I have a deep love of alligators so I was delighted to find Old Joe across from Gilbert Park…read more According to legend, 15 foot Old Joe terrified local residents at the turn of the 19th century by consuming livestock and other small animals. He was well known by the steamboat captains and was the most respected alligator on the lake. Today Old Joe's offspring can still be found swimming in the area. In 2018 two local residents, dentist Loyd "Mike" Kiernan and Richard MacSherry decided to commemorate Old Joe with a donated $52,000, 15 foot, bronze statue. Joe was unveiled on February 20, 2018. The 1,200 ton statue now sits next to Lake Beauclaire, one of Old Joe's old haunts. The American Bronze Foundry In Sanford created the statue of the conch blowing greeter at the southern most point in Key West and they also made Old Joe. Old Joe sits on the ground so people can climb on him for a photo. The only thing dangerous about this Joe is he is made of metal that can burn your legs on a hot summer day.

Viva La Frida is a charming, small art festival in Mount Dora that's still new but has great…read morepotential. Tickets are required, but you get plenty in return, live music, food trucks, and a selection of art to browse and buy. I enjoyed some drinks, tasty bites from the trucks, and even picked up a few goodies to take home. It's a great way to spend an afternoon, especially if you're looking for something new to do. Very kid-friendly, too. One thing to note: parking in Mount Dora on a weekend with an event can be a challenge. Plan ahead or arrive early, we ended up parking pretty far from the event, which was the only downside of the day. Still, we had a good time and got to explore more of Mount Dora in the process.

We're currently at the Mount Dora art festival, but it took us around 15-20 minutes to find…read moreavailable parking spot. After finally finding a parking spot, we had to walk for about a mile to reach the location of the festival. If you're planning to attend this festival, it's advisable to come early when they first open to avoid parking and walking issues. There are lots of food stalls, vendors, and amazing artwork to admire. In addition, there's live music playing at the center of the art festival.

My bf and I went to KKO chocolate in Mount Dora. The day was little bit cold so we went there to…read moreget some nice hot chocolate. I hav tried many different hi chocolate. The hot chocolate at this shop was beyond my imagination. Very rich yet very tasty. Because you don't need to drink a lot to enjoy. Richness of chocolate yet you can enjoy it in your month for a long time. We also got a box of 6 chocolates. Each of them was delicious. I got raspberry and coffee ganache. The staffs were very friendly and the shop has cute yet elegant vibe. Those chocolates are great for gifts for others and yourself. Highly recommended!

If you love homemade chocolates, fruit pate and unbelievable desserts; this is a must go to place…read morein Mount Dora. Not only is everything instagram gorgeous; the taste is amazing. Everything is made in the shop. Sometimes you can see them in the kitchen creating.

Not impressed with this place. Its a great location with potential but they have some things to…read moreimprove. First, It didn't seem like the food was fresh, the fries tasted stale, the spinach pie was a huge blob and the presentation was awkward. The spinach pie was nearly the size of the plate and was nearly flat as a pancake. I was so confused why they even bothered placing it on a bed of lettuce. I ended up with wilted lettuce at the end. My biggest complaint is they need to pay attention to their cleanliness. I had something floating in my glass, there was a large cobweb hanging from the main light fixture, and when my food was brought out, the tray was covered in crumbs. At least wipe it down after clearing a table.

My wife and I decided to try this place. Overall, in my opinion the food was ok. My wife ordered…read morechicken primavera with a salad. I ordered the minestrone and clams-linguini with red wine sauce. Her salad came out and the greens were fresh, but the salad was drowned in dressing. The pasta and chicken were over cooked. The portion was huge, but I think for the price it missed the mark. We did get some bread and it was lacking flavor aka love. My soup came out and the broth was flavorful, carrots tender and everything else was over cooked, especially the pasta. It tasted like the soup and pasta were cooking for hours causing the pasta to be soggy. As a chef, there are several techniques that could have been used to improve the soup texture. The broth was the best part of the soup. My main dish came out and it missed several profiles such as flavor, texture, and freshness. I could tell the clams were canned and the pasta was boxed. Pasta was a bit over cooked, but not as bad as the soup. The portion was huge and presentation was awesome. Overall, the ambiance was awesome. Live music was playing. Staff were friendly. Place was clean. Not sure the price justified the overall dining experience for me. They say you eat with your eyes, nose, and mouth. It definitely looked tasty,

I New Year's Eve we had a party of 10 people. Service was exceptional…read more Celeste, (our server} your kindness and attention made our meal really special. Chef Gianni out did himself!!!!! The food was delicious. Tom and friends

Had dinner at Gianni's yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! Apparently I was so hungry that I…read moretotally forgot to take pictures of my food when it arrived... oops! My husband ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese which was very excellent! Good portion and the pasta was cooked to perfection; it reminded us of the pasta we had in Italy last year so it's definitely traditional. I had the Pollo Cacciatore and it was also delicious. I did substitute the pasta for a house salad and I wish the salad portion was bigger as it's a $3 up-charge (it was a very small side salad). Overall, great service and quality food!

5 Enormous Stars! I can't believe that this business did not have a Yelp listing already set up…read more This is, by far, one of the best walking food and wine tours I have ever taken, and I've taken over twenty. Our group had 12 people in it; she said the most she'll do is groups of 16. Cost was approximately $100 per person. Communication was excellent regarding meeting time, place, etc. The business is owned and operated by Jimberly, (yes, Jimberly) who used to be a chef, and owned her own small restaurant... 'til Covid came along. She prides herself on the fact that none of the places we stop at have pre-made, bar/generic food. Let her know ahead of time if you have any dietary restrictions, and she'll do her best to make special arrangements for you. She has been a Mount Dora native for many years, and had so many great local stories, gave a bunch of great recommendations, and knew people and dogs almost everywhere we went. Each food tour Jimberly does varies, depending on restaurant availability, but this is the one we took: Stop 1: Olive Branch - half glass of red, half glass of white, house salad, penne alla vodka. Stop 2: Lakeside Inn Gift Shop - shot of peach wine, shot of pomegranate wine, shot of chocolate liquor. We got a discount if we bought anything. Stop 3: Las Palmas Cuban Restaurant - scoop of mofongo, piece of skirt steak, piece of cuban, tostone with ropa vieja, piece of flan, piece of tres leches cake, small mojito! This place was outstanding! Stop 4: White Orchid Market Gift Shop - chip with dip, ramekin of pasta, small piece of fudge. Discount, so I bought a candle. Stop 5: Magical Meat Boutique - This is a British Pub, so we had fish and chips, and a cocktail. So good! So full! Absolutely a great experience, and a "must" do if you visit Mount Dora.

My wife and I came back to Vincent's for the first time in 19 years to celebrate our anniversary,…read moreand honestly--it was perfect. We lived in the area back in 2005-2007 and Vincent's was one of those places that just stuck with us. You always wonder if places you loved years ago will still hold up... especially these days. Thankfully, Vincent's absolutely does. The food is still wonderful--rich, flavorful, and comforting in that nostalgic way that reminds you why you fell in love with it in the first place. Nothing felt watered down or "modernized" for the wrong reasons. It felt familiar, intentional, and genuinely cared for. Change isn't always progress. Sometimes staying loyal to who you are is the real win--and Vincent's has clearly done that. We left happy, full, and grateful that this place is still exactly what we remembered. Five stars, without hesitation.

We've always enjoyed coming to Vincent's Italian Restaurant--pizza and meatballs are consistently…read morefantastic, and it's been a reliable spot for our regular "Pizza Friday" rotation. Unfortunately, this visit left us a bit disappointed. We later noticed that a 20% gratuity had already been added to each of our tabs, which was not clearly disclosed. As a result, we unknowingly left our usual 20% tip on top of that. We absolutely respect and support fair compensation for servers, but automatic gratuity should be clearly communicated upfront. When we casually mentioned it--without asking for anything to be removed--the response we received felt dismissive. More concerning, our waitress (Becca) then appeared to discuss the situation with another table in a way that felt unprofessional. We still appreciate the quality of the food and have enjoyed many visits here, but transparency and professionalism matter. Since we rotate local restaurants for our weekly outings, experiences like this do influence where we choose to return.

Another perfect pizza pie, Greek salad, garlic knots and hot honey wings!! The staff is friendly…read moreand the food is delicious:)

They were super friendly and greeted us as soon as we walked in! It is a very small place but comfy…read morebooths are available to dine in! We went during lunch time during the week so not many people! We chose the deluxe!! It was pipping hot (just how I love it!), cheesy, crunchy pepperoni and tasty, the crust was delicious!! We chose well done

Moved to MD in June and we're near MD Pizza / Subs. Just tried it and quite a positive impression…read more Diner decor and busy but I picked up an excellent pizza at a fair price. Not a date night but an excellent menu selection and crowd was solid evidence it is popular.

Sheila was a great server and was as are. all servers at Mount Dora pizza friendly and attentive…read more we always look forward to going to Mount Dora pizza.

We had a large pizza with 2 different halves. They don't normally do white and marinara halves, but…read moreweren't too busy on this Friday afternoon to accommodate us. The other two diners in our party split the lasagna and found the serving generous. They also really liked the garlic bread and ordered an extra side of this. My half of the pizza was the Stavros Deluxe and the toppings were very generous and of good quality. I also found the crust to be crisp despite being a thicker variety and it had a good flavor. I also split a Greek salad with my wife and the medium size was perfect for the both of us. Seating was comfortable, but our location was directly under the vents. So next time I'll sit along the outside wall to avoid the drafts. Our server was friendly and attentive and nobody wanted for refills or service.

The pizza is not your typical Italian crust, but just okay, as it was a little hard on the bottom…read more The cheesy garlic bread was just cheesy. And although tasty, there wasn't any garlic flavor. The plain garlic bread was spot on good.The greek salad is delicious. The meatballs and Eggplant are both pretty good, too. The service is outstanding