Behind every building there is a story. This applies to restaurants as well. Some are interesting, some are boring, and some even enhance the experience of the location. Susan’s Courtside Café’s story contradicts the overall look and feel of the location. The restaurant is nicely nuzzled inside the small downtown side of Kissimmee that is actually well-maintained. Located next to the town’s courthouse, this restaurant despite the reputation can be quite busy quite quickly. Or so I’ve heard. But, there’s some darkness within as well. Susan’s Courtside Café is famous and infamous; one for its food and the other for its unexpected surprises.
They say the place is haunted with a few ghosts here and there that sometimes throw things, sometimes hide things, and sometimes make some bizarre noises. Or so I’ve heard. The story setting the haunts is so gruesome, so disturbing, that you have to be told privately the details to not gross out anybody around you. All I know is that it involved a husband and wife, and it involves a murder-suicide. That is all I shall tell you. Ever since though, there have been stories, and there have been sightings. However, you won’t feel any of this because by day, this place is gorgeous. Inside and outside.
One of the better indoor décor settings I’ve ever seen, the place has a very home-like setting, with a fireplace, funky tables here and there, a few newspapers scattered about, and even an outdoor patio in case you want some fresh air. The menu is very simple, consisting of a small breakfast, plenty of sandwiches, pizza, different coffees, and a few miscellaneous drinks and snacks. I heard their pizza is amazing as well as their sandwiches, so I decided to go with both. Regular cheese pizza, a tuna salad melt, and some lemonade. Josh went with a hot Italian beef sandwich, and some lemonade.
The lemonade was the big hit of the lunch. It was pleasant, had that great homemade flavor and the free refills was an added plus. There are not enough places in the world that put effort on lemonade, so it’s nice to see Susan’s Courtside Café go beyond the norm. I am pretty sure I went through 4-5 glasses of the awesomeness. It wasn’t too sour, and wasn’t too sugary. Josh and I agree, this is some of the best lemonade in Florida. Their coffee is also notoriously great, but since neither of us drink coffee, we didn’t try it.
My tuna melt came without lettuce, tomato, and onion, which usually comes with the sandwich. Because of a mix-up, I didn’t get the lettuce, but that’s fine because the sandwich was still quite good. The recurring theme to this place is fresh food: and it shows with the bread. The bread held together the sandwich perfectly by tasting very fresh, actually maintaining the hot temperature of the tuna up to the very last bite. It’s definitely a sandwich I would order again in a future visit. The pizza is their most expensive item, but at $8, you get a fresh personal pizza that doesn’t try too hard to overwhelm, but is tasty enough to get your attention. All their food is perfect for a long day at court, none of them are too heavy, nor are they too light.
Josh’s roast beef sandwich looked good as well, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He mentioned the freshness of the meat, the light spice kick, and the quality bread. His sandwich came with a dip, which was unnecessary but was also good. My side of cottage cheese was surprisingly good, as they took a random side item and infused some effort, freshness, and quality. That little cup of cottage cheese would make Richard Nixon quite proud (If you don’t know why, then brush up your random American history).
Bottom Line: Susan’s Courtside Café has the Dr. Red Lobster and Mr. Wendys syndrome, as it’s a great restaurant by day and quite a haunted spot by night. This restaurant is one of the better dining experiences in all of Kissimmee with its entourage of fresh food and incredible setting. But, the place holds a dark secret, so I can’t guarantee that your visit will be haunt-free. The mix of peace and harmony with a grim past that sometimes fiddles with the area is unlike that of any restaurant I’ve visited. If you are in the area however, I really recommend this spot because it has great food, great atmosphere, great service, great prices, and the nice old-school Florida feeling that just doesn’t occur enough in the Sunshine State. Enjoy….if you dare.
Final Verdict: Recommend
Susan's Courtside Cafe
18 South Orlando Avenue
Kissimmee, FL 34741-5674
(407) 518-1150
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