The Cowfish: CityWalk's Newest, Craziest Hit

Universal Studios has recently stepped up its game in terms of the overall experience within the anti-Disney borders; from the overall theme park options to the attractions to the nighttime entertainment. Also stepping up its game is the food options in CityWalk. Our latest example is a spot that has quickly emerged as one of the favorites in all of Universal. The Cowfish is a hybrid of a sushi joint, burger spot, and college bar that contains a very unique and diverse menu that will have you scratching your head while simultaneously get excited for the next food adventure.

Originally a Carolina institution The Cowfish is massive in scale, and very distinctive in design. The menu is split into the normal bar selections, and the insanely unique selections. Then throw in expensive appetizers and milkshakes to round out the listing of food. It’s not often you find a place that offers hundreds of different burger combinations and then offers fresh uncooked sushi as an appetizer. I went with the crab rangoon dip and the grasshopper milkshake to start.

The grasshopper milkshake was hardly a milkshake and more like a challenge to consume. It was thicker than frozen ice cream, and was a mission to tackle. It was so rich and so packed that it missed its opportunity to become a drinkable milkshake. Trust me, you will enjoy this more as a dessert as opposed to something to wash down your lunch with. The rangoon dip was not what I expected, but was still tasty. The crab rangoon itself was hearty and very filling, while the wonton chips were light and crispy and had much more flavor than your typical chips that usually roams the appetizer menus. The chili sauce was a nice additional touch.

Honestly, the dip and the milkshake can become a lunch itself because of how filling they are. But hey, go big or go home. So I went with one of the bizarre Cowfish concoctions. The High Class Hillbilly is pulled pork, bbq sauce, wrapped in potato, topped with potato, and infused with bacon coleslaw. Yea, not sure how they came up with this one. The plate looked intimidating as there was a mountain of potato hoarded on top of the rolls. In terms of presentation, The Cowfish definitely doesn’t disappoint.

The end result was a sushi-like texture that tastes like Memphis bbq. The pork wasn’t too plentiful or overpowering, which works because you still have the salty potato, creamy slaw, tangy sauce to work with your taste buds. It’s definitely one of the most unique foods I’ve had in Central Florida. In the midst of this I am still fighting the milkshake.

Bottom Line: The Cowfish is a mix of college cuisine enthusiasm and creativity marred with Tourist Country prices. You will enjoy what is offered here but expect to pay a pretty penny and expect to share the scenery with hundreds of other people. Word about this place has spread fast and as long as Universal doesn’t do anything too stupid (like ban water and continue to charge guests to get into CityWalk in the freakin’ afternoon….oh wait…) then Cowfish will become a sure-fire staple to the CityWalk and Local Orlando scene. Plenty of options, plenty of good food, and a nice atmosphere to round it all together. Just don’t forget the credit cards.



Final Verdict: Recommend...with a full wallet. 


The Cowfish
Citywalk Orlando
Orlando, Fl

Celebration Town Tavern: Hidden Celebration of Quality Seafood

I am about to spoil a secret.

Expertly hiding in the middle of Kissimmee is a beautiful, beautiful piece of Florida land that remains relatively untouched by Tourist Country. Celebration is a gorgeous, albeit slightly restrictive and expensive town that is chock full of happy faces and plenty of good spirits as well as dozens of amazing-looking houses that are built smack dab in the middle of Southern nature. Yep, I mean there will be big gators in each of those lakes.

Celebration Town Tavern is a wonderful secret inside the secret. The locals that live here are all over this place, but to the common outsider not only is it a minor mission to find it, it’s a minor mission to locate a parking space close to the vicinity. Started up by New Englanders (Because fun fact: Florida is the top state for New Englanders outside of…New England), this place ships most of their seafood from your Boston waters while simultaneously deliver a bar with over 100 beer options ranging from locals to imported to some Michigan beer called Dirty Bastard (Never change Michigan).

The restaurant itself is mostly outdoors, and is one of the few spots I’ve been to that had the customer nucleus preferring to be outside. Finding a spot indoors was pretty easy, and I got to pass by the kitchen that was laying out some killer looking dishes on top of a large counter waiting to be picked up. The menu is extensive without being too overwhelming, and since it was a Friday I was able to try out their lobster chowder.

“Sometimes people refuse to go in if we aren’t selling the chowder.” ~~My Waitress.

The lobster chowder was amazing, from start to finish. I stupidly asked for the smaller size, knowing full well I should have tackled the larger size. Chunks of potatoes and hearty lobster meat are the main attraction in this brothy blend of awesome seafood and assortments. It was great, but I was filled with regret concerning the size. Next up was one of their most popular items, which is their fish sandwich known as the Fishwich. This beauty is three chunks of lightly fried fish, tartar sauce, and fresh bread, nothing more. Doesn’t seem like much but the fish has a northeastern taste, and makes up for the lack of added ingredients.

Finally for dessert I decided to try another northeastern classic: boston cream pie. Warm topping, cool center, overall its rich, filling, and oh so bad for you. The pie here doesn’t look or act like a pie but delivers just as impressively as the tastiest of desserts. And just $6.

Bottom Line: Celebration Town Tavern is fantastic food served in a fantastic setting. Appealing to the northeastern crowd as well as your pub raiders and seafood fantatics, this place offers a little bit for everybody. All the dishes here look great, and the food I did get to try was enjoyable. In the midst of Tourist Kissimmee, this place doesn’t have an ounce of fake, an ounce of cater-to-the-masses syndrome that you will find in most spots in the nearby area. Whatever your craving is, I am sure this place will satisfy it---and it won’t cost you much either.



Final Verdict: Highly Recommend


Celebration Town Tavern
721 Front St
Celebration, Florida