Bob Marley - A Tribute To Freedom

No worries, mon! (or "One Love!" or maybe "Irie!" - Tell you what, just pretend we picked your favorite Jamaican cliche slang and start the review, OK?) Step inside this replica of Bob’s home on 56 Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica and enjoy some great food and tropical drinks. Inside this two story building you'll find photos and mementos from Bob Marley's career. Both floors have their own dining room & bar; when it's open, we suggest trying the second floor with its open-air veranda overlooking the courtyard. 

Restaurant Hours 
Sunday-Thursday 4pm - 10pm   Friday - Saturday 4pm - 11 pm 

Night Club Hours
9pm – 2am. Cover is $7. Ages 21 and older after 9pm

Phone
407-224-3663

Jammin' Drinks

Extreme Measures - $8.99
Wailer of a Runner
A wailer of a drink! Bacardi Select rum mixed with blackberry and banana liqueurs blended with just the right tropical juices.

Negril Tea
A Jamaican twist on the traditional Long Island; Bacardi O Orange rum, peach schnapps, gin, triple sec and sour mix with a splash of Coke.

Kuya Punch
An explosive mix of Jamaican White rum and Bacardi O Orange rum blended with pineapple, orange and lime juices, topped with a splash of grenadine.

The Legendary Mojito
Features Bacardi rum with a refreshing mix of fresh squeezed lime, mint and sugar. Served on the rocks.

Island Favorites - $7.99
Caribbean Calamity
Our house specialty! Bacardi Select rum, Bacardi Coconut rum and banana liqueur blended with orange and pineapple juices.

Caribbean Sensation
A delicious blend of Bacardi Peach Red, Midori and sour mix with a splash of pineapple.

Island Mai Tai
An Island favorite! Bacardi Light and Dark rum mixed to perfection with triple sec, grenadine, orange and pineapple juices.

One Love
A refreshing blend of Bacardi Limon, Bacardi Razz, blue curacao and Chambord mixed with pineapple juice and sour mix.

Dragon Dub
Bacardi Dragon Berry with cranberry juice, sour mix and a splash of grenadine.

Frozen Tings - $7.99
Ska-Berry Daiquiri
A smooth mix of rum and strawberries, blended to perfection then floated with Bacardi Select.

Kingston Colada
A mix of rum, pineapple juice and coconut then floated with Bacardi Select.

Jamaican Freeze
A unique bland of Ska-Berry Daiquiri, Kingston Colada and Midori.

Pour Quality 
Average

Food 
Lots of unique, authentic specialty items on this menu. Maybe they're not quite the same as a meal at a local restaurant in Jamaica, but it's close. We orderd the Oxtail Stew to accompany our beverages and it was surprisingly delicious. Surprising only because it's from a corporate restaurant - who knew corporate could figure out Jamaican home cooking? The flavors and spices were right on, very similar to the curried goat I had in Jamaica; kudos to Universal on this place. If they can get Oxtail right I'm feeling optimistic about the rest of the menu. We'll be trying one of their Beef Patties next time to see how similar they are to the real 'Tasty Patties'. High expectations here guys, don't let me down!

You can find a link to their full menu on Universal's site here.

Atmosphere 
You'll feel like you've been transported over to Jamaica when you step inside. During the day, you and your family are welcome to come in and enjoy the great food and fun tropical cocktails in this casual Caribbean atmosphere. If it's open, we recommend the second floor for the open veranda and the views it provides. If you head over for late lunch or dinner you'll find this place isn't very busy, in fact, it can look like it might not be open. Don't let the looks deceive you, walk right in, things are just a little more laid back in Jamaica.

At 9pm this casual restaurant becomes a full-on club.  You'll find live music or a DJ and the courtyard transforms into a dance floor complete with club lighting. This bar is busy once it gets going and the place draws a little rougher crowd than the other bars in CityWalk - still authentic to Jamaica, right?

Review 
The laid-back atmosphere makes this a great spot to stop for a relaxed afternoon beer or a sweet tropical drink. The food is authentic with some menu items that you won't be finding elsewhere at CityWalk. Almost like being in Ocho Rios; did you remember your climbing shoes for the waterfall?

    

Specials

Legendary Thursdays - 9pm-close

• Half off select appetizers
• Heineken & Appleton drink specials

Updated 6/2012

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Coming soon!

 . . . but, here's what we know so far: they've got shrimp. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it. Oh, and a fully stocked bar with some tasty drinks!

Cigarz at CityWalk

The one bar in CityWalk that may remind you of that local dive bar back home. If you like the wispy scent of cigar smoke and cheap, well-poured drinks and beer specials, well then this is the place for you.

Hours
Daily 11am-2am

Phone
407-370-2999

Drinks 
Full-liquor bar.
Several beers on tap including: Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois, Guinness, Blue Moon, Magners, Shocktop, Yuengling, Amber Bock, Heineken and rotating seasonal varieties.

More selections available by bottle.

A large collection of aged scotch, whiskey and cognac.

Drinks are available as "to-go" in plastic cups. 

Prices 
Mixed drinks start at $5, draft beer starts at $3.99, various daily specials - like $2.75 PBR's or $2 Mickey's.

Pour Quality 
Above Average

Food 
I think I saw a bag of Doritos for sale once.

Atmosphere 
Like you've stepped into an old tobacco shed, dark, musty and just the right amount of cigar smoky. Look up at the ceiling and you'll see tobacco hanging out to dry just like in a real barn. This Cuban-styled hangout is popular with locals and Universal employees alike. You'll find more employees relaxing with a cold one after a shift than a typical tourist. Take a seat at the bar or one of several high-top or regular tables. One warning - there is only one bathroom in here - I mean one stall - for men & women - so lines get long. They have a few TV's and the electronic touch-screen bar video game. (Ugh, who wrote this?! It's a Megatouch. I thought we were bar aficionados.)
At the front of the bar you'll find the cigar store with an assortment of cigars, cigarettes, lighters and other cigar related items for sale. I'm particularly fond of the cigar boxes for sale - they sell the cardboard ones for cheap, along with high-end fine wood boxes. A stop at Cigarz isn't complete without a peak into the humidor, whether or not you smoke, these things just feel neat. The large, walk in humidor houses a few hundred different types of cigars from around the world and a helpful employee to help you navigate the selection.

Review 
If you want someplace to grab a drink in the afternoon and have a conversatation with a friend in a casual, laid-back atmosphere, this is it. However, if you are the kind of person who can't tolerate smoke, then this place isn't for you. It does get much busier during the late night hours and can be difficult to get service, let alone a table. This is our favorite 'normal' bar on property. Once inside you don't feel like you're at a theme park anymore. And just like not feeling like a typical theme park bar, the servers aren't exactly bending over backwards friendly, but tip them appropriately and they'll be sure to remember you on the next round.

Their website isn't fully built yet, but there are some good photos...

Updated 6/2012

Emeril's

Coming soon!

Bam! The entry's is done! Wait, it's not? Someone grab me another one of those Yellowfin 'n succotash things . . .

Emeril's Happy Hour

Enjoy Happy Hour at Emeril's Every Day from 5-8pm!
Prices good at the bar only.

Half-priced Cocktails
Well Brand Cocktails

Half-priced Bottled Beer Selections
Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Abita Amber, Abita Turbodog, Amstel Light, Corona, Heineken, Blackened Voodoo, Stella Artois

$5 Glass White Wine
'09 Chardonnay, Excelsior, South Africa
'10 Sauvignon Blanc, La Playa, Chile

$5 Glass Red Wine
'08 Merlot, Calina, Chile
'09 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosenblum Cellars, Sonoma County

$6 Specialty Cocktails
Pineapple Upside Down Cake - A blend of Van Gogh Pineapple & caramel vodka with pineapple juice and grenadine.

Southern Sweet Tea - Sweet Tea Vodka with a blend of lemonade and iced tea.

Elderflower Blossom - A deliciously exotic blend of wild tea and elderflower vodka.

(The above specialty drinks are from the menu at the bar. The following drinks are listed on their website as the happy hour offerings. Selection subject to change at any time.)

Strawberry Lemonade - Vodka, Strawberry Syrup and Our Homemade Lemonade

Pomegranate Long Island - Legendary Long Island with a Pomegranate Twist

Passion Fruit Punch - Passion Fruit Rum, Spiced Rum, Passion Fruit, Pineapple and Orange Juice

Lychee Mojito - Fresh Mint, Lime, Sweet Lychee, and lots of Rum!


Appetizers
Hawaiian Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare - $7
Wakame, soy, wonton chips

New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp - $7
Petite Rosemary Biscut

Smoked Wild & Exotic Mushrooms - $6
Angel hair pasta, home cured tasso cream sauce, parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Assorted Wisconsin Cheese - $7
Fresh fruit, crostinis

Bacon and Provolone Baked Oysters - $7
Horseradish sauce

Appetizer offerings are subject to change.

Atmosphere 
While Emeril's restaurant is a rather upscale dining experience, the bar is much friendlier to those just stopping by inbetween park visits. There's no dress code for the bar area, so come as you are and enjoy these great happy hour offerings. The bar is off to the side of the restaurant, along a full glass window that gives a nice view of CityWalk. The bar has around 15 chairs, and there are a few tables right next to the bar by the window. It's a eclectic mix of people at the bar around this happy hour time, some are waiting for their tables for dinner and others are park-goers that just stopped in for a quick drink.

Review 
After reading about their happy hour offerings and passing by the posters out in CityWalk multiple times, we were excited to see if this happy hour would impress. And it did to the point that I don't know why we haven't been in here before!

The first drink we enjoyed is the Pineapple Upside Down Cake which is delightfully sweet, tangy and almost dessert-like thanks to the caramel vodka addition. Not your typical pineapple tropical drink, the caramel addition takes the flavor to a whole new level. A very unique, slightly savory, cocktail that deserves to be sipped and slowly enjoyed. 






The second drink we enjoyed is the Elderflower Blossom. What an interesting concoction this cocktail is! An exotic tea mixed with Elderflower vodka makes for one intensely flavored drink. Almost like drinking a heavily scented floral perfume, this cocktail is one to be savored slowly. If you're tired of the same old drinks, go give this a try.






We each got one of these beauties, a Cantaloupe Martini by checking in to Foursquare. Made with their latest vodka infusions, it is crisp, lightly sweet and very much like you stuck a straw in a melon! 

Emeril's often has their own vodka infusion in the works at any given time. They've made flavors from cantaloupe to lychee. Watch their facebook page to see what they're cooking up next. And while you're there, Emeril's usually posts specials just for their facebook friends. 











We tried the Ceviche & Tuna Tartare appetizer on a recent visit. The quality and quantity for $8 is a great deal for a high-end appetizer that was plenty for a light snack for two. They are both delicious and we look forward to grabbing this decadent treat again.

Overall, Emeril's Happy Hour offers some high-end cocktails for a great price. Just think - for the same $6 you can get a plain rum & coke at one of the other theme park bars, or you can enjoy a specialty drink here. This, my friends, is what they call a 'no-brainer'. Enjoy!