Orlando friends, I have one heck of an amazing restaurant to tell you guys about this morning! Have you guys heard of The Pharmacy?
The Pharmacy is a hidden restaurant and when I say it’s hidden, I mean it! There is absolutely no signage out front and you could easily walk right past the entrance without knowing that a charming restaurant is located on the other side of the big cement wall.
What looks like the door to an elevator is actually the main entrance of the restaurant and once you press the button, the doors open and you step into a small but bustling restaurant with a speakeasy feel.
Those who dine at The Pharmacy seem to find out about it from a friend. Our waiter told us that most of their business can be attributed to word of mouth, which definitely adds to the charm of the place. We felt like we were in on a special secret!
Ryan heard about the restaurant from our good friend Ben who heard about it from one of his personal training clients. Ben and Ryan ate there on Friday night while I was dining with the New Balance team and Ryan came back to our hotel room at the Grand Floridian absolutely raving about the food and the overall dining experience. Last night Ryan jumped at the chance to dine at The Pharmacy with a handful of his coworkers again and I was lucky enough to tag along for the fun.
At The Pharmacy, the drinks, called “Elixirs,” are super strong and ridiculously delicious. They make their own sodas, tonics and bitters and I knew I had to try something from the bar. (It was really dark inside, so my photos from last night are horrific, but I just had to blog about this experience because I think so many of you would love this place!)
I ordered the Moscow mule and that baby will put hair on your chest! It was intense but delicious. The ginger beer used in the drink was fantastic.
Our table decided to share a bunch of food which was a great decision since it allowed us to try a bit of everything. Our waiter told us that everything at The Pharmacy is fresh, local and organic and one thing he didn’t mention was that everything is cooked to perfection. We were in awe of just how well prepared everything was and our table could not stop raving about every single dish.
I snapped a few pictures but didn’t want to detract from the evening since it was a work dinner for Ryan, here are a few highlights from our meal:
Seasoned French fries with homemade ketchup and remoulade
Rock shrimp
Whole chicken for two
Ryan ordered this entree to share and it was my favorite selection of the evening! The chicken was served on top of roasted vegetables and the sweet potatoes were underneath the chicken were some of the best I’ve every had in my life.
We had a handful of other dishes and I left feeling “Thanksgiving full” because I could not stop eating everything in front of me. It was all so incredible. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough to those of you who live in the Orlando area! It would be a fun date night restaurant or a great place to take out-of-town guests who are looking for fresh, local food from an original, high quality restaurant.
YUM!
Question of the Morning
- What is one of the most unique restaurants you’ve ever visited in your life?
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Wow, that is super hidden! How do you even find such a place.
That’s actually kind of cool that most of the people here of their restaurant by word of mouth, it must be more of a unique experience that way, in that not too many people are aware of it.
Oh, those elixirs sound good to me.
I bet I’d love it there, it sounds really cool!
Wow! What a cool restaurant! I wanna try something like that!
I just went to something similar on Saturday night! It was called the Libertine in Toronto…when we pulled up, there was only a neon sign above the door that said ‘Tarot Card Reading’s. Upon going in, it was a small speakeasy style lounge restaurant where you could actually get a tarot card or palm reading! So cool, the drinks were similar too and it was a tapas style meal. Such a great experience!
That sounds so awesome! I’ve always wanted to dine at a place like that! Too bad we are in Durham and not close enough to try it.
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How fun!! I love little local restaurants like that 🙂
Hey!!.
I live in Orlando and one of my clients was mentioning that place but I have yet to find it. is it in downtown orlando?
It’s in the I-Drive Dr. Phillips area!
Aggy- if you’re from Orlando its in the Doctor Phillips area, in the shopping center where Millers field is at.
That’s so cool! I’ve never been to a restaurant like that but I’m sure there’s a ton of them back home in Seattle
I just got home from a weekend in Boston and ate at some awesome places! I was celebrating my birthday so we went to an old school authentic Italian restaurant called Massimino’s so that I could dine on chicken Parmesan and fresh made ziti with marinara. It was located in a wine cellar in the basement of an old brownstone. So cool and the good was delicious!
I am going to Boston this weekend and have never been – what else would you recommend?
Hey Nicole! I actually wrote all about my Boston eats on my blog today, so feel free to check it out if you would like! Back Bay Social Club was one of my favorites as well as Legal Harborside and Forum! Happy travels! 🙂
this restaurant just sound so unique and I would totally go there just for the speakeasy feel and the bar! The food sounds delicious as well!
That is such a neat concept. It really makes dining out a whole experience!
Wow this sounds like a super awesome restaurant! My husband and I are kind of creatures of habits when it comes to food and restaurants but sometimes it is nice to try something new and different!
The Safe House in Milwaukee has a similar feel (though with regular pub- type food, nothing spectacular). You have to know a password to get in, and if you don’t know it, they make you do something crazy. There are TVs at the bar so they can watch the people outside doing crazy things! There’s a secret exit through a phone booth, too. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this! My boyfriend and I are going to Orlando just after New Years and we’ve been looking for an interesting restaurant. The most interesting restaurant I’ve visited is the Birchrunville Store Cafe–just outside of Valley Forge, PA. It’s in an old post office building in the middle of nowhere and it’s mainly a French-Italian farm-to-table menu. Can’t wait to try The Pharmacy 🙂
oh wow, that sounds pretty cool! I love that it feels like a secret! I can’t think of anywhere quite that cool where I’ve eaten!
Wow, that restaurant is super hidden! It sounds amazing though and the food looks so tasty!
Thats really cool!! I went to a restaurant like that in Atlantic City, NJ. The only way you can eat there is by reservation and when you call, you have to know someone who has been there before because they will ask the name of the person you know. It’s very hard to get a reservation. They don’t even have a menu! They read the menu items to you at your table. It is a really unique experience to even be able to get a reservation there. 🙂
How neat! Love the speakeasy feel… I went to a restaurant in New Orleans like that, hidden off the beaten touristy path.
I love The Pharmacy! If you get a chance and find yourself downtown (Orlando) try Hanson’s Shoe Repair. It is a speakeasy bar located upstairs inside NV Art Bar and has great drinks and wonderful atmosphere. You have to call/text ahead of time for the password 🙂
Just wanted to let you know I’m trying out my first BodyPump class tonight per your recommendations! I’ve been looking to try one for –well years now, since I’ve been reading your blog for ages. Finally got an offer for a free trial at a gym that would generally be too far away for a regular thing –but hey, its free, how could I resist?? So excited!
Such a cool concept! The food looks delicious too. I love when the ambiance of a restaurant adds to the dining experience.
How cool! I’ve heard of a bar in San Francisco like that called Bourbon and Branch, but I haven’t visited it yet. There are a ton of unique bars and restaurants in SF…a pirate themed bar called Smuggler’s Cove (which a ship’s roost as the top floor), and a restaurant that uses garlic in every dish (even deserts) called The Stinking Rose come to mind.
I love unique restaurants like that – hidden gems that not as many people know about. If I as in Orlando, I’d definitely pay a visit!
I don’t know about unique, but my favorite wine bar recently closed down. It was located in a small town not far from where we lived and called “Paul’s Stone Cottage.” It literally felt like you were walking into a home when you walked inside. Seats were made out of little chairs and foot stools. There was just a certain character that you can’t find anywhere else. You never drank the same glass of wine twice either, but it didn’t matter!
I love places with that speakeasy vibe! Very cool. Makes you feel so elite! lol
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So cool! Wish I lived nearby 🙂
How cool! Did you feel like a 1920s flapper at a speakeasy?? It makes me wonder how many hidden places like that are around my area!
American Grocery is a restaurant here in Greenville that has a changing menu with only local ingredients. It’s so cool and always SO amazing!
That is such a cool restaurant. I wish I could find something like around here. The food looks amazing as well. 🙂
I’ve been to a couple speak easy’s and LOVE the vibe, but never one that has such good looking food! I love it!
That place sounds wicked cool! The coolest non-Theme Park Restaurant I’ve ever been to is no longer around (This was about 2000). It was in the Mall of America, and called “Odyssey.” It had three different dining rooms to choose from (A desert, under the sea, and another that I can’t recall). They had the weirdest, tastiest foods in the world (at least to my limited 15-year-old self at the time), and I raved about it. When I found out my friend, Gabe, was looking at a college in Minneapolis, I told him and his mom to check it out. They told me they tried, but it had been closed. Freaking broke my heart! I don’t remember specifically what I had, but my dad had mashed potato pizza. It was super tasty!
Wowww that is such a great leap of faith to take for a restaurant owner! But it’s so cool that they’re so successful because that just means that that many people love their food. The chicken looks heavenly. 😀
I used to live in Orlando & I loved a restaurant there called “Yellow Dog Eats.” They had a sandwich called “The Holy Crap” because when you bit into it, you couldn’t help but say, “holy crap” because it was so delicious. Hilarious, right? All their menu items had funny names & the food was incredible!
I lived in Orlando and loved Yellow Dog Eats, too! Is it gone now? They had AMAZING bbq!
Yellow Dog Eats is still around and going strong! I live in Orlando and it’s one of our favorites. I actually think it’s better than ever.
Love this question!! Okay, I’m going midwest for ya…
Minneapolis: Chino Latio: totally cool entrance with no sign, only amazing glittery sparkling reddish somethings hanging above the door. Very cool ambiance and food.
Milwaukee: Safe House that you need a password for.
Chicago: Top Chef winner Stephanie Izzard opened Girl and the Goat and Little Goat and you practically have to shed blood to get in…expect to wait at least 4 months…
I have the dumb luck of getting to sit right on the line and have her cook for me! Goat face, yum! Thanks Match.com date from my single past, lol
What a cool sounding restaurant!! Those fries look to die for!
I can’t wait til I’m in Orlando to check that out. Thanks for sharing!
I love that it’s called The Pharmacy! So clever. Looks yummy 🙂
I booked out a restaurant for a work Christmas party which was pretty unique…a restaurant filled with friends, the food was awesome too! Can’t beat organic local produce! That said I’d love to go to a Michelin star restaurant and sit at the chefs table (it’s a large table in the kitchen with a MASSIVE waiting list!)
This place looks amazeballs!
The only “hidden” restaurant I’ve been to is a pizza place that’s unmarked at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas- it’s known for amazing NY style pizza.
Looks like an amazing restaurant!!
I’ve not dined at his restaurant but Heston Blumental is meant to have the most unique and amazing restaurant in the world. 🙂
Julie:
I’ve been to the pharmacy once- it’s fairly close to my house. Actually, I did not care for it the night I went. Service was SLOW and the food was just okay. Plus- I felt the bar was crowded and I didn’t like how close the tables were to the door. Whenever someone walked in they were sort of standing right over you. Anyway – they were brand new at the time so it sounds like things are better now. I’ll have to check it out again.
I saw another comment about Yellow Dog Eats. That place is awesome. I think you would love it. They do a fantastic take out service – next time your in Orlando swing by and take some sandwiches home if nothing else.
That sounds like so much fun! I went somplace similar in Chicago, called the Violet Hour. It only serves drinks, but the atmosphere is amazing. Highly recommend if you ever get a chance to visit the city!
Jennifer, have you tried El Ideas in Chicago? We wanted to go while we were there but reservations are crazy and we couldn’t make it work with our schedule. It’s a Mark Floss “microrestaurant” http://www.elideas.com
A friend took me to a place like that in Japan, you would NEVER know there was a bar behind this old looking door, and when you walked in it was a lovely quiet bar, and they had a wonderful matcha flavoured milk drink (I don’t drink alcohol). I would never have been able to even find the place again by myself, and I have never forgotten it.
Yay!!! Can’t wait to try!!
There is an awesome burger place in NYC called The Burger Spot in The Parker Meridian. It’s a pretty fancy hotel with a dive restaurant hidden behind a giant curtain. All you see in the lobby is a neon burger sign pointing towards a hallway. You go down the hallway and enter the restaurant. It’s a pretty fun experience and the food is really good.
Whoaaa, I’ve never heard of this place. Looks awesome! I used to teach barre right next door, too. 😉 Thanks for the inside scoop!
The Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis is very similar to this… cool places!