Need a post park drink or an 11am pick me up? We don’t judge, this is vacation after all. Universal Orlando’s CityWalk is home to many restaurants and bars and is located right outside Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure! This article will cover our favorite drinks and venues at CityWalk Orlando.

What is CityWalk

CityWalk is Universal Orlando’s dining and entertainment district featuring over a dozen restaurants, shops, music venues, bars, and more. CityWalk is located between Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and the North Campus parking garages; no matter how you get to the original parks you will walk through CityWalk. CityWalk is perfect for lunch or to relax after a day in the parks.

Bigfire Smoked Old Fashioned

My personal favorite restaurant and cocktail in CityWalk is at Bigfire. Bigfire is a casual steakhouse that specializes in bourbon and cooking steaks over specially selected wood to impart flavor. Nothing says “smoke to impart flavor” more than the Bigfire Smoked Old Fashioned. Using Knob Creek Maple, simple syrup, and orange over a Bigfire embossed ice cube. The smoke flavor is imparted by blazing the wood tray and letting the smoke rise up into the glass, coating the sides with the flavor of the wood. What you get is a smoky, refined old fashioned that cuts through the sweetness. It’s my favorite drink in CityWalk and a must do anytime I’m at Bigfire for the mussels and bread.

Hours: 3:00 PM – 11:00 PM daily; Sunday Brunch 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane

Three words separate you from remembering your day on Bourbon Street and not remembering it: Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane. This potent cocktail if four ounces of rum (the Trader Sam’s Mai Tai famously has three ounces of rum, watch out!), tropical fruit juices, and syrups. But you don’t have to travel to the big easy to get an authentic Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane, you can get one at CityWalk Orlando! Hurricanes are available at the eponymous restaurant or the Fat Tuesday bar located to the right of the Pat’s.

Hours: weekdays 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM, weekends 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM

Toothsome Chocolate Old Fashioned

TWO Old Fashioned’s? Did Becky write this post? This drink is found at Toothsome, the totally-not-a-Cheesecake-Factory that offers a massive menu full of sweet and savory options. If you’re looking for a unique, sweet take on this classic cocktail then head to one of the two bars  at the emporium for the Chocolate Old Fashioned. This take uses chocolate flavored bourbon, chocolate bitters, cherry liquor, and topped with a Maraschino cherry. It’s a fantastic drink, but leans more on the sweet side for my tastes. Make sure to say hi to Penelope and Jaques for me.

Hours: 10:30 AM – 11:00 PM

Antojitos Margarita Pineapple Fire & Ice

Antojitos quietly has one of the strongest beverage games in CityWalk. While everyone talks about the bourbon at Bigfire the real fun of tequila and mezcals are over at Antojitos. There are dozens of tequilas and mezcals available and all curated from industry experts (you might know some of them at La Cava). Universal makes some tasty cocktails with those spirits, and our favorite at Antojitos is the Pineapple Fire & Ice Margarita. The cocktail is a standard margarita but it’s made with a spicy jalapeño tequila and garnished with a pineapple ice pop.

Hours: 3:00 PM – 11:00 PM

NBC Sports Grill & Brew 862 IPA

Thought we’d leave you beer drinks out of this? Never! If you’re looking for the best selection of draft and bottled beer go to NBC Sports Grill & Brew for their 862 IPA brewed just for the restaurant by Florida Beer Company. This west coast IPA has notes of pine and citrus but is light enough for a hot summer day. Not a fan of IPAs? Grill Brew has you with a huge selection of pilsners, lagers, sours, dark beers, and more.

Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:oo PM

The Cowfish Chocolate “To Dive For” Spiked Shake

We’ve had a lot of adult adult beverages here, but what about something a little more fun? Head over to The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar and try out one of their many spiked milkshakes. Love an everyting sundae? Try the Tennesse Cherry Mudslide with mud pie whiskey, cherry moonshine, chocolate ice cream, cherries, whipped cream, and pretzel pieces. Or maybe you want a banana sundae in a cup, like The King Lives which has 99 Bananas liqueur, vanilla rum, bananas, and peanut butter cups in it. Our recommendation is the To Dive For shake  with amaretto liqueur, chocolate liqueur, malt, and shaved chocolate.

Hours: weekdays 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM; weekends 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Anything At the Lone Palm Bar or Porch of Indecision at Margaritaville

Look sometimes the best drink in the world is the one in your hand at that moment. And nothing says being in the moment more than having a drink at America’s greatest living poet’s establishment? No not The Hemingway House, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville! Stop by the Lone Palm bar outside for some mixed drinks or a draft of Land Shark, you can’t miss it next to Jimmy’s old plane the Hemisphere Dancer. Or head to the Porch of Indecision for some nachos, a cocktail, and listen to some live music.

Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM

What are your favorite drinks at CityWalk Orlando? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!