showered with toppings ranging from traditional pepperoni and Italian-style sausage to creative combinations including buffalo chicken and mac 'n' cheese. The buffet is stocked with a plethora of fresh pastas, as well as signature salads with the option to put tossing talents to the test at the salad bar. After they've feasted on savory options, diners can revisit the buffet for dessert including freshly baked brownies, slices of apple pizza, and cinnamon rolls drizzled with icing—or they can eat dessert first, thereby tearing an irreparable hole in the space-time continuum.

In 1948, Charles McMillan opened the doors to the home he had built of wood and stone, offering visitors plates of fine, country-style cooking under the name Red Wing Restaurant. Today, this one-time rural residence retains its quaint charm with taxidermied décor—a plethora of birds and animals striking eternal poses against a backdrop of vertical wood paneling. Behind this façade, skilled chefs country-fry steaks they've cut by hand or prepare meals from whatever wild game their favorite hunter might have brought them