Barhopping in Orlando, FL | Bars, Breweries, and Speakeasies
Why Orlando? Because my friend had a work related trip with paid hotel, and I had free time. Haha. So, me and another good friend took the opportunity to meet them up, and stay a few extra days to explore as adults.
Our plan was to go to Universal Studios and check out some speakeasies and maybe a beach the next day. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.
Due to a delayed flight and rain in Orlando, we had to improvise the entire trip. This new plan pretty much consisted of barhopping through a “well thought out” Orlando bar/speakeasy list, until the rain let up. Not a terrible idea, but considering how many we hit in ONE DAY — followed by probably the worse hangover we all had since college — it wasn't a “great” one. 😂
We spent most of our last day (when the rain finally stopped) recovering. We did somehow make it to Universal, hungover and all, but the parks were closing so that was a bummer. But, of course, as I do: still made the best of it all!
Surprisingly, Orlando has a lot of really cool bars + speakeasies, so it was fun exploring when we [physically] could. Check it out:
**These were all visited in ONE day. Do not recommend**
The Brass Tap
First stop: The Brass Tap in Mills Park. Chill place/bartenders and LOTS of craft beer options. And their chicken nachos... 😋SO BOMB. The Brass Tap's drink + food happy hour menu is a perfect place to start drinking…or recovering lol. We had a feast: tacos, flatbread pizza, pretzels with beer cheese, and (our fave) the Brass Tap Chicken Nachos — by far the best. And they were only $7 during happy hour!
Brass Tap Chicken Nachos
Ten10 Brewing Company
We passed Ten10 Brewing on the way to The Brass Tap and decided to check it out after to see what Orlando breweries had to offer. Plus, it was just a 5-minute walk! Ten10 is really laid-back with a great beer selection. We enjoyed East West (IPA 7% 16 oz) and Cowconut (coconut + milk stout 5.5% 12 oz) to start.
The Guesthouse
First hidden gem on the list! And it was just a 3-minute walk from Ten10. The Guesthouse is super chill, with friendly bartenders that offered recommendations, legit craft cocktails, and there was a food truck parked right outside. What more could we ask for?! We arrived during happy hour and ended up trying EVERYTHING on their cocktail menu. In hindsight, this was a bad idea, since we were really only on #2 on the list of bars, but WTH right? #vacationmode …we good.
Park Social Winter Park
Park Social has a 70's feel with great drinks, service, and LOTS of vintage sofas and chairs. Perfect for insta, haha. (Yo, I had a total Knocked Up moment here) Our bartender, Mike, was awesome — even made us a list of other speakeasies we could check out next. Bonus: we threw in a few restaurants. 🙌 This retro speakeasy ended up the favorite on our list!
Bullitt Bar
We had made our way to Downtown Orlando for more on the list, when we spotted Bullitt Bar — one of the places recommended by our bartender at Park Social. It also happened to be right by BauHaus (the next bar on the list) so it worked out. Bullitt Bar did not disappoint! 👍 It's like... biker bar meets nightclub. Two things I didn’t think I’d like [together], but once you're there — it'll make sense, haha. Because of this, it was the louder one of the bars we checked out, but fun nonetheless!
BauHaus
Back to the list! Still day one! 👀
BauHaus is not just a craft cocktail bar, it's also — let's say, on the way to a speakeasy. Considering how much we drank before, we planned to go straight to the hidden bar. But BauHaus was offering free shots so we decided to stay a bit to, let’s just say, pre-drink...? (Drunk people logic...amirite?) This place ended up being pretty dope. While chatting with the bartender, we found out he not only was familiar with AND loved Dallas, we all had a mutual friend as well! 😵 (small world, y’all)
AND THEN:
Two drinks and a shot later, we stumbled up stairs (hint-hint) to find....
Hanson's Shoe Repair
Hanson's Shoe Repair REALLY felt like a true speakeasy. Secret door, password-entry, handcrafted cocktails and a small, intimate setting (they only allow about 30 people at a time). They also have house rules, which includes "no pictures," but I did get a video on the way there that you can watch here.
Hanson's also has a rooftop patio with a balcony — that I did sneak a picture of #sorrynotsorry — and occasionally features live music. As with most places like this, be prepared to wait for your drinks! But don't worry, they'll be worth it. 👌
The Treehouse
OK. Here's where things got blurry. Treehouse was the speakeasy I was MOST excited to check out; unfortunately my mind checked out like…right when we got there. So I have only a few memories (and pictures) from our time behind the green door.
I (kinda) remember climbing the grass-covered stairs, ordering a drink with Jameson... 🤔oh, and that they were the only bar we found that sold Shiner Bock. 🤘 It was also one of the smaller spots we stopped at, but that's part of the experience!
That's all! Hope you enjoying following through our drunken adventure in Orlando, FL! Please comment below if you have any questions on any of these drinks, bars and/or speakeasies. And don't forget to SUBSCRIBE! 🙃
