Get The Most Magic from Visit Orlando Magical Dining Month

September’s Visit Orlando Magical Dining Month is pure magic! With so many great restaurants, how do you choose?

September is a great month to be in Orlando. The area’s best restaurants participate in Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining Month offering a special 3 course, prix-fixe menu at substantial savings, for only $35 per person.

This is enough to make my inner foodie do cartwheels!

On top of that, some area resorts offer deals in conjunction with Magical Dining for the perfect mini getaway. And the cherry on top is that $1 per Magical Dining meal sold will benefit selected local charities. It’s pure magic!

Each year the program grows bigger and bigger! It began in 2006 with 26 restaurants. In 2017, 110 restaurants are part of the program! Here’s the challenge: unless you eat dinner twice a day, with so many great choices you have to narrow down your list.

Here are my tips for how to choose which restaurants to visit and get the most magic from Magical Dining Month.

Top 9 Tips To Get The Most Magic from Magical Dining Month:

1. GO Try Something New

You can afford to be more adventurous when spending less dough. GO try one of the new restaurants making a splash in the Orlando dining scene. Or you can #MakeSomedayHappen and GO to one of those restaurants you’ve always wanted to visit. You know, the Orlando institutions you often say “I’ll go there someday”? What restaurants are on your “Someday List”?

2. GO For Choices

 
Review the menus, conveniently available by area and type of cuisine on the Visit Orlando Magical Dining Website. Some restaurants offer a large variety of choices of appetizers, entrees and desserts. Some even offer an additional course! GO for restaurants with the most dishes to your liking. More is definitely better and some restaurants are doing it right by offering more than 2 choices for each course.

3. GO For Creativity

 
When offering prix fixe menus, some restaurants sadly miss the opportunity to showcase their creativity. Offering instead, safe options of soup or salad starters, beef, plain chicken or salmon entrees and mousse for dessert. Incredibly boring, unless they kick it up a notch! Other restaurants GO for creativity in a big way. Look at the menus and reward those that do it right.

4. GO For the MVP

A three course meal for $35 per person at a great restaurant is already a fantastic value across the board. However, some restaurants truly have the MVP – Most Valuable Proposition. If entrees on the regular menu are $30 or more, you have a steal with Magical Dining. High end steakhouses like Capital Grille, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle and Eddie V’s are examples of getting your money’s worth!

5. GO Make a Night Of It!

 
Why not get away for a mini vacation (or staycation)? The area’s best resorts offer packages at a fraction of the cost this time of year. Some of my favorite resort and dinner pairings from the past include Rosen Shingle Creek resort and dinner at A Land Remembered Steakhouse, Rosen Centre Hotel and dinner at Everglades Restaurant, Hyatt Regency Orlando and dinner at Urban Tide and The Four Seasons and Dinner at Ravello. But there are so many resorts participating, I will be trying new ones this year.

6. GO Bev Pairing

Take advantage of special wine or cocktail pairing offers with the Magical Dining menu or create your own. Don’t forget to ask when making reservations or when you’re seated for any special beverage offers.

7. GO Share with Friends

 
Magical Dining is a great opportunity to get friends together, celebrate life and create lasting memories over a great meal. Plus, the more friends, the more you get to sample different dishes. Around my table it’s tradition to pass plates around. Sharing is caring!

8. GO Off Peak

Many restaurants on Magical Dining are popular on weekends so I prefer to dine mid-week and have a more leisurely evening. Reservations are always recommended, regardless of when you choose to go – many offer online reservations. Also keep in mind, some restaurants will gladly present the Magical Dining menu, and may even offer extra perks and bonuses for you to return. At other restaurants, you must specifically request it.

9. GO Just Ask

Looking for vegetarian dishes? Worried about food allergies? Is parking additional? Do they offer wine pairings? Call and just ask. Every restaurant participating in Magical Dining does so as an opportunity to gain new customers. Ask about any concerns or wants and chances are they will accommodate. Those that don’t, you can cross off your list. Most hotel restaurants will offer complimentary parking including valet. Every restaurant will accommodate vegetarian requests and food allergies, some do it better than others. Again, just call ahead, ask and then be the judge. One thing you don’t need to ask about is the prices offered for Magical Dining and Magical Nights do not include tax and gratuity. It is always advisable to take good care of your servers.

Now that you’ve read the tips. Here are my restaurant recommendations for this year!

Check out the Best Ways to Enjoy Magical Dining in Orlando in 2017 with lots of ideas for great outings and the restaurants that are creating the most buzz!

I hope you will GO take advantage of Visit Orlando Magical Dining Month. It’s not only a fantastic value and a fun opportunity to dine out with friends but it’s also a great way to support local businesses and dine for a good cause. This definitely makes dining out much more magical.

Have you made your choices yet? Please let me know which restaurants are on your list in the comments below.

Remember sharing is caring. If you liked these tips, please share with your friends on social media.

Cheers!

Go Epicurista

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