The SATURDAY SIX Dines at Hard Rock Hotel’s THE KITCHEN (Acoustic Brunch, Tableside Magic, The Kitchen Challenge and MORE!)

This week’s SATURDAY SIX dines in one of our favorite restaurants at the Universal Orlando Resort. A table service restaurant which features the only eating challenge at Universal… that has magicians doing closeup magic at your table… that offers the best brunch in Orlando, and more. That’s right we’re talking about THE KITCHEN, and we’ll tell you everything you need to know, starting with:

# 6 – Where? The HARD ROCK HOTEL

The Kitchen is located on the ground floor of the Hard Rock Hotel. Guests enter the hotel on the lobby level, which is on the third floor, but you can take an elevator down or a quick flight of stairs.

I recommend the stairs because you get to check out the incredible chandelier made out of saxophones.

Once you get to the ground floor you’ll find a doorway leading to The Kitchen that is situated in between Emack & Bolio’s Marketplace (the grab-and-go quick service at the Hard Rock Hotel) and the door leading out to the pool area.

Going through that door will lead you to the front entrance to The Kitchen. There is seating both inside and outside the restaurant, with the outdoor tables being in this area on the left.

There is a good amount of seating inside, and like the rest of the hotel you’ll find some pretty amazing rock n’ roll memorabilia adorning the walls.

# 5 – The Menu

The Kitchen is open daily for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (you can check out any menu by CLICKING HERE.) The dinner menu includes daily specials.

Let’s check out some of the food…

The Snickers brownie sundae is one of the best desserts at any theme park resort restaurant. Just top notch.

When it comes to desserts though, you can’t top a slice of The Kitchen Sink cake. This is one of those items that turns the heads of other diners when they are bringing it to your table. A true showstopper and a marvel of human ingenuity.

You can also get anything on the menu ordered To Go. I mentioned that The Kitchen was located directly next to the Hard Rock Hotel pool, so during one stay there I ordered a Crème Brûlée and brought it over to our loungers while we watched a poolside movie. Not only did it taste great, but definitely the best looking Crème Brûlée I’ve ever had.

# 4 – Kids Can Cook

On Mondays and Thursdays, The Kitchen offers Kids Can Cook Too. Once seated at our table, we told the server we wanted to try the Kids Can Cook program and they brought the kiddo over to a table right in front of the actual kitchen area. One of the chefs came out and explained that the kids would be able to make their own pizza with whatever toppings they wanted. First up though, putting on nitrile gloves.

While only cheese and pepperoni were on the table, the chef explained that we could have any topping we wanted and he would go get it. The chef also explained how the amount of sauce can affect how a pizza tastes. It was up to each kid on how much or how little of every item they wanted on the pie.

After applying some pepperoni, the kiddo asked for some sausage as well.

The pizza was then given to another chef who loaded it into the oven.

It wasn’t too long before the pizza was delivered to our table. There was a family seated next to us who had a younger kid who also wanted to do the Kids Can Cook program and that child also made a pie that was just all cheese. This whole experience was fun, and the kids loved it, but it begs the question: WHEN IS THE KITCHEN GOING TO DO A BLOGGERS CAN COOK PROGRAM?!!!

# 3 – Magical Entertainment

On Wednesday and Friday nights, The Kitchen has roaming magicians who go to each table and perform closeup magic. This is included with your meal at no additional cost and I would argue it needs to be promoted more because this was one of the best experiences we have done at Universal.

Very intimate setting and while our magician (Doug) was only at the table for 10-15 minutes, he was super nice and we were mesmerized! Doug used cards and props for his performance, but we saw another magician in the restaurant who was using rings and scarves. Even seeing what Doug did, I can’t believe what I saw. It was absolutely awesome and I can’t wait to bring friends and family to get this experience because its gonna even better with a larger group with everyone losing their minds wondering “how did he do that?!!”

# 2 – The Kitchen Challenge

There are very few things in life I enjoy more than an eating challenge. Pizza, ice cream, you name it. Across the globe I am undefeated, EXCEPT at The Kitchen, home of…

What does it include? Well, to start off, a great burger…

…that is topped with onion rings and bacon.

A generous portion of French fries and a fried pickle…

…along with a slice of THE KITCHEN SINK. Every individual element of this challenge is something I would want to order, so this should be easy right?

Here comes the hard part. EVERYTHING must be consumed in under a half hour.

If you finish the meal in the timeframe, it is free. Otherwise, you need to pay for the burger and cake at current menu price. Trust me, many of my friends and family have taken the The Kitchen Challenge and their mouths wrote checks that their stomachs couldn’t cash.

Time’s up!

Universal once invited Thrill Geek‘s own Clint Gamache, LEGOLAND Florida’s Banks Lee, and Michael to take The Challenge.

To paraphrase the boxer Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they take that first bite…

If you want to see how they did, click on the video below!

Below is a picture of the closest I came to defeating The Kitchen Challenge. I just couldn’t swallow the last couple bites. Yes, Dear Reader, I let you down, but I will be back and one day I will defeat THE KITCHEN CHALLENGE.

# 1 – Acoustic Brunch

Breakfast at The Kitchen is served M-F from 7AM-11AM, Saturday 7AM-Noon, and Sunday 7AM-10:30AM. You can order a la carte or do the breakfast buffet (which is wonderful!)

On Sundays from 10:30AM-2PM they offer the Acoustic Brunch, which is pound for pound one of our favorite dining experiences at Universal or Disney. In my book, the best overall buffet period.

The atmosphere with the live music combined with the fantastic food is just off-the-charts.

Coffee, juice, and Bloody Mary and mimosa cocktails (with free refills) are included. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!

There are many serving containers with all your normal breakfast buffet staples, but the kitchen staff is also making specials such as the MUST GET Elvis French Toast.

I’d say the Elvis French Toast is hands down my favorite breakfast item at any resort. Worth going out of your way for.

You know I’m a sucker for a themed waffle…

 

Plenty of options for everyone of all ages.

I don’t even know what gravlax is but they have it. Sounds like a third tier villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but what do I know.

We can also confirm that the Acoustic Brunch is a perfect post-race meal for anyone doing a runDisney race. Reminder that self-parking is validated at all the onsite Universal hotels if you spend $40 at the restaurants or shopping.

So there you have it: The SATURDAY SIX Dines at The Kitchen! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out the THEME PARK ENJOYMENT INDEX, giving a monthly recap of all the theme park news you need to know (and a lot more you don’t need to know, but we’re gonna tell you anyway). You can also follow Your Humble Author on Twitter (@derekburgan).

If you enjoyed this article, you will surely like the following: 

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Special Thanks to The Elite Brandon Glover, Digital Maestro Scott Walker, the bio-est of all reconstructs @bioreconstruct, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the world famous Disney Cruise Line Blog, my personal protege Hunter “Elvey” Underwood, artist @SonderQuest, the mighty maven of merchandise Hedgehog’s Corner, the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and “the Dadalorian” Nick, hot shot Michael Carelli, charter member of the Universal Four @Nitro230, the permit princess Alicia Stella, master cartographer Tommy Hawkins, and Hermione Granger’s tutor Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Absolutely no help was added by SeaWorld Influencer @SuperWeenieHtJr. The SAT SIX is inspired each week by goofballs Aengus Mackenzie and LitemAndHyde and you Potterheads will  enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.