Have you been to Orlando’s Curry Ford West District yet? It runs along Curry Ford Road from west of Bumby Avenue east to Gaston Foster Rd. It’s home to not only Michelin Guide award winning restaurants, but also some of the best tamales, tacos, and pizza in all of Orlando. We chatted with Executive Director Stephanie Ziglar via e-mail about what makes Curry Ford West District special and also what’s all happening in the district this year.
What is the history behind Curry Ford West neighborhood? Some classic establishments in the past?
Curry Ford West is just a name recently given to the area that roughly starts at Gaston Foster and goes west to almost Fern Creek. The name was established in 2018 by the group of business owners and residents who organized the then Market Street District. The “drag” or Curry Ford is bordered by multiple established neighborhoods, including Dover Shores, Agnes Heights, Lake Como, and Bel Aire. I recently asked in multiple social media groups and pages what people called the area prior to CFW. There was no consensus. The area was sometimes lumped into the Conway area. What is consistent in their answers was that this area played an important role as a location for stores, gas stations, restaurants, and retail shops. Fun fact, most of the section Of Curry Ford Rd that is included in our district was once Conway Rd until Conway was extended north towards Lake Underhill Rd. This was the main thoroughfare to get downtown. When you ask longtime residents about some classic establishments in the past the list is long, but some of the most mentioned include: Dinos Pizza, Polar Cup, The Conway Twin movie theater, The DMV, Gabriels Subs, Players Bar, South Seas, and A&P. I’ll add Looney Birds (Now Graffiti Junction) and SnoBiz (Now Twistee Treat) to the mix.
Where did the name Curry Ford come from?
So, the claim is the Curry Family came to east Orlando and settled as ranchers there. The Econlockhatchee River crossed their land, and for travelers to get across they would have to “ford” the river. Curry Ford. As I mentioned above the portion of Curry Ford in this area was once Conway Rd, until the late 60’s.
What makes Curry Ford West special in your opinion?
There are a million answers I could give. But if I had to pick one it would be the strong sense of community that we have. So many of our business owners are also residents and, in many instances, lifelong residents. At our recent Future of the Ford Event, almost a quarter of our attendees both live and work here in the district. It’s not out of the norm to walk into Roque Pub and run into the owners of Revive Health and Fitness. Or to have the owner of The Commission show up in full costume with his whole family to our Trunk or Treat event. Our community consistently supports each other and the surrounding organizations, like the schools and youth sports organizations. It gives us a tight-knit feel that I am extremely proud of.
What are some popular things to do and eat in the district?
So many people don’t know but we have a very popular set of pickleball courts located at Dover Shores Community Center. The parking lot is often packed with pickleball participants, say that 3 times fast. But people love to visit our restaurants and bars. The Commission and Claddagh Cottage have some outstanding live music and artists performing weekly. Hourglass Brewing’s patio is the go-to during this wonderful weather. If food is your thing, we have some greats. You want Italian, F&D or Pizza Bruno’s. Taco’s, Tamale’s, or Guac are what you’re craving? Tamale Co, La Fiesta, Cilantros Taqueria, and Black Rooster, all have you covered. High-end amazing dishes? Papa Llama is your place. We have the new Thai Spoon, Smokemade Meats, Crispy Cones, and Mecatos opening soon as well. The list is endless, and we have something for everyone.
What are some new things happening this year in the Curry Ford West District?
It’s a big year for us. Our design committee just finished the light pole banner project and is rolling right into a large mural project for one of our plazas, all while sitting on the committee for the mural for the new station 11 Firehouse. They also just recently released our Curry Ford West sticker pack.
Our org and promo committees are working hard on great events for the entire community. May 4th is the return of our Little Entrepreneur Fair with a new indoor location at Dover Shores Community Center. We will be sporting jorts and dad shoes in June (6/22) at our Dress Like a Dad Pub Crawl and No Halloween is complete without the CFW Trunk or Treat. We, unfortunately, had to retire many of our Picture-Perfect Sets last year as they were at the end of their life. So, we introduced our Sleigh the Ford event where Santa spent the day at Curry Ford West businesses. This year we are expanding on that event (12/7) and adding a community and business-involved holiday art installation, we are currently calling it Curry Ford West Tree Fest, but we are open to suggestions!
Our economic vitality committee has an entire Business Knowledge Exchange Series starting in April. Let’s Blossom Safely-Topics: Safety, Code Enforcement, Permits-Monday, April 22. Sunshine Propaganda-Topics: Marketing, Branding and Communications-Monday, July 22. Fall Back into Smart Operations-Topics: Taxes, Accounting Business Plan-Monday, October 21. This series will be held at Dover Shores Community Center. They are also hosting several unplugged networking socials, open to residents and businesses, dates TBA.
Featured Eats in Curry Ford West Main Street
Papa Llama (Modern Peruvian)
Brad’s Underground Pizzeria (Ghost Kitchen)
Grocery Los Hermanos (Mexican)
Pizza Bruno (Pizza)
F & D Woodfired Italian Kitchen (Italian)
Los Generales (Mexican)
JJ’s Fresh from Scratch (Mediterranean)
Tamale Co. Mexican Street Food (Mexican)
Cilantro’s Taqueria (Mexican)
Zaza Cuban Comfort Food (Cuban)
Theo’s Kitchen (Fried Chicken and Mediterranean)
La Fiesta Mexican Grill and Catering (Mexican)
Leguminati (Vegan)
Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub (Irish)
Bad Ass Burgers (Burgers)
Black Rooster Taqueria (Tacos)
Hourglass Brewing (Brewery)
Smokemade Meats (BBQ)
