Ethos is located in Winter Park, FL which is right outside the Orlando area. We arrived around noon on a Saturday which allowed us the privilege of ordering off the brunch OR the regular menu. Let me tell you, their regular lunch and dinner menu is probably the most diverse, overwhelming, and abundant vegan menu I may have ever seen. Options ranging from appetizers, to pizza & calzones, to pastas, sandwiches, salads, soups, main entrees, baked goods/desserts AND a kids menu. Best part? Everything is 100% vegan so there is no need to modify or be choosey about what you pick.
We were in the mood for brunch, and the brunch menu was much shorter and easier to select from. Between the four of us, we ordered and shared several things so we could get a little taste of everything. We enjoyed the breakfast skillet, breakfast burrito, biscuits, French toast, pancakes, and cinnamon bun. We indulged in a couple of milkshakes in both vanilla and chocolate so we could try those two. All prices were very reasonable, and the quality and taste of everything was outstanding. We all had different opinions on which food was our favorite, but it was a group consensus that out of all that we ordered the French toast was the least exciting (basically just tasted like toast with butter, cinnamon and syrup on it). HOWEVER, the other brunch items were out of this world, and the cinammon roll (which is also a side item and can be ordered a la carte) and the milkshakes were out of this world. They even have a full bakery. I NEED to go back here next time I'm in town!
Hands down, for quality, taste, and pricing, this place gets 5 stars 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. They even sent us home with some cool stickers! Best thing? The widely diverse, and affordable all-vegan menu. The worst? Some of the staff were rude. BUT, after having a not-so-friendly waiter who was way too sarcastic and almost trying to be as mean as possible when we had a few question about the menu, we ended up with another waiter who was extremely friendly and nice to us who made up for it. Maybe they were just crazy packed and stressed. Maybe our first grumpy waiter was having a bad day. Either way, I'll let it slide because their food was just so damn good. Please go here!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. They even sent us home with some cool stickers! Best thing? The widely diverse, and affordable all-vegan menu. The worst? Some of the staff were rude. BUT, after having a not-so-friendly waiter who was way too sarcastic and almost trying to be as mean as possible when we had a few question about the menu, we ended up with another waiter who was extremely friendly and nice to us who made up for it. Maybe they were just crazy packed and stressed. Maybe our first grumpy waiter was having a bad day. Either way, I'll let it slide because their food was just so damn good. Please go here! 
Stop #2: The District Market at Mills 50
So if you are vegan, love art, souvenirs, gifts, groceries, snacks and FOOD, then you absolutely have got to stop here. This adorable little vegan shop in a funky shopping strip in Orlando contains everything you could possibly need as a vegan. You won't be able to miss it as there's a huge PLANT BASED artsy sign in the window. Local artisans and vendors exhibit works for sale ranging from stickers, to apparel, to jewelry, to art and more. They have refrigerators filled with artisanal plant-based cheeses, vegan salad dressings, drinks, specialty products, prepared foods to go, frozen meals and raviolis, and shelves stocked with vegan junk food, hard to find health foods, obnoxiously large cans of jackfruit and more. They have a bakery with cookie samples and homemade vegan sweets, and a whole order-to-go-or-eat-in counter with sandwiches, wraps and coffee. Everything in this place is vegan.
We were still full from Ethos, but had to check this place out and picked up a funky sticker while we were there. Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for for friendly staff, DELICIOUS samples, and a huge variety of items for sale to suit all of your needs. This store is a must stop if you're a vegan in the Orlando area!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for for friendly staff, DELICIOUS samples, and a huge variety of items for sale to suit all of your needs. This store is a must stop if you're a vegan in the Orlando area!
Stop # 3: Market on South
Well, I will say that this was not my first time at this amazing little market, cafe and bakery and it certainly will not be my last. This shop has more gifts and apparel from local artisans and an outstanding bakery with baked goods from Valhalla Bakery, incredible square doughnuts from Valkyrie doughnuts, and full service restaurant with comfort foods and beers from Dixie Dharma, and fresh hot dogs from the Vegan Hot Dog Cart. They also have a fridge filled with grab and go vegan prepared foods including plenty of baked goods. EVERYTHING here is vegan.
I personally have tried several things off their menu and have never been disappointed. My favorite though is the loaded chili dogs with a side of mac n cheese. We got an order and shared them (you get 2 dogs per order) and also got an array of baked goods including half a dozen doughnuts (buy 5 get 1 free!) and a DEATH BAR. Everything was amazing but hands down that death bar (from the bakery counter) may be the best thing I've ever eaten. It's really creamy and dense peanut butter with chocolate and cookies in it (see photo below.. sorry it kinda looks like a turd, I promise it tastes better than it appears ;) ) I could have died after eaten it and been ok with that. Absolutely a five star rating for this gem of a place that I will forever love with all of my heart. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You've go You've gotta check them out!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You've go You've gotta check them out!
Stop #4: Disney World & Disney Springs
So as Disney junkies we naturally had to incorporate a stop here while we were in Orlando. We had planned ahead to snag a few fast passes, and were able to get onto Toy Story Mania, Rockin' Rollercoaster, and Tower of Terror without much of a wait. We chose Hollywood Studios out of all the parks, because they're smaller and an easier park to get in and out of for a short portion of a day. We stopped in for the rides, so we didn't eat any food (plus we obviously had already eaten so much all day!) but if you're looking for a guide to vegan food in Disney World, I recommend checking out the Vegan Disney website, and Vegan Disney facebook page for tips (it's actually pretty easy to find vegan food in all of the Disney Parks and these two guides are super helpful!).
After our rides, we headed over to Disney Springs. Disney Springs is part of Disney World but it's free to get in and is basically just a huge walking area with shopping and restaurants. Parking is free and it's a great place to unwind if you're on vacation, or eat and shop in the area without paying to get into a park.
We tried the brand new "Impossible Burgers" over at the House of Blues Restaurant and Bar. My honest opinion here? The actual burgers are good, but the bun is not (dried out, stale tasting and boring), and the secret sauce and toppings don't really add much to the burger. The vegan cheese was really good though. You can get a double burger for $21, or a single for $16. I mean, considering that everything is overpriced in Disney the deal isn't the worst but this is NOT the best burger as a whole that I have had. I personally would have probably enjoyed the burger more by itself. It's supposed to mimic a meat beef patty but let's be real here.. in the photo below you can obviously see that it's a little pale and not the prettiest burger I have seen. All in all though, if you'd like to give it a try or if you're eating at this place because you're with non-vegans (the other menu options are not vegan) it is not a bad vegan choice. Personally, I prefer the Beyond Burger over the Impossible Burger (which is available at several other locations around Disney). Considering this has only been on their menu for a couple weeks, I will give them a little slack since they may decide to improve the bun or something if they get enough feedback. Let's give the House of Blues 3 stars for having a nice vegan option, but some room to improve!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You've go
⭐️⭐️⭐️ You've go 
Our last stop was at Erin McKenna's Bakery at Disney Springs. Everything in their whole bakery is vegan and gluten free! They not only have a huge array of baked goods but they also have soft serve ice cream and milkshakes. Some of their options are a little pricey, but the milkshakes are very large (and I heard they have a cupcake on top!), making them worth the price of $10+... and their coconut based soft serve is pretty affordable at under $3 for a small cup. We each got a small cup of the soft serve (they have vanilla, chocolate, and swirl) and a small size was actually really filling, much more filling than regular soft serve. Be fair warned.. if you do NOT like coconut, you won't be a fan of the vanilla ice cream. It's coconut based and has a strong coconutty taste. The chocolate however tastes a lot like fudge with little to no trace of coconut flavor. Just ask to sample them first if you're not sure! We were all fully satisfied with the ice cream, and Dehlia grabbed some lemon loaves to go. She gave us one later and it was amazing! Five stars to you, Erin McKenna ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
⭐️ You've go ..
All in all overview of our day? AMAZING AS HELL! Special thanks to our friends Dehlia and Mark for mapping out and planning our day beforehand so that the full adventure was fun, easy, and efficient. We took home plenty of the baked goods we bought in a cooler we packed, and we definitely ate too much but it was worth it. The break at Disney gave us a chance to walk some of it off. I highly recommend if you try exploring the vegan food options in the Orlando area on your own to check out some of these hot spots. If you are a foodie and really want to try as much as you can, go with a group and agree to share and split everything you order, allowing you all to try more of a variety of foods that way without eating too much. That is what we did and I think it worked out perfect! Have you tried any of these places? What do you think? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments!
OH.. and if you loved this post and are planning a trip to New Orleans at some point in the future, you'll enjoy my Vegan Travel Guide to NOLA :)
OH.. and if you loved this post and are planning a trip to New Orleans at some point in the future, you'll enjoy my Vegan Travel Guide to NOLA :)
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