Hawkers Asian Street Fare

Order three or four plates between two people. The ones that justify the trip:

• Roti canai: two Malaysian flatbreads with the house curry sauce for dipping.
• Soup dumplings: xiaolongbao with pork and bone broth, black vinegar and ginger.
• Pork belly baos: thick-cut pork belly, pickled mustard greens, peanuts and brown sugar.
• C.K.T. (char kway teow): wide rice noodles wok-fired with shrimp, chicken, lap cheong and egg. The founders' favorite, according to the menu.
• Curry laksa ramen: spicy coconut curry with shrimp, chicken and tofu. The best single bowl.

Skip the pad thai and lo mein. You can get those anywhere, and the Malaysian dishes are why Hawkers exists.

Monday to Thursday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., baos and beers are half price, spirits are $3 off, and a handful of small plates drop to $5: spring rolls, chili garlic edamame and Korean fried chicken among them. The company notes that pricing and availability can vary by location, so check with your server.

A late-afternoon happy-hour stop works well before a dinner reservation at Kaya, a few minutes away on Thornton Avenue.

Mills 50 is where Orlando goes for Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean food. Hawkers is the most visible restaurant on the strip and rarely the only good choice on it. Afterwards, Wally's is a block south on the same avenue, and it is the opposite experience: a dive bar, not a cocktail list. For a morning coffee in the same neighborhood, Black Bean Deli on Colonial Drive opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays.

Mills 50 is a long way from the parks. It makes sense if you are staying downtown or doing a non-park day in the city. If you are based near Disney and only want the food, Hawkers also runs a Windermere restaurant on the southwest side of town, closer to the resort corridor. Largely the same menu, less neighborhood.