Central Florida Green Guide

If you love vegetarian food, or if you just love a vegetarian, or if you love tea, or if you try to eat organic, or if you just love to eat and drink and hang out in a cool setting with friendly people, you MUST take yourself to the Dandelion CommuniTEA Cafe! This place is many wonderful things. It is a teahouse - the only one in town with a 100% organic tea menu, including five local herbal blends. It is a vegetarian/mostly vegan cafe, with choices so delicious even a flesh-eater-veggie-mistruster like me was in heaven. It is a very funky and artistic space - a cozy converted house with three inside dining areas and a lovely patio, lots of local art, and fabulous furniture. AND, it is the ONLY restaurant in the southeast to be Certified Green by Co-op America, so you can feel good about helping the Earth in some small part while helping yourself to some tasty food.

I’ve been here a few times, and each time I’ve fallen more in love. The teas are fresh and flavorful - I’ve always had the tea of the day and I haven’t yet been disappointed. They can even sweeten your tea with agave syrup - delicious! The food is also very fresh, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good vegetarian and even vegan food can be - much better than the microwave stuff I’ve made. The hummus is outstanding. You must eat it. The wraps I’ve had are great too, especially the current special - an avacado wrap that is crunchy and smooth and full of veggies, and actually tastes fantastic (order it with the hummus in the wrap - it is worth the extra cost)! They even have a version of the fluffer nutter sandwich, which my four-year-old devoured so quickly, we had to order a second one to take home! On that topic, Dandelion is definitely child-friendly, with high chairs and boosters available, a changing area and even kids’ board games available.

Prices can be a bit high for a quick meal (wraps/salads are $6.00 - $9.00, with extra for hummus or cheese) , especially when you factor in a starter order of hummus ($6.00) and a tea ($2.50 - $3.50), but considering the quality of the ingredients, they seem reasonable to me. They also have bottled beverages available, including some unique organic beers for those who choose to partake.

In sum, the Dandelion CommuniTEA Cafe is a destination spot for me - not only is a fabulous place, I feel good about supporting their “eco-attitude”. The next time you are in the downtown Orlando area and feeling peckish, give it a try. And give a big smile to the quirky lady whose kids are throwing food on the floor - she might be me!

Jenny is a kooky, crunchy, unschooling mom to two amazing children. A long time ago, in a world far, far way, she was a theatre major, then a people-pleasing corporate marketer, but can now be found playing Fairy Godmother in repeat performances in her living room. She also makes a mean costume out of copy paper and brads. Jenny has an opinion about everything, views life through rose-colored glasses, and can be rather long-winded. Visit her at her occasionally updated website to learn more.