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My partner and I went to Hard Rock Cafe for the first time. The decor is cool, but our $80 meal wasn't worth it.
My partner and I went to Hard Rock Cafe for the first time. The decor is cool, but our $80 meal wasn't worth it.
Amena AhmedJul 30, 2024, 22:53 IST
<p class="ingestion featured-caption">We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Philadelphia. Amena Ahmed</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>My partner and I dined at <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/margaritaville-vs-hard-rock-cafe-food-experience-review-2024-1">Hard Rock Cafe</a> for the first time in Philadelphia.</li><li>We got two appetizers, a steak-burger meal, and specialty <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-boxed-mac-and-cheese-brand-review">mac and cheese</a> with chicken for $80.</li></ul><p>My partner and I are always looking for new <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/review-is-olive-garden-worth-it-for-family-2024-4">chain restaurants to try</a>, and Hard Rock Cafe has been at the top of our list for a while.</p><p>As fans of all genres of music, we were intrigued by the chain's famous decorations, which include autographed vinyls and outfits worn by music icons like Taylor Swift.</p><p>Luckily, Hard Rock International is <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/hard-rock-international/">a multibillion-dollar company</a> with <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.hardrock.com/locations.aspx">over 50 restaurant locations</a> in the US alone, so it's not hard to find one.</p><p>We visited the chain's <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/philadelphia-what-to-know-about-visiting-from-a-local-2023-10">Philadelphia location</a> to see if the food and atmosphere lived up to the hype.</p><p>Here's what our experience was like.</p>
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I was immediately impressed by the restaurant’s interior.
It was exciting to spot the different music memorabilia around Hard Rock Cafe.Amena Ahmed
Despite it being a tourist hot spot, we were seated right away.
The menus were supposed to look like snake skin. Amena Ahmed
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We started with nachos as our first appetizer.
The nachos were standard. Amena Ahmed
Next, we tried the chain’s shrimp appetizer.
Hard Rock Cafe's shrimp appetizer reminded me of Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp. Amena Ahmed
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My partner ordered a steak burger from a limited-edition menu.
There were burgers inspired by cuisines from Romania, Pittsburgh, India, Brazil, and Nepal.Amena Ahmed
The burger was enjoyable, but the frisée lettuce was too much.
I didn't like the frisée lettuce on the burger. Amena Ahmed
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I ordered the specialty mac and cheese.
The mac and cheese was the most expensive dish we ordered. Amena Ahmed
We were pretty disappointed by the pasta dish.
The flavors in the mac and cheese didn't blow me away. Amena Ahmed
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After eating, we walked around to look at more decorations.
The neon band posters hanging in the stairway were cool. Amena Ahmed
We also made a pit stop to check out the gift shop.
I wasn't tempted to buy anything at the gift shop. Amena Ahmed
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We didn’t feel like our meal was worth $80.
The vibe of Hard Rock Cafe is cool, but the food is just average. Amena Ahmed