Bigfire Restaurant Review

Bigfire is, in my opinion, a great addition to Universal CityWalk at the Universal Orlando Resort. Having been a huge fan of Emeril's which was previously in this location, I was skeptic, but quickly put at ease once we were inside and met our server and have been back several times since.

After a full day in the parks, we had a pretty late dinner on the agenda so we started in the lounge attached to the restaurant.  The cocktail selection is quite extensive, with bourbon drinks being the star here. My Manhattan was delicious and set the tone for a great meal ahead! The bar is also a great stop if you don't have a reservation, I found the bartenders friendly, attentive, and making great drinks!

The open kitchen is a great feature as you enter the dining room.  The décor is modern yet cozy with touches of plaid throughout.  The highlight is of course the "big fire", where they wood smoke a variety of meats for the entrees.

We started the meal with some wine and some mussels, which came out steaming hot and was quite impressive to see.

Skillet Roasted Mussels - Herb broth, white wine, chives, grilled bread

After that delightful start, it was time for some entrees. The menu had something for everyone, with the food being familiar yet having a little something special to elevate the dish.  Honestly everything we tried was so good!  Even a late night after a long day, we came close to cleaning our plates.  Our entrees seemed like great prices for a theme park for the quality of food we received.  There were some more expensive things on the menu (the highest being $60 for a 24 oz T-bone) but they didn't tickle our fancy on this particular evening.

Beer Glazed Scallops - Bacon, fire grilled vegetables, charred hearth bread

Signature Cheeseburger - 1/2 lb. black angus beef, cheddar, beefsteak tomato

Short Rib Pasta - Garganelli, oyster mushrooms, sherry cream sauce

While these entrees were all great, the stand out are really the wood-fired meats. These menu items are cooked over cherry, pecan, and oak live wood flames on the hearth fire grill which imparts great flavor into the dish. 

Bigfire Grilled Filet Mignon w/ double veggies

Pork 2 Ways: hearth grilled pork tenderloin, apple spiced braised pork belly, bourbon peach butter, cheddar grits, mustard greens, ginger gastrique

 

The filet was so tender and wow those cheddar grits with the pork, delightful!

We were too stuffed to try out their desserts, but I'm sure they would have been just as good given the quality of the rest of our meal.  A great option is also to pop over to Toothsome for some chocolate treats to-go for later once you get a little nibbly!

Have you tried Big Fire? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

 

Maci Schau

Maci is an avid foodie and loves trying out new restaurants and seasonal food offerings in the parks.  You can email Maci at maci@kingdomkonsultant.com.