Family travel often takes the Great Beer Now crew to familiar places. Among them, the city of Orlando has to rank at the top of the list. The kiddos just can’t seem to get enough of that Disney magic and Universal Studios allure, so it’s not surprising that, over the past several years, I have taken more flights to Orlando than any other American city. Always in search of beer, I found the time to visit a place that caught my attention due to its name, more than anything. I’m talking about NBC Sports Grill and Brew, a restaurant located in Universal Orlando’s famed CityWalk.
This Place is Big!
Walk into NBC Sports Grill and Brew and the first thing you will say is “damn, this place is gigantic!” And it certainly is, with two levels on which to eat/drink plus outdoor seating for those days when it isn’t too hot or raining (and it’s usually one or the other in Orlando). Because it is so large, getting a table generally doesn’t take too much effort. Even if the place is full, there is bound to be someone leaving every few minutes and that means an open table is just moments away.
Like any good sports bar, NBC Sports Grill and Brew is brimming with televisions. There are around 100 HD televisions and they exist everywhere you look, tuned into a variety of sports entertainment. If the television nearest you isn’t broadcasting your sport of choice, just focus your eyes in a different direction.
Watch Those Cooks
NBC Sports Grill and Brew features American style food divided into categories like burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, and desserts with options similar to those found at your local Applebee’s. The difference is that the food served here, like the atmosphere, tends to be big. The appetizers are large and generous and you could easily make a meal out of this part of the menu alone. The Large Warm Soft Pretzel is a popular choice, but there are other tasty options as well, like the Blue Cheese Chips, Chicken Nachos, and Fire Grilled Wings. As I said, the portions are large so you need to keep this in mind. We ended up boxing most of our appetizers and taking them back to the hotel room.
With main dishes, the food options present a good number of choices. If your appetite is grand, then try the Grand Slam Burger, a hefty meat and toppings concoction on a bun, featuring a full pound of meat. If your appetite isn’t quite that intense, go for something like the Portobello or Grilled Fish Sandwich. They serve entrees also, with choices such as ribs, chicken pot pie, shrimp skewer, rib eye steak, and more. A few desserts wrap everything up. The food is very filling and good overall- nothing that’s going to blow you away but still good and there is something to satisfy anyone’s preferences. And you can watch the cooks in the kitchen, prepping the food, thanks to the restaurant’s open layout.
Some Beer, Please
Okay, it probably won’t surprise anyone that my main reason for wanting to visit NBC Sports Grill and Brew wasn’t for the sports or the food. It was for the beer. With the word “Brew” in the restaurant’s name, I felt the chances were good for a large and plentiful selection and I wasn’t disappointed. There are more than 100 beers on tap or in bottles/cans and I began examining the lovely tap wall the moment I walked inside. There are a good number of Florida beers to try and I had no problem finding new beers to sample; loading my Untappd account with new check-ins and earning several new badges over the course of the evening.
Rather than order larger serving sizes, I decided to go with the flight samplers because I like trying new beer. But one thing I did not like is that NBC Sports Grill and Brew doesn’t let you select your own beers! According to what my server told me, the flights are offered only as pre- selected groupings of four, based on selections made by the management. Yes, there are several flight groupings from which to choose, but I would much prefer to create my own. This was very surprising and I cannot figure out what the rationale behind it could possibly be. I like that they will bring you a small, complimentary tasting of any beer you like, but they need to rethink this unusual restriction on beer flights.
Universal Appeal
NBC Sports Grill and Brew turned out to be a good place to visit for food and brew. The service was very good, the food decent and generously proportioned, and the beer selection more than plentiful. I would have preferred the freedom to create my own beer flight, but such is life. The prices weren’t half bad either- a significant accomplishment given the restaurant’s location.
Family travel sometimes takes us on new adventures but more often than not, we end up going back to the places the kiddos love the most. NBC Sports Grill and Brew is a good choice for family dining on Universal CityWalk and a nice stopover for a post- ride beer and grub. The kids aren’t going to tire of Universal Studios anytime soon, so it’s nice to know there’s a place for the adults in the family to enjoy what they love best: Great beer, food, sports, and fun in one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
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