Recommendation for nice restaurant
 

Hi, we are new to The Villages and we already have found some wonderful places to dine. However, we have some friends visiting next weekend. They are long-time Florida residents, but they've never been to The Villages. They are considering looking at homes here. We'd like to take them to lunch to a nice place that shows off The Villages. We are considering a Country Club, but we haven't had a chance yet to visit them. Any recommendations for a good place to show off our hometown? Thanks. Mike

Chop House
Nancy Lopez CC
Evans Prairie CC

ChopHouse
Lopez

Blue Fin
Wolfgang Puck

If your friends are golfers they may like sitting outside at any CC watching a bit of golf going on. All CC are nice but we are partial to Belle Glade (lamb shanks!)since it is near our home. Some CC's are more casual than others too. Bonifay is great when they have their breakfast buffet. I think Mallory is great for the view and pizza - it is a more casual place IMO. Chop house is very nice - on the pricey side for some who live here. Blue Fin is great too. I could go on and on.

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions. Time for dumb question #1.... Is it simply a matter of calling the CC and making a reservation, or is there some Villages-specific process? Thanks again.
Mike

There is no Villages specific process. The country clubs are open to the public, but I am not sure they will all take a reservation. You should know that the country clubs tend to be noisy, and they are not as upscale as you may think.

I you want upscale, Chop House is a great choice.

Thai Ruby Lake Sumter Landing
Then some shopping around the square, listen to music, walk the boardwalk

Lopez or Chop House

Also Palmer Legends

You can do the same thing at Chop House which is also in Lake Sumter Landing.

Our 2 favorites are Glenview and Belle Glade (sit outside). We generally just stop in without reservations but they all take them.

Giovanni for good Italian

Bluefin

I happen to like Havana for for the view and the food but it is a little more pricey than the other CCs.

Or, also at Lake Sumter Landing, eat at the Lighthouse or Cody’s which are along Lake Sumter on the boardwalk. Lake Sumter is the biggest square, lots to see and do.

Love the outdoor patios at all the CCs. Most take reservations, and some have entertainment on the patio (small bands or solo singers). We generally find the entertainment is too loud if we are seated close, making it difficult to talk, so we ask to be seated away from the entertainers, but still within listening range.

Also the VKI Japanese Steakhouse in Lake Sumter if you enjoy Hibachi or sit down.

The Rose Plantation. Extremely covid friendly and great food. On a lake.

Off site go for Goblin Market in Mt Dora....fantastic

good food
 

Looks like you got some good ideas so far. IMHO, Bluefin or Riccardis in Brownwood are the best. Our fav for upscale is Lopez restaurant. Dinner with a view is Belle Glade for the best golf view, then Evans Prairie. Almost any Mexican restaurant in TV’s is great food & Margaritas. Don’t be afraid to wander out of the “bubble”. Eaton’s Beach is great food and view, Francisco’s is nice food & wine, lots of choices in Leesburg too.

go to the Rose Plantation in Fruitland Park

Love that place

Arnold Palmer
 

We love to take our visitors to Arnold Palmer's. It's old time country club atmosphere and the outside dining area is great. Easy to social distance outside and the golf course view is awesome. My guests always love it there.

Nancy Lopez CC

We love Havana CC for the calamari and shrimp Alfredo. It's amazing

It depends on what you are looking for. If you want up scale at a country club, hands down Nancy Lopez is the best. I your interested in showing off one of the towns and want upscale the Chop House in LS is very good. Just outside TV is the Rose Plantation. Blue Fin is also great if they like seafood. If not looking upscale and at country clubs I would recommend Cane Garden or Evans Prairie. Other than that you can pick just about anything in any of the towns because it is just hit or miss.

Havana’s pasta with fresh clams. Delicious.

Belle Glade has a spectacular golf view from the outdoor dining area!

Palmers is very good.....

Legacy Restaurant at Nancy Lopez
The best

Havana is great and they will take reservations. Not all the CC take reservations.

Either Havana’s or Nancy Lopez
 

I would highly recommend the Legacy at Nancy Lopez Country Club or Havana’s both are great and the food is impeccable

If they are golfers I know that they would enjoy seeing the memorabilia in the Arnold Palmer restaurant

I vote also for Legacy restaurant , Nancy Lopez CC. Nice outside siting area, delicious food and managent is so welcoming.

Palmer CC food is reliable and very good; however, their tables and chairs badly need replacing. I was embarrassed when we brought guests there.

All the suggestions so far are great. We always take our guests to Orange Blossom Hills CC in the historical district. It has the most beautiful pool in The Villages with its beautiful waterfall and jacuzzi! Also, the view from the parking lot looking south, overlooks the golf course and the Spanish Springs section. Finally, you can show them where The Villages started back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and how the oldest village is so beautifully maintained even today!

I agree they have great food but they need to remodel.

Funny how different taste buds are, because we think Giovanni has the most tasteless Italian food. Excellent antipasto and garlic knots, though.

Your own search
 

All good suggestions and you can narrow your search and see what fellow Villagers think of a restaurant's Quality, Service and Value by searching for specific restaurants on The Villages Gourmet Club website: LINK

Unbiased reviews! I use it all the time.

Skip