Coro Restaurant — Restaurant in Orlando

UPDATE: Basically, “Sorry, you’re right… but you were parked for 7 hours.”

The only reason this conversation even happened was because I reached out on another platform, and their response honestly made things kinda worse? They couldn’t even take the time to spell my name correctly, and instead of taking full accountability, they hit me with a half apology. Acknowledging the note shouldn’t have been left but then immediately justifying why they did it.

Their reasoning also completely contradicts itself. First, they said they assumed I was an employee from another business because “they’ve never had someone park there for 7 hours.” But then they also said they only put their signs out a few hours before opening. So by that logic, if they open at 5:15 PM and close at 8:45 PM (according to their website), and I parked at 1:30 PM, that means they put up the signs sometime around 2 or 3 at the earliest (since “a few” typically means more than two). Meaning, at the time the signs were put up and note was left, I had only been parked for at most an hour or so….not 7 hours.

So which is it? Because by their own timeline, I either wasn’t parked long enough to be a problem when they put the signs up, or they waited until right before closing to leave the note. Either way, it makes no sense lol I was having a study session/reading date at Lobo’s Coffee, but since there were no available spots, I parked in the nearby plaza, which happens to be where Coro is located. I arrived around 1:30 PM several hours before the restaurant opened at 5:15 PM and made sure the spot I chose didn’t have any signs restricting parking, unlike some nearby spots that were clearly marked. There was no indication whatsoever that the spot would become Coro-only after a certain time.

When I returned to my car around 7:50–8:00 PM, after hours at the coffee shop, I found a note left on my windshield telling me not to park there. What confused me even more was that the note was written on a Coro menu and now, suddenly, there was a “Coro Parking Only” sign placed in front of my car. This sign was not there when I originally parked, and considering I had been there since 1:30 PM (long before Coro even opened), it made no sense to be called out in that way. The note felt unnecessary and passive-aggressive, especially since I hadn’t broken any visible parking rules at the time.

What’s been eating at me since is that maybe this note was tied to something that happened earlier in the day. Before heading into the coffee shop, I had a strange interaction with someone who appeared to be a Coro staff member. I had reversed my car slightly to readjust into the spot because they had parked close enough preventing me from exiting my car, and just as I was pulling back in, they opened their passenger door and started unloading groceries clearly for the restaurant. They left their car door wide open and walked inside, leaving me sitting there, unable to pull in or exit to another spot as they were all taken and I didn’t want to park even further from my destination. They didn’t come back out for a while, and when they finally did, they glanced at me, moved slowly, no sense of urgency even though I was clearly waiting to park in the spot they were blocking. They gave a half-hearted gesture like “thanks” or “sorry.” At the time, I brushed it off as just inconsiderate behavior. But after seeing the note hours later, I started wondering, was that earlier interaction why I was targeted with the note?

I could be completely overanalyzing it. I’m genuinely trying to make sense of why a note would be left on my car in a public plaza, with no posted rules about Coro parking until a sign was added AFTER I was already parked. If that sign had been there from the beginning, or if there were clear “No Parking After 4:30 PM – Coro Only” markings, I would’ve absolutely respected that. But there weren’t.

The whole experience felt unnecessarily hostile, and whether connected or not, it left a really bad taste in my mouth. I have no interest in ever checking them out...

I reallllly wanted to love this place so much! The open concept with “no servers, only chefs” is so refreshing, the creative & rotating menu is my favorite type of dining experience, and the passion exuded by the team is exactly the vibe you like to see from a local, chef-driven establishment.

The chef who took our order explained that they aspire to provide a casual experience of being at home. They asked us to be patient with the chefs who aren’t used to doing front of house service and told us to feel free to flag down any chef to ask questions or chat about how the flavors were working in dishes, etc. This seemed really cool and interactive in theory! In practice, there really weren’t any of those types of interactions. Given the price point that resulted in about $100 per person, this approach ended up feeling a bit like we were paying fine dining prices for somewhat of a test kitchen experience.

The first bite was a delicious start and really kicked things off with high expectations. Drinks were perfect and came out quickly. We ordered cold plates first, and each one came out in a well-timed succession that made it feel a bit like a tasting menu. The warm dishes arrived mostly all together. Our favorites were probably the rutabaga and the naan!

Each dish had some aspects that were a real hit and others that didn’t seem to work as well. For instance, the raw red snapper flavor was outstanding but seemed to be sitting in a bit too much liquid; the duck was perfectly crispy (albeit a chewy for the $40 small plate price point), but the collards used to wrap the duck confit were almost too tough to cut through. The plating often felt a little chaotic or messy, like the final bite (a house made vanilla wafer with a banana creme) that looked like someone had snapped a cookie in half and then put two on one plate rather than each half-cookie on a single plate for each of the three of us.

Eventually, we realized one of the dishes we ordered hadn’t come out yet. As it had been a few minutes since we finished everything else, we wondered whether that order hadn’t been put in. We sort of decided we’d be fine without it and mentally anticipated getting the check next. A little while later, a chef came out to ask if we wanted new plates for our last dish. So they did bring it out! The timing was just a bit strange.

The biggest challenge to our overall experience was that it was quite difficult to hear the chefs who brought out our dishes and explained the ingredients to us because of how loud the restaurant was for the duration of our time there. It was hard to hear each other speak as well. Hopefully they’ll add some panels to the walls that will help dampen some of the noise.

There is so much to like about this place that I do think it’s absolutely worth a try. I really love the concept they’re going for and wish them lots of...

Coro is a food geek’s dream! Every dish from start to finish was exceptional. Last night marked my husband and my first dining experience at Coro. Based on the outstanding culinary experience we had, we will definitely be returning. The moment you walk through the door, the vibrant energy makes it evident that this is the place to be. We were warmly greeted by the Coro team, who are there to assist you. Stepping into the Coro universe means becoming part of a team of food lovers with a shared goal: to enjoy Chef Tim Lovero's exquisite menu.

Each dish not only looked incredible, but also challenged our taste buds with new flavors. Our servers did an outstanding job hosting us, and it was evident that they truly understood the Chef's vision. The emphasis on local ingredients from Florida farms and seasonal produce shines through in the menu. Although the dishes are considered small plates, it's difficult to categorize them as such due to the incredible taste and value offered by each dish. The menu is ever-changing, and last night we had the pleasure of tasting the following delights:

Florida fish with strawberry umeboshi and Sichuan chili oil Grass-fed beef with kohlrabi and warm rice Sprouts and lettuces with brown butter and cured yolk Potato naan with chicken skin butter and citrus jam Shrimp, pork, and galangal sausage with xo Corn agnolotti with lamb belly and artichoke

Every dish had impeccable seasoning and temperature, and the presentation was stunning. The servers took the time to explain each dish thoughtfully, including Chef Lovero's influences.

While all the dishes were excellent, I must highlight two that stood out: the Potato naan with chicken skin butter and citrus jam, and the Sprouts and lettuces with brown butter and cured yolk. The soft and warm potato naan paired perfectly with the chicken skin butter and citrus jam, which was so addictive we ordered it twice. The Sprouts and lettuces salad was simply sublime, with the shaved cheese adding a delightful touch.

The wine selection was the ideal complement to the menu. The entire Coro staff was exceptional, but I want to give a special mention to Jonathan, the general manager, who truly went above and beyond to represent the restaurant.

A special acknowledgment goes to the dessert team at Coro. We tried desserts that pushed our taste buds to new levels. The coffee, potato, and vanilla dessert was one of the best I've ever had, with the perfect hint of salt. The mushroom, strawberry, and white chocolate dessert, recommended by our server, was another standout for its unique concept...