RESTAURANT OPENINGS & CLOSINGS:
When Soco closed this spring after 11 years in Thornton Park, owner Craig Ustler promised to bring “something exciting” to the space. Enter Jason and Sue Chin. The James Beard-nominated restaurateurs will open Osteria Ester, an “Italian American” restaurant featuring handmade pastas by Osprey chef Michael Cooper, later this year. The restaurant is named after Cooper’s grandmother … Perla’s Pizza, chef Michael Collantes’ nonconformist pie house, will refire in its new Winter Park space at 959 W. Fairbanks Ave. on Friday, Sept. 12. Perla’s will serve “Florida Man pizza” with a goal to be “hated by all Italians” … More pizza news: The Secret Slice is now firing pies from its not-so-secret location behind a red door outside The Neighbors at East End Market. Order online at theneighborsorl.com, wait to be notified, and your pan pizza will be delivered through a slot in the door … Neko San, a quick-style omakase concept and sake bar by chef Lewis Lin, will open this winter next door to his restaurant Susuru at 8546 Palm Parkway. Neko San will offer one-hour, nigiri-focused omakases starting at $65 from a six-seat counter …
KungFu Kitchen, the noodle and dumpling house by famed NYC chef Peter Song, will open its second Orlando location, this one at 5320 S. Kirkman Road, on Sept. 15 … H Mart, the long-awaited Asian supermarket and food court, will open at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7501 W. Colonial Drive. Everything from Korean corn dogs and barbecue to Japanese fried cutlets and pastries will be offered … Closings to announce: Blu on the Avenue has closed on Park Avenue after 13 years in Winter Park … PDQ Chicken in Winter Park, Hunter’s Creek and Waterford/UCF will close Sept. 14 and reopen as outposts of Saucy! by KFC … Frank’s Pizza Shop, a brother operation of Antonella’s Pizzeria, has closed on University Boulevard in Winter Park.
FOOD NEWS & EVENTS:
Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew at Disney Springs will donate a portion of the proceeds from each sale of their limited-edition H.O.W. Butterfly doughnut in September to Hearing the Ovarian Cancer Whisper … Chef Jes Tantalo rings in Oktoberfest from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Redlight Redlight, serving a menu brimming with weisswurst, Duroc pork hock, schnitzels, beer-butter-basted barbecue, seasoned trout and potato salads.
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This article appears in Sept. 10-16, 2025.
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