Located right next to Sugar Boo’s Bar-B-Que, this locals’ haunt is Mount Dora’s premier destination for soul food favorites. Ivory’s excels at hearty southern breakfasts served with grits. Lunch and dinner options include Lucille’s special: pork chops, chicken, or fish with rice, cornbread and two side dishes.

Famous for serving some of central Florida’s best smoked meats, Sugar Boo’s has been consistently winning regional contests for years. The diminutive, green-painted shack certainly has the feel of a legitimate, no-frills barbecue joint. The food more than delivers here with a selection of brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken, as well as classic southern sides and a key lime pie made with real key limes.

This eatery offers a quintessential old-school diner experience, albeit with a pretty unique ambiance. A huge fish tank dominates part of the green and purple dining room, and etched glass art featuring Greco-Roman figures adorn some of the booths. The kitchen dishes out classic American comfort food for breakfast and lunch, including fluffy stacks of pancakes with caramelized banana topping, biscuits and gravy, and sandwiches.

A mainstay of Mount Dora’s dining scene, Pisces Rising offers one of the town’s most scenic vistas right on Lake Dora. The menu features dishes inspired by the abundance of seasonal local produce, as well as the global flavors that have influenced contemporary Floridian cuisine. Its Cuban-style whole fried snapper in a coconut and cilantro sauce has kept locals and visitors returning for years.

Although this eatery serves breakfast and lunch and includes some very British items like Cornish pasties and meat pies, the high tea service is definitely its most distinctive attraction. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing cup of tea along with scones and homemade clotted cream, Victoria sponge cake, or an array of finger sandwiches. The charming dining room is modeled after an archetypical English drawing room and adds to the authentic feel.

This upscale restaurant has been around since 1996 and is a perennial favorite among locals, and even is a dining destination for residents of nearby Orlando. Goblin Market offers a taste of 90s dining nostalgia from its cozy, provincial-style décor to its very classic menu. Dishes like escargots in puff pastry and steaks with demi glace enriched sauces are consistently well executed and will take you back to a time when cell phones at the dinner table weren’t really an issue.

The name, alone, is reason enough to check this place out, if just to find out what a magical meat boutique actually is. While this eatery may not be the enchanted butcher shop that its name suggests, it does offer some of Lake County’s most authentic British pub staples. Fish and chips, scotch eggs, and a selection of British sandwiches called “butties” are just a few of the favorites on the menu, along with an extensive selection of international beers.

This historic inn is the oldest continuously operated hotel in Florida and had even hosted President Calvin Coolidge and his wife for an entire month. The current owners have thoughtfully preserved its Victorian-era charm, which gives visitors and guests a true old Florida experience. The elegantly appointed Beauclaire Dining Room offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch featuring interpretations of Southern favorites along with traditional American fare.

This sprawling bar, restaurant, and microbrewery offers a multitude of creatively decorated spaces, both indoors and out. The venue features a selection of beers brewed on site to pair with an eclectic array of dishes that include bar favorites like burgers and sandwiches, as well as more innovative entrees like a crab-stuffed salmon wellington. It also hosts a constant rotation of musical acts and a regular open mic night.