With the countless restaurants and cafes surrounding this charming Lake County burg, it’s surprising that it took this long for the Mount Dora Area Restaurant Week to be announced, but the inaugural Restaurant Week will officially begin Saturday (July 25).
“This idea came to us about two to three months ago through Salt and Ember, a new member of the chamber and one of Mount Dora’s newest restaurants,” says Rachel O’Ryan, president of the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce.
“They proposed holding a Restaurant Week in the area, and we immediately recognized its potential as a powerful summer promotion for the local restaurant community.”
The entire team decided to jump right in instead of spending a year rushing to figure it out.
“The first year will definitely be a learning experience, but the response from restaurants has been incredibly encouraging,” O’Ryan says. “As we approach opening weekend, this event continues to grow and we are currently working to add at least three more participating companies by Saturday.”
Showcasing local restaurants and encouraging residents and the city’s many visitors to explore the dining scene, this summer promotion will run until Aug. 2 and offer participants, in addition to the regular menu, special options to garner interest, excitement and hunger, including fun prix fixe offerings, lunch and dinner combos, dessert features, specials and other limited-time goodies.
“What’s exciting about this event is that it’s not limited to one strict format,” O’Ryan said. “Diners can enjoy multi-course dinners, find affordable lunch specials, try creative food and drink combinations, stop by for dessert or cocktails, and take a piece of the experience home with them through recipe kits.”
Summer is slow. You can hear it everywhere. And that’s partly why they set out to get this event up and running.
“Restaurants are operating on tight profit margins, so making extra reservations for a quiet lunch or weekday dinner, or even just occupying a few more tables, can make a big difference,” O’Ryan said.
Bringing people into town for lunch means walking around, shopping, browsing boutiques, and hopefully letting others know about the deals, she says. They also want people to book their reservations and plan dates, business gatherings, and social group events. Especially in places you’ve never tried before.
“Visit MountDoraEats.info, explore the menu, select a few participating restaurants, and make specific plans for eating out,” she suggests.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram @amydroo or the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, and for more foodie fun, join our Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
Participating restaurants at press time
Lunch offers are capped at $30, dinner offers are capped at $50, and guests can order directly from the Restaurant Week special menu.
Mount Dora: Anthony’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant, Back Porch Pizza, Beirut Bites, Botanico Tacos & Tequila, Claire’s Creperie, Eden Abbey Brewing Community, Fiesta Grande Mexican Restaurant, Highland Street Cafe, KKO Chocolates, Lakeside Inn, Las Palmas Cuban Restaurant, Maus Mountain Moonshine, Pisquez Rising, Salt and Ember; Shadrach’s Fiery Furnace Pizza Co., Sweet Bites by Beirut Bites, The Mount Dora Bistro, The Salted Fry, The Spice & Tea Exchange, Whiskey Kitchen, Wolf Branch Brewing, The Yardery
Eustis: The Trough
Vitales: BTW, BTW, craft cocktails and Puddle Jumpers Lakeside Grill & Bar.
Howie in the Hills: Grove House at Mission Resort
