In the Winter Park space that once housed Urban Flats, a sleek, gallery-like space (sans the pretention), Ethos Vegan Kitchen, is settling in nicely. New menu items sit alongside old favorites and a lovely, long bar lines the rear wall. Even at capacity (as is often the case for weekend brunch, when mimosas flow and gravy-smothered breakfast burritos have patrons leaving well sated), the airy space never feels crowded.
Ethos Vegan Kitchen's new wide-open space. — Photo courtesy of A.D. Thompson
Dandelion Communitea Café might be the sort of wonderfully crunchy place that hosts rhythm circles in its adjacent garden every month, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find it packed with office workers (some wearing ties – gasp!) come the lunch hour. Why? The soups, salads, and other entrees, Florida-grown and organic whenever possible, are tasty. And versatile. “Roll it or bowl it” options come either salad-style or dressed in a wheat wrap or collard green.
Eat your colors at Dandelion Communitea Café. — Photo courtesy of A.D. Thompson
Woodlands Indian Cuisine blends into an unremarkable commercial stretch of the Orange Blossom Trail (not far from the resort area and mere minutes from downtown), but locals have long touted their authentic South Indian (and entirely vegetarian) cuisine – particularly the lunch buffet (Mon.-Fri.; 11:30 am – 3:00 pm) – though it should be noted that its complete menu (dosai, uthappam, curries and other specialties) is beyond vast.
Collard greens make a creative wrap at Cafe 118˚. — Photo courtesy of A.D Thompson
Raw is a small word, but a powerful one, particularly when it comes to nutritional values, which are well known to wane when foods are heated for long periods. Enter Café 118˚, bringing to its upscale Winter Park location a concise menu of juice blends and creative “living cuisine” entrees such as spinach and beet ravioli with cashew ricotta or crispy vegetable summer rolls. There’s plenty of window shopping on nearby Park Avenue, just steps away, but after a meal here you’ll have little in the way of guilty indulgences to walk off.
