Happy #tastytuesday friends! If you’ve been following either of my social media accounts (Instagram: mvp_mslone or Facebook: Magical Vacation Planner by Meagan Slone), you may have seen that I had a resort stay at Universal Orlando Resort last week! As much as I enjoyed showing you the resort and the parks, I’m excited to bring you some new reviews from a few restaurants that I was able to try while I was there.
One of the restaurants that I am most excited to review is the Hard Rock Cafe. Located along Universal Orlando’s CityWalk, the Hard Rock Cafe is an iconic restaurant that I remember seeing as a child on my very first trip to Universal. I was excited to eat here as an adult, and so I walked up to the hostess and asked about availability. She said it was a first come first serve basis and said they had a lot of availability that night. For context, I walked to the restaurant at about 6:30pm, right after Universal’s Islands of Adventure closed for the day.
The hostess asked me if I preferred to sit at the bar or at a table. As I could go either way, I asked her preference. She suggested sitting at the bar and called it a “badass experience.” She also mentioned that there were several great bartenders on that night. I took her up on her offer to sit at the bar and was immediately wow-ed by the HUGE convertible rotating in the very middle of the restaurant surrounded by TVs and pieces of art depicting rock and roll icons.
Before I entered the restaurant, I had checked out the menu posted outside and knew exactly what I wanted. I was curious to try the Impossible burger with all of the fixings. I also decided to start with a small house salad as well.
The house salad was served with a vinaigrette and can be made gluten free without the croutons. This salad was a typical salad, nothing special. 6/10 for me.
Now for the main event: the Impossible burger. Even though this is a plant based option, to technically make it vegan, you would need to omit the cheese, mayo, and bun. Slices of cheese and burger buns don’t irritate my stomach as much as other dairy and gluten options do, so I decided to give the whole burger a shot. And OH. MY. GOSH. was this burger tasty! I also liked that the burger was served with the mayo on the side to give me the option to add it or not. I have mentioned this before, but Impossible burgers can be incredibly difficult to cook well, and this burger tasted like I was eating a regular burger. The fries were also perfectly crispy and salty. 10/10 for me!
Overall, eating both vegan and gluten free at Universal Orlando is slightly more difficult than at Walt Disney World. I have had some great experiences talking to team members and chefs at Universal Orlando, but the process is not as streamlined as it is at Disney. Although I greatly enjoyed my experience at the Hard Rock Cafe, I did find it one of the most difficult places to eat with several food allergies, as burger and fried foods make up the core of its menu. If you choose to eat here, definitely go in with a game plan and you will have an awesome experience!
Here’s to living our best and most delicious Universal lives! <3
~ Meagan
Meagan has been living with many food allergies and sensitivities since she was 19 years old. She is currently a Personal Vacation Advisor for Magical Vacation Planner, specializing in helping her guests book trips to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. Meagan enjoys researching fitness and nutrition and has taken a special interest in finding allergy friendly options at Walt Disney World.
Interested in having Meagan help you plan your next trip? Send her an email at m.slone@magicalvacationplanner.com or get a free quote at https://magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/meagan-slone/!
