I ordered the same meal at Hard Rock Cafe and Margaritaville. While Hard Rock's food was better, I'd only go back to Margaritaville.

burgers at margaritaville and hard rock — My burgers: Margaritaville, left, and Hard Rock, right.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I visited the Times Square locations of Margaritaville and Hard Rock Cafe in December.
While the food was better at Hard Rock, I'd actually recommend Margaritaville to visitors.
Dining at Margaritaville was a better experience, with thoughtful decor and a light show.

As a New York City local, I tend to avoid typically touristy places like Margaritaville, Hard Rock Cafe, Olive Garden, and Bubba Gump Shrimp.

But during a Times Square staycation in December, I decided to see if I was missing anything.

I ate dinner at Margaritaville and Hard Rock Cafe, getting the same meal at both, to determine the better dining experience.

Here's what I thought.

Margaritaville and the Hard Rock Cafe are two nationwide chains that are more about the vibes than the actual food.

margaritaville and hard rock cafe — Margaritaville and Hard Rock Cafe.
Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Margaritaville, a chain of restaurants and hotels inspired by the music of Jimmy Buffett, opened the doors of its Times Square location in 2021.

The Hard Rock Cafe, a rock 'n' roll-themed chain, has been around longer, opening its Times Square doors in 2005.

In the US alone, there are 32 Hard Rock Cafes and 25 Margaritavilles.

When I spent a night at the Margaritaville Resort in Times Square, I took the opportunity to pit the two tourist favorites against each other.

margaritaville and hard rock — Margaritaville and Hard Rock Cafe on the map.
Google Maps

I spent a night at Margaritaville in December.

As someone who lives in New York City, I typically avoid "tourist traps" in Times Square, but since I was already acting like a tourist for the day, I decided to do as the tourists do and eat at Margaritaville and a nearby Hard Rock Cafe.

The two restaurants were a few blocks apart: Margaritaville is on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 40th Street, while Hard Rock is slightly further north, on Seventh Avenue and 43rd Street.

First, I went to the two-floor Margaritaville restaurant inside the hotel.

the exterior of the Margaritaville Resort Times Square building — Margaritaville Resort Times Square.
Brittany Chang/Business Insider

The Margaritaville restaurant inside the resort is on the second and third floors of the hotel and is accessible from the street via escalator or from inside the hotel via elevator.

It is one of three establishments where you can get a meal at the hotel, in addition to the Landshark Bar and Grill and the 5'O Clock Somewhere Rooftop Bar, which has elevated bar food.

The decor — like this giant Statue of Liberty holding a margarita glass — and commitment to the bit really sets Margaritaville apart.

the statue of liberty at margaritaville — Lady Liberty and I all decked out for the holidays.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The restaurant's centerpiece is a two-story replica of the Statue of Liberty, but instead of a torch, she's holding a margarita glass. Instead of the Declaration of Independence, her tablet reads, "No Passport Required."

The walls and ceilings are also painted to look like a cloudy sky, and there's a full tiki bar and a replica of Buffett's plane, the Hemisphere Dancer.

All in all, it's 100% committed to the relaxed, vacation-forward lifestyle espoused in Buffett's music.

Every hour on the hour for five minutes, there's a light show in the LED margarita glass.

more of the lightshow — The margarita glass turned into an aquarium at one point.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This was a true surprise, and a highlight of the evening. The light show plays to some of Buffett's classic songs, and everyone was humming along.

At both Margaritaville and Hard Rock, I decided to order a burger, fries, and cocktail.

I felt like a burger, fries, and a margarita were the easiest and most affordable comparisons, especially since Hard Rock and Margaritaville are both known for their burgers.

I ordered a watermelon margarita for $11.75 for my drink at Margaritaville. It came with a little shark-fin stirrer, which I needed, as the drink was very strong at first.

watermlon margarita — A watermelon margarita.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

You might be able to tell, but the ombre effect in the glass was made possible by putting the Margaritaville Silver Tequila on top and the watermelon purée at the bottom. At first sip, it was tough.

After mixing for a minute or two, I was able to slurp this down easily.

Since everyone knows that Buffett was a lover of cheeseburgers, I ordered the Cheeseburger in Paradise, named after his 1978 song.

burger menu at margaritaville — The Cheeseburger in Paradise.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

As the menu says, the Cheeseburger in Paradise is the "signature burger topped with classic American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles." It has 730 calories.

The menu recommended a cold beer to pair with it, but I stuck to my margarita.

My burger came with fries. It cost $19.50.

my cheeseburger — The Cheeseburger in Paradise.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This was a perfectly average burger. I would've liked to order it medium rare, but the restaurant's policy is that medium is the rarest a burger can be, so it was a little less pink than I would prefer, but it wasn't a big problem.

The lettuce was a bit soggy, and I would've appreciated some mayo or special sauce, but I made up for it with ketchup.

I did like the little palm tree it came with.

My meal was $31.25 before tax and tip. And while the food was just OK — on par with Applebee's or TGI Friday's — you're paying for the experience, not the food.

the bar at margaritaville — The bar.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

It reminded me of the dining establishments that are available at theme parks. You're not expecting a gourmet meal at the characters' breakfast at Disney World — you're in it to see Mickey.

It also reminded me of the Rainforest Cafe, a personal favorite of mine when I was 5.

That's because it was all about the little touches and care put into creating this place, not the food.

The next day, I walked over to the Hard Rock Cafe.

hard rock cafe sign — The Hard Rock marquee.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I couldn't remember having ever been to a Hard Rock Cafe. At first, I thought I'd been to one inside the giant dome at Disney Springs, but some research told me that's actually a Planet Hollywood.

So, I think this was my first Hard Rock experience.

There's always a huge crowd in front of the Hard Rock, and this night was no different.

outside of the hard rock cafe in times square — The crowd outside Hard Rock.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

On a relatively warm December night, Times Square was packed.

On the main floor is the merch store, which I bypassed to get to the restaurant on the basement level.

hard rock merch store — The merch.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I was surprised to see that the main floor was just a store. If I was a tourist who didn't know any better, I might've missed that this was a restaurant.

I didn't have a reservation, so I decided to sit and wait in this little bar area, although the bar was closed.

hard rock cafe waiting area — A waiting area.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There were tables with people sitting, and what seemed to be a fully stocked bar with neon lights, but no bartender.

Around 30 minutes later, I was seated inside a different room — but first, I had to pass the iconic guitar wall.

the guitar wall at the hard rock cafe — The guitar wall.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The Guitar Wall was impressive. It looked like hundreds of guitars were stacked up and displayed, which makes sense for a rock 'n' roll-themed restaurant.

What was less clear was why there was a wax figure of Ed Sheeran on loan from Madame Tussauds in front.

Since Hard Rock doesn't have a watermelon margarita, I went for the next best thing: the tropical margarita, which had fresh strawberries, guava, pineapple, and lime. It was $15.75.

my tropical margarita — My tropical margarita.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This cost a bit more than my Margaritaville drink, but I understood why: It had a fresh slice of pineapple and more ingredients. However, it was just a little too sweet for me.

Hard Rock's equivalent to the Cheeseburger in Paradise is the Original Legendary Burger, which cost $20.99.

burgers at hard rock cafe — The Original Legendary Burger.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The Original Legendary Burger, according to the menu, is a "fresh steak burger with applewood bacon, Tillamook cheddar cheese, crispy onion ring, leaf lettuce, and vine-ripened tomatoes."

It contains a whopping 1,720 calories.

In terms of quality, this burger was way better. It was juicier, came with onion rings, and even had a cute little flag on top.

my hard rock burger — The Original Legendary Burger.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The basic burger at Margaritaville was just a cheeseburger — this was a bacon cheeseburger with onion rings. I also was able to get it prepared medium rare, which I appreciated.

But the vibes of Hard Rock Cafe are less than ideal. I felt like I was sitting in a rock 'n' roll fan's dark basement.

interior of the hard rock cafe — Inside the Hard Rock.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

If I had time (and a magnifying glass), it would've been interesting to look at all the music memorabilia on display.

But my table was in the middle of the dining area, so I was far from the walls. It also didn't seem like the decor was organized in any way — to me, it looked like people had just thrown things at the wall.

Compared to the high ceilings and glass windows of Margaritaville, I felt a tad claustrophobic.

inside of hard rock cafe — The interior of Hard Rock.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The exposed, dark ceiling made it impossible to forget that I was in a basement.

In total, my Hard Rock Cafe meal cost $36.74 before tax and tip.

interior of hamburger hard rock cafe — My burger at Hard Rock.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Even though the food, in my opinion, was substantially better at Hard Rock, it wasn't much more expensive, which was surprising to me.

If I had to recommend just one restaurant to tourists, I'd say Margaritaville. I thought it provided a much better experience overall.

Yes, the food at Hard Rock Cafe was better, but if you're looking for stellar food, I wouldn't recommend Hard Rock or Margaritaville. It's New York City! There are plenty of better options.

When compared in price, Margaritaville was slightly cheaper. While $31.25 and $36.74 isn't a huge price difference, it is something to consider when deciding where to eat in an expensive city.

But ultimately, I thought Margaritaville provided a better experience.

So if you're looking for a cheap meal that delivers on the fun, I think Margaritaville is the way to go.

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Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/5td1D7I

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