Probably the most unexpected surprise in my most recent trip to the Sunshine State was wandering up the Universal Studios Citywalk after an entire day of standing in hot lines to wait for crowded rides and seeing the welcoming sign of Margaritaville.
A lot of themed restaurants were recommended to me when I returned to Florida as an adult, not least of all Hog's Breath Saloon and others. But no one had mentioned Jimmy Buffet's to me, which was obviously a serious over sight.
My friend and I, when we could stand the kids and the lines and the heat of Universal Studios no longer went for a walk looking for a place to eat. There is no lack of selection in this great little spot outside of Universal, but finding a place where you can even sit down without a decent bank roll is a bit trickier. And after our day spending much more than we really should have getting into one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state we were running a little short on cash. Not to mention that we looked a bit like we'd been through some ordeal, sweating and near death with heat stroke and far from looking our best, all we wanted in the world was a relaxing place we could sit, have a drink and maybe get some bar nuts to tide us over till we headed to dinner in Kissimmee.
Luckily for us, though, we found something much better, and even if you aren't in such a dire situation whilst in Orlando, I still highly recommend you pop into this great little restaurant. It's situated in a very convenient place; just a few minutes walk from Universal studios and right around the corner from Hard Rock and NASCAR Cafe. However, it's much more relaxed place. We made our way in, ecstatic feeling the cool fans blowing on us from above and the relaxing tunes of Jimmy Buffet playing over the sound system. We knew instantly we'd made the right choice. We ordered drinks and to our great joy and surprise we noticed that there were things on the menu to accommodate our very skimpy budget. We ordered some nachos and shared them, and we were even more pleasantly surprised when they arrived and we realized there was more than enough for the both of us! Their serving sizes are very impressive, and the food and drinks were both wonderful.
You can't very well go to Margaritaville and not have a margarita, and so we spent the hottest part of the afternoon sipping the salty drink and lazily eating nachos at the bar and for the first time since we landed down really felt we were enjoying what Florida was all about. The have a great menu, so even if you want more than an afternoon snack, Jimmy Buffet's is well, well worth a stop in.