“Orlando Sentinel 2025 Foodie Awards” Final Winners Announced!
by Beth Keating
Theme Parks Food
March 10, 2025
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If you voted in the 2025 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards, the moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived!
Disney has taken home placements in eight categories, and some of the results might be a bit surprising. Critic’s Choice Awards were chosen by Orlando Sentinel food writer Amy Drew Thompson, while open voting for the Readers’ Choice awards was available in February to all Orlando Sentinel readers.
Jiko was the winner in the Best African restaurant category for Readers’ Choice, with Boma as a runner up.
In Best French Restaurant, Chefs de France placed as a runner up in the Readers’ Choice category.
In Best Irish Restaurant, Disney Springs’ Raglan Road sadly only placed as a runner up in both the Readers’ Choice category and the Critic’s Choice category. (Insert a sad face here!!)
In Best Italian Restaurant, Terralina Crafted Italian in Disney Springs placed as a runner up in the Readers’ Choice category.
In Best Patio Restaurant, Paddlefish in Disney Springs placed as a runner up in the Readers’ Choice category.
In Best Southern Restaurant, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ in Disney Springs was the winner in the Readers’ Choice category.
Best Theme Park Restaurant is a bit of a chuckle. Disney was competing against… itself! In the Readers’ Choice category, Le Cellier in EPCOT was the winner, with Via Napoli at EPCOT and Tiffins in Animal Kingdom as runners up. It was also the first category that a Disney restaurant placed as a Critic’s Choice award, with Skipper Canteen as the winner, and Takumi-Tei and Spice Road Table, both at EPCOT, as runners up.
In Best Wine Bar, Wine Bar George in Disney Springs was a runner up in the Readers’ Choice category.
Here are the rest of the winners in the categories that Disney was competing in. For all 50 categories, you can go to the 2025 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards page.
Best African
Critic’s Choice
Winner: Yene Romay (food truck); instagram.com/yene_romay
Runners-up: Nile Ethiopian in Orlando, Selam Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine in Orlando
Readers’ Choice
Winner: Jiko – The Cooking Place, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Runners-up: Boma – Flavors of Africa in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Nile Ethiopian in Orlando
Best French
Critic’s Choice
Winner: Camille in Orlando
Runners-Up: Benjamin French Bakery & Cafe in Orlando and Croissant Gourmet in Winter Park
Readers’ Choice
Winner: Chez Vincent in Winter Park
Runners-up: Chefs de France at Epcot and Cafe-Boutique PIANO in Winter Park
Best Irish
Critic’s Choice
Winner: Claddagh Cottage in Orlando
Runners Up: Harp & Celt Restaurant and Irish Pub in Orlando and Raglan Road Irish Pub in Disney Springs
Readers’ Choice
Winner: Fiddler’s Green Irish Pub & Eatery in Winter Park
Runners-up: Raglan Road Irish Pub in Disney Springs and Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub in Orlando
Best Italian
Critic’s Choice
Winner: La Tavola in Orlando
Runners-up: Prato in Winter Park and Francesco’s Ristorante & Pizzeria in Maitland
Readers’ Choice
Winner: Bella Roma in St. Cloud
Runners-up: Francesco’s Ristorante & Pizzeria in Maitland and Terralina Crafted Italian in Disney Springs
Best Patio
Critic’s Choice
Winner: Salt Shack on the Lake in Clermont
Runners-up: St. Johns River Steak and Seafood in Sanford and Taproom at Dubsdread in Orlando
Readers’ Choice
Winner: The Crazy Cork Wine Bar in Oviedo
Runners-up: Paddlefish in Disney Springs and FastBreak Orlando in Orlando
Best Southern
Critic’s Choice
Winner: The Bayou Kitchen & Lounge, 165 Wekiva Springs Road in Longwood, 407-960-6020; thebayouorlando.com
Runners-up: The Tennessee Truffle in Sanford and Shantell’s Just Until in Sanford
Readers’ Choice
Winner: Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ in Disney Springs
Runners-up: Soco Thornton Park in Orlando and Lizzie’s Memphis Style BBQ in Kissimmee
Best Theme Park Restaurant
Critic’s Choice
Winner: Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen at Disney’s Magic Kingdom
Runners-up: Takumi-Tei at EPCOT and Spice Road Table at EPCOT
Readers’ Choice
Winner: Le Cellier Steakhouse at EPCOT
Runners-up: Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria at EPCOT and Tiffins Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Best Wine Bar
Critic’s Choice
Winner: Digress Wine in Orlando
Runners-up: Golden Hour Wine in Orlando and Arden Aperitif & Wine Bar in Orlando
Readers’ Choice
Winner: The Crazy Cork Wine Bar in Oviedo
Runners-up: Wine Bar George in Disney Springs and VINIA Wine & Kitchen in Winter Park
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
Walt Disney ranked as one of the great entrepreneurs of the 20th century. In 10 Points from Walt Disney on Entrepreneurship, Ray Keating, editor and columnist for DisneyBizJournal and a leading economist on entrepreneurship and small business, turns to Walt for inspiration and insights on what it means to be an entrepreneur, on embracing entrepreneurship, and on learning lessons for the entrepreneurial journey.
The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.
