Dandelion Communitea Cafe, Orlando, FL

I had the pleasure of heading down to Orlando for an event recently and reached out to my friends to ask if there was one place I should visit in Orlando, where would that be? Without hesitation, they told me to go to Dandelion Communitea Cafe. Founded in March of 2006, Dandelion Communitea has become a gathering place for the community as they not only offer delicious, fresh, organic, vegetarian food, but also a number of weekly events as well.

When I arrived on a dreary Wednesday afternoon, I was pleased to see that it was a cute, funky, stand-alone house painted green with a white porch. So, so cute. It was dark inside as I picked up a menu and tried to figure out how things worked. You place your order, pay up front, then wait at a table for your meal. I asked what was vegan and they said most things other than those specified with cheese were vegan. Wonderful!

After perusing the menu of salads, sandwiches, and classic dishes for a while, I finally made a decision, paid, took a number, and sat down. The dining area was really dark and on this dreary day, there was little sunlight to illuminate it. The dining room was minimally decorated with a wood floor, brown tables and plush chairs along with white curtains and wildly painted walls. As I waited, I had a sip of my Buchi Kombucha in Fire -- so spicy!

After a while, my meal came out. I ordered a simple Classic Dandy dish. You choose either a bowl or a wrap and with spring mix and/or quinoa. I chose a bowl of the Abundant Harvest with both spring mix and quinoa. I found it a bit amusing that it was on a plate not a bowl, but whatever. The dish was huge and was loaded with fresh organic ingredients such as garbanzo beans, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, corn, celery, broccoli, and scallions. It was tossed with sesame seeds and their homemade Green Goddess dressing. I loved it. I topped it with their Cashew Tempeh Tenders for an extra $3, which were pretty good. They also include your choice of a side so I went with the Whirled Peas Guacamole with chips -- again pretty good.

I was in quite a hurry so I ate as quickly as I could and left as I had to catch a plane. I was so happy to find fresh, organic meals in Orlando in a place where I could eat quickly and go. And for $17 for the entire meal and drink, I think it was appropriately priced. I will definitely be back to try other items on the menu the next time I'm in the area.

Dandelion Communitea Cafe
618 N. Thornton Avenue
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 362-1864