Restaurants in Kissimmee

In 2009 in Iceland, an established restaurateur and financier joined forces, opening up Saffran with a focus on healthy European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern menu items. With three successful locations under their belt, the duo expanded their venture overseas, opening a location in Orlando. Their restaurant is “a fast-food concept with food that rivals some restaurants that have a wait staff,” states Orlando Sentinel food editor Heather McPherson.

The kitchen team cooks chicken burgers, tandoori beef, and Safflats (akin to pizzas) without using white flour or MSG, and the housemade marinades contain no additives or preservatives. Most ingredients in the kitchen are culled from local producers, and nothing is prepared with a deep fryer. In the dining room, dark-wooden accents inform the decor, and an oversized picture of a waterfall symbolizes the bold plunge of the scientist who first united two hydrogen molecules with one oxygen molecule, making possible the marinades Saffran prepares today.

The city of Shiraz is renowned for its poetry, food, music, and wine. As such, the owners of Shiraz Grill decided to name their eatery after the city so that it might embody these traits as well. That’s why, in addition to traditional Persian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean cuisine, you’ll find live music, belly dancing, and flavorful hookah when you step through the door and into Shiraz's spacious dining room.

The menu features a selection of authentic dishes including lamb shish kebab, moroccan fish tagine, and freshly ground hummus. Charbroiled beef, lamb, and chicken are marinated in a rich blend of spices including saffron, turmeric, and fenugreek.

On a warm August day in 1938, a father and son unveiled the first sample of what was to become Dairy Queen, selling 1,600 samples on the first day, a feat as unheard of as a dragon that breathes ice. Its ensuing prolific expansion was fueled by its frozen treats, which propelled the dessert shop from 100 stores in 1947 to 1,446 in 1950. Today, their dessert recipes remain largely unchanged, and Dairy Queen has added hearty grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and fried chicken to its menu. Dairy Queen's enormous dessert menu boasts treats ranging from soft-serve cones and blizzards filled with cookies to takeaway ice-cream sandwiches and cakes.

Champions of adhering to traditional recipes and culinary practices, a father-and-son team serves as both the owners and head chefs of New Passage to India. Their kitchen staff whips up dishes native to a variety of Indian regions, granting diners a taste of the subcontinent without the paper cuts that come from eating maps. They handcraft ingredients such as house-made paneer cheese, garden-fresh mushrooms, and fresh lamb with pinches of hand-ground spices. Sensitive to varied tolerances of piquancy, the chefs customize the heat levels of many of their creations to individual preferences. Affable servers wend from table to table within the dining room’s deep-green walls and wooden columns.

Chefs at Flame Kabob clatter amid dancing flames and steaming pots in their kitchen, forging a menu of Mediterranean cuisine that hints at Lebanese, Moroccan, Turkish, and Greek influences. Aromas of marinated lamb charbroiled with onion, green peppers, and tomatoes intermingle with the spices of gyros roasting in the rippling embrace of a low fire. In the dining room, servers deliver plates of fresh hummus, couscous, and moussaka to white-clothed tables situated beneath pendant lamps. An outdoor patio fills with gentle rustling from umbrella-topped tables, which lets diners feel the warm breeze or see that their kite was only pretending to be stuck in a tree.

Beef 'O' Brady’s caters to families and sports fans alike with fresh-grilled eats and draft beers served in a casual dining space featuring wood-paneled walls adorned with sports memorabilia and comfy booth seating. The menu warms stomachs small and large with a collection of Black Angus burgers, 15-inch pizzas baked on a stone hearth, and signature wings served baked or grilled in a variety of two dry rubs and 12 sauces. Twenty-one high-definition TVs continually broadcast live sporting events such as NFL Sunday ticket games indoors while diners can opt to enjoy a meal on the outdoor dining patio. The restaurant also features a private back room for large groups and special events.