Player One Bar: Huge Great Idea in a Small Setting

Player One Bar is quite possibly the most frustrating place I have ever been to. And it’s not implying it is the worst place this blog has ever reviewed. But instead it’s quite possibly one of the better ideas out there and yet it can’t be executed at the level it deserves to be.

The size of the bar is what really limits this place from being something truly special. The place has a dedicated staff, it has the right idea with a great concept, and its arsenal of drinks rivals that of the better bars in Orlando. But it’s the mere size that really restricts it from being a truly grandiose experience. Surely people will indeed enjoy the place---if you show up on the right time.

This bar isn’t big enough to display all the arcade cabinets that the owner has in possession. This bar isn’t big enough to handle a very busy night. This bar isn’t even big enough to handle making its own food and having to depend on the restaurants right next door. The bar isn’t big enough to really strive to become the savior of the concept of the arcade.

But let’s focus on its amazing concept: tournaments (that you can set up, although I would love for them to organize some by themselves), nightly specials, the ability to play old-old-old school games blended in with a wide variety of beers and mixed drinks. The bartenders are dressed as popular video game characters; there are dozens of videos available to play from the latest generation combo of the WiiU, PS3, and Xbox 360, and lastly the cost of entering and the cost of the drinks isn’t overdone and overwhelming.

Like I said before, arrive at the right time with the right people and this place will be your heaven. Find the N64 cabinet without a soul; you can play some classic Goldeneye or Mario Kart 64 with others. Find Mortal Kombat II or Marvel vs. Capcom by itself? Raise hell with a small tournament amongst buddies. But if you get in there and every game is occupied, each of the televisions are claimed? Not much else to offer. And with the smaller size, it had happened to me and it was not a pretty evening.



Bottom Line: The best way to improve Player One Bar is to expand somehow, someway. Merger, purchasing the occupying space next door, or move to a larger area within the plaza. Otherwise, Player One Bar will remain fun for most---and tough for those that arrived far too late.



But...it is hard to argue against anything when drinking cream soda, eating Dominos, and having the ability to play NHL 94'. It is a great idea that's potentially far too big for its minimal space, and its quick rise in popularity solidifies the theory.

Bottom Line: Recommend---when you arrive at the right time.

Player One Video Game Bar

8570 Palm Pkwy

Orlando, FL 32836


P.S. A few more 90s arcades and less 70s/80s arcades would also help. I miss me some NFL Blitz, Killer Instinct, Crazy Taxi, Tekken 3, and Golden Tee Golf.

Especially Crazy Taxi

Be Our Guest: An Expensive Rush of Disappointment

 

Very rarely have I seen a place focus so much more on presentation than the actual food. Be Our Guest is quite possibly the most beautiful mediocre restaurant I have ever visited.





See what I did there?

Once you get past the delightful service, the impeccable theming, and the overwhelming amount of nostalgia for a Disney classic, what you will get is an overpriced restaurant that prices like fine dining, but delivers like a quick-service place. And I shall repeat, this has far less to do with the people involved and much more the system which is placed to serve as many people as possible and quickly throw them out—even though it’s has the presentation of a laid-back fine dining location.




One of the best locations I have ever been to allows you to pace your dinner so well, that I almost spent two hours on my visit there. Trust me; I will be back to Havana 1957 the second I set foot in Miami Beach. You get the total opposite with Be Our Guest however—they want you in and out as fast as possible. My soup arrived before my bread, the dessert just hangs around in one of several carts scattered in the main dining room, and my server asked if I had decided on anything one minute after being seated.

The overwhelming consistent theme is good but not great. The bread, soup, and dessert all falls into this same category. What might enhance the food is the gorgeous area, complete with the Beast (not Belle though…) hanging around for picture taking, a couple rooms stripped right out of the Beauty and the Beast film, and finally snowflakes in the background resembling the harsh winter that had dominated the animated classic.

Disney has places similarly priced with more options in terms of appetizers, entrees, and even the bread. Le Cellier anyone? Their pretzel bread is the stuff of legends. Here, you get regular rolls, regular butter. The potato leek soup was decent but there’s better out there in Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. Then there’s the steak: which despite me asking for it medium well came out overcooked and charred on the edges. The server then tells me that I am not supposed to eat that part, to cut it out and eat the rest.



Never heard of that. I buy a steak to eat the whole steak. The fries that came along with it were also just decent, but the dinner was going downhill fast. Once you sneak past the smoke and mirrors that is the Disney presentation, you get a restaurant full of ho-hum food.

Bottom Line: Be Our Guest looks and feels like a rushed product. The area is pretty but the menu is lacking, the food is lacking, and even for a place that claims to be the biggest cuisine addition in all of Disney World in ages just seems to be missing some pizzazz. They silently rush you, as they focus more on having more guests experience in one evening while not really pushing for those already seated to have the best experience possible. It was a bumming experience altogether. Disney, you have some of the better restaurants in all of Central Florida-----what happened????


Final Verdict: Do Not Recommend. There’s Much Better out There in Disney



Be Our Guest
Disney’s Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, Fl