NBA City - Orlando's Award-winning Themed Restaurant
Written: Mar 02 '05 (Updated May 11 '05)
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Pros: Fun atmosphere, Great food and service, Lots of choices
Cons: Parking
The Bottom Line: Families are always coming out of this restaurant smiling. Fun atmosphere, reasonable prices, and great food.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: NBA City Restaurant |
NBA City is a one-of-a-kind restaurant that features a basketball theme. It was named “Best Themed Restaurant in Orlando” twice in the short time it has been open which is an honorable title considering the competition.
NBA City is traditional American cuisine with a variety of options such as brick oven pizza, sandwiches, hamburgers, pork chops, steaks, loaded salads, pastas, and more. Most meals are in the $10-$12 range with a hearty portion size. It is located within Citywalk near Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The parking garage charges $8 during the day but parking is free after 6PM.
Saturday night is usually a really busy night to eat out in Orlando so we were prepared to have an hour wait when we approached the doors of NBA City. We were surprised to find that there was not a wait and we proceeded upstairs to our table.
The walk to our table was really exciting because there was so much to look at. The restaurant’s name is NBA City so everything in the restaurant matched the theme. The building looked like a gymnasium and the first floor looked like a basketball court. There were two humongous big screen TVs in the middle of the room playing a basketball game. There were a few framed pictures of NBA players on the wall. This has a nice restaurant feel to it, it is not like a sports bar at all. It’s not over populated with memorabilia. People go there to eat, not to watch the game. The drinks that were being ordered were mixed drinks, not beer.
We were seated at a somewhat small table with standard chairs and given our menus. The covers of the menus were orange and had the same material that a basketball is made of. We really thought that was interesting. The selection on the menu was good, and we had no problem choosing something. We started with a Chicken Quesadilla. There were only 5 pieces to the Quesadilla but it was loaded with huge oak-grilled chunks of quality chicken and had Monterey Jack cheese, red onions, cilantro, and BBQ sauce and sour cream drizzled over the top. There were 2 dipping cups on the side.
There were other interesting things on the appetizers such as Pecan Chicken Tenders, Bayou Onion Strings, Sweet & Spicy Smoked Wings, Coconut Shrimp, and more.
My husband ordered a Philly Cheese Steak because it’s one of his favorite sandwiches. It was nice size and had a huge stack of fries with it. He said that his sandwich was ok but would order the Classic Reuben next time.
I ordered a Margherita pizza which had fresh tomatoes, basil, and garlic on it. It was a flat gourmet pizza and was absolutely wonderful. It was so good I’ll definitely order it again. I’ve ordered them at other restaurants before and this one was the best. The crust had a wonderful flavor. Next time I plan on ordering Bayou Chicken which was described as: ”Three boneless chicken medallions grilled with Cajun seasoning and served with a sweet Marsalas cornbread stuffing topped with a smoked Andoullie cream sauce. Accompanied by garden fresh seasonal vegetables.”
I liked the assortment of meats to choose from. The menu had several choices of fish to choose from such as Mahi Mahi or Salmon, several dishes an appetizers featuring shrimp, a tempting glazed pork chop, baby back ribs, chicken in many dishes, and New York steak.
It was Saturday night so a lot of mixed drinks were being served. Drinks range around $6 to $11 in price. We were sitting near the entrance of the second floor so we saw a lot of the items when they walked by. There were many frozen drinks which were displayed in tall thin glasses and looked very appetizing.
We only ordered and appetizer and two entrees and our family of 5 was full. Our bill was about $30.00 which is a little lower than our norm but we didn't get drinks of any kind. We checked our watch when we left and was amazed to find that we were only inside for 45 minutes! Our waiter was very pleasant and organized. He did a timely job at taking our order, filling our drinks, clearing the plates, and was very quick at processing the bill. He spent time talking to our kids which loved the attention.
There is a variety of people that visit this restaurant. There were couples and families of all ages. The dress is very casual since most of the individuals walk over from the theme parks. The room was fairly noisy just from the people and what was going on so may not be suitable for business. I found the lighting to be very dark, I could hardly see my menu.
On our way out we noticed a line of basketballs on display that had hand prints of NBA stars. We had fun putting our hand over their hand print and were amazed at the size of their hands!
Kids
There are a lot of restaurants in Citywalk that are not particularly suitable for children however we felt that this was a suitable family restaurant. Our kids were welcomed with crayons and a large coloring page. High chairs were readily available. There was a children’s menu but the prices were in the $6 range so we ordered the kids a Margherita pizza from the adult’s menu in which they ate every bite and enjoyed the Quesadilla as well. As mentioned above, the waiter addressed the children which made them happy. Our dining experience went very quick which was another reason that we felt that it was a child friendly environment.
SkyBox Lounge
After we ate we looked around the building. There was a room off to the side for those over 21 of age. It is an upscale lounge which serves cocktails. There are 20 TVs that that will be on the latest sporting event. I think you might have to have a reservation to get in the lounge.
Shooting Hoops
There is a play area on the first floor near the front door away from the seating area that is used to entertain guests while they wait for their food or after they finish. This is usually really busy and it’s not children who are shooting the hoops.
Store
There is a gift shop and the entrance of the restaurant that can be accessed even if you’re not dining. They sell a lot of team jerseys which can be personalized, and they also sell some other NBA merchandise.
Overall
This was a very pleasant experience and we can't wait to go back. This will be one of our top picks when entertaining guests from out of town. There were so many selections on the menu that I am sure we'll be returning many times. We were very impressed with the restaurant all the way around. It has a fun atmosphere, great service, tasty food, and conveniently located around other attractions.
Company Information:
NBA City
6860 Universal Blvd.
Orlando, Florida 32819
Phone: 407-363-5919
Website: http://www.nba.com/nba_city/stats.html
Hours: 11AM – 12AM (2AM on the weekend).
Seating stops at least an hour before the closing.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Parking is free after 6PM, $8 before. They do not validate.
Best Suited For: Kids and Families
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xyzwyatt
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