Mills 50: the best cheap meal in Orlando

Why this neighborhood

Mills 50 grew around Vietnamese families who opened grocers, bakeries and noodle shops along Colonial Drive from the 1970s and 1980s on. The result is a dense strip where you can eat very well for the price of a theme park snack. The district is small, so you can park once and walk to two or three places. For the wider picture of murals, bars and shops, read the Mills 50 area guide.

Restaurants here change hands often, so don't chase one famous name. Pick by the crowd: a full dining room at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday tells you more than any sign.

What to order

• Pho: the beef noodle soup everyone comes for. The "dac biet" or house special bowl adds brisket, flank, tendon and meatballs. Rare steak cooks in the broth at the table.
• Bun bo Hue: a spicier, lemongrass-heavy beef noodle soup with thicker noodles. Order it if pho feels too mild.
• Bun: cold rice vermicelli with grilled pork, fried spring rolls, herbs and fish sauce. Good on a hot afternoon.
• Com tam: broken rice with a grilled pork chop, a fried egg and pickles. Very filling.
• Banh mi: a crisp baguette with pate, cold cuts or grilled meat, pickled carrot, cilantro and chili. Bakeries sell them fast and cheap.
• Drinks: Vietnamese iced coffee, fresh coconut, or a boba tea from one of the many tea shops.

How to order pho like a regular

1. Choose your size. A small is a full meal for most people; a large is for the very hungry.
2. Pick the meat by its menu number. The house special has the most variety; plain rare steak is the safe choice.
3. Taste the broth before adding anything. Then tear in basil, squeeze lime and add bean sprouts and jalapeno to taste.
4. Put hoisin and sriracha in the small side dish for dipping meat, not in the broth, if you want to keep the soup clean.
5. Eat with chopsticks in one hand and the spoon in the other. Slurping is normal.

When to go and getting there

Weekday lunch is the sweet spot: fast service and plenty of seats. Friday and Saturday evenings get busy, and Sunday lunch brings families. Many places close one day a week, often midweek, so check hours before you drive.

Mills 50 sits just northeast of downtown, about 20 to 30 minutes from the parks without traffic. Most restaurants share small strip-mall lots. If a lot is full, side streets usually have space, but read the signs, since some lots tow. Rideshare is cheap from downtown or Thornton Park.

Other cuisines, groups and kids

The same few blocks hold Chinese barbecue and dim sum, Thai, Korean, Japanese ramen and a run of Asian grocery stores. A grocery stop is worth ten minutes: look for fresh herbs, snacks, instant noodles and pastries to take back to your hotel. Bakeries along Colonial sell sweet buns and sticky rice treats for a dollar or two each.

Vietnamese restaurants suit groups well because you can mix soups, rice plates and shared starters. For four people, a good order is two bowls of pho, one vermicelli bowl, one broken rice plate and a plate of fried spring rolls or fresh summer rolls to share. Add a bowl of plain rice if anyone is a cautious eater.

Kids usually do well with chicken pho, which has a lighter broth, or with grilled pork over rice. Ask for the noodles and broth separately if a toddler needs things cooled down. Fresh summer rolls with peanut sauce are a safe bet for picky eaters, and fried spring rolls go fast at any table.

Vegetarians have options too. Most kitchens make tofu or vegetable pho, though the broth may still be meat-based unless the menu says otherwise, so ask. Lemongrass tofu with rice and vegetable vermicelli bowls are common. Spice is easy to control, since chili sauces and fresh peppers come on the side and you add them yourself.

Mistakes to avoid

• Expecting long menus explained in detail. Menus are numbered; point if you need to.
• Ordering appetizers plus a large bowl each. Portions are big, so share spring rolls instead.
• Assuming every place takes cards for small orders. Most do, but carry a little cash for bakeries.
• Coming at 8 p.m. on a Sunday. Some kitchens close early.