El Bloque 407

The Write-Up

The full story

A corner of Sherman Avenue transplanted to Sand Lake Road: El Bloque started as an Upper Manhattan bodega counter and brought the same griddle, the same recipes and the same people south. The chopped cheese is the headline, chopped on the flattop and pressed into a roll, and Dominican bodega food fills the rest of the counter, from yaroa to the tres golpes pizza. It runs late every night, the way a bodega should.

District Story

The story of Sand Lake

A hotel in the boondocks, a road paved after it and named to sound big and important, and the corridor that taught Orlando how to be a vacation.

Read the Sand Lake story →

Similar Feel

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Matched by vibe, not by neighborhood: the places across Greater Orlando closest in spirit to El Bloque 407.

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Zaza Cuban Comfort Food

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A family-run neighborhood diner in SoDo, on South Orange Avenue, built around cafecito culture and pressed sandwiches.

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El Cilantrillo

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South Orlando's big Puerto Rican table near the Florida Mall is lively and salsa-filled, with generous portions.

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Pio Pio Latin Cuisine

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Keep Going

More in International Drive

Other places in International Drive, closest to El Bloque 407 first.

Mamazzita Gastrobar

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A Latin fusion gastrobar on Sand Lake Road where a Peruvian-leaning kitchen and sushi share the table with full nightclub energy.

1949 W Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL 32809

Pierogi One

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A cozy, family-run Polish bistro on Commodity Circle where pierogi taste, as one guest put it, just like great-grandmother used to make.

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The Cheesecake Factory

Restaurants · Restaurant · $

The Mall at Millenia outpost of the famously sprawling menu, where the move is to order across it, from avocado eggrolls to Chicken Pasta Da Vinci.

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Wunderbar

Coffee & cafes · Juice Bar · $$

Not a cocktail bar, but a family-owned superfood cafe in the Mall at Millenia food court, fresh fruit on display, made in front of you.

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Chickpeas Fresh Mediterranean Kitchen

Mediterranean · Mediterranean · $$

A Mall at Millenia food court counter with a loyal following for falafel one guest called the best they have had in Florida.

4200 Conroy Rd, Orlando, FL 32839

Keke's Breakfast Cafe

Breakfast & brunch · Breakfast · $

Breakfast done by hand near Millenia: coffee ground in house, eggs cracked to order, real butter and no microwave.

4192 Conroy Rd, Orlando, FL