Savor delicious LGBTQ+ owned restaurants in Orlando with Instagram influencer Christina Petsos.
Updated Oct. 27, 2025
Orlando is home to more than 6,000 restaurants, including many that are LGBTQ+ owned. Here is my guide to some of the best.
Discover: Orlando LGBTQ+ Travel Guide
Editor’s note: We added information about four additional LGBTQ+ owned restaurants in October 2025, courtesy of Visit Orlando Editorial Content Intern Roger S. Jimenez.
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Christina Petsos’ Picks
Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
I get asked where to eat at Disney Springs® often, and Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ is the very first place I always recommend if you can snag a reservation. Smith is a James Beard Award winner and prior personal chef for Oprah Winfrey. To say he is talented is an understatement.
Discover: Things to Do at DISNEY SPRINGS
Smith was raised in Florida, and Homecomin’ is a nod to his roots. The food is mainly Southern comfort food. I have dined here multiple times, and it always hits every single visit. Whether you are visiting or a local, Homecomin’ should be on your short list of restaurants to experience.
One of my favorite things at Homecomin’ is the moonshine flight. You can try all the flavors this way (and maybe get a bit of a buzz). For an entree, I tend to always order the Fried Chicken & Doughnuts with mac and cheese. I’m not usually a creature of habit, but it is just so good that I know I need it every time.
The Glass Knife
On bustling Orlando Avenue in Winter Park sits the impressive bakery known as The Glass Knife. They are well known for their beautiful, handcrafted pastries and scratch-made savory dishes. In June, they have fun Pride-themed pastries. You can’t miss their giant cinnamon rolls or a petite cake either. Grab a cup of coffee, too — I’ve enjoyed every flavor I’ve tried. And do not sleep on their savory items like the Egg Biscuit Sandwich; it’s one of my favorite things here. They are also super dog friendly.
Discover: Things to Do in Winter Park
The name of The Glass Knife is rooted in history and family tradition. Owner/founder Steve Brown’s mother was a cake decorator and she collected glass knives. In fact, all the glass knives in the long table inside the eatery belonged to her. Glass knives were common before stainless steel knives were created. Prior to that, if a cake was cut with a metal knife, it would leave a metallic taste, so a man named John Didio decided a glass knife was needed so there was no taste left behind.
Discover: Over-the-Top Orlando Desserts
When the sign for The Glass Knife went up, Brown was contacted by John Didio’s granddaughter. Turns out, she lives in Central Florida! Small world. Her family donated one of Didio’s printing plates, which is also on display in the store. Be sure to look for it next time you’re there. And if you’re wondering what Brown’s favorite treat in their case is, it’s the Oatmeal Creme Pie.
Se7en Bites
Chef Trina Gregory-Popst isn’t a Food Network regular and head of a MICHELIN Recommended restaurant for nothing. The Se7en Bites owner is a master in the kitchen. Talk about some down-home, Southern comfort cooking, right in the heart of Orlando’s Milk District.
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I tend to always go for the sweet options here, but the savory is just as good. Each year for Pride Month, Se7en Bites has a rainbow cake and rainbow cinnamon rolls (they are heavenly). And no matter the time of year, you can get a myriad of other baked goods that are all fantastic choices. If I had to tell you what to get, it would be the Signature Chicken Biscuit, Minnie Pearl or Nighttime Sky Pie.
Discover: Orlando’s MICHELIN Guide Restaurants
Chef Trina is a local pillar here in the Orlando community, which is evident by the other local businesses who partner with her such as Barnie’s Coffee & Tea Co. and Orange Blossom Brewing Co. In fact, Se7en Bites is the only restaurant Barnie’s has ever agreed to create a coffee for. If you visit, bring your hunger, because the portions are massive. You will leave here very satisfied.
More LGBTQ+ Owned Restaurants
Bites & Bubbles
Renowned Chef Eddie Nickell and his partner Nicholas Olivieri are practiced Orlando restaurateurs who have a history of bringing distinctive experiences to Orlando’s culinary scene, such as The Funky Monkey and the fondly remembered Bananas Diner. This time, Bites & Bubbles — located in the heart of Mills 50® District — blends French cuisine with a unique American twist and daily menu changes. Inspired by European influences and Continental cooking, the owners outdid themselves creating an atmosphere that makes stepping into Bites & Bubbles feel like you’ve been whisked away to an old-country getaway.
Discover: Things to Do in Mills 50
Garp & Fuss
Open since 2018, Winter Park’s Garp & Fuss has consistently remained at the top of numerous ‘Best Of’ and ‘Fave LGBTQ+ Spots’ lists across the internet thanks to owners Nikki Nielksen and Liz Zucco. Found in the Hidden Garden of Park Avenue, Garp & Fuss emanates a home-like warmth wrapped in style. It features a gorgeous glass atrium where you can dine American comfort food, drink craft cocktails and play some pool for free while taking in the scenic views of the courtyard.
Discover: A Perfect Day in Winter Park
The Outpost
Although Thornton Park District’s legendary Island Time has closed their doors, the closure didn’t stop owners Devon Tillman and John Teixara (owner and commissioner of OUT Sports League) from returning bigger and better than ever with a new venture called The Outpost. Located right by the edge of Lake Eola, the old Persimmon Hollow has been transformed into a new gay-owned tavern that offers delicious comfort food, giant screens with live sports, and their iconic all-inclusive drag brunches.
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Every Sunday, The Outpost’s 18+ drag brunch provides food, drinks and fabulous entertainment for a flat fee. Sip on mimosas and enjoy brunch favorites like biscuits and gravy or chicken and waffle while you watch performers spill out onto the street and dance the day away. Reservations are highly recommended!
Discover: Gay-Friendly Nightspots
The Gnarly Cuban
The Gnarly Cuban is a queer-owned Cuban eatery that has been serving up delicious Latin bites at all your favorite local Orlando markets since 2020. Now that they have opened their own little “ventanita” in College Park Main Street, you can finally skip the market lines and try their famous empanadas, Cuba-rritos or Havana rice bowls whenever you want to savor the flavors of Latin America.
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The Gnarly Cuban is open five days a week but if you happen to miss them during business hours, you can always catch them at the next Milk Mart or Goblin Market along with the rest of the locals who line up and down the block for one of their unforgettable Frita Empanadas and croquetas.
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