There are some givens when traveling to Orlando. Yes, there is always a gift shop at the end of every attraction. Yes, the traffic on International Drive and I-4 stinks, and yes we do have a Hard Rock! First off, let me say that Orlando’s Hard Rock is special because it is the largest Hard Rock in the world! The headquarters for Hard Rock is also located right here in Orlando. Jason went to the Hard Rock last week to review the food and get a VIP tour of the property!
The Food:
No food review would be complete without a drink or two! I started out with a Hard Rock classic drink, the hurricane. This drink comes in a great hurricane glass that you get to take home! (yes I always believe the best drinks come with a souvenir!) This drink was crisp, refreshing, and strong! Jaca started out with a margarita flight, which had 3 samples of margaritas as well as chips and salsa appetizer! Yes you heard me right, a combo drink with an appetizer!!
Speaking of appetizers, we had 3 different ones to start out! We had the Nachopooloza, which had tortilla chips piled high and layered with a three bean mix, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, pico de gallo, jalapeños, green onions, & garnished with sour cream. We added some brisket to the nachos which was a great choice! Yummy for sure!!
Next we had the southwestern egg rolls and the jumbo combo! The egg rolls had a ton of flavor packed into a small roll with a crispy outside and some yummy flavor in the middle! The jumbo combo had a mixture of the best appetizers at the Hard Rock! Signature Wings, Onion Rings, Tupelo Chicken Tenders, Spinach Artichoke Dip with Parmesan flatbread and bruschetta filled the plate to the top and were a hit with everyone at the table!
After taking a few minutes to explore the restaurant, our entrees arrived. We had a party of 4 that day and we all tried something different. One of our friends, Anne, is a vegetarian. She decided to have the Veggie Leggie! The grilled Veggie Leggie patty is topped with a grilled Portobello mushroom, zucchini, yellow squash and roasted red pepper. It’s served on a toasted bun with mayo, leaf lettuce, sliced tomato and grilled sweet onions. Anne said the burger was a great option for her and that it was very filling!
Shawn decided to have something called the local legend. This burger is different at each location you visit. Here in Orlando, they add a deep fried cheese ball in the middle of the burger to make it truly one of a kind! Shawn said this burger was full of amazing flavor and was a cheese overload! He said that this burger was so big and good that you could easily share it with someone else and still be full!
Jaca had the original legendary burger. This legendary burger is topped with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, golden fried onion ring, crisp lettuce and vine ripened tomatoes! This burger and the rest come with a side of fries. Jaca said that the burger was juicy, filling, and had some great flavor to it!
I went big and tried the BBQ platter. This platter had brisket, ribs, pulled pork, fries, beans, and some cole slaw. I am a huge lover of BBQ so you know that I had to try some here at the Hard Rock! The brisket was just how I like it…juicy with some fat on it for flavor! The ribs were fall-0ff-the-bone good and the sauce was great! The star of this plate, however, was the pulled pork which had great flavor and a nice huge chunk of meat!
For dessert we had 3 different things:
We started off with the Hot Fudge Brownie that had Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice cream and hot fudge on a fresh homemade brownie topped with chopped walnuts, chocolate sprinkles, fresh whipped cream and a cherry! This dessert was huge and packed a punch! We then had some Oreo Cheesecake! The cheesecake, which is made in-house, has a generous helping of Oreo cookies baked in the rich and creamy NY-style cheesecake with a decadent Oreo cookie crust. For the Oreo or cheesecake lovers, I highly recommend this amazing dessert! Lastly, I decided to have an adult dessert – a vanilla milkshake made with liquor. This milkshake was creamy, delicious, and had a good amount of alcohol in it!
The atmosphere:
As we all know, Hard Rock is known not only for their great food and amazing drinks but also for their awesome artifacts from around the world with a connection to music! There are suits worn by performers to the marriage license of John Lennon and Yoko Ono! There’s a story behind each piece of memorabilia at this restaurant and I know I could spend hours just looking around! It’s almost like you get a meal and an admission ticket to a rock museum at the same time! We also want to share some awesome information with you about the stuff on the wall! If you go to the hostess stand and tell them you want a tour, they are more than happy to give you one for FREE!!! The tours last around an hour and showcase different artifacts in the restaurant! The tours normally start on the hour, every hour, and this is something they do not advertise!
What is a restaurant without a cool gift shop?! Well, the Hard Rock has some amazing shirts, hats, key chains, jackets and more to showcase your inner rock star! One cool thing about the Rock (gift) shop is that they feature an artist of the month! They release limited edition merchandise that goes with that artist so it is something cool to check out each time you are at City Walk!
Hard Rock is a great place to kick back and relax after a long day in Orlando. This place has amazing staff (ask for Kim if you go ’cause she was AMAZING!) great drinks, killer food, and, of course, a ton to see! Make sure you check back soon for part two of my trip to the Hard Rock! In the next article, I will showcase Hard Rock Live, the Lennon Room, and a private tour in the artists dressing room!!!
Have you ever eaten at the Hard Rock Orlando? If so let me know what you thought!! Check back soon for more at the Hard Rock!
Jason Mayhew
My name is Jason Mayhew, and I am the owner of OFF On The Go. When not traveling with the website, I own my own marketing and PR company, J Mayhew Marketing. I have the best job where I get to travel the world and showcase the most amazing and unique experiences!
