Oblivion Taproom

Great craft beer and cider selection. Awesome burgers and best Tater Tots in Orlando. Cool and unique atmosphere.

They also have a selection of uncommon drinks like mead and barley wine. There's always something new to try.

Oblivion Taproom has long since closed. They were not a bad place, however I think that their location definitely hurt them. Plus, I do not know how much experience in management the ownership had, but the restaurant seemed to do better in the kitchen then in their office.

The building, which they rented, was supposed to be a sushi place (if memory serves correct), however it still sits abandoned.

After it came out that Oblivion Taproom will be closing their doors this May, my friends and I decided we had to pay it one more visit.

Food - B+. The burgers and tots are the main event at Oblivion. I have always had a good burger and who doesn't like their tots seasoned with your choice of flavors. The parmesan are the best!

Drinks - B. There is a nice selection of craft beer to choose from. However, if you are a wine drinker, your choices are very limited. Yes, I am aware that this is a "taproom" however, a little more variety of wine would be nice for those non-beer drinkers. Luckily, I am a beer drinker.

Service - I honestly can't remember a time at Oblivion when I had spectacular service. Customer service has always lacked. My last visit there were many people on the floor however, it seemed my server who was also helping the bar was the only one putting any effort in.

If for some reason Oblivion reopens with new owners, I recommend implementing some changes that help in the customer service department.

When you think dive bar with local charm, you're thinking of this place. Tucked away next to other random businesses on Colonial, you'll find this eatery / bar. To be honest we thought it was bar only til we went.

The parking lot is big and simple to find spots. When you walk in you'll want to give your eyes a minute to adjust to the darker ambiance. There are tables, booths and bar top seating. They also offer darts, pool, and some arcade games.

We opted for a few drinks and a couple of pool games. The bartender was very nice and attentive! Pool is $1 per game. Not sure on the darts or arcade since we didn't get there.

Overall: A
Great local bar, can't wait to give the food a go next time!

Every time I go to Oblivion I tell myself "I should come here more often". It's just that place that I always enjoy but somehow don't frequent often enough.
I have to admit for a while I didn't go because the menu was pretty much fried stuff and didn't quite appeal to me. So I'm glad to see a few vegetarian options, which I still have to try.
I particularly like the selection of beers and ciders this place has, and gotta give props to the staff for being well versed in the drink selection so they can help you find something enjoyable.
What else? Well, did you know they have events and theme nights? Apparently even a furry meetup once a week (they're adorable). Always something fun happening there.

Again, I keep telling myself I should go there more often.

My expectations were pretty high after reading all of the reviews on the burgers here....But surprisingly I wasn't impressed (well, not on this visit.). Not sure if I will be back. With me not living in Orlando its hard to justify going back to a place where I had a less than avg experience the first time around.

Here's what i ordered: I had the Hog Wild Burger. This included the burger patty w/ pulled pork, bacon, crispy onions, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, bbq sauce on a brioche bun w/ a side of regular fries. The idea of all these additions sounds great, but after tasting it, I didn't like it. 1) I didn't care too much for the burger patty (the taste of the meat), 2) the pulled pork didn't have any flavor, and 3) it didn't help that the food came our semi cold.

My buddies had the sweet potato tater tots with some type of cinnamon sugar which tasted great. But, I would give 2.5 stars mainly due to the waiter, and the Oblivion wings w/sweet chilli sauce being pretty good. Perhaps if I had a different type of burger, or maybe just focus on the wings. I would like to try the wings wrapped in bacon. They have a lot of different burgers here, as there are pictures of the menu on here. Weird and crazy combinations which is great. But I tend to like burgers that are hand made, cooked and seasoned well. I didn't get that from the burger I had.

The atmosphere was ok, not necessarily my lane, but I can eat anywhere as long as they have good food.

Thanks to Oblivion's new owners for swooping in and saving this establishment after it closed in late January (2016)! I'm not a beef eater, but I can tell when a place has good burgers and this is it! Also, they have veggie burger options or you can do what I do and replace the beef patty with a grilled chicken patty. And yes, they're a taproom, so lots of adult libations to choose from, but I stick to my water or Shirley Temple, so I can't comment on that, but the friends that I've gone say that Oblivion's alcohol selection is top notch.

Oblivion is a free-standing building near the intersection of Old Cheney Highway and Colonial Drive/Route 50 and it's easy to miss. Parking can be an issue on busy nights, but it's worth it! Once inside, it's usually noisy (so this may not be a place for those with noise sensitivity) and the decor screams "dive bar" in the best way. Every time I've come, I'd had a waiter or waitress with "different (aka - not natural)" color hair and I think this adds flare to the whole experience (also, I have cool color hair envy as my workplace won't allow this), Although the wait staff is awesome, the food does take a while to come out, however, everything is homemade and fresh (including their ketchup!) and trust me, it's worth the wait!

For appetizers, I've ordered the fried pickles as well as the fried macaroni and cheese balls. Both yummy! The fried pickles come with their "sirancha" sauce that's good, but not took spicy for those of us that are spice wusses. Also, the pickle tastes homemade as opposed to just being picked out of a store-bought jar. The macaroni and cheese balls are ooey-gooey, cheesy balls of heaven.period.

I can't remember the many number or combinations of burgers (beef patty substituted with a grilled chicken breast for me) I've tried here, but they're all good. The chicken is always perfectly grilled - still juicy, not dry- and the perfect size and there are so many toppings to choose from (from pineapple to an assortment of cheese to fried onions and avocado)! Also, you MUST try their tater tots and had seasoning to them! I like to mix two seasonings, like salt and vinegar and garlic parmesan. Also, I'm pretty sure the serving size of the seasoned tots have increased since the new owners took over - thanks, guys!

As for dessert (it you're still hungry or are just gluttonous), the fried Oreos would make Homer Simpson make his signature "Mmmm..." sound. No further explanation necessary.

When you drive by Oblivion you don't see it as a place that would have great food and stellar service, it just looks like a bar. However, we finally took the chance to go in and man were we surprised. We had a great server who was knowledgeable about the menu and the drink offerings. He asked if we were there for the first time and after realizing we were he let us know about the restaurant and how they aim to make as much from scratch as they can, and they also work with local breweries and bakeries. He gave us time to order but not enough time to ever wonder where he was, our cups never went empty.

We started with the hot dog. It comes with a side and is topped with chili and there is house made relish served on the side. For the side we ordered the sweet potato tots with cinnamon and sugar. When the hot dog arrived it wasn't hot like it was freshly made then and there, but it was very tasty and the relish had a good flavor. The tots were piping hot and delicious. For the entree we both decided on burgers, which came out hot, juicy and perfectly cooked. The fries were also tasty and crisp, you also have the option to add different types of seasoning to the fries. Our server asked if we wanted to end the night with fried cheesecake, but we were way too full from the meals we ordered.

This is definitely a place thats worth a visit, we will be returning.

An interesting location that surprises with great food and drinks.

My wife's sister invited me out to Oblivion one evening a few months ago. When I pulled up to the restaurant, I was a little concerned. The restaurant is in a random standalone location and looks similar to a biker bar on the outside. The biker bar theme continued a little bit at first glance when I walked inside.

However, once I was inside, I realized that the location is actually a unique combination of a bar and restaurant. Many of the patrons in Oblivion weren't bikers, but rather were families having dinner and college kids hanging out. I met up with my wife's sister and her friends over on the other side of the restaurant and we played pool and darts. The waitress came up to us and talked about all of the food and beer options. I decided to order one of her recommended beers, and it ended up being delicious! I then ordered one of the burgers she recommended, and it was delicious!

I couldn't believe that this place that looked a little odd on the outside actually turned out to be a fun place with awesome food and drinks. It's a place that a tourist might miss while all of the locals go and enjoy an awesome time. Whether you live in Orlando or are just visiting, you have to make sure to check out Oblivion for some good food and a fun night.

Overall, while it's not a 5 star restaurant, the excellent food, drinks, and atmosphere makes Oblivion a local restaurant definitely worth checking out.

UPDATED REVIEW:

3 stars because I feel like the quality has suffered a bit.

The beer menu has been reformatted since my last time here. Now, it's not organized at all by beer type and is instead just a big, running list broken into "Draft List" and "Bottle List." While not awful, I liked the previous version because it allowed me to look at the different bees by types. So, if I was in the mood for an amber, I could easily find those and pick one. This was a bit of a pain.

The menu is largely the same. I went with a go-to for me: smoked wings with dry rub. They were good, but I feel like they were over done a bit, or at least some of them.

The tots were a bit overcooked too, a bit hard. Not as good as usual. Not terrible, but not the same.

The place was dead, which normally I wouldn't complain about. But, it strikes me as odd that previously a Saturday night would mean a packed house, possible wait for a table. There were a handful of diners eating. Service was OK, but given how slow it was, I expected it to be a bit faster.

My biggest complaint? The live music. It was awful. No offense to the guy - who will not be named here - but he just wasn't good. And frankly, it's a restaurant first, bar second. I never went to Oblivion for live music. Sure, they would do themed-nights, and those were fun. But hearing a 30-something guy do bad - and typical - cover songs too loudly is not how I want to enjoy a meal with friends. We had to shout over each other to be heard. Pretty sure my 2-year old hated it too.

So, is Oblivion still good? Yes. Is it AS good as it has been in the past. No. I still hold out hope, and will go back. The burgers still look yummy and I want another crack at them.