As we reel from the heartbreak of restaurants taken from us just this year, we can’t help but look back on some of the more tragic shutdowns from years past.
Locals may remember (and still miss) previously longstanding icons like The Coop, Linda’s Winter Park Diner, Nick’s Family Diner, Le Coq au Vin, Goff’s Drive-In and many more — now joined by even more recent closures of former greats.
So, here’s a look back at all of the iconic Orlando restaurants that have closed since 2022.
Soco Restaurant
629 E. Central Blvd., Orlando
After 11 years of serving its contemporary brand of Southern fare, Soco closed permanently in late May. The concept by real estate developer Craig Ustler and chef Greg Richie matched the lifespan of the space’s predecessor, Hue. In food and dining critic Faiyaz Kara’s 2015 review, he said the restaurant’s “imaginative, sometimes fanciful, takes on classic Southern staples are of the sort one would see on East Bay Street in Charleston, South Carolina, not East Central Boulevard in Orlando.” Credit: Photo via Soco Restaurant/Instagram
Nick’s Family Diner
1235 N. Orange Ave., Orlando
Orange Blossom Trail breakfast spot Nick’s Family Diner closed its doors after its 15-year run in Orlando. It had long been known for its cozy, casual environment, all-day breakfast and years of serving the community. Credit: Image via Google Maps
College Park Diner
2304 Edgewater Drive, Orlando
College Park Diner — one of the oldest eateries in Orlando at the time of shuttering — permanently closed in June. The diner was ordered to close temporarily due to health code violations, according to state inspection records, and they ultimately decided to close permanently, as reported by Bungalower. Credit: Photo via College Park Café/Facebook
Hammered Lamb
1235 N. Orange Ave., Orlando
After one last tumultuous year of business struggles, Ivanhoe Village’s popular eatery and catering company Hammered Lamb announced in January it would close its doors for good. The closure came after the eatery pleaded for community support amid financial hardship months earlier. The beloved spot known for its loaded brunch dishes, drink deals and regular drag brunch shows opened its doors in Ivanhoe Park in 2013. Credit: Photo via Hammered Lamb/Facebook
Hamburger Mary’s
110 W. Church St., Orlando
After nearly two decades in downtown Orlando, storied LGBTQ+-owned restaurant Hamburger Mary’s closed its doors in 2024 and announced a move to Kissimmee.First opened in 2008, Hamburger Mary’s downtown Orlando location has served as a community hub for drag and live entertainment, known for its drag brunch and drag bingo events. Its new Kissimmee location is in the works. Credit: Image via Google Maps
Graffiti Junktion
700 E. Washington St., Orlando
Graffiti Junktion announced its permanent closure last summer. The spot has maintained its beloved burger joint status in the neighborhood for more than 15 years. Graffiti Junktion’s College Park location closed in March 2023 (that spot is now inhabited by Mid Drive Dive). Now, just two locations remain, one in Orlando’s Curry Ford West area and one in Jacksonville. Credit: Image via Google Maps
Daybreak Diner
3335 Curry Ford Road, Orlando
Daybreak Diner abruptly closed its doors in late June, marking a jarring end to 27 years in business. This left a big void in both locals’ stomachs and the Dover Shores Shopping Center — which is expected to be filled by the upcoming Johnny’s Diner. Credit: Photo via Curry Ford West/Facebook
Nagoya
7600 Dr. Phillips Boulevard, Orlando
After 23 years, Dr. Phillips culinary institution Nagoya Sushi, shut its doors. It was a longtime award-winning sushi bar and Japanese dining destination. Credit: Photo via Nagoya/Facebook
310 Park South
310 S. Park Ave., Winter Park
After 26 years, 310 Park South closed its doors in Winter Park, and the space is now making way for thin-crust, coal-fired pizza joint Oak & Stone. Credit: Image via Google Maps
Hanamizuki
8255 International Drive, Orlando
Hanamizuki Japanese Restaurant, known for its strict adherence to Japanese cooking techniques, closed this spring after nearly 30 years of serving the community an abundance of sushi and ramen, grilled entrees, onigiri and more. Credit: Image via Google Maps
Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria
67 N. Bumby Ave., Orlando
Longstanding sandwich spot Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria closed its Milk District outpost in October, after nearly 20 years of business. Pom Pom’s opened in 2005 and has since become a staple eatery in Orlando. It was known for “East Meets West” themed sandwiches, unique tea blends, and an entire menu under $16. It’s since opened a new outpost in Sanford. Credit: Photo via Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria/Facebook
Farm + Haus
3201 Corrine Drive, Orlando
Brittany Walsh Lyne and Patrick Lyne, the duo behind the popular Winter Park eatery Farm + Haus, announced the restaurant’s closure in fall 2024. The Farm + Haus concept began about 10 years ago as a “dinner delivery service,” before moving into the bustling East End Market in 2016. Following a successful tenure in a stall at the food hall, the restaurant opened its own brick-and-mortar space on Park Avenue, in the heart of Winter Park. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
Ethos Vegan Kitchen
601 S. New York Ave., Winter Park
Longtime Orlando-area vegetarian and vegan hub Ethos Vegan Kitchen has closed last year after 17 years serving up plant-based fare. The Winter Park restaurant gained a loyal local following for its completely plant-based menu for lunch, dinner and brunch on the weekends. Ethos placed repeatedly over the year’s in the Best of Orlando Readers Poll, including a 2nd place finish for Best Vegan or Vegetarian Restaurant in 2024. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
Valkyrie Doughnuts
12226 Corporate Boulevard, Orlando
Valkyrie Doughnuts, the egg- and dairy-free donut shop in the UCF corridor, shut its doors in fall 2024, after seven years in the biz. The St. Pete outpost remains open. Credit: Image via Google Maps
DaJen Eats
323 E. Kennedy Blvd., Eatonville
DaJen Eats Cafe & Creamery was a Jamaican vegan restaurant in Eatonville that closed down after about seven years in business. Chef-owner Jenn Ross left Jamaica and came to America at 16 years old, developed an appreciation for cooking and embarked on a vegan lifestyle. DaJen Eats opened in 2017 serving traditional Jamaican dishes with a plant-based twist. Previously starting out serving meatless meals from her food truck stationed on North Orange Blossom Trail, Ross was inspired to start a line of vegan burgers with big flavor, she told Orlando Weekly back in 2020. Credit: Photo by Rob Bartlett
Garden Bistro
712 E. Washington St., Orlando
Garden Bistro, the Thornton Park eatery formerly known as Island Time, closed in summer 2024 — saying that their landlord decided to not renew the business’ lease. Garden Bistro/Island Time has been a mainstay of Thornton Park on Washington Street since 2019, particularly for their rollicking (and oft-sold out) Drag Brunches — kickstarted by local drag star Trinity the Tuck — on weekends. Credit: Photo via Garden Bistro/Google Maps
V’s Vegan Diner
908 State Road 436, Casselberry
The non-carnivorous dining destination V’s Vegan Diner, first a food truck, closed its brick-and-mortar outpost in Casselberry last year. The long-awaited restaurant specialized in plant-based, scratch-made diner classics like burgers, gyros and cheesesteaks. Credit: Photo via V’s Vegan Diner/Facebook
Bem Bom
3101 Corrine Drive, Orlando
Popular Portuguese restaurant Bem Bom on Corrine closed in early 2024 after five years of sharing authentic food with the Orlando area.The news came three years after the concept lost its co-owner, late chef Francisco “Chico” Mendonça. Bem Bom, co-owned by Mendonça and A.J. Campofiore, got its start as a food truck before its brick-and-mortar location opened in 2018 at 3101 Corrine Drive. Bem Bom, which is Portuguese for “very good,” had a reputation of being just that. Credit: Photo via Bem Bom on Corrine/Instagram
The 808
808 E. Washington St., Orlando
The 808, a casual Hawaiian-inspired bar-eatery by Todd Ulmer (Stardust Lounge, Aku Aku Tiki Bar) and Wendy Connor (The Abbey) in Thornton Park closed last year. After teasing the news on their Facebook page with the message “The tide is changing! Something new is coming in,” the owners announced in early October they would close, immediately announcing the next chapter for the vaunted space. The bar will be replaced with Jack & Honey’s by the now-shuttered Hammered Lamb’s Jason Lambert. The upscale diner concept has been five years in the making and was initially going to be a 24-hour spot next door to the Hammered Lamb. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Downtown Pourhouse
20 S. Orange Ave., Orlando
After 15 years, bar and eatery Downtown Pourhouse at 20 S. Orange Ave. closed its doors for good in spring of 2024. Credit: Photo via Downtown Pourhouse/Facebook
The Coop
610 W. Morse Boulevard, Winter Park
Famed Winter Park fried chicken destination The Coop closed its doors in July 2023, after nearly a decade on Morse Boulevard serving up high-quality Southern comestibles — not just fried chicken but sweet tea, shrimp and grits, coconut cake and more — to the denizens of Winter Park. Credit: Photo via the Coop/Facebook
Slate
8323 Sand Lake Road, Orlando
The Dr. Phillips restaurant Slate closed its doors permanently in early 2024. Slate, which was located on Sand Lake Road, specialized in modern American fare and had been operating since 2015. Credit: Photo via Slate/Google Maps
Neon Beach
131 N. Orange Ave., Orlando
After less than three years of service, popular downtown Orlando bar and restaurant Neon Beach served its last meal in summer 2023. Credit: Photo via Neon Beach/Facebook
Linda’s Winter Park Diner
1800 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park
Linda’s Winter Park Diner, a landmark local restaurant since the 1950s, closed its doors for the final time in summer 2023, nearly two months after the owner announced its forthcoming closure. The iconic eatery was known for its comforting array of homemade, old-fashioned diner fare, as well as the memories that local regulars made and shared along the way, from the opening of its doors decades ago to its final days on Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park. Credit: Photo via Linda’s Winter Park Diner/Facebook
Dexter’s Lake Mary
1145 Townpark Ave., Lake Mary
Dexter’s Lake Mary shuttered in fall of 2023, joining Dexter’s Thornton Park, Dexter’s Winter Park, Dexter’s Windermere and Dexter’s New Standard in the graveyard of eats. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Cafe de France
526 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789
Cafe de France opened shop in 1982, making memories for many locals for more than 30 years. When the restaurant was open, it served iconic French cuisine such as escargots, steak tartare, and coq au vin. They closed in 2022, with the owners excited to finally be free on the weekends. Credit: Photo via lecafedefrance.com
Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux
3022 Corrine Drive, Orlando
This eclectic shop and neighborhood cafe with cycling flair finally called it quits in 2022. Coro by chef Tim Lovero took over the space and remains up and running. Credit: Photo via Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux
Le Coq Au Vin
4800 S. Orange Ave., Orlando
Orlando restaurant Le Coq au Vin, a local mainstay of French cuisine for nearly 50 years, closed its doors in 2023. The venerable eatery, winner of our Best of Orlando readers poll for “Best French Restaurant” in 2022, ’21, ’20 (and many years before that), ceased operations with a final Saturday dinner service. Owner and chef Reimund Pitz put his decision down to rising food costs and declines in business due to the COVID pandemic. Credit: Photo via Le Coq Au Vin/Facebook
Orlando Meats
1035 Orlando Ave., Winter Park
This is a photo of Orlando Meats’ first and more photogenic location, before they moved to Winter Park and then closed. We gotta admit, this one still hurts. Credit: Photo via Orlando Meats/Facebook
Goff’s Drive-In
212 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando
After 50 years, the iconic ice cream stand Goff’s Drive In couldn’t weather a uniquely terrible 2022. Credit: Photo via Goff’s Drive-In/Facebook
Dining and Cooking