5223 N Orient Road
Tampa, FL 33610
*Disclaimer: We were not paid for this review. All opinions are our own and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
I pretty much visit a Hard Rock Cafe, no matter where I live or travel. Sure, the prices are expensive, but I love the comfort food and fun rock n'roll setting. Tampa's Hard Rock Cafe is conveniently located inside the Hard Rock Hotel, which currently claims the title of 6th largest casino in the world.
Although there are several restaurants to choose from and a variety of food court selections, nothing says a night of entertainment quite like a dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Hard Rock's vibrant, Rock N'Roll theme perfectly compliments a fun night out at the casino. Start your night out right with good food, good service, and good music at Hard Rock Tampa.
Hard Rock's menu includes a diverse selection of everyday favorites like burgers, comfort foods like macaroni and cheese and quesadillas, and healthy salads. The entree salads are large enough in themselves for a meal, no appetizer required! Although if you do decide on an appetizer, be sure to try out the spring rolls and/or nachos. Both are delicious! Update: Unfortunately, Hard Rock took the amazing spring rolls off their menu (not sure why!). However, the flatbreads and onion rings are delicious alternatives!
The Cobb Salad is a delightful mixture of all sorts of veggies, chicken, and your choice of dressing. Vegetarians don't worry as Hard Rock is fine with any substitutions. Switching out extra avocado and red peppers for the chicken is a great choice as it really helps to make the meal more satisfying and filling.
Update: The Cobb salad is no longer available. Unfortunately, vegetarian options are limited and vegan non existantant. The Twisted Mac and Cheese (you can omit the chicken) is a delicious vegetarian entree consisting of cavatappi pasta tossed with a slightly spicy 4 cheese sauce and diced red peppers.
The Grilled Chicken salad has the perfect combo of meats, veggies (carrots, tomatoes, corn, and peppers), and pecans to provide a satisfying meal. The mixture of white balsamic vinaigrette and barbecue sauce as the dressing surprisingly works well together.
Update: I recently tried out Hard Rock's Legendary Nachos, Margherita Flatbread and Onion rings and they are all amazing. Not as good as the fabulous Jumbo Platter and spring rolls they used to offer, but a good compromise.
Service at this particular location was not the best, just average. Nothing spectacular, but not particularly bad either. Some Hard Rock locations feature a more touristy vibe than others; the Tampa location is a bit under decorated and not as exciting as say the Orlando and Vegas cafes.
Tampa's Hard Rock features an attractive design with a neat lighted dome bar. Around the walls, you will find cool rock inspired quotes, memorabilia, and photographs. The music is great like always. Check the entertainment schedule for live shows taking place throughout the month.
Overall, dining at Hard Rock Cafe Tampa is a great experience. Here you can expect delicious comfort food, as well as that trademark one-of-a-kind rock star theme that Hard Rock does so well. It's a fun and convenient choice if you will be staying at the Hard Rock Hotel or just visiting for the day.
