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House of Blues Orlando: Full Restaurant Review

House of Blues Orlando: Full Restaurant Review

House of Blues is a national chain restaurant that was founded by one of the members who founded the Hard Rock Cafe. Think of House of Blues as the Hard Rock’s grungier cousin with better food.

Located on the West Side of  Disney Springs by the AMC Theater, House of Blues brings its own vibe to the area. We were feeling a very side of the road biker bar vibe. There is a hand painting on the woodwork throughout, even in the bathroom, and the decor showcases music posters, music memorabilia, and beer bottle caps.

Drinks at Orlando House of Blues

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The first drink we ordered was a Havana Twist Mojito, which was a tall glass of Havana Club 3-year blanco rum, simple syrup, mint, raspberry, blackberry, and lime. This drink was dangerously delicious and refreshing. It was not very sweet, but was light and the rum taste just danced on your tongue. It was like you know you’re drinking alcohol, but it wasn’t punching you in the face. This drink was $13.00.

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The next drink we tried was the Strawberry Fields. This was a cocktail of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Disaronno amaretto, strawberry, passion fruit, mint, and lime. We’re committed to being honest, here… We hated it. Like took just a couple of sips. Our waitress was amazing and replaced it with another Havana Twist Mojito. This drink was thick, sweet, and just syrupy. And I think someone needs to throw the life ring out there to find Captain Morgan. Man overboard! Heaven knows he wasn’t in that drink. This drink was $13.00

The overall drink menu was very diverse, offering a great mix of draft beer and cocktails. Be sure to ask your server about the profiles of the drinks you are choosing. We did not take this advice and just got a little caught up in the menu, I guess. The price range of cocktails at House of Blues is between $13 and $15.

Food at House of Blues

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House of Blues Orlando is a barbeque joint, so of course, we ordered barbeque! We figured the best representation of barbeque is ribs and pulled pork so we went for both. The ribs just fell off the bone with tender juiciness. They are treated with a Kansas-style sauce that is sticky and sweet, and for those of us who can’t get enough, there is more available on the side. Speaking of sides, this dish comes with baked beans, coleslaw, and a hearty piece of cornbread on the side. We didn’t want to taint our barbeque with runny baked beans, so we opted for a classic fry. The fries, by the way, were those perfect thin ones. I know that’s not why you’re here, but yes, they too are delish. This meal was $22.

Next was what I believe separates the barbeque boys from the barbeque men. It’s nearly impossible to make a tender fall off the bone rib “bad”, but you can definitely go wrong with pulled pork. It has to be tender, juicy, seasoned… The bread has to be right. The stars have to align. A little dramatic? Sure, but we believe that if a pulled pork can be done well, then it is a quality barbeque restaurant.

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This is a quality barbeque restaurant. Our sandwich was piled high with delicious meatiness that was salty, but a hint of sweetness. It was served on a fluffy and sweet brioche bun and served with the same barbeque sauce as the ribs on the side. On its own it was delicious, but we decided to plus up our meal. We poured the whole container of extra sauce on the meat and then scooped all of our slaw onto the sandwich to add another element of vinegary crunchiness. Let me tell you, the heavens sang. Chefs kiss. This meal was $16.

In addition to the barbeque dishes on the menu, House of Blues also features cajun dishes as well. You will see blackened salmon, poboys, and jambalaya to name a few. There was also a surprising amount of different salads listed on the menu. Sure, it is just a bowl of lettuce with varying versions of chicken when you break it down, but for a barbeque and cajun restaurant, you don’t expect it to be very vegetarian-friendly.

The overall menu is very easy-going comfort food with a price point between $16 and $25. There is the exception of the oddball of the listings. There is a $38 New York Strip sirloin listed which is really out of place amongst the barbeque. Plus, if you were going to pay $38 for a steak, go to Steakhouse 71 at the Contemporary. See the full menu for House of Blues Orlando here.

Our Experience

Reservations are highly recommended for this restaurant, but they are also very easy to get. You can open up your My Disney Experience app for almost any date between today and 60 days from now and snag a reservation.

Overall, I’m really glad we chose this restaurant for lunch. We booked the reservation based on the description of food and the reservation availability, but I will be honest that if I saw it in person first I would have walked on by. The vibe isn’t really my scene. I felt like the only thing missing with the decor was the thick cigarette smoke to walk through. (Though maybe because smoking indoors was outlawed back in 2003.)

The food was delicious, the prices were fair, and the service was great! Also… there is a bourbon bread pudding that I somehow did not see on the menu and that just has to happen.

I can’t wait to come back in the evening sometime to listen to some live music! Their concert calendar shows a lot of different tribute bands like ones for Queen, Michael Jackson, Green Day, and Linkin Park, but two bands on July 23 totally caught my eye… Y’all, Bowling for Soup and Less Than Jack will be playing! My teenage punk rock/ska heart is going pitter patter! If you want to see more about future concerts at the House of Blues Orlando click here.

Lindsey

Thursday 23rd of June 2022

The bread pudding there is AWESOME. We once asked our server about it and told her how much we love the bread pudding at Raglan Road. She insisted we try their version and we were so happy that we did. Yum!