Orlando's Hand-Pulled Noodle Revolution

Fueling the city's noodle obsession, one steamy bowl at a time

- BY KIRSTEN HARRINGTON

Orlando turns 150 this year.

What used to be a small town dotted with orange groves has grown into a world-famous entertainment hub with a flourishing food scene. Recently, dim sum spots and noodle joints have burst onto the scene like a juicy soup dumpling.

In the 1970s, Vietnamese refugees set up businesses in Mills 50, the heart of Orlando's Asian and Pacific Islander district. Subsequent revitalization efforts and Michelin stars landing on a pair of Japanese restaurants in 2022 propelled Orlando's Asian food culture forward.

Today, a good portion of the city's Michelin Guide-recognized restaurants are Asian. What better way to celebrate Orlando's birthday than with a bowl of hand-pulled noodles, symbols of longevity?

Since these noodle shops are stretched across the city like a springy strand of la mian, you'll need a car—and a friend since noodles taste best when slurped in tandem.

FRIDAY

First, check into the Grand Bohemian Orlando. This stunning, art-forward 248-room downtown hotel underwent a $20 million renovation in 2024. A sleek, black Bösendorfer piano punctuates the rotunda, the centerpiece for the popular Sunday jazz brunch.