On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Bars, Restaurants, Music Venues
1490 E Buena Vista DrMon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Loading...
All I have to say is: OUR BARTENDER ROCKED!!
Anyone will fall in love with a heavy handed bartender. I wish I would've paid enough attention to remember his name. He was very attentive, which was surprising because he was so busy.
We ordered the 'all together' appetizer - and it was wonderful - EXCEPT when I pulled a long blond hair out of my mouth. EWWW. Yes, pretty disgusting. The bartender quickly whisked the plate away and put in an order for another one. I think had I NOT been so hungry - I would've noticed the hair prior to putting it in my mouth!!!
We received a piping hot plate of the same appetizers and I think this time around everything tasted much better.
So, the bartender comp'd us a round. It was happy hour (3 pm. - 5 pm) and the prices were more than reasonable.
This is definitely a place to visit and I say that despite the hair!
People thought this was:
This review pertains to the restaurant. As a music venue, House of Blues is pretty nice--whoever does their sound does a great job, because it was amazing the time I went.
Unfortunately, as a restaurant things are not so good. First we ordered drinks. I got a caipirihna and my companion got a mojito. We had to send them back--they were incredibly nasty. The bartender did not know what s/he was doing. Next, our burgers arrived. I had asked for medium-rare and my companion had asked for medium. Both burgers were extremely well-done. My fries were cold. It was very disappointing since the server had asked us how we wanted our burgers cooked, but no attention was actually given to accurate execution. From this I took that they actually cook their burgers all the same.
On the plus side, the cornbread was phenomenal and our server was very nice, but these things could not induce me to eat there again. I will, however, be back for the music.
People thought this was:
I've been here once or twice before, but it was never anything extremely memorable. Drove down last night to spend the night running around LBV with my niece and nephew before they leave town. Rainforest had an hour wait and my nephew made a comment that he had never been to HOB; decision made easy.
They quoted a twenty minute wait which gave us time to browse the shop and peruse the menu. We had a plan: we wanted to order when we sat down because we were headed back to the park.
I was starving! So I ordered a plate of sweet potato fries for an app to share. They were tasty and fresh, but not exactly hot enough for me. They sat on the counter for a minute or two too long. For my entree I ordered the Spinach and Pepper Penne. It had a good amount of roasted garlic and Parmesan all served in a white wine sauce.
In classic chain restaurant style, the portion was a little larger than I really needed it to be, but I ate every single bite. While the desserts looked good, we passed because they had other plans for Ghiaradelli.
Great food, great atmosphere, great service!
The outside bar is sweet when the weather is good & the drinks are awesome!
Unique food option for a casual dining joint, especially unique amonst all the other crap at Downtown Disney. Even for a table of 7 on a Friday night it was only a half hour wait, which wasn't as bad as I expected. Service was good considering they have to put up with families with small children all day.
Good food, great for concerts.
Expensive pricing but hey .. its Disney.
People thought this was:
Cornbread. Done.
Prices are a bit high, but foods pretty good. Disney.
As a venue for live acts, this ranks lowest for me. Basically, unless you're in the first few rows on the floor up in the VIP area in the balcony, you're going to have obstructed view. There are these columns everywhere, they get in the way. If you're up on the main floor, the balcony ceiling hangs so low, you won't be able to get a clear shot of the stage.
Sound is good though. Drinks are Disney priced, but the bartenders can be jerks.
The restaurant is sub-par. Ok if you're hot, hungry and looking for a snack and will pay any price for said snack. Don't make a special trip out there for it though.
People thought this was:
My upfront caveat is that the only times I have come here - have been for private events and for that- this place rocks!! I almost feel sorry for the "other people" who were wistfully looking in on our event to see what all the ruckus was about- and ruckus there was!
The party took place in the main music hall. There were 3 huge bars open and the free alcohol (compliments of our hosts) was flowing. I had several delicious margaritas and then switched to beer cuz one of the guys I was with thought the "beer girl" was cute. Ah- who cares- I've drank beer for worse reasons!
They had two huge buffet lines set up with some very good food- and that's high praise if you know me as buffets are pretty far down the list for me as to food that I'll eat. There were several cheese plates that included my all time favorite Brie, spinach and artichoke dip with tortilla chips and vegetables as appetizers. All good.
For entrees- you could make yourself a pulled pork sandwich- pig out on ribs or make a beef sandwich. Delicious any way you went and the perfect thing to line one's stomach with, for what was going to be a late night!
As for the music? The cover band rocked with music that appealed to everyone from the Blues Brothers, to disco to rock. They had people up on their feet dancing from the start and we actually had to be kicked out at the end of the night!!
Service was great- these folks were falling over themselves to make sure we all had a great time. And you know what? We did!
People thought this was:
Service industry night on Sunday is definitely the time to go to HOB. The scene is almost NY or DCish (minus the fact that people are dressed much more casually). The place is huge, and it gets packed. I love standing on the balcony and dancing to the music below.
Apparently, it's also a pretty good place to see a concert. But, if you want club scene - this place on Sundays is better than anywhere downtown.
Holy Shite I had fun here. The dudes on stage who looked and sounded like the Blues Brothers were really good, to my total surprise.
Came here for a company party. The whole club ahd been rented out, full open bar all night. Goodies but oldies performed by the pseudo Blues Brothers.
Everyone had a blast and I don't know if I would have had as much fun had I gone on a regular night.
Who cares.
People thought this was:
Situated right outside of Disneyworld Orlando, HOB is a nice bar and restaurant. The place is very large, with a shop and bar in the front and a huge dining area in front of a stage where local musicians (and on occasion famous folk) perform.
The food was good, and the drinks were excellent. The margarita bombs we had were great. Our work team went out to Orlando for a team-building exercise and it was my first week there.
Definitely go to this place if you're in the area. It's a refeshingly adult scene juxtaposed with the kid-centric DisneyWorld.
People thought this was:
I love the cocktails they have at the bar outside. Every drink I had here was great, and I really liked the atmosphere. The shows I've been to here were fantastic. It has the feel of a small venue without being run down like similar venues elsewhere. The food here is also good.
Service Industry Night has always been one of the best nights in Orlando. I'm not sure who the DJ is now, it used to be Jimmy Joslin. I saw Outkast for the first time in concert here. It was great!
People thought this was:
I'm in town for a conference (see: http://www.yelp.com/bi... -- slightly drunk-ish Yelp about my hotel) and one of our vendor-partners threw a big party for clients and partners at this venue.
DK's right - it is an oasis of adult-ness in the Disneyworld universe, albeit a carefully themed and appointed oasis. What was most impressive was the service and servers. The area we were in was jam packed with hooting, dancing, eating and drinking I.T. geeks letting loose and floor and bar service was flawless throughout the whole event. The live music was geezerish but bouncy and a propos for the crowd.
Gotta hand it to the folks at HOB Orlando for a great time.
People thought this was:
house of blues service industry sunday nights rock. they have great sound and lights, and usually a very good dj. the place gets very full of partygoers 19 and up. the drink prices are high as others have noted.
Good atmosphere, live music...who doesn't know the HOB? The service was above par and they had a kick ass band when we went, but I heard the acoustics are better at some other places. We had an under-ager with us and this was one of the few places we could hit up late at night that also had live music. It's a good atmosphere for small groups and the food was decent. If you're craving sweet potato fries, this is the place to hit up!
People thought this was:
By far the best Red Beans and Rice I have ever had. AWESOME cornbread! I love the whole ambiance and the menu was rounded out with food for everyone's taste. Simple comfort food. Great service, staff is energetic and friendly. All in all good experience. I did not get to experience any live shows during my visit but I will be back!!!
The other 3 reviews wrote of the HOB restaurant. I've been going there for many years and I've never even been inside that half of the building. Sad? Fuck no, it's just that I've been having too much fun at concerts in the live venue on the other half!
The multi-level space is a classic theater design - main floor, merch tables and 3 bars downstairs / vip seats, smoking areas and another bar upstairs - with funky decorations and great acoustics. An excellent place to see a performer you love.
Mos Def, Fiona Apple, Rev. Horton Heat, Erykah Badu/Floetry, Parliament Funkadelic, Rabbit In The Moon, Les Nubians, Black Label Society, John Legend/Robin Thicke, Method Man/Redman, B-52s/Killer Robots, Busta Rhymes are just a bit of the fun shows I've been able to catch. Ah, the memories...
The food at the House of Blues restaurant rates only okay. For a soul food restaurant, the menu offers a wide variety of entrees, each with Louisiana flare. Reading the menu, everything sounds deliciously gourmet, but he po boy I ordered did not impress me much. I do thoroughly enjoy the wraparound porch and bar for cocktails before heading over to the hall for a show.
Speaking of shows at HOB....I only go if I absolutely can't resist the headlining act. You can be sure that any scheduled show includes an opening act that usually plays for about an hour, then everyone stands around for at least another 45 minutes so the bar can make lots of money, only then will you finally get to see whoever it is that you paid to see. Even though this entire waiting game annoys me to no end, I will say that HOB is an okay venue. The multiple levels with ramps makes for plenty of standing room, but stake your spot early so you can see the stage and don't get stuck behind a pole; several well placed closed circuit TV screens become handy when you get tired of peaking at the stage between heads; the multiple bars run the entire length of the building; and they have a great balcony for a change of scenery or smoke filled air. Security at HOB does not play, or even smile for that matter. They all take their jobs very seriously, so avoid the yellow shirts at all costs--they usually don't hassle anyone without cause, so just mind your p's and q's.
I've always wanted to try Gospel Brunch at the restaurant, but haven't made it yet. Anyone know what it's all about?
Tip top. The food here was the best I'd had on my trip to Orlando, and I enjoyed good service seated at the bar. I don't go for Louisiana food in restaurants that aren't physically located within the confines of the state of Louisiana because as a former resident I'll surely be disappointed. Ergo, I skipped right on past the shrimp creole, jambalaya, etc. and opted for the full rack of ribs and was blown away at how good they were. I haven't had ribs that good in, um, well... it's been a long time.... lots of good, tender slow-cooked meat with good smokiness and a really tangy sauce. Coupled with several Yuenglings (which they *really* need to start selling in Chicago), I was a happy guy. The service was good- Brian, the bartender, was a great bartender and kept the Yuengling flowing.
The prices here are actually much more reasonable than some of the other restaurants in Downtown Disney. It's not cheap, but compare the prices with Fulton's Crab House (which was disappointing according to everyone I talked to) and this will seem cheap by comparison.
This place tends to host a lot of private parties for the many conferences that come to the area, so if you try to go one night and it's jammed, come back the next night and it may be a lot less crowded. Also, all of the restaurants in downtown Disney start clearing out by 7:30 or 8 so it's not terribly hard to miss the crowds. Also, lots of people come here before the Cirque De Soleil shows next door, so it tends to clear out a little bit once the show starts. Granted, I was visiting at an off-peak time of year so it could be different when you go.
Great bar, sit outside if there's room and don't bother with the food. Great live music of course, and it's just a cool place to hang out.
People thought this was:
In any city you usually can't go wrong if you visit the House of Blues. I didn't realize that the food was so good though. Had the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and the sinful choclate cake with ice cream. Yummy, yummy. The bartenders were awful though. One star off for that. Not efficient and not that friendly. The rest of the staff was grewat however. Had really good live music just outside where people could sit, drink and enjoy. Another place where adults can play and there aren't that many children.
I was at House of Blues last year for a Panic at The Disco concert. It was my first time at that venue and I found it pretty typical as music venues go. The crowd was young, mostly 15 and 16 year olds but I guess that just goes to show I like music high schoolers enjoy. Still I wasn't a fan of being smashed in a crowd of teeny boppers. The place was packed, we found a spot to stand on the right of the stage next to the bar which, surprise surprise, wasn't at all crowded considering only about 3% of the fans were of drinking age. Visibility was ok, if you enjoy seeing only the left side of the band. If we were to try to have gotten a more central spot I would not have been able to see over the tops of others heads. Plus, I don't like the pushing and shoving that occurs at packed concerts. My companion got hungry mid-way though and grabbed a hot dog. House of Blues just sounded so relaxed and chill before actually attending a show there, now I know its just as much of a cluster as any other venue.
There are better places around then this; food is average and overpriced I would suggest moving on to anything besides HOB
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Category: Music Venues
Kissimmee, FL
Category: Arts & Entertainment
Orlando, FL
Category: Soul Food
Orlando, FL
Category: Nightlife
Well, now that I'm officially a Florida Girl, it's…
