Three new eateries offer flavorful fare

As the population in West Orange County continues to boom, new developments have been cropping up, together creating the perfect recipe of opportunity for new restaurants.

This month alone, three local eateries have made their debut in the Winter Garden and Ocoee areas. Pane D’Or bakery, Pei Wei Asian Diner and Pio Pio Latin Cuisine all are open for business, and each brings a different flavor to the table.

Pane D’Or 

LOCATION: 1201 Winter Garden-Vineland Road, Suite 4-A, Winter Garden

(407) 614-4477

HOURS: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; closed Sundays through Tuesdays (for now) 

DETAILS: The Pane D’Or bakery opened its Winter Garden location on Winter Garden-Vineland Road on Jan. 6, but has been selling its products at the Clermont and Winter Garden Farmers Markets since last year. The owner, Kurtis Baguley, has 35 years of experience as a pastry chef and has worked in some of the nation’s top four- and five-star resort pastry operations; however, his passion is for quality, natural-leaven artisan breads.

“You have to satisfy, it’s got to be consistent and good quality,” Baguley said. “People appreciate having quality in their neighborhood.”

ON THE MENU: Pane D’Or offers more than 20 varieties of bread — all made by hand in-house. Although the bakery does not offer gluten-free options, it offers pastries ranging from cookies and croissants to macarons and coffee cakes, as well as bagged granolas and biscottis.

START WITH THIS: The roasted garlic sourdough bread is a top seller at Pane D’Or.

PRICE POINT: $1.50 to $4 for most cookies and pastries, and bread starts at $5 per loaf.  

Pio Pio Latin Cuisine

LOCATION: 2594 Maguire Road, Ocoee

(407) 347-7101

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays and Mondays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays 

DETAILS: Pio Pio, a Latin cuisine known for its rotisserie chicken, opened its new Ocoee location on Maguire Road in place of the former Red Eye Bar and Grill with a soft opening Jan. 18. 

ON THE MENU: Rotisserie chicken, grilled or breaded steak and chicken, pork chops, multiple soups, and appetizers ranging from fried calamari to coconut shrimp and pork skin with corn cake. Sides to choose from include rice and beans, green or ripe plantains and avocados. Some desserts offered are tres leches, vanilla flan, mango and guava cheesecakes. Pio Pio also serves a variety of beers and tropical juices, coffee and tea, and homemade sangrias. 

START WITH THIS: Pio Pio is known for its rotisserie chicken, served with rice, beans and a choice of green plantains, ripe plantains or yuca.

PRICE POINT: Start at $10.50 for specials and $32 for combos. Rotisserie chicken ranges from $5 for a quarter chicken to $11.50 for a whole. Kids menu and dessert items start at $5.50. Homemade sangrias start at $8 for a glass or $30 for a pitcher.

Pei Wei Asian Diner

LOCATION: 3337 Daniels Road, Suite 100, Winter Garden

(407) 347-9928

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays DETAILS: Pei Wei opened its new Winter Garden location on Daniels Road Jan. 18. Its new, 3,720-square-foot location includes an outdoor seating area and is one of two retailers in the final outparcel of Winter Garden Village. 

“The Central Florida area is an important market to Pei Wei,” said Ralph Bower, Pei Wei CEO. “We are proud to open our first restaurant in Winter Garden, and expand our Florida presence to 33 locations.”

ON THE MENU: Asian-fusion fare, including lettuce wraps, salads and sushi, along with wok-fresh entrées fired at 700 degrees, noodle and rice bowls, and small plates such as crab wontons and pork egg rolls. Pei Wei also offers gluten-free and vegetarian options, including gluten-free Asian chopped chicken salad, gluten-free sweet & sour chicken and honey-seared and Thai dynamite wok classics. 

START WITH THIS: The traditional chicken or Thai chicken lettuce wraps are a popular option.

PRICE POINT: Start at $5.99 for entrées and $4.99 for kids meals.