Restaurants Near the Convention Center Orlando

The Convention Dinner Everyone Remembers

You have been at the Orange County Convention Center all day. Trade show floors, conference sessions, keynotes, networking. By 6 PM, you are done talking about work and you want a real meal. Not convention center food, not a hotel buffet, not another chain restaurant where everyone at the table has been before.

Ciao Italia is 5 minutes from the OCCC, and we have been hosting convention groups since 1991. The Navarra family knows how to take care of business. Whether it is a team dinner for 8, a client dinner for 20, or a full company event for 60, we handle it. And the food? Handmade pasta, from-scratch Italian cooking, 4,000+ reviews. This is not a corporate catering operation. This is a real restaurant run by a real family.

When your colleagues or clients sit down at Ciao Italia, they notice the difference immediately. The warm bread, the handmade fettuccine, the chicken marsala that tastes like someone's grandmother made it. That is the kind of dinner that makes a convention trip memorable.

Private Dining That Impresses

We have private dining for up to 60 guests, and for larger groups, we can do a full restaurant buyout for up to 110. No fighting for space at a noisy chain. Your group gets its own space, a dedicated menu if you want one, and the kind of service that makes you look good in front of your team or clients.

Why Convention Groups Choose Us

Here is what convention planners and team leads love about Ciao Italia: it is easy. Free self-parking means nobody is expensing a garage. We are open 5 PM to 10 PM every night, which fits perfectly with convention schedules. And the food is good enough that people actually talk about it the next day at the trade show.

We are not a stuffy, overpriced restaurant trying to impress with white tablecloths and tiny portions. We are a welcoming, family-owned Italian restaurant that serves generous plates of incredible food at fair prices. Your team will eat well, your clients will be impressed, and your expense report will not raise any eyebrows.

Something for Every Taste

Convention groups always have a mix of preferences. We have got that covered. Seafood lovers go for the risotto pescatore or zuppa di pesce. Meat lovers pick the veal piccata or the brasato. Vegetarians have multiple pasta options. And everyone finishes with tiramisu or gelato. Nobody leaves hungry, nobody leaves disappointed.

Need to plan ahead? Call us at (407) 354-0770 and we will work with you on a menu, timing, and seating arrangement that works for your group. We have been doing this for 35 years. We know how to make it easy for you.

About Dining Near the Convention Center

Attending a convention at the OCCC means long days, crowded exhibit halls, and overpriced hotel food. By the time the show floor closes, you want a real dinner, not another grab-and-go sandwich or a hotel restaurant charging $40 for mediocre pasta.

Ciao Italia is 5 minutes from the convention center and it is the opposite of convention food. The Navarra family has been cooking here since 1991, making everything from scratch. The pasta is handmade. The bread is baked fresh. The sauces are simmered daily. This is a family restaurant that happens to be perfectly located for convention crowds.

For exhibitors hosting client dinners or teams celebrating a successful show, the private dining room is ideal. It seats up to 60 guests with customizable group menus. The Italian wine list and beer selection pair well with everything on the menu. And the free parking means nobody has to pay convention center garage rates.

Open nightly from 5 to 10 PM, seven days a week. Whether you are in town for a three-day trade show or a week-long conference, Ciao Italia is the dinner that breaks up the convention routine.

How to Get to Ciao Italia from the Convention Center

Ciao Italia is a straight shot from the OCCC. Exit the convention center and head south on International Drive. In about 2 miles, turn onto Westwood Boulevard. The restaurant is on International Drive at 6149 Westwood Blvd with its own free parking lot. Five minutes, no highway driving required.

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