The Drake - Reviews

My experience at this restaurant was wonderful. The restaurant itself was beautiful, creating a lovely atmosphere. The food was delicious, and I'm eager to return to try more dishes. Additionally, the cocktails were excellent.

I've been to this restaurant many times, and the food and drinks have always been excellent. Today, I visited with four people around 1: 30 PM. While everything started excellently as usual, the entrees were served to each person at least five to ten minutes apart. This is unusual, as on previous visits with others, the food came out as requested. The servers kept apologizing for how slow and uncoordinated everything was, and we were the only group in the restaurant. If you decide to go, be very clear about your expectations for service, otherwise be prepared for a horrible experience. It's sad because the food is very good, but we will not be going back.

My friend and I visited for happy hour around 4pm and sat at the bar. Unfortunately, the bartender never introduced herself or offered her name, and her demeanor was neither personable nor particularly attentive. We frequently had to flag her down for additional orders, as she wasn't proactively checking on us, even though the bar was not busy. When we requested two separate checks, she silently placed the handheld device in front of my friend, which we found to be quite rude. Despite the food and drinks being great, the service significantly detracted from the experience. The bartender, who had two-toned hair and arm tattoos, was not hospitable at all.

Wow. One of the worst dining experiences. Four of us went in for lunch at 1 pm. Only one other table than us on a Friday. Server was pleasant at first. We ordered two apps to share and then our INDIVIDUAL meals. Once the first meal arrived it was another 7 mins to the second then 3rd then fourth. People (except our server) kept apologizing for the wait. My food went cold because I was waiting for the rest of my tables orders. When we finally all had our entrees we mentioned to server, why the food air. She said, we are “tapas” this is how it comes. What? So we can’t eat our food together at a restaurant? After multiple people apologized? Will NEVER come here again. People come to share a meal together, not eat in shifts.

While the food is good, our experience was marred by a significant service issue. One of our party's entrees arrived with the starters, completely ruining what was meant to be a celebration. He had to sit and watch us eat our entrees, finishing his 15 minutes before us to avoid it getting cold. One of the owners offered an "apology" but provided no resolution. While I don't expect a comped meal, at this price point, I believe even a single beer should have been covered. Despite liking the food, I don't think I'll be back as they don't seem to prioritize customer retention, which is unfortunate given I live a 5-minute walk away.

Even though the menu looked great, the food was ok. Our pot pie came cold, croquettes too, and my only duck ravioli it wasn’t al dente, it was a bit raw (hard). The drinks were ok too. Our waitress was pretty nice though. I wouldn’t come back; I didn’t even take pictures.

My experience at The Drake last weekend for my birthday was truly special. We arrived last minute, and the staff accommodated us immediately. Our server was incredibly kind, and one of the owners, Roger, even stopped by our table. Upon learning it was my birthday, the staff went above and beyond, presenting a birthday sign, a card, and a flower. They also gifted me a delicious dessert to celebrate. This was such a special touch, and the food was excellent. I will absolutely be back again! Thank you for making my birthday special!

I know the downtown Orlando area well, even though I'm from out of town. I chose this restaurant because we had never been, and the menu and reviews were convincing. I have nothing but great things to say about this place. Parking was extremely easy to find, with both street parking and nearby parking garages available for free. The experience was unmatched from the moment we arrived until we left. I highly recommend the goat cheese croquetas and the lamb ribs. The duck was out of this world, and the pavlova was by far the best dessert I have tried – not too sweet but not too tart. The bill was fairly priced for a good night out. The owners and staff are highly attentive. I would definitely come back again.

My experience at this restaurant has been a tale of two halves. On my first two visits, I thoroughly enjoyed the Drake burger and spoke highly of it for months. It was the most expensive hamburger I had, but I felt it was worth it. However, my third and final visit was a significant letdown. I decided to get my go-to burger again, but the bun was stale, the burger itself was not the same, lacking that special sauce, and the fries were beyond crispy. To add insult to injury, they were out of Buffalo Trace.

My experience at this restaurant was a mix of delightful starters and a disappointing main course. The decor was beautiful, and the appetizers we tried, including the goat cheese croquettes, truffle fries, and pork belly, were all excellent. Our server was also truly lovely. However, the main course fell short. We all ordered the Drake Burger, and each of our buns was noticeably stale, which made the burger dry overall. For a $24 entrée, we were expecting better quality. It may have been an off day, especially since we visited right after Thanksgiving, but it still impacted the experience. Hoping this was just a one-time issue, because the starters showed a lot of promise.