CityWalk Expansion

[Jwhee]

Cask and Larder fan, also a Ravenous Pig fan, but 4 rivers= :ack: way to salty, and too long of a line

 

[DufflesMcGee]

Cask and Larder fan, also a Ravenous Pig fan, but 4 rivers= :ack: way to salty, and too long of a line

I'd be down for a food court BUT one that is ran by the food network. The get recipes from different restaurants featured from "diners drive ins and dives" and they have a kick ass selection of American cuisine

- Different Types of BBQ (From Texas to Memphis)
- Cajun & Southern Cooking (NOLA)
- Pulled pork & Food a la po boy (NOLA)
- Cuban food (Miami)
- Mexican/American Cuisine (nevada/Cali)
- American/Asian Fusion (San Fran)
- Real Philly Cheese steaks & Onion Burgers of Oklahoma (Philly)
- Gus' Fried Chicken and Ribs form Rendezvous (Memphis)

AND THEN

A bar smack down in the middle which only serves been from microbreweries or specialty seasonal beers

Prices and serving sizes the same as International wine and food fest

Just a food court of kick ass AMERICAN cuisine all in one place

Youre welcome

 

[DufflesMcGee]

If you havent yet, You have GOT TO DO THIS

go to this site and type ion your city, it will tell you diners dine ins and dive restaurants that you would never consider going to and they actually have amazing food.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/recipes/index.html

 

[ralphoutloud]

As for the comments that Universal CityWalk needs to represent every type of cuisine, not really. This isn't World Showcase here. There's a great variety already and these are just going to take it to the next level. Plus, there's great gourmet Asian just a short walk, boat ride, or drive away at Royal Pacific with Emeril's Tchoup Chop. And I think Hard Rock Cafe actually has fantastic BBQ.

Lol...

Hard Rock Cafe - Overpriced Average American Contemporary
NBA City - Overpriced American Contemporary
Nascar Cafe - Overpriced American Contemporary
Margaritaville - American with a Florida twist
Emeril's - Gourmet American with a Cajun twist
Cowfish - Modern American with a Japanese twist
Antojitos - Mexican
Red Oven - Pizza
Pastamore/Pranzos - American Italian
Breadbox - Deli (American)
Hot Dog HOF - literally this is a hot dog stand, also American
Menchie's/ColdStone - two frozen dessert places
Moe's/BK/Panda/That Random QS Japanese place - all terribly average

This is variety to you? 3 restaurants literally have like the same menu.

Tchoup Chop isn't anything to write home about. It's good, but the average guest does not know it exists and in addition to that it's very expensive for "not-so-Asian" Asian food.

It's not World Showcase because it's all the same food...lol. CityWalk should strive to be the #1 dining/shopping/entertainment destination in Orlando. Not just a quick place to get a burger because it's there. That's what in-park dining is for. CW should have a plethora of options at all different pricepoints. Locals should flock to CW to try something new in addition to on-site guests and park guests.

 

[DufflesMcGee]

Lol...

Hard Rock Cafe - Overpriced Average American Contemporary
NBA City - Overpriced American Contemporary
Nascar Cafe - Overpriced American Contemporary
Margaritaville - American with a Florida twist
Emeril's - Gourmet American with a Cajun twist
Cowfish - Modern American with a Japanese twist
Antojitos - Mexican
Red Oven - Pizza
Pastamore/Pranzos - American Italian
Breadbox - Deli (American)
Hot Dog HOF - literally this is a hot dog stand, also American
Menchie's/ColdStone - two frozen dessert places
Moe's/BK/Panda/That Random QS Japanese place - all terribly average

This is variety to you? 3 restaurants literally have like the same menu.

Tchoup Chop isn't anything to write home about. It's good, but the average guest does not know it exists and in addition to that it's very expensive for "not-so-Asian" Asian food.

It's not World Showcase because it's all the same food...lol. CityWalk should strive to be the #1 dining/shopping/entertainment destination in Orlando. Not just a quick place to get a burger because it's there. That's what in-park dining is for. CW should have a plethora of options at all different pricepoints. Locals should flock to CW to try something new in addition to on-site guests and park guests.

You sir, could never be an imagineer. you are so negative and shoot ideas down.

If Citywalk were to do something like this and team up with the food network (and im sure comcast could get it done) they can run ads where they tell their viewers "want a place to try all of these cuisines, go to Universal Orlando Citywalk" blah blah blah. Did I say world showcase? Or did I say Proud American Cuisine... Now I do believe the U.S. will dominate all nations one day if we can beat China to it, But for now I'm talking coast to coast best U.S. cuisine at a food court with quality food where people can try a little of everything and wash it down with a microbrew (maybe some made in house as well by a local orlando company (Disney's Boardwalk has one))

Plus they can quickly switch one vendor out with something new to keep it new and unique...

If you don't see the possibilities in that you don't know business and you dont love America

'MERICA!

 

[Teebin]

^ Oh JEEEEEAZ! It has come to a post like that. OMG!

 

[DufflesMcGee]

^ Oh JEEEEEAZ! It has come to a post like that. OMG!

It didn't feel good doing that... He just doesnt love America is all...

haha

 

[ralphoutloud]

You sir, could never be an imagineer. you are so negative and shoot ideas down.

If Citywalk were to do something like this and team up with the food network (and im sure comcast could get it done) they can run ads where they tell their viewers "want a place to try all of these cuisines, go to Universal Orlando Citywalk" blah blah blah. Did I say world showcase? Or did I say Proud American Cuisine... Now I do believe the U.S. will dominate all nations one day if we can beat China to it, But for now I'm talking coast to coast best U.S. cuisine at a food court with quality food where people can try a little of everything and wash it down with a microbrew (maybe some made in house as well by a local orlando company (Disney's Boardwalk has one))

Plus they can quickly switch one vendor out with something new to keep it new and unique...

If you don't see the possibilities in that you don't know business and you dont love America

'MERICA!

What...? Lol I'm completely on your side. I want variety and new cuisines in CityWalk. We are on the same page here lol I didn't even quote you....

 

[TylerDurden]

Lol...

Hard Rock Cafe - Overpriced Average American Contemporary
NBA City - Overpriced American Contemporary
Nascar Cafe - Overpriced American Contemporary
Margaritaville - American with a Florida twist
Emeril's - Gourmet American with a Cajun twist
Cowfish - Modern American with a Japanese twist
Antojitos - Mexican
Red Oven - Pizza
Pastamore/Pranzos - American Italian
Breadbox - Deli (American)
Hot Dog HOF - literally this is a hot dog stand, also American
Menchie's/ColdStone - two frozen dessert places
Moe's/BK/Panda/That Random QS Japanese place - all terribly average

This is variety to you? 3 restaurants literally have like the same menu.

Tchoup Chop isn't anything to write home about. It's good, but the average guest does not know it exists and in addition to that it's very expensive for "not-so-Asian" Asian food.

It's not World Showcase because it's all the same food...lol. CityWalk should strive to be the #1 dining/shopping/entertainment destination in Orlando. Not just a quick place to get a burger because it's there. That's what in-park dining is for. CW should have a plethora of options at all different pricepoints. Locals should flock to CW to try something new in addition to on-site guests and park guests.

Every restaurant in America is going to feature Americanized food. The only truly ethnic places are independently-run businesses with a very specific and loyal core fanbase that would never generate enough money to open up a place at CityWalk.

People go on vacation for lots of reasons; if food is one of them, they don't go to Orlando. If food is a driving force in deciding where you want to visit, you go to Italy or France. People go to Orlando for theme parks, not food...and I think I said this before but I'm willing to bet most people just kind of view meals as a hassle when they're constantly on the go trying to get from ride to ride.

If people want authentic Italian rather than "American Italian", people don't go to CityWalk, go to Italy. I think that you're in the minority that equates authentic ethnicity with success. CityWalk is catering to a market that's on the go and is there for a very controlled experience. If authentic Greek or Indian places were successful, then I'm sure CityWalk wouldn't think twice to open some. But the real success lies in Olive Garden and Bento, places that offer American versions of ethnic food. It's just a fact that this American flair you're criticizing is what makes money in the market CityWalk needs to cater to.

 

[ralphoutloud]

Every restaurant in America is going to feature Americanized food. The only truly ethnic places are independently-run businesses with a very specific and loyal core fanbase that would never generate enough money to open up a place at CityWalk.

People go on vacation for lots of reasons; if food is one of them, they don't go to Orlando. If food is a driving force in deciding where you want to visit, you go to Italy or France. People go to Orlando for theme parks, not food...and I think I said this before but I'm willing to bet most people just kind of view meals as a hassle when they're constantly on the go trying to get from ride to ride.

If people want authentic Italian rather than "American Italian", people don't go to CityWalk, go to Italy. I think that you're in the minority that equates authentic ethnicity with success. CityWalk is catering to a market that's on the go and is there for a very controlled experience. If authentic Greek or Indian places were successful, then I'm sure CityWalk wouldn't think twice to open some. But the real success lies in Olive Garden and Bento, places that offer American versions of ethnic food. It's just a fact that this American flair you're criticizing is what makes money in the market CityWalk needs to cater to.

What I'm suggesting isn't a niche market, I don't believe that the new dining options should be as authentic as possible, but I'm saying, something like a PF Chang's wouldn't be viable in CityWalk? Of course it would.

When I say American, I am talking about HRC, Nascar, NBA, Bubba Gump, those places might as well be Friday's or Applebee's. It's extremely redundant, and they removed the most ethnic restaurant they had in Latin Quarter and are replacing it with what I'm sure will be okay Mexican food. I'm just saying there are many many people who would enjoy getting a decent steak for a moderate price, better quality Asian food, any Mediterranean, a real slab of ribs or an actual good custom salad. You can't get any of these items at CityWalk...it doesn't make sense.

The suggestions I made are what I personally would like to see, but is it so outside of the realm of possibility of a full service Asian restaurant a la PF Chang's or a Mediterranean spot not doing well at CityWalk because people are "on-the-go"? When you are on vacation it should be normal to see distinct, memorable food locations. If they want to be a world class destination, the dining, shopping and entertainment of CityWalk needs to be raised up another peg or two.

Bob Marley's is one of the best restaurants in CW in terms of food, but as a niche Caribbean restaurant, you're basically saying should've never existed because it's not what people want or what makes money. Idk why you guys are so close minded on CityWalk having world class dining options like it should.

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Basically, people shouldn't have to go off property to eat. Everything should be available on Universal property and people need to be made aware the options exist. They can be better than Disney because as opposed to DTD/Disney Springs, in order to get to USF/IOA you MUST go through CityWalk in some capacity, they can have every option a guest wants at many price points, there's no point in going off property to eat because everything is conveniently next to the parks keeping $$$$$$$ inside Universal instead of out.

 

[TylerDurden]

What I'm suggesting isn't a niche market, I don't believe that the new dining options should be as authentic as possible, but I'm saying, something like a PF Chang's wouldn't be viable in CityWalk? Of course it would.

When I say American, I am talking about HRC, Nascar, NBA, Bubba Gump, those places might as well be Friday's or Applebee's. It's extremely redundant, and they removed the most ethnic restaurant they had in Latin Quarter and are replacing it with what I'm sure will be okay Mexican food. I'm just saying there are many many people who would enjoy getting a decent steak for a moderate price, better quality Asian food, any Mediterranean, a real slab of ribs or an actual good custom salad. You can't get any of these items at CityWalk...it doesn't make sense.

The suggestions I made are what I personally would like to see, but is it so outside of the realm of possibility of a full service Asian restaurant a la PF Chang's or a Mediterranean spot not doing well at CityWalk because people are "on-the-go"? When you are on vacation it should be normal to see distinct, memorable food locations. If they want to be a world class destination, the dining, shopping and entertainment of CityWalk needs to be raised up another peg or two.

Bob Marley's is one of the best restaurants in CW in terms of food, but as a niche Caribbean restaurant, you're basically saying should've never existed because it's not what people want or what makes money. Idk why you guys are so close minded on CityWalk having world class dining options like it should.

- - - Updated - - -

Basically, people shouldn't have to go off property to eat. Everything should be available on Universal property and people need to be made aware the options exist. They can be better than Disney because as opposed to DTD/Disney Springs, in order to get to USF/IOA you MUST go through CityWalk in some capacity, they can have every option a guest wants at many price points, there's no point in going off property to eat because everything is conveniently next to the parks keeping $$$$$$$ inside Universal instead of out.

Ok, so I get what you're saying about variety, but if you're going to describe Pranzo as American Italian and call it bland, P.F. Chang's is also bland by that logic for being American Chinese. Now this just comes down to your personal preferences (a Mexican place vs a Greek/Asian/Mediterranean Place, etc).

The thing is, these added restaurants WILL add variety. There wasn't a quick and easy sandwich shop in CityWalk before. There was not a place to get sushi (that wasn't kind of sketchy and gross). Those are additions to the lineup. The expansion also takes care of Italian and Mexican food. I'd say these new places give us quite a bit of variety, actually. Even the Hot Dog Hall of Fame will be interesting--even though hot dogs are American, you can do some insane stuff to a hot dog to make it tasty and unique...even if that's not ethnic, it'll be interesting and differentiable.

So you can't argue that these offerings aren't a step in the right direction. To say you'd rather have P.F. Chang's over Antojito's is just preference of one type of cuisine over the other. If your definition of variety is Americanized takes on ethnic food, then I'd say CityWalk's new offerings should be plenty.

 

[Jakemeister]

On top of all that this is only said to be phase one of this expansion. I wouldn't be surprised to see NBA go after this.

 

[DufflesMcGee]

What...? Lol I'm completely on your side. I want variety and new cuisines in CityWalk. We are on the same page here lol I didn't even quote you....

My bad then, lets just be BFF's then :wave:

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On top of all that this is only said to be phase one of this expansion. I wouldn't be surprised to see NBA go after this.

Yep, lets wait and see what happens. For me the only things that are for sure staying are Margaritaville and Bob Marley and emerils. I epect to see NBA city and nascar gone, some kind of new food court and a variety of new restaurants at phase 2

 

[DeputyAuror]

Voted Breadbox, because that's will very well likely be my new go-to City Walk stop as I'm a broke college kid . But I'm also VERY excited to try out the CowFish offerings when I have a chance to splurge a little.

 

[jtsalien]

I don't know why people are getting their hopes up about burning NBA City and especially Nascar to the ground. If anything, Nascar might become an even more generic NBC sports bar. There's going to be a sports place in CityWalk. They're too crowded during big games and races to do away with completely. NBA City is more of a ghost town, but Nascar has better food than its given credit for. No, it's not gourmet and there's room for improvement. But there's a place for a sports bar in CityWalk whether some people like it or not.

 

[TylerDurden]

I don't know why people are getting their hopes up about burning NBA City and especially Nascar to the ground. If anything, Nascar might become an even more generic NBC sports bar. There's going to be a sports place in CityWalk. They're too crowded during big games and races to do away with completely. NBA City is more of a ghost town, but Nascar has better food than its given credit for. No, it's not gourmet and there's room for improvement. But there's a place for a sports bar in CityWalk whether some people like it or not.

I think people dont seem to realize that some people actually like terrible bland American food . Sometimes I just want chicken fingers or a buffalo chicken sandwich and its kind of nice to be able to choose where I eat it. Even if people think the cuisine is lacking in variety, its still somewhat high in demand, and there is still a good variety of environments to eat in, which is also an important part of a restaurant.

 

[Macfr3ak]

i have never eaten at NASCAR but i can personally say NBA city's food and prices are terrible. I really did not like the dining experience, the staff, the layout of the restaurant. Pretty much nothing about it besides the small arcade and store section everything that involved the actual restaurant was just shameful.

 

[ralphoutloud]

Ok, so I get what you're saying about variety, but if you're going to describe Pranzo as American Italian and call it bland, P.F. Chang's is also bland by that logic for being American Chinese. Now this just comes down to your personal preferences (a Mexican place vs a Greek/Asian/Mediterranean Place, etc).

The thing is, these added restaurants WILL add variety. There wasn't a quick and easy sandwich shop in CityWalk before. There was not a place to get sushi (that wasn't kind of sketchy and gross). Those are additions to the lineup. The expansion also takes care of Italian and Mexican food. I'd say these new places give us quite a bit of variety, actually. Even the Hot Dog Hall of Fame will be interesting--even though hot dogs are American, you can do some insane stuff to a hot dog to make it tasty and unique...even if that's not ethnic, it'll be interesting and differentiable.

So you can't argue that these offerings aren't a step in the right direction. To say you'd rather have P.F. Chang's over Antojito's is just preference of one type of cuisine over the other. If your definition of variety is Americanized takes on ethnic food, then I'd say CityWalk's new offerings should be plenty.

I never said Pranzos will be bland, we don't know how it will be lol, Pastamore sure is. And I didn't say I wanted PF over Antojitos. I want something like it in ADDITION, lol.

That's the main thing I'm talking about, CityWalk is replacing their best restaurant in Latin Quarter with another type of Spanish cuisine and is replacing Italian with Italian. I agree with the Pastamore move but Antojitos should've been an addition not a replacement.

And I agree there should be good American options, but there's no need for literally 3 of the same restaurant plus Bubba Gump, lol.

 

[UNIrd]

Lol...

Hard Rock Cafe - Overpriced Average American Contemporary
NBA City - Overpriced American Contemporary
Nascar Cafe - Overpriced American Contemporary
Margaritaville - American with a Florida twist
Emeril's - Gourmet American with a Cajun twist
Cowfish - Modern American with a Japanese twist
Antojitos - Mexican
Red Oven - Pizza
Pastamore/Pranzos - American Italian
Breadbox - Deli (American)
Hot Dog HOF - literally this is a hot dog stand, also American
Menchie's/ColdStone - two frozen dessert places
Moe's/BK/Panda/That Random QS Japanese place - all terribly average

This is variety to you? 3 restaurants literally have like the same menu.

Tchoup Chop isn't anything to write home about. It's good, but the average guest does not know it exists and in addition to that it's very expensive for "not-so-Asian" Asian food.

It's not World Showcase because it's all the same food...lol. CityWalk should strive to be the #1 dining/shopping/entertainment destination in Orlando. Not just a quick place to get a burger because it's there. That's what in-park dining is for. CW should have a plethora of options at all different pricepoints. Locals should flock to CW to try something new in addition to on-site guests and park guests.

Are you omitting restaurants to help prove your point? Pat O'Briens also offers cajun food, Bob Marley's offers Jamaican-inspired cuisine, Bubba Gump is seafood.. and Margaritaville is actually Floribbean, inspired by both Florida and Caribbean cuisine. The point is it's a small resort. You can look within the parks, hotels, and CityWalk and find a decent variety of cuisine.

Not sure why you'd be looking more at World Showcase for a comparison vs Downtown Disney.

 

[Vyrus]

Universal should take inspiration from the current food truck craze and create and build a couple of themed food truck stands serving different types of food with cheap food costs, just like Senor Bumblebee's.

Grilled cheese food trucks are insanely popular, BBQ food trucks are insanely popular and things like that.