Places to Eat in Orlando

Why Vincenzo Stands Out in a City Full of Restaurants

Orlando has thousands of places to eat. Between the theme parks, the tourist corridor, and the local neighborhoods, the options are nearly endless. The problem is that most of the restaurants in the heavily visited areas are national chains running the same menu you can find in any city in America. If you are looking for a place to eat in Orlando that actually feels like Orlando — a family-owned restaurant with real history and real food — Vincenzo Cucina Italiana is one of those rare spots.

The Navarra family opened Vincenzo in 1991, and they have been on International Drive ever since. While other restaurants have come and gone along I-Drive, Vincenzo has stayed because the food is consistently good and the family takes genuine pride in what they serve. Over 4,000 reviews with a 4.7-star average back that up. Tourists find it on vacation and come back the next year. Locals drive in from all over metro Orlando because nothing else on I-Drive competes with what the kitchen puts out.

What Separates Vincenzo from the Crowd

Everything at Vincenzo is made from scratch. The pasta is handmade fresh every single day — not dried pasta from a box. The sauces are simmered in-house. The bread is baked on site. The desserts are prepared by the kitchen team, not shipped in. The steaks are USDA Prime, which is the top 2% of all beef in the country. The seafood — Chilean sea bass, fresh grouper, Atlantic salmon — arrives fresh and is cooked to order.

This level of care is what separates a place like Vincenzo from a Maggiano's or an Olive Garden. Those are fine for what they are, but they run on corporate recipes and centralized supply chains. Vincenzo is a family operation where the people making the food are the same people who designed the menu and chose the ingredients.

A Place for Every Occasion

Part of what makes Vincenzo one of the best places to eat in Orlando is its versatility. It is casual enough for a family dinner after a day at the parks. It is nice enough for an anniversary or a birthday. It works for a group of friends who want good food and cocktails. It handles business dinners and convention groups in the private Amalfi Room, which seats up to 50. And during happy hour — Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 7 PM, all night on Mondays — it is a solid spot for drinks and appetizers without committing to a full dinner.

How to Get Here

Vincenzo is at Vue at 360 on International Drive, right next to ICON Park. The Orange County Convention Center is about five minutes south. Universal Orlando is roughly ten minutes north. SeaWorld is just down the road. For locals, it is an easy drive from Dr. Phillips, Windermere, downtown Orlando, or Winter Park. Complimentary valet parking is available every evening, and the restaurant is open seven days a week from 5 PM to 10 PM. You can also order delivery through Uber Eats or DoorDash, or set up catering for any size group.

Frequently Asked Questions