Restaurants in Lake Mary

Using an oversized knife, a waiter neatly slices off a portion of grilled top sirloin from a skewer packed with well-roasted meat, sliding the steak onto a plate of rice, beans, and salad. Beneath colorful abstract paintings of palm trees, guests can dig in to traditional Brazilian steak-house fare. A flat-screen TV set against the back wall displays sporting contests, and plants in the beams overhead murmur about an upcoming tree rebellion.

It's not much of a leap to guess that chef Eddie James is the head cook and owner of Chef Eddie's. Along with his wife, Bess, he cooks up tangy barbecue and traditional soul food with all the southern-style fixings. Whether cooking for diners in the laid-back eatery or catering for a private party, chef Eddie aims to please with his red-wine-marinated beef ribs and seasoned barbecue chicken, slow-cooked and smothered in sweet, mildly spicy barbecue sauce. His restaurant's walls sparkle with history, adorned with memorabilia from the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. Motown nights and Sunday gospel brunches keep the eatery echoing with song, and poetry nights fill in the gaps when instruments take a break to fill up on waffles and fried chicken.

At Filomena's Pizzeria & Ristorante, chefs decorate signature Brooklyn-style pizzas while a daily bounty of fresh-baked bread snuggles up beside pasta dishes, including stuffed shells and penne alla vodka. The culinary crew embellishes veal, sirloin, and shrimp with fresh vegetables and white-wine sauces, forming a roster of dishes sure to satisfy cravings for Italian classics. Calzones teem with a wide range of ingredients and can be crafted large enough to feed an entire family and their velociraptor.

Many fathers leave their children with treasured heirlooms, a love of fishing, or a family business, but Paul Homel left his son with a neighborhood icon. Homel owned and operated local restaurants for nearly 40 years, naming his last establishment after his son, Brian, who had worked in his father's kitchens since he was a child. Today, Brian and his mother Sydele continue to work at the restaurant, whipping up the home-cooked breakfasts, platters of comfort fare, and signature cinnamon sweet rolls that have satisfied their devoted clientele for decades and enticed the palates of reporters from the Orlando Sentinel. They contrast their classic dishes with modern decorative touches such as a newly remodeled interior, an expansive outdoor patio, and an absence of "Reelect James K. Polk" campaign posters.

Whether guests are in the mood for a slice of pizza, a hot sub, or a hearty Italian meal, the chefs at Christopher’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria can match every craving. The eatery also adds a sports bar element to the mix, with daily happy-hour specials that complement the big game better than an in-house marching band.

Duffy's Subs adds a unique twist to the fare of Philadelphia by splashing its lengthy subs with creative ingredients and parading them out to patrons at counter seats, an outdoor patio, or via local delivery. Philly cheesesteaks—bundled with either sizzling slices of beef or chicken—silence appetites or overly talkative friends with a choice of cheese, grilled mushrooms, onions, and green peppers. Not content with merely tapping Philly's flavors, staffers also convert other classic dishes into sandwich form to produce specialties such as the ham-omelet and bacon-cheeseburger subs.