I am heading down from Chicago during xmas break. Looking for good bottle stores and restaurants. May also bring some beer for ip trade as well. Thanks!
I'm sure you will be glad to be away for a few days from the chilly weather in Chicago. Are you staying near Disney? I listed a few options, some are near Disney and some are in the Winter Park area. Stores in Orlando: 1- Knightly Spirits (OBT location) 2- Total Wine (Millennia Mall or East Colonial) 3- ABC's (Hit or miss with them) Restaurants: 1- Cask and Larder (Killer Brunch on Sunday's) 2- Ravenous Pig (Lunch and Dinner) 3- Prato 4- Rocco's Tacos (Get the fresh guac) 5- Hash House (Breakfast, Lunch) Bars: 1- Redlight Redlight (Check Facebook and twitter for beer list) 2- Oblivion (Draft list online) 3- WOB on Sandlake Road Shoot me a message if you have any questions. Also interested on an ip trade. Cheers!
If you go to Oblivion, get the wings, they're ridiculous. There's also a small joint downtown, Tap & Grind, that's excellent. (American craft only, he gets good stuff.) If you can make it out to the burb areas, The Hourglass Brewery in Longwood is awesome. Obviously get to Cigar City if you can, but if you're on family vacay that can be tougher to pull off. Sometimes you'll luck into a bottle share at T&G or Oblivion, so carry something around with you. ;-) I second that brunch at Cask & Larder. Good house brews there, too. Ron Raike knows what he's doing. You'll find a lot of chain-y (or expensive fancy) food out in Disney area, but there are some pretty great spots peppered around and in outlying areas. Divey oyster bar Lee & Rick's in Winter Garden...etc.
Kissimmee is a wasteland and should never be considered Orlando. That said, Knightly Spirits is relatively close and is worth the trip over for bottles. Disney World now offers standard CCB beer in most locations that serve alcohol as well. There is a World of Beer in the Dr. Philips area, which is a 20+ minute drive depending on where you're staying.
