Best of Orlando 2014

Thousands of readers cast votes online for their top picks in dozens of categories, from Best Independent Coffee Shop to Best Local Burger to Best Public Golf Course, and more.

It's show time! Once again, Orlando magazine readers have spoken, picking their favorites in everything from brunches to day spas, sports figures to charity galas. This year, we asked the performers at Treasure Tavern Dinner Theatre near International Drive to help us lend a bit of levity to the lists. And did they ever. Enjoy their antics on the following pages as you dig into the favorites in 72 categories.

Goods and Services

Day Spa 1 Fitness Centre & Day Spa at

Florida Hospital Celebration Health

celebrationfitness.com

400 Celebration Place

Celebration 2 The Ritz Carlton

Orlando, Grande Lakes

ritzcarlton.com/orlando

4012 Central Florida Parkway

Orlando 3 Primera Salon & Spa

primerasalonandspa.com

1035 Primera Blvd.

Lake Mary Workout Facility/Gym 1 Fitness Centre & Day Spa at

Florida Hospital Celebration Health

celebrationfitness.com

400 Celebration Place

Celebration 2 YMCA

ymcacentralflorida.com

Multiple Orlando-area locations 3 LA Fitness

lafitness.com

Multiple Orlando-area locations Hair Salon 1 Stella Luca

stellaluca.com

433 W. New England Ave. Suite C

Winter Park

460 N. Orlando Ave. Suite 120

Winter Park 2 SizzorS

sizzorssalon.com

269 Aulin Ave., Suite 1009

Oviedo 3 Alchemy

alchemyorlando.com

2812 Edgewater Drive

Orlando Nail Salon 1 Nina and Holly’s Nail Boutique

1120 W. State Road 434

Longwood 2 Primera Salon & Spa

primerasalonandspa.com

1035 Primera Blvd.

Lake Mary 3 Beauty Spot Spa & Boutique

beautyspotinc.com

649 Vassar St.

Orlando Barber Shop 1 Floyd’s 99 Barbershop

floydsbarbershop.com

Three Orlando-area locations 2 Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club

kennedysbarberclub.com

Four Orlando-area locations 3 Justincredible Cutz

2413 E. South St.

Orlando Florist 1 In Bloom Florist

inbloomflorist.com

325 W. Gore St.

Orlando

1210 S. International Parkway

Heathrow 2 Lee James Floral Design

leejamesfloral.com

1249 N. Orange Ave.

Orlando 3 Harry’s Famous Flowers

harrysfamousflowers.com

1252 N. Semoran Blvd.

Orlando

Jeweler 1 Stewart Jewelry

stewartjewelrydesign.com

2212 Edgewater Drive

Orlando 2 Victoria Jewelers

victoriajewelers.net

4844 New Broad St.

Orlando 3 International Diamond Center

shopidc.com

Three Orlando-area locations Business Hotel 1 Westin Lake Mary

westinlakemary.com

2974 International Parkway

Lake Mary 2 Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando

grandbohemianhotel.com

325 S. Orange Ave.

Orlando 3 Hyatt Regency Orlando

orlando.regency.hyatt.com

9801 International Drive

Orlando Mall 1 The Mall at Millenia

mallatmillenia.com

4200 Conroy Road

Orlando 2 The Florida Mall

simon.com

8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando 3 Altamonte Mall

altamontemall.com

451 E. Altamonte Drive

Altamonte Springs

Men’s Clothing Store 1 John Craig Clothier

johncraigclothier.com

132 Park Ave. South

Winter Park

4040 Central Florida Parkway

Orlando 2 JoS. A. Bank Clothiers

josbank.com

Five Orlando-area locations 3 Men’s Wearhouse

menswearhouse.com

Multiple Orlando locations Women’s Clothing Store 1 Macy’s

macys.com

Multiple Orlando-area locations 2 Nordstrom

nordstrom.com

Multiple Orlando-area locations 3 White House / Black Market

whitehouseblackmarket.com

Multiple Orlando-area locations Preschool 1 Ladybird Academy

ladybirdacademy.com

Twelve Orlando-area locations 2 Jewish Community Center

orlandojcc.org

851 N. Maitland Ave.

Maitland

11184 S. Apopka-Vineland Road

Orlando 3 St. Vincent’s Academy

stvincentsacademy.org

1515 Edgewater Drive

Orlando Private School, K-8 1 Windermere Preparatory School

windermereprep.com

6189 Winter Garden-Vineland Road

Windermere 2 Sweetwater Episcopal Academy

sweetwaterepiscopal.org

251 E. Lake Brantley Drive

Longwood 3 Park Maitland School

parkmaitland.org

1450 S. Orlando Ave.

Maitland Private School, 9-12 1 Trinity Preparatory School

trinityprep.org

5700 Trinity Prep Lane

Winter Park 2 Lake Highland Preparatory School

lhps.org

901 N. Highland Ave.

Orlando 3 Windermere Preparatory School

windermereprep.com

6189 Winter Garden-Vineland Road

Windermere Golf Course—Public 1 Dubsdread Golf Course

historicaldubsdread.com

549 W. Par St.

Orlando 2 Orange County National

ocngolf.com

16301 Phil Ritson Way

Winter Garden 3 Winter Park Country Club

winterparkcountryclub.com

761 Old England Ave.

Winter Park Golf Course—Private 1 Heathrow Country Club

heathrowcc.com/golf

1200 Bridgewater Drive

Heathrow 2 Interlachen Country Club

interlachenccfl.org

2245 Interlachen Court

Winter Park 3 Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge

bayhill.com

9000 Bay Hill Blvd.

Orlando Car Dealer 1 Fields Auto Group

fieldsauto.com

Multiple Orlando area locations 2 Lexus of Orlando

lexusoforlando.com

305 N. Semoran Blvd.

Winter Park 3 David Maus Volkswagen

davidmausvolkswagensouth.com

5474 S. Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando Plastic Surgeon 1 Thomas Fiala

plasticsurgeryinflorida.com

220 E. Central Parkway

Suite 2020

Altamonte Springs 2 George Pope

georgepopemd.com

3872 Oakwater Circle

Orlando 3 Edward Gross

wedofaces.com

1065 Primera Blvd.

Lake Mary Chiropractor 1 Glenn Graham

grahamchiropractic.org

7532 W. Sand Lake Road

Orlando 2 Ben Kersenbrock

lakemarybestchiropractor.com

3525 W. Lake Mary Blvd., Suite 301

Lake Mary 3 Brad Levine

drbradlevine.com

499 E. Central Parkway, Suite 215

Altamonte Springs Optometrist 1 Vision Health Institute

perryeye.com

400 N. Bumby Ave.

Orlando 2 Southwest Orlando Eye Care

southwestorlandoeyecare.com

7009 Dr. Phillips Blvd., Suite 110

Orlando 3 Logan Eye Care

loganeyecare.com

560 Rinehart Road, Suite 100

Lake Mary Veterinary Hospital 1 Winter Park Veterinary Hospital

wpvet.com

1601 Lee Road

Winter Park 2 McAbee Veterinary Hospital

mcabeeveterinary.com

4586 Palmetto Ave.

Winter Park 3 Loch Haven Veterinary Hospital

lochhavenvet.com

2000 N. Mills Ave.

Orlando Doggie Daycare 1 Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat

rangerspetoutpost.com

1239 Minnesota Ave.

Winter Park 2 Dog Day Afternoon

dogdayafternoonorlando.net

1015 Sligh Blvd.

Orlando 3 Happy Paws Pet Resort

happypawsorlando.com

12693 E. Colonial Drive

Orlando

Pool Builder 1 Signature Pools

signaturepools.com

8818 Commodity Circle

Orlando 2 American Pool & Spas

american-pools.com

7320 Narcoossee Road

Orlando 3 Artesian Pools

artesianpools.com

7347 E. Colonial Drive

Orlando Interior Designer 1 Ted Maines Interiors

tedmainesinteriors.com

1030 Orange Ave.

Winter Park 2 Marc-Michaels Interior Design

marc-michaels.com

720 W. Morse Blvd.

Winter Park 3 Phil Kean Designs

philkeandesigns.com

912 W. Fairbanks Ave.

Winter Park

Bicycle Shop 1 Orange Cycle

orangecycleorlando.com

2204 Edgewater Drive

Orlando 2 David’s World Cycle

davidsworld.com

Four Orlando-area locations 3 Ragin Cajun

ragincajunbikeshop.com

1809 S. Orange Ave.

Orlando Tattoo Parlor 1 Ascension Tattoo

ascensiontattoo.com

832 N. Mills Ave.

Orlando 2 Stigma Tattoo Bar

stigmatattoos.com

17 S. Orange Ave.

Orlando 3 Divine Torture Tattoo Studio

facebook.com/divinetorturetattoo

3223 Curry Ford Road

Orlando Plant Nursery 1 Lukas Nursery

lukasnursery.com

1909 Slavia Road

Oviedo 2 Palmer’s Garden & Goods

palmersgarden.com

2611 Corrine Drive

Orlando 3 Apenberry’s

apenberrys.com

3443 Edgewater Drive

Orlando



People and Media

Sports Figure 1 Victor Oladipo

Orlando Magic

orlandomagic.com 2 Jameer Nelson

Orlando Magic

orlandomagic.com 3 Blake Bortles

Jacksonville Jaguars

jaguars.com Local Performer 1 Tony Brent

wonderworksonline.com

Outta Control Magic

Comedy Dinner Show at WonderWorks

9067 International Drive

Orlando 2 Cast of Sleuth’s

Mystery Dinner Shows

sleuths.com

8267 International Drive

Orlando 3 Boomershine

facebook.com/boomershinemusic Community Leader 1 Buddy Dyer

Orlando Mayor

cityoforlando.net 2 Teresa Jacobs

Orange County Mayor

orangecountyfl.net 3 Patty Sheehan

Orlando City Commissioner

cityoforlando.net Pastor 1 Joel Hunter

Northland, a Church Distributed

pastorjoelhunter.com 2 David Uth

First Baptist Church of Orlando

firstorlando.com 3 Bill Barnes

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

st.lukes.org

Blogger 1 Mark Baratelli

The Daily City

thedailycity.com 2 Matt Broffman

Bungalower

bungalower.com 3 Fiorella Reategui

Metanoia Living

metanoialiving.com Columnist 1 Scott Maxwell

Orlando Sentinel

orlandosentinel.com 2 Mike Bianchi

Orlando Sentinel

orlandosentinel.com 3 Billy Manes

Orlando Weekly

orlandoweekly.com Local TV Station 1 WESH-Channel 2

wesh.com 2 WFTV-Channel 9

wftv.com 3 Fox 35

myfoxorlando.com TV News Team 1 Jim Payne and Martha Sugalski

WESH-Channel 2

wesh.com 2 Bob Frier and Sonni Abatta

Fox 35

myfoxorlando.com 3 Bob Opsahl and Martie Salt

WFTV-Channel 9

wftv.com

TV Sportscaster 1 Pat Clarke

WESH-Channel 2

wesh.com 2 David Baumann

Bright House Sports Network

baumannbroadcasting.com 3 David Pingalore

WKMG-Channel 6

wkmg.com TV Weather Forecaster 1 Tom Terry

WFTV-Channel 9

wftv.com 2 Amy Sweezey

WESH-Channel 2

wesh.com 3 Tony Mainolfi

WESH-Channel 2

wesh.com Radio Music Station 1 XL 106.7 FM

xl1067.com 2 Z88.3 FM

zradio.com 3 MIX 105.1 FM

mix1051.cbslocal.com Local Radio Show 1 Johnny’s House

XL 106.7 FM

xl1067.com 2 The Philips Phile

Real Radio 104.1 FM

realradio.fm 3 A Mediocre Time With

Tom and Dan

Internet Show

tomanddan.com

Eat and Drink

Bakery 1 Panera Bread

panerabread.com

Multiple Orlando-area locations 2 Charlie’s Gourmet Pastries

charliesgourmetpastries.com

3213 Curry Ford Road

Orlando 3 Blue Bird Bake Shop

bluebirdbakeshop.com

3122 Corrine Drive

Orlando Brunch 1 Keke’s Breakfast Cafe

kekesbreakfastcafe.com

Seven Orlando-area locations 2 First Watch

firstwatch.com

Seven Orlando-area locations 3 Dexter’s

dexwine.com

Three Orlando-area locations Independent Coffee Shop 1 Downtown Credo

downtowncredo.com

706 W. Smith St.

Orlando 2 Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar

drunkenmonkeycoffee.com

444 N. Bumby Ave.

Orlando 3 Stardust Video and Coffee

stardustvideoandcoffee.wordpress.com

1842 E. Winter Park Road

Orlando Local Burger 1 The Tap Room at Dubsdread

taproomatdubsdread.com

549 W. Par St.

Orlando 2 Johnny’s Fillin’ Station

johnnysfillinstation.com

2631 S. Ferncreek Ave.

Orlando 3 B&B Junction

bbjunction.com

2103 W. Fairbanks Ave.

Winter Park Frozen Treat 1 Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

jeremiahsice.com

Seven Orlando-area locations 2 Twistee Treat

twisteetreat.com

Four Orlando-area locations 3 Menchie’s

menchies.com

Eleven Orlando-area locations Downtown Restaurant 1 Citrus

citrusorlando.com

821 N. Orange Ave.

Orlando 2 Kres Chophouse

kresrestaurant.com

17 W. Church St.

Orlando 3 The Rusty Spoon

therustyspoon.com

55 W. Church St.

Orlando

I-Drive Restaurant 1 The Capital Grille

thecapitalgrille.com

9101 International Drive

Orlando

The Mall at Millenia

4200 Conroy Road

Orlando 2 Café Tu Tu Tango

cafetututango.com

8625 International Drive

Orlando 3 Texas de Brazil

texasdebrazil.com

5259 International Drive

Orlando Restaurant Row Restaurant 1 Seasons 52

seasons52.com

7700 Sand Lake Road

Orlando

463 E. Altamonte Drive

Altamonte Springs 2 Eddie V’s Prime Seafood

eddiev.com

7488 W. Sand Lake Road

Orlando 3 Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar

roccostacos.com

7468 W. Sand Lake Road

Orlando Winter Park Restaurant 1 Prato

prato-wp.com

124 N. Park Ave.

Winter Park 2 Luma on Park

lumaonpark.com

290 S. Park Ave.

Winter Park 3 The Ravenous Pig

theravenouspig.com

1234 N. Orange Ave.

Winter Park Seminole County Restaurant 1 Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café

willowtreecafe.com

205 E. First St.

Sanford 2 Enzo’s on the Lake

enzos.com

1130 S. U.S. Highway 17-92

Longwood 3 FishBones

talkofthetownrestaurants.com

7005 County Road 46A

Lake Mary Restaurant to Seal the Deal 1 Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster

christnersprimesteakandlobster.com

729 Lee Road

Orlando 2 Seasons 52

seasons52.com

7700 W. Sand Lake Road

Orlando

463 E. Altamonte Drive

Altamonte Springs 3 Ruth’s Chris Steak House

ruthschris.com

Three Orlando-area locations Place to Eat After Church With the Kids 1 First Watch

firstwatch.com

Seven Orlando-area locations 2 Keke’s Breakfast Cafe

kekesbreakfastcafe.com

Seven Orlando-area locations 3 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

crackerbarrel.com

Seven Orlando-area locations Watering Hole 1 Redlight Redlight Beer Parlour

redlightredlightbeerparlour.com

2810 Corrine Drive

Orlando 2 Wally’s

wallysonmills.com

1001 Mills Ave.

Orlando 3 Miller’s Ale House

millersalehouse.com

Fourteen Orlando-area locations Wine Bar 1 The Wine Room

thewineroomonline.com

270 S. Park Ave.

Winter Park 2 Eola Wine Company

eolawinecompany.com

136 Park Ave.

Winter Park

430 E. Central Blvd.

Orlando 3 Quantum Leap Winery

quantumleapwinery.com

1312 Wilfred Drive

Orlando Hotel Lounge 1 Bösendorfer Lounge

theboheme.com

Grand Bohemian Hotel

325 S. Orange Ave.

Orlando 2 The Alfond Inn

thealfondinn.com

300 E. New England Ave.

Winter Park 3. WXYZ Bar

aloftorlandodowntown.com

Aloft Orlando Downtown

500 S. Orange Ave.

Orlando Sports Bar 1 Miller’s Ale House

millersalehouse.com

Fourteen Orlando-area locations 2 Buffalo Wild Wings

buffalowildwings.com

Eight Orlando-area locations 3 Gator’s Dockside

gatorsdockside.com

Six Orlando-area locations Specialty Foods Store 1 Whole Foods Market

wholefoodsmarket.com

1989 Aloma Ave.

Winter Park

8003 Turkey Lake Road

Orlando 2 The Fresh Market

thefreshmarket.com

Five Orlando-area locations 3 Petty’s Meat Market

pettysmeatmarket.com

2141 W. State Road 434

Longwood Wine Store 1 Total Wine

totalwine.com

2712 E. Colonial Drive

Orlando

4625 Millenia Plaza Way

Orlando 2 ABC Fine Wine & Spirits

abcfws.com

Multiple Orlando-area locations 3 Tim’s Wine Market

timswine.com

Four Orlando-area locations

Potpourri

Place for a Staycation 1 Walt Disney World Resort

disneyworld.disney.go.com

Lake Buena Vista

Orlando 2 Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes

ritzcarlton.com/orlando

4012 Central Florida Parkway

Orlando 3 Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center

marriott.com

6000 W. Osceola Parkway

Kissimmee Farmers Market 1 Winter Park Farmers’ Market

cityofwinterpark.org

200 W. New England Ave.

Winter Park 2 Orlando Farmers Market

orlandofarmersmarket.com

Lake Eola Park

Orlando 3 Winter Garden Farmers Market

wintergardenfarmersmarket.com

104 S. Lakeview Ave.

Winter Garden Art Gallery 1 CityArts Factory

orlandoslice.com

29 S. Orange Ave.

Orlando 2 Snap! Space

snaporlando.com

1013 E. Colonial Drive

Orlando 3 Gallery On The Edge

facebook.com/galleryontheedge

2300 Edgewater Drive

Orlando Museum 1 Morse Museum of American Art

morsemuseum.org

445 N. Park Ave.

Winter Park 2 Orlando Museum of Art

omart.org

2416 N. Mills Ave.

Orlando 3 Orlando Science Center

osc.org

777 E. Princeton St.

Orlando Performing Arts Group 1 Central Florida Community Arts

cfcarts.com

250 S.W. Ivanhoe Blvd.

Orlando 2 Orlando Ballet

orlandoballet.org

2211 N. Orange Ave.

Orlando 3 Orlando Shakespeare Theater

orlandoshakes.org

812 E. Rollins St.

Orlando

Charity Gala 1 Runway to Hope

Spring Fashion Soirée

runwaytohope.org 2 Headdress Ball

headdressball.org 3 UCP An Evening at the Palace

ucpcfl.org Entertainment Experience 1 Sak Comedy Lab

sakcomedylab.com

29 S. Orange Ave.

Orlando 2 Cirque du Soleil’s “La Nouba”

cirquedusoleil.com

Downtown Disney

1478 E. Buena Vista Drive

Lake Buena Vista 3 Blue Man Group

blueman.com

Universal Orlando Resort

6000 Universal Blvd.

Orlando Music Venue 1 House of Blues

houseofblues.com

1490 E. Buena Vista Drive

Lake Buena Vista 2 Hard Rock Live Orlando

hardrock.com

6050 Universal Blvd.

Orlando 3 The Social

thesocial.org

54 N. Orange Ave.

Orlando Place to Get Married 1 Disney’s Wedding Pavilion

disneyweddings.disney.go.com

4101 Floridian Way

Bay Lake 2 Lake Mary Events Center

lakemaryeventscenter.com

260 N. Country Club Road

Lake Mary 3 Harry P. Leu Gardens

leugardens.org

1920 N. Forest Ave.

Orlando Theme Park Ride 1 The Incredible Hulk Coaster

Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure

universalorlando.com 2 Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure

universalorlando.com 3 Manta

SeaWorld Orlando

seaworldparks.com Foot Race 1 Walt Disney World

Marathon Weekend

rundisney.com 2 IOA Corporate 5K

downtownorlando.com 3 Fleet Feet Sports Orlando

various races

fleetfeetorlando.com Festival 1 Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

wpsaf.org

Winter Park 2 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival

orlandofringe.org

Loch Haven Park 3 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

disneyworld.disney.go.com

Orlando Bike Trail 1 West Orange Trail

orangecountyfl.net 2 Seminole Wekiva Trail

seminolecountyfl.gov 3 Cady Way Trail

orangecountyfl.net Place for People Watching 1 Lake Eola Park

Downtown Orlando 2 Park Avenue

Winter Park 3 Walt Disney World

Lake Buena Vista Reason to Live in Orlando 1 Weather 2 Theme Parks 3 The People

Editor's Picks

Best Place to Stock Up on Cookie Butter

Trader Joe’s. The decadent stuff is made of crunchy Belgian cookies that have somewhat of a gingerbread flavor. And you can get it creamy or crunchy. traderjoes.com

Best Venue to Get Dazed and Confused

Get lost in the cornfield at Scott’s Maze Adventures in Mount Dora—but have a blast doing it. Operates October 4 – December 14. longandscottfarms.com

Best Hidden Treasure (with Strings Attached)

The International Harp Museum, nestled on a dead-end street in downtown Orlando, tells the history of the stringed treasures and sponsors concerts throughout the year. internationalharpmuseum.org

Best Use of Truffle Oil

A single order of the Enzian theater’s truffled fries costs $6.50. Plan to spend a fortune. enzian.org

Best Spiritual Place for Lunch

At the Hindu Temple of Central Florida in Casselberry, a dedicated kitchen hand-makes an all-vegetarian menu of masala dosas, spicy coconut chutney and sambhar soup for weekend visitors. hindutempleorlando.org

Best Bar to Get Bleary-Eyed Watching the Bouncing Ball

The Hammered Lamb on Orange Avenue. Playing ping-pong with friends, of course. thehammeredlamb.com

Best Place to Get High on I-Drive

The Orlando Eye observation wheel (400 feet tall, under construction) and the Skyscraper roller coaster (proposed, 570 feet high). idrivedistrict.com

Best Place to Have a Meltdown in Traffic

Any entrance or exit ramp at Interstate 4 and the 408. The ultimate I-4 project should take care of the traffic jams, but construction will take six years. And that means more… well, you know. moving-4-ward.com