When there’s over-the-top theme parks, there’s over-the-top restaurants. In Orlando alone, we have places to eat where you can hangout with everything from dinosaurs to pirates. But not all of Florida’s craziest restaurants are the same. Here are a few Orlando area restaurants where the experience is just as important as the grub.
Mango’s Tropical Cafe
8126 International Drive, 407-673-4422
If South Beach and Vegas had a baby, you would have Mango’s. You’ve got waitresses in feathery costumes and extravagant stage shows keeping the adrenaline pumping. Something crazy and colorful is happening in every corner here. Pro tip: order the signature banana martini for an especially entertaining evening.
Photo via Instagram/MangosTropicalJock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar
1486 Buena Vista Drive
If you were to catch Indiana Jones knocking back beers anywhere at Disney, it’d be at Jock Lindsey’s. They do have all his stuff hidden around the bar, after all. Jock Lindsey’s knows that all good explorer’s need an ice cold mojito after a day of walking under the beating sun, so order yourself the Hovito Mojito, which comes in a souvenir cup for you to take home. It’s not like all treasure has to end up in a museum, right?
Photo via Jock Lindsey’s Hangar BarSleuths Mystery Dinner Shows
8267 International Drive | 407-363-1985
“Guess who?” is the name of the game at Sleuths. In between bites of your four-cheese lasagna, offer up some questions to the characters’ as you solve the crime. But the greatest puzzle of them all? The Mystery Dessert at the end of every meal.
Photo via Sleuths Mystery Dinner/FacebookThe Boathouse
1620 Buena Vista Drive, 407-939-2628
Dust off that novelty captain’s hat for a night full of oysters and crab legs at the Boathouse. You’re sure to find yourselves enjoying the evening in a boat-turned-booth here, and if you’re not in the mood for food, set sail on Lake Buena Vista in an amphicar, which is exactly what is sounds like: a car that’s also a boat!
Photo via The Boathouse/FacebookBetter Than Sex
1905 N. Orange Ave. | 407-761-8949
Everything about Better Than Sex is a head-turner: the name, the deserts, the drinks. The coolest kids on the Ivanhoe block are liable to turn just about any dessert item into a penis sculpture or dip the rim of any wine glass into the greatest aphrodisiac of all-time: chocolate.
Photo via Better Than Sex/FacebookPaddlefish
1670 Buena Vista Drive Lake Buena Vista, 407-934-2628
For the seafood lover there’s Paddlefish. A restaurant-bar hybrid located aboard a reimagined steamboat docked on the shores of Lake Buena Vista. Can’t get any closer to the real seafood experience unless you caught the fish yourself.
Photo via Paddlefish/FacebookThe Edison
1570 E. Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, , 407-560-9288
Set in an “abandoned” power plant, The Edison is a gothic style restaurant located in Disney Springs. Get charged up on their crafted cocktails or their savory The Edison burger. Get there early with the kids because at 10 p.m. it transform into an adults only cabaret.
Photo via The Edison/FacebookPirates Dinner Adventure
6400 Carrier Drive | 407-206-5100
Arrrrr! Cap’n Sebastian th’ Black be after all th’ lovely booty ‘n fair maidens in our Sunshine State. Knock back some beers while ye watch th’ cap’n ‘n his swashbucklin’ crew wreak havoc on an authentic 18th century Spanish galleon.
Photo via Pirates Dinner/FacebookHamburger Mary’s
110 W. Church St., 321-319-0600
Like a page out of Cinderella’s story, the drag queens of Hamburger Mary’s leave you with their own version of a glass slipper after a night to remember: a shiny red stiletto with the check. Hey, it’s better than that flat black coffin the check usually comes in, right? You don’t have to be into drag to “be Mary” – they’ve got shows throughout the week that’ll entertain the pants off any and everyone.
Photo via Instagram/hamburgermaryVoodoo Doughnut
183 S. Orange Ave., 407-985-5272
Voodoo Doughnut started in Portland, Oregon and have been offering up twisted doughnut ideas ever since. Now they have brought their brand of weird desserts to the 407. Stop by Citywalk to see what all the fuss is about.
Photo via Voodoo Doughnut/FacebookTaverna Opa
9101 International Drive | 407-351-8660
Patrons jump up on the tables for a belly dance fest while waiters bring the heat with flaming Greek cheese. But Taverna Opa doesn’t offer up the most authentic Greek experience in Orlando with just their dancing – the hummus is off the chain here.
Photo via Taverna Opa/FacebookJB’s Fish Camp
859 Pompano Ave, New Smyrna Beach, 386-427-5747
Come by boat or car to this beachside bar with tons of indoor and outdoor seating. You can fuel up before taking the kayak or paddle boards out in the water. Just make sure you wait 30 minutes after eating. Or you can take the kids down to the dock in hopes of spotting a manatee or a dolphin.
Photo via JB’s Fish Camp/FacebookJimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville
6000 Universal Studios Plaza, 407-224-2155
Those volcano nachos don’t stand a chance against ice cold blackberry moonshine margaritas. Imagine every beach restaurant you’ve been in and amplify it by 100. When you’re livin’ the Jimmy life, you’re sure to get wasted away in Margaritaville.
Photo via Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville/FacebookLion’s Bar and Grill
123 W Church Street, 407-203-4099
Orlando City Soccer is a way of life here in Orlando. It is only right that local fans have somewhere to go during away games. The two-level pub offers a stadium-level experience without the stadium level parking prices.
Photo via Instagram/lionsprideorlBlack Hammock
2316 Black Hammock Fish Camp Road, Oviedo, 407-365-2201
The one of the only restaurants in Orlando, in which you are able to eat fried gator tail while watching someone wrestle another gator. Or you could take an airboat ride and combine it with their buffet. The choice is really yours.
Photo via Black Hammock/FacebookMedieval Times
4510 W. Vine St., Kissimmee, Fla. 34746 | 866-543-9637
You don’t have to wait until the new season of Game of Thrones to get in the medieval mood. Right here in Orlando we’ve got jousting knights, mass amounts of bourgeois screaming for bloodshed and the expectation that you’ll eat with your hands. If that last part’s got you twisted, drink away your reluctance with a strawberry Maiden’s Kiss.
Photo via Medieval Times/FacebookEnzo’s Hideway Bar
1570 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista., 407-560-3696
You don’t need a password to get into this Italian-inspired speakeasy. With a large selection of aged rums and scotches. This little tunnel bar is the place to be when you’re by Disney Springs. The 1920s would be proud.
Photo via the_disney_housewife/instagramT-Rex Cafe
1676 Buena Vista Drive | 407-828-8739
When the lights start flashing, it’s showtime. Get ready to witness the extinction of the dinosaurs about five times throughout your dinner, courtesy of Disney Studios. If extinction has got you down, pick yourself up with a Cotton-tini, which is literally just alcohol poured over a huge ball of cotton candy.
Photo via T-Rex Cafe/FacebookBob Marley A Tribute to Freedom
6000 Universal Blvd., 407-224-2262
When you think about it, you’re always just one Red Stripe away from “One Love.” Designed as an exact replica of Bob Marley’s Kingston, Jamaica home, this place will have your inner-freedom ringing in no time. Stop by for a jerk chicken platter or a classic beef patty.
Photo via Instagram/talonelouzadaHard Rock Cafe
6050 Universal Blvd. | 407-351-7625
Surround yourself with some of the greatest moments in music history at the Hard Rock Cafe. It may be louder than a 1986 Guns N’ Roses show in here, but it’s not like you need to hear to devour a hickory BBQ bacon burger. What could possibly be more rock ’n roll than a pink muscle car dangling where a chandelier should?
Photo via Hard Rock Cafe/FacebookThe Toothsome Chocolate Emporium And Savory Feast Kitchen
6068 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819, 407-224-3663
Some people like their chocolate with everything, if you happen to be one of those people then The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium is the perfect place for you. Just make sure you stop by early enough for the kiddies to work off that chocolate theme dinner before bed.
Photo via Universal StudiosPlanet Hollywood Observatory
1506 Buena Vista Drive, 407-827-7827
You’re basically eating in a snow globe, but instead of impractical walls made of glass, they’re plastered with movie memorabilia that’s sure to spark a conversation at any table. With its collection of movie props, Planet Hollywood is more like a museum than a restaurant, so it’s perfect for the silver screen fan in all of us. Note: Planet Hollywood in Orlando is closed until summer 2016.
Photo via Instagram/katiadepaula1Cafe Tu Tu Tango
8625 International Drive, 407-248-2222
They say Bach was paid in beer, so it seems only appropriate that artists would paint around the eaters of Cafe Tu Tu Tango. In an age when too many restaurants let their recipes fall by the wayside in favor of kitschy design, the Tango’s Dynamite Shrimp comes to the rescue. You might have to dodge exotic dancers on the way to the bathroom, but that’s part of the Tu Tu experience.
Photo via Cafe Tu Tu Tango/FacebookTopgolf
9295 Universal Blvd, 407-218-7714
Pro, amateur, embarrassingly terrible, it doesn’t matter here. Grab some food, a beverage, for some golfing fun for the whole family, or a couple of your business buddies. This isn’t your grandfather’s driving range.
Photo via Top Golf/FacebookMcDonald’s
6875 W Sand Lake Rd, 407-351-2185
An Orlando staple, The World’s Largest Entertainment McDonald’s is back. The 24-hour McDonald’s allows guests to put their own meal together with a “Create Your Own” option, which will feature burgers, chicken sandwiches, pizza, pasta, waffles and omelets. If that doesn’t get you then I’m sure the 22-foot play area will peak your interest.
Photo via Dalton Agency
