June Restaurant Orlando: Contemporary Mexican Done Right in Thornton Park

What We Ordered at June

Avocado

We started with the avocado appetizer, which was pretty much a fancy minimalist guacamole with a green herb oil that tasted grassy like olive oil. We got it with the additional salsas, which provided a great choose your adventure type flavor paired with the avocado and tostadas. The salsas ranged from mild tartness from tomatillos to the citrusy sourness of lime to the spicy smokiness of roasted chilis.

It was a refreshing light start to the meal, but if you’re not someone that enjoys sour flavors, you probably won’t enjoy this all that much.

Esquites

We also got the esquites, which is basically elote without the cob. Sweet popping corn and cheese, of course it’s good. My one complaint was that this dish was too salty.

Fish Taco

My wife also ordered herself a singular fish taco, which they specified was cod. I’m assuming since they don’t list the fish on the menu, it changes depending on availability.

When it arrived at the table, it had a pretty strong fishy smell, but surprisingly after biting into it, it was just good quality crispy, shatteringly crunchy fish. I am partial to flour tortillas because I find most corn tortillas to be the equivalent of a limp cracker, dry and leathery. But the tortilla on the fish taco at June was really good. It was tender but delicate and moist but still had structural integrity.

Cod is like chicken breast and can be easily overcooked, but props to June because this was very well done. My wife even claimed it to be the best fish taco she’s ever had.

Tuna Tostada

The biggest misfire of the night was the tuna tostada. Both my wife and I disliked this dish. On the menu it says tuna and ponzu, so we were expecting the citrusy slightly sweet umami filled soy sauce flavor. But instead it was like a layer of fruit jam on top of raw thin tuna slices.

It was so cloyingly sweet, and the waitress explained that was probably from the tamarind sauce they put on top. I think it would be more suitable on the menu as tuna and tamarind sauce rather than ponzu, because the whole dish was like a cross between dessert and fishiness.

June was nice enough to take the dish off our bill, which was completely unnecessary. It’s not like there was any mistake to the dish. Taste is subjective, and even though we didn’t like it, I would’ve still paid for it. But great courtesy by them.

Hanger Steak

Our main entree of the night was the hanger steak. You can tell it was cooked over a wood fire because the charred smokey flavor was very prevalent. It smelled like Cantonese char siu that I loved so much.

The steak was tender and beefy but not juicy in a way that comes from fatty cuts like ribeye or New York strip. Still very well done and benefited from the addition of the sauces.

I cannot exactly explain it, but the steak reminded me of a Chinese dish I ate a lot growing up, which was pork spare ribs deep fried and tossed in a sweet vinegary garlic heavy sauce. The steak did not have any of the flavors I mentioned, but that initial bite has the aroma that was nostalgic to me. Maybe it was from the reaction of their coffee and chili rub on live fire, but I don’t know.

The Verdict: Is June Worth It?

Overall, I really liked June and I can see this restaurant in my monthly rotation for date nights, especially when I want some place with a nice environment that’s not my typical Asian dominated list of restaurants.

The Thornton Park location gives it a great downtown Orlando vibe without feeling too touristy. The modernized hacienda atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the service is excellent, as shown by how they handled the tuna tostada situation.

June in Orlando does contemporary Mexican right. It’s not your typical taco joint, and that’s exactly the point. The gluten free focus means lots of creative corn based dishes, and when they nail it like with the fish taco and hanger steak, it’s really impressive.

What to Order at June Restaurant

Get These:

• Fish taco (best my wife has ever had)
• Hanger steak (wood fired perfection)
• Avocado appetizer with extra salsas (if you like sour flavors)

Skip:

• Tuna tostada (way too sweet, more dessert than savory)

Tips for Visiting June in Thornton Park

• Great for date night with warm, cozy atmosphere
• Not your typical Mexican food so adjust expectations
• Corn tortillas here are excellent
• Wood fired flavors are prominent on grilled items
• Service is top notch and accommodating
• Perfect if you want upscale without pretentious vibes
• Good for gluten free diners with focused menu

Have you been to June restaurant in Orlando? What did you order and how was your experience?