The Goblin Market Restaurant & Lounge - Mt Dora, Florida

Ellie M.

I was looking for a cute place for a Wedding Anniversary lunch with my husband, enter Goblin Market.

My husband and I love Mount Dora and always wanted to go here, but it seemed more upscale than what we frequent. So, we decided to give it a visit during their less-formal lunch hours. It was one of those days in the 30-40s so we arrived in jeans and thick jackets. But I still felt a bit underdressed because the atmosphere in this place exudes dressy attire. At least the last level upstairs near the bar did. 🙂

I was shocked that there were so many levels to this place. I didn't expect steep stairs and a few platforms, of tables settled throughout. But, if this was a house previously, it makes sense. That being said, they have a few tables on the lower levels and upper levels to try to accommodate all mobility types. The restroom in the upper level was a tight, awkward squeeze but I was glad it was available upstairs.

The food was wonderful, though. I ordered a blackened hamburger special with carrots and bell pepper on top, which magically worked well together. The meat itself was not overcooked and the portions were large. The French fries were battered and crunchy! So good! The French dipped sandwich my husband ordered had a bit smaller portion size with some drier bread, but you know - you get to dip it in sauce so it wasn't an issue.

I'd definitely come back, although the price for two meals and two waters at lunch was just under $50. So, it's a bit expensive. But the quality is there, I understand.

Christina S.

We stopped here for lunch, based solely on the fact that they have a dog friendly patio and were recommended on “BringFido”. Unfortunately, at noon the patio is 50% in the sun and we had to sit with no shade- but we chose to anyhow as our pup had plenty of shade! They immediately brought out a bowl of water for our boy, and despite having to squeeze around him at times, all the staff were very friendly and engaging with him! The ‘spirit-free’ drinks were AMAZING- especially “Winter Wonderland”, best drink I’ve ever had. Our waiter, Mike, had many suggestions as this was our first time here. We chose to split the Mushroom Marmalade burger. It was to die for! The fries were also super delicious! We will definitely be back!

M B.

We visited The Goblin Market with a party of 7 yesterday after the Mt Dora Christmas Parade. We ordered a Irish Whiskey Onion Soup ($14) and a Cashew Chicken Sandwich with fries ($19.75) and a Jolly Holiday Sangria ($13) to share among two of us. The soup was really tasty and had thinly sliced onion rings on top. The only thing I might change is to have smaller cut onions on top as that would make the easier to eat. The Cashew Chicken Sandwich is a fried chicken sandwich that is so very moist, perfectly crisp on the outside and lightly and perfectly flavored. I don’t love cashews by themselves but the cashew crust on this chicken was really really good. The fries were lightly battered and perfect consistency. The Sangria tasted like Christmas and was really good. It had a red wine blend, cinnamon, orange liquor, cranberry, and holiday spices.
Our server was Austin and she was excellent. Our table was as attended as we wanted, she paid attention to details, made us feel welcomed and comfortable. She is one of the best servers we have had that we can remember.
For this visit, we had two disabled family members and this restaurant has limited accessibility. My sister uses a wheelchair and while she can take a few steps, it is challenging. My Mom is using a cane or Walker recently. The restaurant has just a few tables on the main level and our table was one step up so it was manageable. As electric scooter would it be able to get into the restaurant at all as there are a couple of tight 90 degree turns to enter.
This restaurant is decorated really nicely on a regular basis and during this season their holiday decor overlay was classy and festive.
I would most definitely give this restaurant a recommendation to visit and we will be back. Since we went right after the parade we expected to wait to be seated. We waited about an hour which met our expectations.

Adrian D.

TERRIBLE experience; I have come to The Goblin Market for many years. This small restaurant has been a staple for anniversaries, birthdays, and outings with friends because we love it so much. Tonight however was completely disappointing. We have family in from out of town and couldn’t figure out what to do for dinner and of course they had never eaten here so it was a no brainer. The first thing is our older waiter was extremely short with us and rude, cutting my wife and her aunt off mid order. two of the four meals were not good at all which I never thought I would say. Parts of the chicken in the chicken tenders were very undercooked and mushy. My wife ordered grilled chicken breast as she wasn’t feeling the regular Asiago stuffed chicken. Her chicken was dry and flavorless. My meal was the market steak and I really enjoyed it. The bread is no longer brought to the table as a courtesy that has been reduced in size and 8$ now. The roasted pepper butter that came out with the bread was delicious though. My drink and wife’s drink ran dry most of the meal. The empty dishes were left on the table and repeatedly passed up this is a big deal because the Real estate on the table is slim. The waiter was visibly upset because I asked for lemons with my water. He also was cleaning the table behind us and while I believe not intentionally he sprayed my wife several times with what ever cleaning agent he was cleaning the table with. Just about the only time we felt welcome was when the check came out our waiter asked us if we needed anything and how the meal was. We still left a 30$ tip as it is customary to leave something. There is quite a bit more but for $200+ I have never felt so rushed and unwelcome. The two guys at the host stand were friendly and efficient I can say that. I know our poor review will not shut the place down but it will be some time before I return. I wish they would reach out since I have never been disappointed here.

Kathryn B.

Had an incredible experience at Goblin Market in Mt. Dora! As a local chef in DeLand, I’m always on the lookout for great spots, and this place didn’t disappoint. After the craft fair, we stopped in for cocktails and enjoyed a Caesar salad, Filet with Potatoes, & Broccoli, and shared a Crème Brûlée to finish. Every dish was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented – truly worth every penny. Our server was wonderful (I wish I remembered her name!). It’s easy to see why a reservation is a must here. Can’t wait to return!

Angela N.

High quality food. Went for lunch and loved the crab bisque, steak Cobb salad, and mushroom burger. Service was great!

Tokyo T.

5 Stars all the way around. This is a fantastic location for a great lunch with friends. The atmosphere is very quaint, charming, relaxing, comfortable...I could go on. I am so glad a mutual friend recommended it to us.

Our server explained that everything is made from fresh from scratch and that the chef has been with them for over 20 years.

I started with a nice craft beer and a bowl of the Irish Whiskey Onion soup. The soup was very good although I used my knife to cut through some of the cheese and fried onions. My bride ordered a sangria and a mushroom burger. The savory chicken sandwich with fries was ordered by two of us and the Philly sandwich with fries was ordered as well.

All of us thoroughly enjoyed our meal and we had no room for dessert. While our meal for two cost over $80, it is a bit on the pricey side if you decide to have 2 beers, a sangria, soup and 2 sandwiches. But it was worth it!

This is a great place to dine. We dined on the main floor but you should check out the bar and lounge upstairs as well. Or outside. Just loved The Goblin!

Charlene P.

We came here after a wedding reception. The food is amazing! The staff is very accommodating and so attentive 🤌🏻. We went to eat outside because they were closing in an hour and we hadn't made a reservation. They let us sit outside thankfully. It was gorgeous in the back patio. There were lights on the tree and Chandeliers hanging from the branches above us. It was so romantic and intimate. There were a few visits from nature as it was outside, and my husband was overheating. Apparently, he'd had too much to drink at the wedding reception we were at prior. I don't know if the host on duty thought that I wanted to come inside, because of the little visits of nature, but I was totally fine with where we were. I prefer private and intimate settings over a bunch of people, even with the visits from nature. My husband on the other hand was dying, you could see the sweat drenching his shirt. To the staff, thank you for letting us sit inside, he was acting tough, so thank you.
I highly recommend if you go out to eat while visiting Tavares, Florida please come here. Also, make a reservation too. You won't be let down. Promise. Also, the visual aesthetic and the food are amazing. I wish we could have seen upstairs. I do enjoy taking photos. Here are the few I did get though.

Thank you for the wonderful visit!