International Drive Orlando: A Food Guide

International Drive Orlando, known as I-Drive, is a tourist corridor southwest of downtown, lined with hotels, restaurants, bars and outlet malls. Wikipedia compares its role to the Las Vegas Strip. A little planning makes eating there easier, because distances are long and evening traffic is heavy.

Here is how the road grew, how to plan a meal along it, how to get around and how to judge a menu in a visitor corridor.

What is International Drive Orlando?

I-Drive runs from Oak Ridge Road in the north to US 192 in the south, according to Wikipedia. The northern part is within the city, the central and southern parts are in unincorporated Orange County, and an extension continues into Osceola County. It is lined with major hotels, restaurants, bars and outlet malls, along with the convention center complex and many visitor attractions.

Its history is short. The first section was laid out in the 1960s to serve a hotel, shortly before a major resort opened nearby. The road was extended north and south as the resort area grew, and a district was later created to manage growth and transport.

That history explains the feel. The strip was built for visitors, so its food runs from quick counters to full dinners, designed for people who have only a few days and want a meal near where they are staying.

How do you plan a meal around evening traffic?

Treat the road as a series of short stretches, not one long street. Choose a stretch near where you are staying or where your day ends, and eat within it. Driving the length of the road to reach one name can take longer than the meal itself.

Wikipedia notes that the stretch between Universal Boulevard and Sand Lake Road has no median or center turn lane and often gridlocks in the evenings, and that Universal Boulevard serves as an overflow route for convention traffic. Plan around that: eat early, eat late or walk to dinner if you can.

Decide the kind of meal first. A family with small children wants a quick, flexible table. A group at a convention wants space and a short wait. A couple after a long day wants somewhere calm. A one-line answer to what you need helps you decide quickly, and lets you ignore the rest. Check how far the kitchen is from where you are standing, too: a place you can reach in a few minutes on foot or by trolley often beats a famous name across the traffic.

Is the I-Ride trolley useful without a car?

The I-Ride trolley, run by the International Drive Business Improvement District, carries visitors, convention attendees and locals along the resort area. Several Lynx bus routes also serve the corridor, including routes to the airport and downtown, according to Wikipedia. Schedules and routes change, so check the operators before you rely on them.

If you walk, remember the climate. Wikipedia says Orlando's hot, rainy season runs from May to late October, with summer highs in the low 90s Fahrenheit and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms. Plan a covered route, carry water and keep an eye on the sky.

How do you judge a menu in a tourist corridor?

Look for signs that a kitchen cooks for people, not only for traffic. A menu with a clear focus, a few dishes done on purpose and staff who can describe them is a good sign. A menu with ninety items and photographs of every dish is not wrong, but it asks you to be careful.

Ask what the kitchen does best, and order that. Ask whether a dish is made in house. Ask how long the wait is. Short, honest answers matter more than a long list of promises. If you have a dietary need, say so early, and be ready to choose again if the answer is vague.

Is it worth leaving the road for dinner?

Often, yes. Orlando has many neighborhoods within its limits, and many have their own food. The corridor is convenient, but a short ride can open up a different kind of meal. The Cuban and Puerto Rican guide and the Mills 50 guide cover two directions. Treat the corridor as a base and the rest of the city as a menu.

How do you rate a meal on the strip with Mosey?

Open the Mosey app when you sit down or when you get back to your room. A rating needs the place and stars. Name the dish, add a tag such as Group Dining or Date Night if it fits and attach a photo. Tag your travel companions so each can add a view of the same meal.

Build a list of your trip meals in the order you ate them and send it by invite link to the people you traveled with. Follow friends who have visited to see what they rated and saved. The Dishes page shows what people near you are enjoying.

Where else can you read about Orlando?

Related reading: the citrus guide and the finding good food guide. See the Orlando page, the Florida page and the US food guides.

Before dinner on the strip, open the Mosey app, start a trip list and rate each plate as you go.