The H Orlando — Restaurant in Dr. Phillips

The skeptic in me was unsure what to feel when we walked in- the way you are when you look at art. Ready to feel something, not sure if it was pretension, just the bells and whistles or just the bizarre dichotomy of opulence and modern design. We sat in a booth- it was our wedding anniversary. Everything in this place is sexy but not in a fishnet way more in a fresh out of the nice hotel shower with expensive perfume in a white linen robe kind of sexy. The booth made me feel like we Carmen and Tony Soprano, to give you an idea. They gave us an amuse bouche, and we’re all very polite. The apps are called “prelude to pleasure” and as an artist and a skeptic I was like “ok come on- let’s be real.” Everything comes out on these insane heavy plates with their branding like little clouds made of stone? I sincerely hope you pay your dishwashers well because they absolutely deserve a raise- for sure not dishwasher safe. I’m getting off track- long story short. I wanted to hate the prelude to pleasure concept I’m more of a “food pregame” or “light refreshments” kind of girl myself but we order the burrata . It comes with phyllo dough baklava bites and seasoned frisée on top with some kind of cranberry reduction below, the chip to cheese ratio is off, however I do know how expensive phyllo dough is because I’m half Armenian so I get it but it should have a minimum of 5 in my opinion. It was layered, thoughtful; and a symphony of flavors, as much as I hate to say it- it is a prelude to pleasure. And although it think a good chunk of the clientele here are just 35 yuppies who aren’t going to think about it as deeply as I am- it was absolutely a pleasure. My drink- I got the trouble in paradise and it’s probably GENUINELY the best mixed drink I’ve ever had- and my mums a chef and I’m from Boston and I’ve been a lot of very good places. It was interesting and kind of layered and different and it very much transports you it feels like you are drinking cocktails sitting on a small boat in a swamp and there’s alligators in the distance and it has a tropical but also kind of earthy taste but earthy in that seaweed sticks to your feet!! In the best possible way. The truffle fries were 10/10. My pappardelle fresh pasta was delicious and beautifully yellow like farm eggs or a sun rise. The truffle mashed potatoes were also very very good. Not too much truffle- which I find most truffles things overkill and then it’s like not ideal. My husband ordered steak and ordered it medium- it was high quality meat- huge slab- cooked slightly over medium but not enough to complain (not that I would anyway) but still very good. Also love the addition of shoshitto peppers and perfectly caramelized garlic, I’ve been making garlic that way for years and it’s never quite as perfect- but that was as good as my mum does it. They gave us a little red cake for dessert which was both sweet and delicious and it added the element I think the meal was missing which was the “familiar” the little chocolate that said happy anniversary like you would get a much similar place. Also: bonus points for good cappuccino acted 7:30 pm- regardless of the fact that I will add a minimum of 3 sweet in lows in it like an uncultured American I do enjoy the level of perfection it was done with, and I promise I know the difference. As you can tell I’m quite the critic. Service was excellent, the attention to detail is wonderful but I do feel that some of the staff has definitely been abused but a handful of the “cosplay rich people” demographic- so is life and so is service industry. I loved the crumb boy the most. Our server was Nina- so wonderful and sweet- and clearly very smart as well- but you can tell they work well as a team too, which is an indication of good management to me. So overall I would rate this place extremely high. Not just high- in terms of good but good for city- the chef who is coming up with this is clearly both an empath, an intellectual, and a master of their craft- the...

This was one of the best culinary experiences I’ve had in Orlando, but sadly it was overshadowed by the worst service I’ve ever received at a fine dining restaurant.

The good: The ambiance is warm, inviting, and elegant, with beautiful décor and great music. I was there with my parents (who I hadn’t seen in a long time) and my fiancé, who had raved about this place. The food exceeded expectations: we started with steak tartare and pastrami, both exploding with flavor and crafted with true artistry. For mains, I had the short rib, my dad and fiancé had the pappardelle (served tableside), and my mother ordered the filet with broccolini. Every dish was perfectly seasoned, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious. Dessert was baklava, a heavenly finish. Drinks were also excellent. Truly, the food and overall environment deserve nothing but praise.

The bad: Unfortunately, our server, Kseniia, completely ruined the experience. Every other staff member—including the manager, assistant manager, food runner, tableside chef, and other servers—were smiling, professional, and kind. She, however, greeted us without a smile, spoke so quietly we constantly had to ask her to repeat herself, and made every interaction awkward and uncomfortable. She seemed uninterested in being there, interrupting conversations to refill already-full glasses and even bringing extra bottles of sparkling and still water without asking—adding unnecessary charges to our bill.

She often made us feel rushed, standing silently over us until we ordered, offering no recommendations or specials, and giving the impression that we were inconveniencing her. At times, she looked at me with open disdain. My father, who is very warm and charismatic, even tried to lighten the mood, but she remained cold and dismissive.

The final straw came when she dropped the check on the table without a word, then returned a few minutes later, opened it in front of us, and fumbled through it as if impatient for us to pay and leave—something I’d expect at a casual chain restaurant, not a fine dining establishment. She didn’t even thank us at the end; another server had to close out the bill, and his friendliness in those brief moments was better than her service the entire night.

We spent over $500 and left feeling disrespected and upset, despite the outstanding food. It was embarrassing to watch my parents—who traveled far and deserved a special evening—be treated this way. I rarely write reviews, but this bothered me enough to lose sleep over.

Final thoughts: The food, drinks, and ambiance are absolutely worth coming back for, but the service we received from this particular server was unacceptable. She needs serious retraining, as her demeanor would be questionable even in a casual setting, let alone fine dining. To make matters worse, gratuity was included—likely explaining why she made no effort, since the tip was guaranteed.

I would absolutely return to this restaurant for the food and experience, but I would go out of my way to ensure I’m not seated in her...

You never get a second chance to make a great 1st impression is a business principle this restaurant needs to embrace.

It’s a great concept, well executed in terms of the facility esthetic and menu. Unfortunately the promise of the concept dies in the lack of execution in the service and “policies”. We arrived without a reservation on an unseasonably cold Monday evening. It was only by chance since we intended to dine at a very casual, yet Michelin rated restaurant in the same plaza however they were PACKED with a 45 minute or more wait list. So out of curiosity and hunger we walked down to the H. It looked inviting yet visibly NOT busy to the extent we weren’t even sure they were open as we first approached. We giggled at a strongly worded sign about not being let in if you smell like marijuana or meet their dress code. Now admittedly we WERE dressed casually, BUT the restaurant was virtually empty, so it was ridiculous when the hostess looked us up and down, saw my niece wearing very pricy, designer albeit casual “ripped” jeans and all of us looking normal and appropriate for Monday evening so she decided to tell us we needed to sit in the “outside area” like second class citizens. We explained it was a last minute decision and we were new customers but she was not backing down. Within seconds of her declaration, she allowed a young woman wearing an ill fitting mini skirt and furry house slippers to dine in the main area. We were hungry and visiting from out of town to celebrate a birthday so we decided to accept the insult of being cast outside. We were barely seated when we noticed through the glass barrier separating us from the “properly dressed” customers when a couple wearing very outdated head to ankle jeans outfits with Disney charters painted on them was seated inside, certainly not an improvement from our attire. Then a “sugar baby influencer” as described by our server came in with her friend/photographer. It was quite entertaining to watch them capture a truly boring, low energy vibe while making it look like the celebration of the year for her followers and sugar daddies. I guess this is what the H is made for. The guest of honor who was dressed like she was going to the senior prom and her one friend barely ate a thing, just opened gifts that were delivered there for her took a million pictures for social media. We had joy and gratitude on our minds so we laughed about it and focussed on our celebration and the food that was carefully prepared and served. Between courses, as we digested the lovely food, we watched the spectacle of the influencer through the glass like we were watching fish at an aquarium, it was both entertaining and bizarre. The food was very good, the presentation was fun and attractive and actual service at the table was good outside of the bad judgment call of the hostess, but frankly I won’t be back or recommend anyone else because they missed the opportunity to make a great first impression and were...