02/19/2023
If a taste of Asia is what you’re looking for, then look no further! The City of Orlando has plenty of restaurants to go around! Here are three Asian restaurants in Orlando that’ll bring you a unique Asian dining experience and save you hundreds on an international plane ticket!
Nine Spices Hotpot
Located just mere minutes away from Universal Studios on South Kirkman Road, Nine Spices Hotpot is a restaurant that makes you put your cooking skills to the test!
At Nine Spices, their dining style is centered on a cooking method that originated in China where your table has a heat source to keep your own personal soup bowl simmering while you get to choose from a wide assortment of meats, noodles, and veggies to cook right in front of you.
Even better, this restaurant has a conveyor belt system that loops around the entire restaurant and has all the menu options available for you to grab and get to cooking. You don’t have to wait for your server to bring you your food — your food comes to you!
For your soup broth, you can choose from seven soup broths, and for meat, there are many beef, pork, chicken and seafood options. You even get to choose from five noodle options!
The best part about this eatery is that it’s all you can eat for two hours! It’s about $27 per person, about $9 for kids aged 3-7, and about $17 for kids aged 8-10.
However, just because it’s AYCE doesn’t mean you can bite off more than you can chew. Nine Spices has a zero waste policy, which means that you must finish all the food you get — and taking leftovers home isn’t an option. Leaving even just one plate of uneaten meat, veggies, noodles, etc. will result in being charged the price of an additional person (another $27). But fret not, all you have to do is just order what you know you’ll eat!
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
At Gyu-Kaku, their Japanese BBQ dining experience is a little bit different from your typical Korean BBQ. With KBQQ, the meats are typically marinated beforehand, but with JBQQ there is more focus on the natural flavors of the meat with additional sauce pairings on the side. This specific location is on Turkey Lake Road, just five minutes from Icon Park here in Orlando.
At Gyu-Kaku, you get your own personal grill at your table, with both fixed JBBQ menu options and AYCE ones.
Gyu-Kaku makes planning your dining experience as easy as pie by creating menu options based on party size. You can get the value course, which is $65 for two people ($60 during happy hour), which comes with six meat options, vegetables, and a few sides.
The next JBBQ dining option is the $75 for two people “meat lover’s” choice. With this option, you get the same starters as the value course with the addition of Gyu-Sushi and Japanese chicken karaage. You also get six meat options with the ability to upgrade to prime kalbi short rib and harami skirt steak. Even better, you and your dining partner each get a yummy s’more to roast over the grill for dessert!
For $90 for two people, you can get the “chef’s choice” JBBQ option. You get the same starters with the addition of beef sukiyaki bibimbap and napa kimchi. You also get higher quality meats to barbecue such as filet mignon and umakara ribeye.
If you’re dining for more than a pair, Gyu-Kaku also has JBBQ options for larger parties. They have $110 for three people, $160 for four people, and $210 for six people.
You can get small plates with gyoza, kimchi, tofu, and more, as well as a variety of soups and salads.
If you’re just looking for a quick lunch and aren’t dining with others, Gyu-Kaku also has an extensive lunch menu where you can get two BBQ items for $14.95 or three for $18.95. If you’re not feeling BBQ, you can opt for their delicious rice and noodle bowls.
Pho Hoa
In search of something different from the aforementioned dining experiences? We’ve got you covered. Pho Hoa is the perfect little slice of Vietnamese cuisine located near the Milk District on North Primrose Drive in Orlando.
Pho is a delicious Vietnamese soup dish that consists of broth, rice noodles, herbs and vegetables, and meat.
Pho Hoa breaks its menu down into four sections: Pho Noodle Soups for the Beginners, Just the Regular, the Adventurer’s Choice, and Specialty Pho-Noodle Soups.
Those who prefer a tender, lean cut of beef can order from the beginners section and have six soup options to choose from, some including pho with round eye steak, pho with meatballs, and pho with brisket.
Those looking for a fattier meat in their dish can order from the regular section with another six soup options. These dishes use the same meats as the former with fattier cuts, providing a much more flavorful dining experience.
Pho Hoa’s menu describes the adventurer’s choice part of the menu as being for those who want the most “unusual” yet tastiest of meats with five soup options to choose from. Most of the pho dishes on this menu have soft tendon and tripe meat cuts.
The specialty pho-noodle soups come with their own unique broth and flavor. You can get chicken soup, seafood soup, and beef stew with pho noodles or bread.
Pho Hoa also has an extensive vermicelli menu, which are soup bowls made with thinner vermicelli noodles. In your vermicelli bowl, you can choose from a variety of meats such as grilled pork, shrimp, meatball, and chicken.
As you can see, there are quite a few options when it comes to asian dining experiences in this area. It doesn’t get more authentic than going to the countries these delicious dining experiences originate from though, but you can come pretty close right here in Orlando!
