Beers on tap

Pub

Address
City
Phone
Price

9101 International Drive
Orlando
407-352-2305
$$

It certainly looks like an authentic British pub, albeit one that is about five times the average size. The British fare is fine — shepherd’s pie had some nontraditional cheese on top, but otherwise pretty good. Guests can tap their own beers from a wall of select brews using a prepaid card that meters the flow. (Gimmick)

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Sideward Brewing

Address
City
Phone
Price

210 N. Bumby Ave.
Orlando
407-866-2195
$

New brewer in the burgeoning Milk District. The beers are the main draw, but the food is pretty good, too.

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Vanbarry’s Public House

Address
City
Phone
Price

4120 S. Orange Ave.
Orlando
407-704-8881

From the same people who own Finnhenry’s in downtown Orlando and Ollie’s Public House in College Park, Vanbarry’s succeeds because it doesn’t overreach. It does not promise to be more restaurant than it can produce, and so expectations aren’t elevated. I don’t mean to damn it with faint praise because it does do some things quite nicely.

The burger, for instance, and the Vanbarry’s Bacon Jam Burger in particular. It was a thick and juicy patty served on a kaiser roll (you can have a pretzel roll if you prefer) with a modest leaf of lettuce and a couple of pickles and tomato slice. There were plenty of blue cheese crumbles and the bacon jam, though not as good as actual bacon, gave a nice smoky note. Multiple napkins were necessary in the eating. The burger came with stack of nicely seasoned and meaty fries.

The Mac & Cheese Skillet was excellent. The creamy mix included lots of bits of prosciutto for some saltiness. I ate more of it than I really intended to.

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World of Beer Downtown

Address
City
Phone
Price

431 E. Central Blvd.
Orlando
407-270-5541
$$

The location is the former Lee’s Lakeside, once considered the jewel of downtown dining. It would have been nice to see an upscale/casual restaurant go here, but this franchise has turned the space into a pleasant gathering spot. Unlike many other Worlds of Beer, this one has a more extensive food menu, including full entrees. Not the greatest food you can find in the neighborhood, but when steak frites only costs $15, it’s hard to quibble.

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Yard House

Address
City
Phone
Price

8367 International Drive
Orlando
407-351-8220
$$

Beer it the forte here, with 140 tap handles, all connected via tubes to an overhead refrigerated keg room. Beyond that, there isn’t a whole lot more to get excited about. The food menu is also quite large, and although it initially reads like any other bar menu in America, it also has pan-Asian notes that go completely unexplained. There is an extensive list of burgers and your usual bar appetizers, such as calamari (fried or kung pao’d) and spinach cheese dip, interspersed with moo shu egg rolls and chicken garlic noodles.

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