This place had 3.5 stars upon our arrival and I can now safely say that it's more overrated than Duke in the most recent NCAA tournament. It was so bad that the waitress apologized for the slow service and attempted to make it better by saying "at least you got to see a minion". (a yellow pill-shaped plush doll) People touted getting a bread plate, but that pulled a James Harden in Game 6 and no-showed. The food was average, but it justified the price the same way Justin Bieber justifies deserving a Grammy. Overall, this place is Universally mediocre. read more

September 2016. Got seated before the crowd came in. Wasn't crowded or seemingly busy. Something was up when the table of 5 next to us ( who were seated after the wife and I ) got their food brought out first. Took just over 45 mins before our main meal came out. On top of that, the wife's food was a bit overcooked. Waitress blamed the delay on the rain and people coming in, but the people coming in were waiting to be sat down. On top of that, we were seated next to the doors, so every time someone went thru the doors, the cold breeze would hit. The wife and I have eaten here in the past with no problems whatsoever. But things change with time. Oh, at the time of this review, can't tell you if the food was any good cause we put it in a to go box, and headed back to the room. The free bread and wife's spinach&artichoke dip was good. read more

If you are staying at the hard rock this absolutely the best place to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food was great with a lot of interesting options. Two nights out of the week you can make a reservation for the kids to make their own Pizza or Quesadilla which was fun for them. They have a great breakfast buffet. Unless you are going to a destination place like the NBA or NASCAR restaurant on city walk I would eat here. read more

We were staying at the Hard Rock for a few nights. Had dinner in "the Kitchen" Friday night. The wait staff is wonderful. Food, not so much. My husband ordered the ribs, which was the special. He said they were the worst ribs he's ever had. Didn't eat half of them. I the the meat loaf which was ok, but the mashed potatoes were really lumpy. read more

Came here for breakfast and had the buffet. The coffee tasted burnt. The food was spectacular. There was such a variety. Omelette, eggs, eggs bendict cooked to order. They had so many sweets to pick from also. The service was really good too. read more

Service was great! We sat outside on the patio. It was a group of 6 or maybe 7 of us and he was able to keep up with all the orders with no errors. The burger is pretty good, I wasn't a big fan of the spinach dip ...it had more artichokes than spinach. read more

I was disappointed in this restaurant. First, my party of four staying at the hotel went down to dinner around 7:30/8p on a Sunday. Most of the tables were empty, however, we were told there would be a 10 -15min wait. The restaurant was so cold, we had to retrieve jackets from our rooms. The food was mediocre. I had the mac n cheese and it lacked flavor. One in my party ate the grilled salmon entree and was sick all night. Despite this experience, I believe The Kitchen services the beach club / pool, and if so, that food was much better, thus 2 stars instead of one star. read more

Not worth the money. I know your paying Universal prices but at least the food could be hot. I had a cold chicken quesadilla ($16) where the cheese wasn't even melted. Won't eat here again. My overall expirence was not good. read more

The Kitchen is a favorite for my family. The food is always delicious and generously portioned for the price. We especially love the Kitchen Burger, the mac and cheese, and the Brussels sprouts, but everything we've tried has been good. They have a nice variety on the kid's menu and a fun dessert for them, as well. We're a large party and we often choose dinner at the Kitchen for family events/ celebrations. The servers are always friendly and go out of their way to provide a great experience. read more

The Kitchen is a great respite from the fast paced tourist chains that mar Universal Orlando, and the superb paella is glowing proof why the respite is well worth it. The paella here was arranged to perfection, and it was as fresh as could be. While the setting here is nowhere as ambitious as at most other restaurants in Orlando, the food and service certainly make up for it. read more

Our family of four ate here for dinner our first night at the resort. Apps were artichoke spinach dip (yummy) and the calamari (salty). Service was great. Cocktails were nice and strong and started at $11. Hubby and I had the seared sesame tuna for $35 each. Kids had a burger ($18) and a salad. The best part was the warm pretzel bread and corn bread brought to the table after we ordered. Yum! read more

We had dinner there last night after a day at the park and it was awesome! My husband had a burger, I had the trout, and they were both excellent! The service was great too! We made reservations which I highly recommend bc it got crowded while we were there. We had 2 kids with us who got the kids buffet and they devoured it! Highly recommended! read more

So we saw Scooby do and a minion - we sent 2 dinners back because they were absolutely blah. Don't waste your time ...or money! Resort prices for unremarkable and tasteless.food. you would think they would get a good chef here ! read more

I have to first day I was tired and in a bad mood when we got here. That quickly changed. Our waiter was was great. We had the Blue Cheese Potato Chips. They were great. My husband had the Salmon also great. The big hit for me was the carbonara Chicken past. The best I have ever had! read more

Been here a few times throughout my stay. Its been okay but nothing special. Eggs benedict was good, lamb wrap was meh, and the fish tacos were beyond average. Id be okay with the quality if it was a third of the price. read more

Great service, really good Filet Mignon, cooked perfectly. We dined there twice this trip and it was consistently well above the other restaurants, and it was right downstairs. Both our servers were fun to talk with and offered good menu suggestions. I highly recommend this place. read more

Pleasantly surprised that the food and service here was better than I expected. We do a lot of traveling and rarely do we get a chance where we don't have to venture away from our hotel for some decent food. Had 2 Breakfast and 2 Dinner services here and did not disappoint. read more

We had lunch here while staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. It was a bit expensive, and the food was okay. We had the cobb salad, steak sandwich, and turkey club sandwich. The service was okay. It was really cold in the restaurant with the air conditioning blowing hard. Felt good at first coming in from the heat, though. read more

NYE dinner buffet for expensive price. Not a great selection but good, average food. Difficult to get drink refills at table due to limited staff. Dessert was served at dinner but upstairs at the NYE party. Little chocolates & small cookies. Definitely not worth the cost. read more

Hands down awesome food, staff is warm and welcoming in a great atmosphere!!! Take my advice and order the specials, they are ALWAYS award winning good. Desserts are to die for and French press coffee table side...So nice! We love this place. Don't look any further for dinner than The Kitchen, it's where you want to be. Oh and can't forget the complementary cornbread and pretzels served. read more

The Kitchen - Tropical cheesecake !! - New American Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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First, let's start with the good! We had a party of 7, and each and every one of us liked our meals. They were served piping hot, and done exactly like we had ordered! My niece is gluten free, and they had a fantastic GF menu! Now, the not so good. I am a local to Orlando, and my family eats at the Palm about once a month at the Hard Rock Hotel - and I grab drinks about once a week at the Velvet Lounge, where we often order meals if we are there around dinner time. The staff at these places has ALWAYS been wonderful. So tonight, we decided to go to The Kitchen and try something new. We made a reservation online the day before, since it was dinner time and we had a large party. We walked in and there was a family ahead of us waiting at the hostess stand. The hostess was off seating a table, so we figured she would be back in a minute. After she sat the table, she went off to the kitchen area and didn't come back for some time. A few more minutes go by, and the people in front of us turn around and jokingly ask if the hostess is making the meals as well. I would say another 5 minutes go by before she finally comes back and seems to very slowly seat the family in front of us. We found it odd, but went back to talking to each other. Again, another 5 minutes goes by before she comes back to the hostess stand. At the point, two more tables are now waiting behind us. We tell her we have a reservation, and she proceeds to tell us that it's going to be awhile. The 7 of us burst out laughing, thinking she's joking. There are maybe.... MAYBE.... 5 tables sat. The place was dead. We realize she's not kidding and we ask why we can't be sat now, and she proceeds to tell us they only have one server on, and since she just sat him a table it's going to be awhile. My Mom who is standing there with me, and clearly disabled, asks if we can please be seated even if it's going to be awhile - because she simply cannot stand any longer. The hostess rolled her eyes at us. We were seriously stunned. She looks behind her to a high top table and asks if that would be ok. We had two children and a disabled person with us who has a walker. We ask for any one of the other 40 empty tables in the place, and she says fine and walks us to our table. Hands out the menus without saying a word and walks away. I look at my clock and it's 5:46. It took them 16 minutes to seat us in a practically empty restaurant. A few minutes go by, and another crew member walks to the hostess stand where the hostess points to our table numerous times. It was very obvious she took issue with us wanting to be sat. She also was NOT kidding about it going to be awhile before we got service. It was 5:51 (5 minutes after we sat down) before the server walking by very fast told us he would be with us in a minute. He came back exactly 5 minutes after that (we could see him taking another tables order) before he got our drink order. Almost a half hour AFTER our reservation before our drink order was even taken....again, in a practically empty restaurant. We all get hat sometimes scheduling has issues. People call in, people are late, or even if you end up with a bigger crowd than expected and you didn't schedule enough staff. But if you're down to a single server right at the start of dinner rush - here's a thought, have the hostess taking drink orders when she sits people. Have the manager thrown own an apron and take order. Anything. Theres really no need for anyone to wait almost 30 minutes to put a drink order in for their meal when their reservation was a half hour ago. I ended up texting a sever we know at the upstairs lounge from being such frequent guests and asking her who the manager on duty was. She got him for us and he came right to out table and he took our order. To his credit, the manger was VERY nice and he absolutely got he ball rolling on. However, just minutes before - he was standing around talking to the hostess. It shouldn't have had to take someone complaining for him to jump into action when it's dinner time at a busy hotel and theres one server on the floor. It was terribly displeasing and a total let down. Neither I nor my family will be going back. We'll stick with the Lounge and the Palm - where we already know the service is above and beyond. read more

Just sat at the bar and was ignored for 10 minutes. Front lady told me to take a seat but bartenders decided to ignore me. Not a great first impression. read more

The place got a 3 because the service was excellent. I ordered the burger cooked medium rare. It came out medium which would have been fine except it had no flavor. The best part of it was the tomato. Fries were nothing special. My husband ordered the pork chop which was cooked perfect. I took a bit and again the flavor was lacking. A bit disappointed all around. Bryan was great. read more

Last night was the first and last time going to this restaurant. They did not tell our group of 18 when we made reservations that they were renovating and had a limited menu. Not only was the menu abbreviated, but so was the service. Some of our group got the buffet in which some items were not available. But more remarkable was that some of them finished their dinner before others got their drinks! The slowness of the other dinners was unacceptable and three of us got steaks without steak knives, some had lukewarm food and or coffee; and salads and appetizers were delivered with main dishes. I never heard apologies, but there was an offer to comp the drinks, all 4 or 5 of them. I feel bad for the waitstaff; they were trying, but obviously were seriously handicapped by the ineptness of the management. Oh, and the average meal was about $20. I have had better experiences at Steak and Shake. read more

I got into the hard rock hotel my first night here and needed to grab a bite. I'm traveling solo and the staff asked if I wanted to sit at the bar. There were lots of open tables so I asked for one and they seemed disappointed like it was going to be too much work. Then when I sat it seemed like the staff had been trained tot ry to get you to buy more than what you really needed and then seemed disappointed when all i wanted was an entree. I had the pasta with grilled chicken. It was fine, but I spent the same that I spent at mythos and was much less satisfied. Won't go back. read more

Good food, Great service and exceptional attention to detail / Customer Service. Took our two boys there for the Friday Magic night (a couple of guys going table to table and doing some really neat tricks) and we all had a blast. We'll be back without any doubt! read more

I love this place, I really do. The food is great and having it in the Hotel is very convenient. I typically have good waiters, however the las time the waiter was so bad that the manager noticed and ended up waiting on us himself. He was great though. If you are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel it's a no brainer to eat here. If you are visiting the parks for the day or weeks and are nearby, you should consider stopping in here as it is very good food. read more

Decent food, like any other it's a touristy hotel so prices are ridiculously high and quality of food wasn't the best... But the ambience was great... Rock and roll everywhere you look!!!! read more

Good breakfast buffet, great wait staff, quick seating and hardly a wait. We ate there several times during our stay and my son loved it.

#Magicaldinning This restaurant was great. We were promptly seated by the host. Lori, our server was great as well. She kept our refills going and when each dish came out she made sure to ask if everything was ok! We started our meal off with grilled teriyaki beef tenderloin skewers and truffle deviled eggs as the appetizers. The skewers were delicious the eggs...were not made by your mama or aunt for the Fourth of July family get together. Our main course consisted of Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and Pan Seared Red Snapper. The meatloaf was pretty tasty. But a little over cooked on the bottom, I'm assuming that was from the bacon grease. The red snapper....I have never had red snapper before soo I'm not exactly sure what it's supposed to taste like. I know people who rave about it, it's too bad I cannot do the same. However the champagne sauce that accompanied it was delicious but without the sauce it was just bland fish. For dessert...we ordered the pumpkin spice brownie and apple cobbler and got them to go but didn't get the chance indulge because It turns out that I was the dessert to this meal! Bon a petit! read more

Great food and great service I recommend the pot roast or the alligator tail which is delicious

We went here twice for dinner. The first time on February 27, the server was friendly and prompt. We really liked the pretzel bread. The burger was good and the rest of the party had Caesar salads. The kitchen was a bit slow but overall a good experience. The next day, however, we had a completely different experience. There was a long wait to be seated despite many open tables. The service was sparse at best as we only saw the waiter again when we received the meal. The kitchen was again slow, and the chicken served with the kids meal was tough and flavorless. Overall a disappointing experience and overpriced for what we received. read more

We came here for Brunch on my birthday, but unfortunately, it was already over. The brunch ends at 12pm...Kind of early if you ask me, especially in a tourist town. So we had drinks, then decided to just stay and do lunch. It was beautiful outside. They have a great patio and the food came out quickly. The waiter was really nice and the food and drinks turned out to be delicious. I'd certainly go back, and this time way before 12pm so I can actually have brunch. read more

The Kitchen - Roasted Turkey Club Sandwich, side salad and one of their frozen margaritas. Yum! - New American Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Service at the pool bar is so sad it's like servers everywhere doing very little. Universal is always a 5 star experience. The Royal Pacific is Always 5 stars also. It's like the Hard Rock got soft. There are meds for that now. I know you can do better. read more

The service here was terrible. I made a reservation for my family of four on a character dinner night. We arrived 15 minutes early and put our name in. Thirty minutes later, we checked in with the host who said it would be another 10 minutes. 20 minutes after that we were seated and another 20 minutes after that, the waitress came to our table. The explanation we were given was that the kitchen was slammed, which would be completely understandable if the restaurant was even 1/2 full, which it was not. The only saving grace here was that the food was pretty good, if overpriced. I am not one to complain about restaurants and am pretty easy to please, but we will not be returning here on our yearly vacation to Orlando. read more

I stayed at the hotel and came to eat when I arrived at lunch. Loved the chicken quesedillas! I came back for dinner and had the braised short ribs, and they were the best I've had...so far, coming back! read more

Great convenient breakfast buffet! I had a ham and cheese omelette with peppers, fresh fruit l, and of course some bacon! Our server was Craig he was very pleasant and attentive. My glass was always full, and was always checking on us! definitely coming back!! read more

Yes, most Orlando restaurants near Disney and Universal are on the steep side (but aren't most restaurants in a tourism area?). We drove over from St Pete to take in the Blue Man Group (which was ok) and ate at The Kitchen. Food was good - Chicken Ceasar, Wings, kids meal. The burger was great. Overall I was satisfied. The server was pretty good, he seemed to be somewhat asleep. The guy who brought out bread (which is really good) was super nice and so were the girls at the front desk. Becareful on parking at the Hard Rock Hotel, make sure you get validated, otherwise its $25. read more

It was my wife's birthday and I booked this for after the blue man group with the family. I intentionally did not want crap theme park food and was willing to pay for finer dinning. After a river taxi and a walk, we arrived at a half dead restaurant. I am sparing you the details but in short; dated decor, theme park food but with higher prices, slow slow service, food is just not good. (Slightly above frozen food) The burger was over cooked and the bun was stale. The flat bread pizza was bland. The salad was tasteless. The recommend chicken and waffles was dry as can be waffles with greasy dark meat. What kid doesn't eat his mac n cheese? It's a shame because there are so many scratch places to eat in orlando. This was just so disappointing and about 20 years ago overpriced theme park. read more

In my view: 6/22/17 - - During our nine day vacation in sunny Orlando, we stayed at The Hard Rock Hotel. We were eager to get out and about to see the city - - Universal Studios and dine at the many local restaurants. Many of the restaurants however, were mediocre. Then on our fourth day - - we decided to have dinner at "The Kitchen" on the premises of the hotel. We experienced a "life lesson" upon realizing that so often our best choices are right under our nose. The atmosphere was elegant, cozy, clean and inviting. The wait staff was "cordial." Prior to ordering - - a waiter brought us a tray of soft warm pretzel bread sticks and a mini cast iron skillet of cornbread. In my view - - food presentation is next to "everything." The presentation of their plating was quite exquisite and held true to the cliche that we taste first with our eyes. We started out with an appetizer of fried green tomatoes - - an old southern classic that I grew up on and have never been able to resist. The plating was presented as though the preparer was designing an art piece. The tomatoes were golden brown - - topped with a perfectly dressed arugula salad. The tomatoes tasted wonderful. The entree I chose was the Penne Rustica with shrimp, chicken, pancetta, roasted red peppers and gratinata cream sauce. The dish tasted absolutely amazing. I would not have expected more on a tour of Italy. Our dining experience was grand - - and definitely the most enjoyable meal we have had to date on our vacation. On 6/25 we had the breakfast buffet at The Kitchen. The set-up was top-of-the-line quality - - which offered several stations consisting of hot foods, fresh cut fruit, whole fruit, danish, omelette grill, pancake grill, milk and cereal. The waiter started us out with a pot of piping hot coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice. The eggs were cooked to perfection. I savored the crisp bacon like it was going to be the last greatest piece I would ever have, The tiny jars of preserves were those you commonly see at Christmas time. I encourage anyone staying at The Hard Rock Hotel to dine at "The Kitchen" before wandering through town to find a great restaurant. Take my word - - the absolute best of the best is right under your nose! read more

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