“If life gives you limes….make margaritas.” Jimmy Buffett’s carefree and eternal vacation mindset continues to shape music, beverages and now the restaurant world. And we’d take limes over lemons any day.
Head down I-4 and escape to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville located in the heart of Universal’s City Walk. To kick of our Labor Day weekend, we headed to City Walk to enjoy some boat drinks and a Cheeseburger in Paradise. Our “mini vacation” started with their Uptown Margarita with Margaritaville Gold Tequila, Cointreau® Orange Liqueur, house margarita blend and topped with a Gran Gala® float all on the rocks with salt. The margaritas were perfect and worth heading out to Margaritaville even if just for a drink.
Probably most impressive on the menu are the extensive gluten free options. From burgers to brownies, the menu serves up a variety of options for those trying to avoid gluten. Even the fries are made in separate fryers! Hello tasty sweet potato fries.
For the first course, per chef recommendation, we dove into the Volcano Nachos. Standing seemingly over a foot tall, these house-made tortilla chips are layers upon layers of chili, cheese, fresh guacamole, sour cream, jalapeños, tomatoes and scallions. And yes, every bite was amazing.
Next course, burgers in paradise. Our Cheddar BBQ Burger was topped with cheddar cheese, Applewood-smoked bacon, fried onions, lettuce, BBQ aioli and served with a roasted jalapeño on the side. Hello, flavor explosion. Most burgers today are well, wimpy. But this juicy goodness was stacked high and filled with more than a single slice of cheese and crumbled bacon. Washed down with french fries and it’s easy to see why Orlando’s Margaritaville recently won Best Burger from Orlando Sentinel.
Trying to avoid gluten? You’ll find all you need on their gluten free menu, even burgers! We indulged in the tasty gluten free Cheeseburger in Paradise® with an Udi’s signature bun topped with American cheese, lettuce, sliced tomato, pickles and paradise island sauce. You’d never know it was free of gluten! Whatever they did to that Udi’s bun is simply unbelieveable, paired with krinkle sweet potato fries and you’ll experience gluten free perfection.
Topping off our tropical escape, we feasted on the Chocolate Hurricane, warm (gluten free) brownies with heath bar crusted vanilla bean ice cream, macadamia nuts, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. A mountain of brownies, sugary goodness and worth EVERY bite.
We left Margaritaville full, happy and in a vacation state of mind. Visit margaritavilleorlando.com for menus, drinks and upcoming events.
