At first glance, Little Something Different feels less like a restaurant and more like someone’s eclectic living room.

Colorful mismatched tables and chairs fill the intimate dining space and chandeliers hang overhead. Paintings, antiques and whimsical décor create a cozy atmosphere that invites guests to settle in and stay awhile.

That sense of comfort is exactly what owner and chef Nikki McIntyre hoped to create when she opened the Mount Dora restaurant in February 2025.

“I honestly wanted the vibe of the old TV show Friends, like colorful, comfortable, very homey feeling,” Nikki says.

The restaurant, located at 426 N. Donnelly street, represents the fulfillment of a longtime dream for Nikki, who has spent most of her life in the food industry.

“I’ve been doing this since I was 12,” she says.

Before that, some of her earliest food memories were formed in family kitchens and restaurants.

“It was just literally grandma’s house cooking. My mom cooking. Lots of family restaurants and everything.”

For nearly three decades, Nikki worked in The Villages, where her family operated Lighthouse Point Bar and Grill. Eventually, a series of life changes led her to Mount Dora, a place she had long turned to whenever she needed a break from everyday life.

“Mount Dora has always the place that I came to every time I was having a bad day,” she says.

After purchasing an older home in town to renovate and taking a serving job, Nikki’s parents John and Maureen McIntyre encouraged her to pursue what they believed she was meant to do.

“My parents said, ‘What are you doing? This isn’t you. You need to own your own place,’” she recalls.

With their support, Little Something Different became a reality.

The restaurant’s name reflects Nikki’s philosophy about dining.

“Every time you go out to eat, what do you want? I always say, ‘I want something different,’” she says.

That idea carries through nearly every item on the menu, which Nikki has had fun naming based on some of her favorite books and songs.

Many dishes begin with familiar comfort foods and family recipes before receiving Nikki’s signature twist. Her great-grandmother Teresa McIntyre’s Caesar dressing remains a staple.

“Her dressing is amazing,” Nikki says.

A mushroom soup recipe was elevated after Nikki discovered specialty mushrooms from a local grower.

Instead of traditional mushrooms, the soup features six varieties, including lion’s mane mushrooms.

“It just made the soup 10 times better,” she says.

One of the restaurant’s most popular dishes reimagines a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The dish, “Peace Love & Gravy,” layers cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy and jellied cranberry into a presentation resembling a cake of sorts.

“Turkey dinner is my favorite,” Nikki says. “Then a friend once said, ‘Hey, what can we do differently for a turkey dinner and make it fun?’”

Nikki’s Monte Cristo-inspired sandwich, called the Edmund Dantes, is another example and favorite dish among customers. Named after the main character in “The Count of Monte Cristo,” the sandwich features ham, turkey and brie smothered between French toast rather than the traditional deep-fried preparation, then sprinkled with confectionary sugar with a side of blackberry jam.

Other menu items draw inspiration from songs. The Drunken Scotsman, for example, is named after a Scottish tune Nikki enjoys. Her version of the traditional Scottish dish, rumbled thumps and bangers, features mashed potatoes with beer cheese, purple cabbage, sautéed onions and Scottish sausage.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, considering Little Something Different’s menu is filled with a good variety of starters like meatballs, potato boats stuffed with cheddar, sauteed onion and BBQ pork and salads like the Wacky Watermelon and the Pear Fig, which pairs arugula, figs, walnuts, goat cheese, strawberries, pears and sauteed onion.

There are also homemade soups, sharable sides, hearty sandwiches and main courses that make it hard to choose just one, hence the menu’s “Little Bites,” aka, smaller servings of some of her most popular dishes.

“It’s just happiness transformed into food,” she says.

Justin Sanford, Nikki’s boyfriend, helps serve guests and manage the restaurant’s social media presence. He says the goal has always been to create an experience that feels welcoming and unique.

“The feel walking through the door is that it’s different, but still cozy and warm,” Justin says. “You come in feeling like you’re a part of something already.”

That atmosphere, combined with the creative menu, has helped the restaurant quickly develop a loyal following.

“Within two months, we had regulars filling the place,” Nikki says. “They just keep coming back. It’s like they’re already family.”

Little Something Different offers dine-in service, takeout, catering and private events. The restaurant also hosts special themed evenings and date nights announced through its Facebook page.

Reservations are not required but strongly recommended. With only eight tables, the restaurant often fills quickly.

For Nikki, however, success is measured less by crowded tables and more by watching guests enjoy the food she loves creating.

“I think it’s the Italian side in me that just loves to see people eat, eat, eat,” she says. “I feel like my grandmother again.”

For hours and more information, call 352.604.5743 or visit littelsomethingdifferent.com.