Hard Rock Cafe Orlando

The Hard Rock Café in Orlando is one of the coolest and best restaurants in Universal’s CityWalk, in my opinion. The large coliseum-style building is home to the largest Hard Rock Café in the entire world! It is also home to the Hard Rock Live – a huge concert venue that can seat up to 3,000 people. This rock and roll themed restaurant has a lot to offer beyond just burgers and drinks. Here is our review on the Hard Rock Café Orlando.

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Theming

At the Hard Rock Café in Orlando, guests will dine on some delicious food while being surrounded by memorabilia from legendary rock stars. This restaurant is very high energy and loud, playing some of the greatest music of all time and keeping its guests always entertained. It has a very laid back and casual atmosphere, and guests of all ages are welcome here. After all, their slogan is “Love all, serve all”. 

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Appetizers

The Hard Rock Café has excellent options for appetizers. All of these appetizers are pretty huge and perfect for sharing! Some of their famous appetizers here are the Classic Nachos, One Night in Bangkok Spicy Shrimp, Wings (boneless and regular), All-American Sliders and Cuban Sliders, Flatbreads and Bruschetta.

Classic Nachos

One Night in Bangkok Spicy Shrimp

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Legendary Burgers

The Hard Rock Café is not only famous for their music memorabilia, but also for their delicious, legendary burgers! The Original Legendary Burger is “the burger that started it all”. It’s a fresh steak burger with Applewood bacon, Tillamook cheddar cheese, crispy onion ring, lettuce and tomato and is served with their signature steak sauce on the side.

There are several variations of burgers here, and they are all very juicy and delicious. Some of the burgers you can get here include: the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, The Big Cheeseburger, Double-Decker Double Cheeseburger, Surf & Turf Burger, Country Burger, Swiss Mushroom Burger, and the Spicy Diablo Burger. There are also vegetarian and vegan-friendly burgers available upon request: The Impossible Burger, and Moving Mountains Burger.

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Sandwiches

Are you in the mood for something hearty, but not for one of the Hard Rock’s famous and legendary burgers? They also have some great sandwich options that will be sure to satisfy your cravings!

The BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich is made with delicious hand-pulled smoked pork slathered in house-made barbecue sauce. It’s served on a fresh, toasted brioche bun with a side of coleslaw and pickles. There’s also the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, which is fresh, grilled chicken with honey mustard sauce, melted Monterey Jack cheese, Applewood bacon, crisp lettuce, and a vine-ripened tomato on a fresh brioche bun. Lastly, they have the Fried Chicken Sandwich, which is crispy buttermilk-marinated chicken breast, leaf lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing served on a brioche bun. If you want to make the sandwich even more enjoyable, I recommend requesting it with their classic buffalo sauce!

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Salads & Bowls

The Hard Rock Café also has plenty of healthy options too! The salads and bowls here are incredible! The Steak Salad (pictured below) is an 8oz sliced, grilled steak served on a bed of fresh, mixed greens and tossed in a blue cheese vinaigrette. It also is topped with pickled red onions, red peppers and Roma tomatoes and has crispy shoestring onions sprinkled on top as a finishing touch. It is the best salad on the menu, and is so delicious!

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The Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad is fresh grilled chicken breast that is sliced and served atop of fresh romaine lettuce and tossed in classic Caesar dressing. It is also topped with Parmesan crisps, croutons, and shaved Parmesan cheese. The Grilled Salmon Noodle Bowl is Ramen noodles and grilled Norwegian salmon tossed in a tasty sesame-soy dressing over a bed of mixed greens. It is also topped with edamame, julienned carrots, red peppers, cabbage, and scallions. The Southwestern Chicken bowl is a delicious blend of fajita-spiced chicken, quinoa corn salad, pico de gallo, seasoned black beans and red cabbage served on a bed of fresh, mixed greens and tossed in a creamy guacamole ranch dressing.

Specialty Entrees

The Hard Rock also has some other very famous and popular dishes! First up, we have Baby Back Ribs. Who doesn’t love those?! They are seasoned with the HRC signature spice blend, then glazed with their house-made barbecue sauce. They are grilled to perfection and served with seasoned fries (which taste amazing), coleslaw and ranch-style beans. There are two Steak options as well: the Cowboy Ribeye or the New York Strip Steak.  Both are USDA Choice, grilled and topped with herb butter, served with Yukon mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables.

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The Famous Fajitas are classic Tex-Mex-style fajitas, served with pico de gallo, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, house made guacamole, sour cream, and fresh, warm tortillas. You have the choice of grilled chicken, grilled steak, duo combo (steak and chicken), or veggies fajitas.

The Twisted Mac & Cheese is one of the most popular items on the menu here. It is made of 100% all-natural grilled chicken breast, sliced, and served atop cavatappi pasta. Tossed in a four-cheese sauce blend with diced red peppers, it is very rich and filling.

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The Smokehouse BBQ Combo is slow-cooked Baby Back Ribs and hand-pulled smoked pork served with house-made barbecue sauce. It is a delicious and winning combination of the two popular barbecue dishes. The Cedar Plank Salmon is grilled Norwegian salmon served on a cedar plank with a sweet & spicy mustard glaze. It’s served with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables.

Another fan favorite is the Tupelo Chicken Tenders. These are crispy, fresh chicken tenders served with seasoned fries, honey mustard and house made barbecue sauce.

Desserts

After you are done eating some of the greatest food that the Hard Rock Café has to offer, make sure you save some room for dessert! These sweet treats are the perfect way to finish your meal. You can choose from a delicious Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae, creamy and rich New York Cheesecake, an old-fashioned Homemade Apple Cobbler, Ice Cream, and famous Diner-style Milkshakes. These delicious desserts are sure to hit the spot after dinner.

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Memorabilia

The Hard Rock Café is perhaps best known for their incredible collection of memorabilia from the most famous bands and musicians. As I mentioned before, this location is the largest Hard Rock Café in the world. It is filled floor to ceiling with amazing memorabilia, and is quite literally a museum of rock and roll.

Free VIP Tour

If you ask at the host stand, you can go on a free, guided Vibe tour throughout the restaurant and even get a glimpse at some of the VIP-only rooms. There is a John Lennon room (for VIPs only) filled with personal items from the famous, late Beatle. Some items were donated by Yoko Ono, John’s widow. There is also a ton of Beatles memorabilia, including a signed airline menu from a flight The Beatles took from the UK to the USA in the 1960’s. Included in this room is also a marriage certificate belonging to John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Fans can also see Jimi Hendrix’s Red Fender Mustang, clothing worn by icons such as the Beatles, Elvis, Prince, James Brown and more! There are also many guitars on the wall as you walk around. This collection also includes what is left of Pete Townshend’s (The Who) 1973 Gibson Les Paul guitar. He famously destroyed it 30 minutes into a show in New Castle Odeon.

There’s also a CBGB Room that pays tribute to the famous NYC venue. It has memorabilia from the musicians that frequented the establishment such as Pearl Jam, the Ramones, U2 and more. Elvis Presley also has a room dedicated to him.

Since this restaurant is in Florida, there is a specific room that pays tribute to Florida’s most famous bands and musicians. Some of the iconic musicians include Jim Morrison, Tom Petty, Creed, Jimmy Buffet and KC and the Sunshine Band. I highly recommend asking to take the tour, you will not regret it. It is an incredible experience, and it’s free!

Hard Rock Live

Attached to the Hard Rock Café is the Hard Rock Live. We mentioned this location in our previous article Orlando Concert Series. Some of the most famous musicians and comedians come through here and put on amazing shows! This venue can accommodate up to 3,000 guests and offers some of the best sound and lighting technology of any concert venue! Make sure to visit the Hard Rock Café Live website to be up to date on which musicians and comedians will be performing there next.

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Overall

This is one of the best restaurants in Orlando. Not only is the food good, but the experience is amazing. It truly feels as if you are dining in a Rock and Roll Museum. After you enjoy a great meal at the Hard Rock Café, be sure get up and walk around to see all the history on the walls. Whether you are a music buff or not, it is such a fun experience, and I can’t recommend it enough!

Have you ever been to the Hard Rock Café? What is the coolest piece of memorabilia that you saw there?

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