Orlando Bar Guide
30+ bars across Orlando's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Orlando drinks far from the theme parks. Mills 50 became the cocktail-and-creative spine in the 2010s. Thornton Park's brick-walled speakeasies followed. Hanson's Shoe Repair has held a James Beard semi-finalist nomination most years since 2014. The grown-up Orlando bar scene is much better than visitors expect.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the action. Mills 50 is the cocktail-and-Vietnamese-food spine. Thornton Park holds the speakeasy district. Winter Park out north-east is the polished suburban quarter. College Park is the residential boutique-bar district. Downtown covers the rooftop and after-game scene.
Cocktails run $11 to $14. Tipping is 20 percent. Most bars run to 2am, weekend bars to 3am. Reserve Hanson's Shoe Repair — small format and James Beard nominated.
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Cocktail Bars in Orlando
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Craft Beer in Orlando
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Orlando
Unmarked doors
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Top Picks This Week
Hanson's Shoe Repair
Orlando's most awarded cocktail bar. James Beard semi-finalist multiple years. Speakeasy reached up a fire escape. Reservations only. Twenty seats.
The Courtesy
Cocktail bar with a tight rotating menu and a young dressed-up crowd. Long marble counter, leather banquettes. Reservations recommended.
Gibson's
Speakeasy reached through a hidden door. Classic-cocktail-leaning menu, candle-lit, and the Orlando cocktail crowd's regular spot.
Mathers Social Gathering
Cocktail bar inside a 1917 building. Brick walls, exposed beams, and a serious classics-driven menu. Best for an unhurried weeknight.
Imperial Wine Bar
Wine bar with one of Orlando's longest natural-wine lists. Furniture-store-by-day, wine-bar-by-night. The most low-key Mills 50 evening.
Will's Pub
Heritage live-music bar that has run since 1995. Punk and indie shows nightly. Cheap drinks, neighbourhood crowd, and the most authentic Orlando dive.
Neighbourhood Guide
Mills 50
The cocktail-and-Vietnamese-food spine. Strip-mall ambient, but the densest concentration of awarded cocktail rooms in central Florida.
Thornton Park
The speakeasy district east of downtown. Brick-walled cocktail rooms, neighbourhood pubs, and a thirty-something local crowd.
Winter Park
Polished suburban quarter north-east of Orlando. Wine bars, hotel cocktail rooms, and a dressed-up evening crowd.
College Park
Residential boutique-bar district. Neighbourhood cocktail rooms, gastropubs, and a quieter weekend pace.
Downtown
The central business district. Hotel rooftops, awarded cocktail rooms, and the after-event crowd.
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