**** (4 stars)
This cavernous space manages to have great ambiance, with rock music videos instead of sports on most monitors. The extensive menu offers lots of good choices including burgers and pizza, and my favorite, jalapeño poppers. They also have one of the best beer lists in the city.
Rock & Brews – Orlando
6897 S Semoran Blvd
Orlando, FL 32822
***** (5 stars)
We love this place not just for its interesting collection of wines, but for the great food. You really can't go wrong with any of the shared plates. We love the Brussels sprouts, bruschetta, charcuterie, and the pita plate. Caesar salad is excellent.. And you won't find a better pizza crust anywhere–it's imported from Napoli. Service is very gracious and welcoming, and the wine advice is, of course, great.
The Vineyard Wine Bar and Healthy Bistro
4848 South Apopka Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-vineyard-wine-bar-and-healthy-bistro-orlando
***** (5 stars)
My favorite sports bar in the area! Not really sports, music, but the same idea. Great interior decor and a much more extensive menu than a lot of places
Excellent pizzas and wings. Also a great selection of beers including lots of my favorite dark beers.
Great service, too.
A good choice for groups and outside dining.
Rock & Brews – Kissimmee
3284 Margaritaville Blvd
Kissimmee, FL 34747
***** (5 stars)
Definitely well named, The Nook is a cozy little spot that specializes in mostly locally sourced beers. You can find the menu here: thenookonrobinson.square… but there are many, many more selections in the cooler. Knowledgeable, friendly staff make it a great place to hangout at one of the few bar seats, a table for two, or a sitting area.
The Nook on Robinson
2432 E Robinson St
Orlando, FL 32803
*** (3 stars)
Excellent margaritas are the highlight at this very noisy Mexican hot spot.
The guacamole sampler lets you try several different types. We liked the regular and mango varieties, but our favorite was the ramp version, which was some of the best guac I’ve had.
Tacos are only available in orders of four identical tacos, which seems like a stupid restriction. We tried the snapper, which had a weird sauce, and the pastor, which didn’t taste like authentic pastor seasoning, so we were sorry we had four of each of them.
The real problem here is that even when not full, the absence of any acoustic treatment makes conversation impossible. The best bet is to have a margarita and some guacamole in the sidewalk eating area.
Mercadito
108 W Kinzie St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 329-9555
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mercadito-chicago