Introduction

The Food Factory is located in the middle of Oviedo on the Park, and has been open since July of 2023. This area is formatted like a strip mall, but instead of shops, there are food vendors. Though many have switched in and out throughout the years, The Food Factory has maintained stable business.

There are seven places to choose from: Kai Asian Street Fare, Tacos My Guey, The Local Hen, Buttercrust Pizza, Grilled Cheezus, Little Greek and Press Waffle Co. (plus a new soon-to-be-opened restaurant). I tried at least one dish from each, then compiled which stood out the most.

Overview

The Food Factory was not as big or extravagant as it looked on the photos online. It was decently crowded, but the mood was a little dull, even at night when the lights provided an elegant glow.

Putting that aside, there were small details in the design that made The Food Factory stand out. For example, there is a mural painted on one of the walls that displays a human face with gears, which immediately caught my attention.

For the number of restaurants at the place, I would have expected more room to sit inside, or for the restaurants themselves to be larger. If you get stuck outside, especially at night, note that it is the number one spot for bugs—especially mosquitoes.

However, there is a rather large area to sit at called The Factory Bar, and it has a decent amount of space to sit, eat and watch the day’s sports. The theme of a “factory” is still carried inside, with the decorative gears and older vibe.

Menu items

Kai Asian Street Fare’s Korean Crispy Wings with garlic—7/10:

The wings, at first glance, looked beautiful. The yellow-orange color made them seem so appetizing that I wanted to immediately dive in.

The garlicy, citrusy sauce was satisfying, as was the crunch of the breading. It was very sticky, however, and the sauce took a long time to wash off my fingers.

Inside of the crispy wings, the chicken was perfectly cooked, and practically fell off the bone. However, when I tried to enjoy the saucy outside with the warm, comforting inside, I found that I could not. It was as if the two flavors could not combine into one dish—you either tasted the sauce, or you tasted the meat. It was truly strange, and made me rethink the dish.

The Local Hen’s Classic Chicken Tenders with ranch—0.5/10:

These chicken tenders were dry, tough and bland. The more I ate, the harder it became to chew and the less flavor I tasted. It was as difficult to enjoy as it was to pull apart.

I tried dipping them in the ranch provided, hoping that it might add extra flavor, but it was almost pure water. It only made the chicken tenders worse.

I would not recommend this dish, as they were most likely the worst chicken tenders I have ever tasted.

Little Greek’s gyro pita–8/10:

This dish was huge, and thoroughly packed with lettuce, tomato and gyro. The pita holding the whole thing together made it so easy to eat, though it was a little dry on its own.

I had never tried gyro before, but I found it juicy and tender. It went wonderfully with the tzatziki sauce that came on top.

The only complaint I have is that it is hard to get everything in one bite due to the monstrous size. I found many times that my mouth could only fit the lettuce and tomato, and maybe, if I was lucky, the pita. It really takes away from the dish, as without everything together, it is dry and plain.

Press Waffle Co.’s House waffle–6.5/10:

The House waffle has everything I could ever think of to put on a waffle: chocolate, cookie butter, whipped cream and strawberries. Each bite had a satisfying punch of flavor. It was impossible to find a plain, simple bite.

Though everything went well together, the experience was dulled by the waffle itself. It was very undercooked, and the mix stuck to my mouth. This also made it harder to chew and cut.

Overall impression

This Food Factory is not the place to go if you want a quick place to eat. The food takes a long time to come out, regardless of how busy it is that day, and when it does, it can be underwhelming. Yes, you generally get a decent portion, but the price goes through the roof, and the quality is just okay.

6/10.