I came to Norman's on Friday, June 16 with a very well-traveled close friend who has deep experience with fine dining across the globe. I trust his recommendations implicitly, and the fact that this is the third iteration of Norman's he chooses to frequent speaks volumes... Every dish we ordered was fabulous, and our server, sommelier, and supporting staff were simply perfect, with multiple visits from the chef himself. We had Blue Crab Beignet, Braised Pork Belly, Gulf Shrimp Ceviche, Tamarind Glazed Octopus, Tuna Crudo, Brazilian Styled Shrimp & Mussel Chowder (OMG!!), Rhum & Pepper Painted Grouper, Sofrito Rubbed Filet Mignon, Vanilla Flancocho Cake, Chocolate Creme Brulee, and Churro Cheesecake as a table. Quite a sampling, and literally everything was incredible!! Artful presentation combined with clever and complex but never overwhelming flavor combinations have ensured that Norman's has been added to my "personal favorites by city" list of fine dining establishments. Thank you all for a truly superlative experience - VERY well done! read more

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In town for a large conference, I took some customers here for a business dinner. The service alone is worth the trip; Pedro was impeccable as a representative of Norman and took great care of the entire table. My business guest said it was one of the best meals they've had specifically a snapper dish that was ordered was "best fish I've ever had". Great wine list, good cocktails and a upbeat but not loud vibe made it a perfect choice for work dinner. read more

I went there for happy hour at terrace. So we did not have full dinner but only appetizers. We ordered cheese board, beef tartare and shrimp ceviche. Food was slightly disappointing. Beef tartare was brownish color. I still ate but not the best and my friends did not want to touch it because they were scared of the brownish color. Shrimp dish was not good either. Of course Cheese is just cheese. The terrace was beautiful though. It was perfect weather. I hear they have band and music on weekends. So I will definitely go back there to enjoy music and breeze on weekends. But not sure for dinner. Service! It was to me but too much. We just ordered a few appetizers and waiters with full suits and ties carried one small plate per waiter.... I mean if this is your thing, you would like it. But to me it was bit too much of nice service. Yet it's just personal preference. read more

We joined a couple at Norman's to try their Happy Hour menu a few nights ago. I had looked at the menu on their website and saw that they offered Pulled Pork Tacos. However, when we got seated and handed the menu, there were none to be found. My wife and I chose the Fish and Chips and the Chicken Bits. I ordered a side salad to go with the Tapas. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed in the taste of the food and the small number of menu items to choose from. While I "get" that this is a Happy Hour/Bar menu, I would have thought a restaurant like Norman's would provide more options. Why not try to entice the happy hour folks with some Tapas from the main menu? They may come back for more. Finally, I was surprised to be informed at the end of the meal that, while the fee included a 20% gratuity for the "back of house" staff, there was a separate gratuity for the Server. The amount would be at your discretion. I do not mind giving a gratuity, and I did so. However, two gratuities were over the top for a Happy Hour/Bar seating, IMO. read more

Came here for our anniversary, we wanted to love it. The food and drinks were amazing. We just had a little service mishap. My husband got the tasting menu (5 courses) & I ordered off the regular menu. Our reservation was at 8pm, at 945pm my husband had to ask the manager where my food was, I had been sitting there watching him eat his first courses for almost an hour. They need to ask when you'd like your food brought out instead of assuming and bringing it out almost 2 hours after we arrived. We were pretty irritated and it honestly ruined the experience. read more

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We stopped in for Happy Hour on 2/13, 5:15pm.... We were so looking forward to visit Normans as we are great fans of Norman Van Aiken. We finished up our golf game early so we can get there for 5pm... All seemed to be going well . Bartender gave us menus, took our drink order. Brought out drinks (great drink) , BUT then came by as we were going to put a food order in. "I'm sorry but there is not going to be a Happy Hour tonight, your drinks are still covered under our happy hour, but that is what we can do for tonight , due to how much volume we will tonight." It was 5:30pm very few people in the restaurant! We were not expecting that from Norman's. To be fair they did not charge us for the 2 drinks. BUT, what a disappointment. I spoke to the manager (rude as hell) . He said there is nothing he can do, there will be no happy hour tonight. He stated there was a mis-communication. Their own staff did not even know that the Happy Hour was cancelled ! Norman's looks like a beautiful place. I'll never know as i did not get to taste any of the food.. Not sure i will ever go back... read more

Absolutely terrible service. We have people in our party with sprained ankle and could not make it to the restaurant. We called in for a togo order and the girl was very rude and said she could not accommodate our request for a togo order despite disabled customers. Not very inclusive restaurant, very disappointed read more

Expensive and good food but not amazing ! But overall I would go again for the service and environment .

Delicious, beautiful and creative food at honestly reasonable prices. We had a lovely, seafood-centric dinner last week. Service was friendly and highly professional. Ambiance is cozy and warmly lit. My entree was the scallops with tortellini (which were hand made and light, akin to folded won tons. Orlando proper isn't a place I frankly associate with exciting dining, but this experience was a welcome surprise. I would definitely eat at Norman's again. read more

My wife gave me the surprise to Celebrate my BD at this restaurant. The ambience and decor are really nice, even though it was Monday.. The service was superb. Archer, our waiter treat us as royalty. The wine selection is great. We opened one of my favorite wine, Darioush. The appetizer were blue crab beignets and shrimp filled with cassava. Our favorite was the beignets. They looks like "buñuelos" but puffy...really a beignets! Yummy! My wife ate filet mignon and I ate the bbq veal chop. They were beyond our expectation. My favorite veal chop ever! The filet was outstanding as well. Our desert were dulce de leche and lemon pie. My desert and a glasses of champagne were a gift from the house. Details make the difference! Overall, it was a fantastic experience and I am really happy to celebrate my birthday at great restaurant! read more

Food was presented well! Service was exceptional without being intrusive. Ambiance was warm and inviting!

Amazing food. Great service. Our waiter was so kind. Celebrated a birthday here and it felt perfectly intimate.

So many wonderful things to say about this restaurant. I was delighted to be able to celebrate a milestone birthday at Norman's recently and was the experience was wonderful. It was a private event and Laura was very easy to coordinate with. They generated an excellent menu with quite a variety of choices for our budget and everything turned out just perfectly. The ambiance was very swanky and stylish, but bright enough that everyone could see each other and converse easily. Starting with the bar, the drinks were obviously on point. I guess what really matters at the bar is selection of liquor, and theirs had many high end choices with appropriate accoutrements. The wait staff was very attentive and always seemed to be around when people were looking for hors d'oeuvres. Not to mention they were very professional and had exquisite manners. I haven't really been to many restaurants where I can remark on the mannerisms of the staff, but I thought the service really set the restaurant apart. But a restaurant wouldn't get a 5-star review without some pretty impressive food. Everyone was able to choose from lovely looking dishes from snapper, ribeye, chicken, and a vegetarian paella and each choice was a feast for the eyes. There wasn't a piece of overcooked food that I could see, and each dish was uniformly presented. I personally had a seasonal salad, the ribeye, and their duo of desserts which were a key lime tart and chocolate truffle. I wouldn't say the dishes were edgy, but rather dishes everyone knows and which are great when done well. And this was no exception. The salad was not overly saturated with dressing and the ingredients were fresh. The ribeye was probably the most perfect medium rare I've ever seen. And finally, their take on a Bundt cake -- they had a fancy name for it -- was truly beautiful, thick, and delicious. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a high-end restaurant in this category on restaurant row because the competition is so fierce. But honestly I think Norman's beats it's competitors (at least that I've tried) in terms of refinement and preparation of food. So if you're looking for an experience that's a little "extra", try them! read more

Two things were evident after our dining experience tonight. Firstly, Norman's has been sorely missed from the Orlando culinary scene for far too long. And secondly, they returned with a passionate vengeance. What a wonderful, refreshing evening full of great food and wine! My wife loved the crab hush puppies while I'll rave about the shrimp and mussel chowder to anyone who will listen. The snapper is generous while remaining light and the lamb was a great, unique take on a classic protein. We could not have been happier. Our server, Haley, was simply exceptional. She was friendly and attentive. She highlighted several wonderful dishes without being overbearing and checked on us promptly as each course was served. Haley was definitely a bright spot on an already bright evening. We would ask for her every time. Ambiance was classy but not stuffy. Customer dress ranged from casual to business casual to formal depending on how you feel - and your occasion. (Servers wear jackets and ties however so I wouldn't recommend shorts and a T-shirt, but you do you) We are thrilled Norman's has found a new home i the Sand Lake area. Can't wait to return! read more

Food experience was not good. Cheap cocktails for a high price. Servers were very unprofessional and not prepared.

My husband and I always have high hopes for a lot of these restaurants and this was another meh. More disappointed because it was his birthday as well. The good part- the scallop dish was great. Other than that- pork belly appetizer- not great. Had some weird pork rind on it that tasted like the big jar we get at Sams club.Pork chop- ok- not worth the money. Service- weird. It felt like everyone was pretty new and not comfortable with explaining things. Most painful part was we wanted to have a nice bottle of wine with dinner and the sommelier there couldn't be bothered to try to narrow down a choice for us after we told him to narrow down choices based off our palate-so we gave up and had cocktails. He was the worst and seemed like we were a complete bother to him. Overall- it's not worth the money. Oh and they include 20% on your bill for gratuity. We typically tip more than that but when you include the gratuity I think it just makes your employees do an ok job with service and that's what we got -if not less than ok. read more

The service was impeccable Asher was our server and was beyond that sanding. Everything that we had was perfect. My wife had the meso grouper which was outstanding and I had to tomahawk pork chop, which was to die for the shrimp soup was also one of the best highway recommend read more

So this was our second visit both times we got a table in the bar. First visit was a miss with service but it was busy this time also was a miss and it was not busy just our party of 5 and a 2 top in the bar. Food and drinks were good not wow but good and presentation of food was beautiful. However we placed our drink order and they took a while which 5 cocktails so expected to take the bar time to make however the drinks sat for a good 10 minute we could see them before being brought to the table. By the time they got there the two martinis were Luke warm. For the second round specifically brought this up to the waitress still same issue. Another miss was some awkwardness when ordering food. My daughter and i weren't looking for dinner at almost nine just drinks and appetizers or a small dish to share I have never really experienced a server talking me out of a dish. We asked about the diver scallops entree, specifically how they were served and she mentioned twice that she preferred them they way they used to serve them. So we didn't order them. Figured if she was talking them down they weren't worth ordering. Another odd thing was at the presentation of the bill she informed us that an auto gratuity of 20 percent was added, not a big deal but then preceded to tell us that was a house tip and that if we added additional she would receive that. I'm more then happy to tip for good service but this was not a great experience and at the menu price point I would expect the service to match. And then being told we needed to tip more for her was just tacky. read more

Food is very pricey and they don't give you enough. I spend $100 for just me and I left hungry.

For our wedding anniversary my wife and I decided to to try Norman's. We had never been there before, but heard good things about it. We made a reservation for a High Top, but arrived early to have a drink at the bar, and once there, decided to stay at the bar for our dinner. Greg and Autumn were our bartenders and offered us outstanding service from beginning to end. They made great drinks and had fantastic recommendations from the menu. For food we began with a cheese board that included seeded lavash crackers. The cheese was outstanding and the crackers were the perfect complement. And the presentation was beautiful. We shared a house salad that was lightly dressed with a homemade vinaigrette. For main entrees, my wife had the Snapper and I had the Tomahawk Pork Chop. The Snapper included garlic mashed potatoes and the Pork Chop included Thai Fried Rice. Everything was outstanding. For our anniversary we were given champaign and a couple of house made chocolates. Summer in Orlando is the low season for the restaurant business. We were surprised how empty the place was for a Saturday evening. It is our sincere hope that more people will discover this gem and fill it up so that it doesn't go away. As an added incentive, the Happy Hour that lasts from 5-7 p.m. is incredible. One of the best I've seen in a long time. Check out Norman's. You won't be disappointed! read more

Unfortunately Norman's did not meet the expectations I wanted it to. The restaurant itself and the outdoor patio is fabulous. Love the design and concept. However, the food was not up to par. We ordered some appetizers which were incredibly small. We expected this but for the price you're paying the quality of the food is not good. The drinks were also sub par. If you want some nice pictures and good ambience this place is great for just that. read more

Service was good. Corn appetizer was the saltiest thing I have ever been served. It was completely inedible. Then, oddly, the steak was under-seasoned. read more

Booked this restaurant for my husband's 40th birthday. First time here. The food was great and the service was amazing! We had two courses of caviar, a few tapas, and cocktails. Short, hats, and flip flops are not allowed. But what I found interesting during our dinner were plenty of women wearing exposing tube tops, short skirts right up to the crotch, and cheap heels/wedges with exposed toes. The dress code seemed very one sided. We were seated at the bar because my husband and I were wearing shorts. Who would have thought shorts in Florida were a thing. Later the host had the nerve to ask us if we still wanted a table in the dining room an HOUR later. The experience was good and bad. read more

Very good food, upscale restaurant in the middle of Dr Phillips on restaurant row...relocated from the Ritz

Very impressed by my experience last night at this newly reopened restaurant! Flawless service and exceptional food in a gorgeous setting, wonderfully bright and airy with a beautiful outdoor patio that I'll have to check out next time. The menu had a tropical feel, with plenty of seafood but lots of other selections too. I started with the foie gras French toast, which had just enough sweetness balanced out by the tart passionfruit caramel. The seafood chowder, one of the chef's signature dishes, may have been the best soup I've ever tasted, with flavors of star anise and saffron, perfectly sautéed shrimp, and a luscious coconut "cloud." The crab beignets were perfectly crisp on the outside and full of tender crab meat, and the Mongolian BBQ octopus dish had an interesting combo of flavors. Of the two desserts I tried, the tres leches was the best, a creamy milk-soaked white cake enrobed in a crunchy chocolate shell and garnished with a variety of caramels, mousses, and chocolate accompaniments. I can't wait to return and try more of their menu! read more

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Amazing dinner and and service with Michael! So nice to see the best friendly places around town.

Arrived early for reservation so sat at the bar. I ordered the fields of grass cocktail and it was delicious. Also tried the takaki beef which was also good, but beef was not as red in color as expected and presentation was lacking. Seated in the dining room that was appointed nicely, but for some strange reason someone kept playing with the lighting as was extremely distracting. I had the octopus and wife had the ceviche of shrimp. An amuse bouche spoon of sour cream, avocado and flavored oil arrived first. Not a very good start and first impression. My appetizer was outstanding and the ceviche seemed that they poached the shrimp and not marinated it in acid ceviche style. The flavor was good, I ordered the yellowtail snapper and it was slightly overcooked and not well seasoned. The mashed potatoes were fluffy like they were riced but again not seasoned well. Wife had the double cut lamb chops and were cooked to the proper med rare but lacking seasoning and no discernable sauce. Desserts were disappointing with the banana flambe dish with a too strong rhum flavor that the alcohol had not been properly (flambed) off and the Flancocho was not properly explained by the waiter so not what i expected and void of any raspberry sauce. The chocolate torte was mediocre at best but the creme brule was tasty and the ganache had been brushed on and completely dried out and inedible. The parting gift was a very strong espresso truffle that was just ok. I expected SOOOOO much more from Van Aken. A not so perfect birthday dinner that I had hoped for. It was not busy at all so no excuses. read more

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Great food and service though the server was a little pushy on up selling the pricier items however the bill was not at all too bad for a large group read more

I am so disappointed to say that the food here is not good. I've been to Norman's before when they were located at the Ritz Carlton. The food there was excellent. They have reopened at this address on Via Bellagio way in orlando. So I was excited to visit them again. I had high expectations for them. This is not a cheap place to eat , so I expect the quality of food to be as high as their prices. Boy was in for a surprise. The food was very bland. I couldn't believe they actually served this. There was no taste at all. My family and I had different dishes and no one was happy with their meal. I just decided that I would enjoy my meal because I was there with family and I was grateful to be spending time with them. Do you guys even taste your food before you send it out ? They are seriously slacking in the kitchen. Sorry guys I've been to nice places and I know good tasting food and this is not it. Season your food !!!!!!! On a high note , the staff was excellent and they made my stay worth while. If it wasn't for them I would've left. The ambiance of this place is beautiful but the taste of the food doesn't compare to its outer appearance. read more

My wife and I had an excellent Valentines dinner at Norman's. The food, service, and ambiance all met our expectations of a top notch dining experience. We're looking forward to returning in the near future and have recommended the restaurant to our friends and family. read more

Attended their soft opening. Food, ambiance & service was very good. Good to see Norman back.

Norman was an amazing restaurant. The food was great. The service was great. Yes, it's a little pricey, but definitely worth the money.

Norman's is a beautiful new restaurant in the Dellagio complex on Sand Lake Rd Orlando. The restaurant is beautiful inside, excellent inside bar and elegantly furnished. The food is excellent, as one would expect from the James Beard Award winner owner/chef Norman Van Aken. Seafood dishes are delicious, unique and beautifully presented. The Filet is the best I've tasted, and incredibly tender. The servers are professional, highly knowledgeable of each item on the menu and attentive. Soon, the unique outdoor patio will open, with ample seating and its own full service bar. read more

Had such high hopes but in summary .. meh. The menu is quite different, but the execution of many dishes we tried just wasn't great. Not much seasoning in most dishes and only one of the four was hot... which means the other 3 were done early and sat around the kitchen waiting. Veggies were mushy and overcooked. Fish dish was way underdone and just about raw in the middle. Service, however, was the largest weakness... slow would have been an improvement. It took 15-20 minutes to get a refill on the bread basket and no butter/oil was brought with it, has to ask for that. Drinks were good. The "Sinatra" show afterwards in the outdoor patio was a total disappointment and not worth half the price we paid... the guy has a mediocre voice at best and neither looks or sounds like Sinatra. He's singing songs not suited for his voice, I've seen much better karaoke performers than this guy. The outdoor patio has the tables packed in too tightly which detracts from the server's ability to properly move around. Our drink orders weren't taken until 20 minutes after we sat down, and she never even asked if we wanted another round. read more

I am giving a 1 star simply for Jeremy, he is an incredible bartender. He understand what is needed on sand lake for this restaurant to survive and is willing to put in his work regardless of the poor Managment he is experiencing. We went on a Tuesday night only to find out the patio was closed. Disappointing in itself as that truly is the only differentiator that Normans has over sand lake the food is the same as ever other and steak at Eddie Vs (a seafood place) is 10x this place. The patio is amazing but to not open it daily is a loss. Sand lake is a different breed... we have golf tournaments, love college football and love our families this is NOT Miami! We like the vibe but bring a Sunday brunch, open the patio nightly we all miss that patio and it's the best thing on sand lake. We are all tired of these stuffy chain restaurants.. bring an every day vibe, a weekend brunch, bigger tvs and something that our area needs. Your high priced menu we won't even blink! Btw whoever the boss is now is a total D-BAG.. Jeremy even introduced us saying we wanted to tell him how much we loved the patio and to open it on weekdays .. his response "bring 50 of your friends and we will" .. ok SIR didn't know we were responsible for your marketing too. How about treat guests with respect and come from curiosity .. your approach is exactly why we will have another restaurant fail on sand lake with the best location and best bartenders like Jeremy.. because of your small minded attitude! Go back to Miami! read more

The General Manager Ted and the Captain Hailey were ABSOLUTELY amazing. They were so kind and professional. I threw a birthday dinner for one of my best friends. I was embarrassed at my friends drunkin behavior. The staff didn't react but treated everyone with respect. I appreciate their kindnes. The ambiance food and service was excellent. read more

Excellent service and scrumptious food. Every employee is cordial and helpful. The presentation of the food is beautiful. You MUST go!!!

Norman's is an excellent addition to restaurant row. Formerly at the Ritz Carlton, many of the staff reunited to give excellent food and service. There's a lively outdoor and a classy indoor bar. We have been several times already, and have had a great experience each time. Emily, who was a bartender at Morton's, always does a great job with the Smoked Old Fashioneds. read more

Norman's was beautiful and had great service. Friends and family recommended we try as they went within the first few days of opening. They loved it and stated it beats Eddie V's. We were very excited to try. Cocktails and wine were fantastic. Now on to the meals. We received bread and ordered blue crab bengiets both were absolutely delicious. The mains were the let down of this experience. I got the yellowtail dish and my girlfriend got the pad Thai. The yellowtail and mashed potatoes were very bland. They lacked any flavor whatsoever. As for the vegetarian pad Thai, I repeat the same sentiments. The noodles were fairly dry and brittle and the dish did not have that much flavor to it. We were both disappointed because we really did want to like it, but it did not live up to the hype. We prefer Eddie V's way more. But they had great service and they did a fantastic job with construction! read more

Overpriced for the food. Potatoes were under cooked. If you do decide to go, please eat before you go. Not enough to fill you up if you order the steaks. Nice environment though. read more