The longer the trip to the U.S., the more we will miss home, and the food from Brazil is one of the first things that tourists miss when they are in Orlando, especially families with children.
Orlando, which is already accustomed to receiving many Brazilian families, is full of options of Brazilian restaurants, some of which are already super known by tourists. Today, however, I want to talk about a very tasty option that has not yet entered the route of tourists, is Ana’s Kitchen.
With a very Brazilian and varied menu, dishes made on time with whim and a fair price, Ana’s Kitchen is for me one of the best options in the city for those who want to kill the homesickness of Brazil without weighing so much in the pocket.
This restaurant is well hidden and in my opinion only finds it who already leaves home planning to go there. There’s not much of that thing “I was driving for nothing, I passed in front of Ana’s Kitchen and decided to get in”.
I don’t know if the fact that it’s half hidden is something purposeful to keep the environment discreet, charming and cozy but once you have the address in hand, everything is much easier, after all it is very close to the International Drive and important points of the city. So just put the address that is at the end of this post in your waze or gps and follow the step by step!
Arriving at Ana’s Kitchen, you realize that it’s a very intimate environment. Even because it’s a la carte and has a small space, with few tables, it’s much quieter than other Brazilian restaurants.
The decoration is a separate chapter, full of very cute details. Tables and chairs of different models, the salt shakers are also not the same on all tables and right at the entrance, you can see a table with various artifacts, as well as some food options that are on sale to anyone who wants to take home.
On the day of our visit, there was a chicken pie for sale, a good option for those who will rent a house or condo. In addition to this pie, on a small plate they announce the sale of frozen products, i.e., it can be a beautiful branch breaker so as not to escape so much from the routine of Brazil but avoid cooking on vacation, right?
In another little blackboard, this one nailed to the wall, we’ll find the specials of the week. It’s a special dish a day, which costs from US$10.50 from what I saw. For those who want to know the specials before the visit, Ana’s Kitchen publishes every Sunday the list of specials for next week in its instagram (link at the end of the post).
Ana’s Kitchen is an a la carte restaurant with options of meat, chicken, fish, all in the style of Brazil. The dishes are plentiful so always ask the waiters if you can share them.
I was inclined to order a chicken with tangerine sauce and salvia, which was the special of the day, but I ended up deciding for the steak with rice and beans and fried cassava. Nothing to see one dish with the other, right? lol. Already Bia (my friend who will be more and more present in my posts after spending about 20 days with me in Orlando) was going to order another dish, but talking to the waitress who attended us, we knew that the dish of the steak already came with 3 slices of meat which was more than enough for us. So we decided to order just one dish and anything, we could order a reinforcement later. The result: the steak gave us both and there was still some left over.
I think it’s important to emphasize this abundance of dishes because it’s something that influences too much the amount of your bill at the end. A steak dish for $17.80 may seem a bit expensive (although it is cheaper than a meat dish in most American meat houses), but when you see that there are 3 steaks accompanied by rice, beans, farofa and fried cassava, the price is quite fair.
Before the steak, we were hypnotized by the word “pastel” that was on the blackboard also that announced the menu of frozen foods. I didn’t need a pastel but this is a weak point that I share with Bia: we love pastel! ls Luck that was not very big (size of party pastel, you know?) so it was possible to eat without much guilt, even knowing that the steak was waiting for us. lol
As in all restaurants, when you order the meat, you choose the point you want. I like meat to the point in the United States that is equivalent to the rare one in Brazil. Our steak came at the point we wanted and all the side dishes were very well done.
Detail that both the waitress and Ana who gives the restaurant its name came to our table to know if everything was ok with the dishes, if it was our first time there in the restaurant and everything else. A very nice and attentive service all the time.
I was already keeping an eye on several desserts but talking to Ana, we knew that the brigadier had been made that morning and we were dying of desire. We asked a brigadier to share what was more than enough since he was huge. No kidding, the brigadier was practically the size of a tennis ball. Of course I would have eaten whole if Bia wasn’t there and she would have eaten whole if I wasn’t there because he was PERFECT. But we already had a good dose of brigadier each.
Now I’m going to ask permission here because I want to continue talking about the brigadier, because I think he deserves it. I’m a little boring with a brigadier, I hate most brigadier and even brigadier, but Ana’s Kitchen’s was a real brigadier, neither those things you buy ready nor those gourmetized versions. It was really homemade! It was fresh, with flavor and texture the way I like it. It’s the kind of brigadier that couldn’t exist on the side of my job because I’d be tempted to go there every day and buy “just a brigadier” until the moment I couldn’t even get through the door. I wanted one now to tell you the truth. lol
Finally, we ordered two coffees and here’s another detail I enjoyed at Ana’s Kitchen. They offer two coffee options: espresso and strained. I usually take espresso after lunch even though I miss the good strained coffee from Brazil during my days in Orlando. Bia wanted the strained and both mine and hers were as good as the ones in Brazil.
Counting our drinks, starter pastry, steak plate with all the side dishes, dessert and coffee, our bill was $35.71 + tip. I found a very good price especially considering the quality of the food and the abundance. For those who want to save even more, you can just stay on the main course (willpower to jump the brigadeiro!), eat super well and probably spend less than you would spend on a Disney fast-food.
Of course, the sizes vary according to what is requested from the menu but the steak could be shared with even one more person who had an appetite similar to mine and Bia’s, that is, a dish of 17.80 dollars for 3 people. For those who have an appetite like Felipe’s, I think dividing into two would be good size. Anyway, the important thing is that the dishes are full and you can eat super well without spending too much. There are plenty of options!
Ana’s Kitchen has already become one of the most popular Brazilian restaurants in Orlando, offering fresh, freshly made food with a variety of whims and options. The prices are very fair because of what is offered there, with the possibility of sharing the most abundant dishes, which makes this restaurant a very economical alternative.
If you are considering a visit to Ana’s Kitchen, follow them on instagram because they always post many pictures of the dishes, and announce the specials of the week. That’s how they caught my attention and I decided to visit them, which proved to be a great decision. I liked it a lot!
Name: Ana’s Kitchen
Address: 8865 Commodity Circle, Suite 5, Orlando, FL, 32819
Phone: +1 407-760-3240
Reference: near Sand Lake
Price: around US$10 to US$20 per person, depending on the order.
Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday from 11:30am to 8pm. Saturdays from 11h30 to 18h. Not open on Sundays.
Menu: on the restaurant’s Facebook page
Disney Dining Plan: No
