Out and About: The Yard House Opens in Orlando

- Michelle Snow

Yard House Orlando

Earlier this week we were invited to a pre-opening event to get to know the new Yard House, which opened April 24 in Orlando. It is located on International Drive, in the new I-Drive 360 complex that is currently being constructed.

The Yard House is known for its extensive beers on tap – the Orlando location has 150 of them, ranging from domestics and imports to craft beers, ales and lagers. The kegs are kept in a specially cooled room with blue lights, and distributed to the taps on the floor through a literal pipeline that travels the ceiling down to the bar area. Inside the pipes are dozens of individual beer lines.

Yard House Orlando
Beer travels from the keg room to the taps via ceiling pipes.

For those not beer drinkers, they do have a full bar, as well. I sampled several of their cocktails, including the Pineapple Express (Skyy infusions pineapple vodka, Malibu pineapple rum, Monin mojito, fresh pineapple and mint), the House Tropic (Cruzan banana rum, Malibu pineapple rum, pineapple juice, Midori), and the Hawaiian Mule (Skyy infusions pineapple vodka and housemade ginger beer served in a traditional copper cup).

Yard House Orlando
Ace Berry Cider, Pineapple Express, House Tropic, Hawaiian Mule

Of course you can’t drink on an empty stomach, and Yard House offers a full menu that we were able to sample during this event.

Among the ones I tried (many of them I couldn’t due to allergies) were Moo Shu Egg Rolls, Spinach Cheese Dip, Korean BBQ Beef (the sample I tried was rather fatty and not very good), Boneless Firecracker Wings (had a nice bite – I’d order these again), Summer Salad, Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, a Cheeseburger (it was served medium rare, so I didn’t enjoy it), and Gardein Orange Chicken (very tasty and a great vegetarian dish).

Yard House Orlando
Boneless Firecracker Wings, Korean BBQ Beef, Fried Chicken, Creme Brulee

In fact, many of the meat dishes can be made vegetarian by requesting a Gardein substitution. And though they couldn’t make samples without the items I was allergic to, regular guest orders can be customized due to allergies.

I also sampled four typed of pizza: Margherita, BBQ Chicken, Ham & Pineapple, and Spicy Thai Chicken. The Spicy Thai Chicken was my favorite of the four, with a spicy sauce that wasn’t too hot.

Yard House Orlando
Quartet of Pizzas: Margherita, BBQ Chicken, Ham & Pineapple, Spicy Thai Chicken

Also served were Seared Ahi Sashimi,Crab Cakes, Shitake Garlic Noodles, Blackened Swordfish Tacos, Mediterranean Sea Scallops, and Ginger Crusted Salmon.

Dessert came in the form of a yummy Mini Creme Brule with banana and chocolate.

Yard House Orlando
Moo Shu Egg Rolls, Gardein Orange Chicken, Seared Ahi Sashimi

The food was really good, and the amount of drafts to sample was amazing. If you download their app, you can even keep track of which ones you’ve had.

If you are looking for a place to have a meal and drinks with friends, check out the Yard House. Prices are reasonable, and everyone in your group should be able to find something they like.

The Yard House Orlando is located at 8367 International Drive, right next to the Orlando Eye (which is currently being built).

It opens at 11am daily, with last call for food at midnight Sunday-Thursday, and 1am on Friday and Saturday. Alcohol last call is a half hour after that. It has a regular happy hour Monday through Friday 3-6pm, and late night happy hour Sunday-Wednesday 10pm to close.

For more information, including food and drink menus, visit YardHouse.com.

Special thanks goes out to Yard House Orlando for providing complementary food and beverages I was not required to write this post and all opinions are my own.

About Michelle Snow

Michelle is the owner and editor of CitySurfing Orlando. She also owns Zengrrl.com, is a freelance writer specializing in travel and entertainment, has authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida, and is head editor/writer at TheDisneyBlog.com. She's lived in Orlando near Walt Disney World since 1995, and still finds there's so much fun to be had in Central Florida.
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