REW Visits Oblivion Taproom

Are you looking for good food and craft beer on the east side of Orlando? Then Oblivion Taproom - a tattoo bar with creative pub grub - is definitely worth checking out. It is easy to find, located where the old Straub's restaurant used to be on East Colonial Drive in Orlando. The pub is painted black and red (inside and out) with a skull and crossbones as its logo. The staff enjoys working there, and our waitress was showing off "faux-blood-stained" socks and chock-full of piercings and colorful tattoos which go surprisingly well with the vivid skeletal paintings that adorn the walls. The pub contains a pool table and a dart board to satisfy patrons' entertainment needs, and music plays at a pleasantly-muted volume in the background. Oblivion Taproom hosts a number of exciting events throughout the year, including the upcoming St. Arnoldus Day (in honor of Belgian beer) and Willy Wonka Party. Sounds like lots of fun!

True to its name, Oblivion Taproom boasts an extensive list of 40 featured beers on tap and a large selection of ciders, so of course, our first order of business was to order a brew: first, a Rip Tide Amber (a rich beverage with a strong malt flavor) from Pensacola Bay Brewery, followed by a sweet and smooth Mermaid's Red from Coronado Brewing Company. Some of the beers are changed out as frequently as the keg goes dry, so you'll never have to worry about a shortage of new flavors to try. The servers are happy to share their knowledge of what's on tap if you find the selection overwhelming. The list is so extensive and filled with so many unusual flavors, you might find yourself wanting to try a sampler. Oblivion Taproom's sampler comes with five small samples of your choosing - a way to add some variety to your life.

Although the beer selection is fabulous on its own, nothing can compare to the truly unique findings on the menu. We started out with the Pork Lover's Delight, and what a delight it was! Pork rinds instead of chips, covered with pulled pork, jalapeo cheese, scallions, black olives, sour cream, salsa and, you guessed it - more jalapeos. It is a culinary masterpiece of the nacho world, but way more than one guest should enjoy (great for sharing!). We placed an order for the wings as well, which came out crispy and juicy with just a spice rub and no sauce.

The food was so good I wanted to take some home to the family (to share, of course, and not at all so I could avoid cooking on a Friday). So Hog Wild I went: I ordered a juicy "Hog Wild" hamburger topped with pulled pork, bacon, BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and a big ol' onion ring. Who would have thought meat and more meat would taste so good? I topped it all off with fried Oreo's and a food coma. At the end of the night, we were all in agreement about the quality of the service: good food and good beer - a two thumbs up for sure.

Oblivion Taproom is located at 5101 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m. Visit their website at obliviontaproom.com, as they have daily specials you won't want to miss.

Published by:
Ramona Weisent

REWrite Blog