On International Drive you will find quite a selection of fun restaurants to try. In 2020 Blake Shelton brought his concept Ole Red to Icon Park. Originally opened in Nashville, this part music venue, part bar/restaurant is ready to for a rocking’ time. Recently we were invited to attend a media event to try lots of the scratch-made dishes. Read on for all the details on this lively country experience…
The stage features a variety of live artists.
About Ole Red Orlando
Ole Red is Blake Shelton’s American fare restaurant, retail, and live country music venue. This concept brings together southern themed dishes, signature drinks, and live music artists. Get up close and personal with tomorrow’s and today’s country stars at Ole Red, where the hottest talent comes to play and where you’ll find the biggest sound on a small stage (once in awhile Blake himself will visit the location too!) We have found Ole Red during the day is a nice place to pop in for a drink and music, where weekend nights is certainly more of a party scene.
“It's always been a dream of mine to create something like this where people... they're going to have a good time as soon as they walk in the door.”
– Blake Shelton
The Atmosphere at Ole Red
The large two story building is open to let the music take center stage. There are bars on each level and plenty of seating. The warm wood accents are inviting while the wall graphics are lively. The decor is a mix of rock and roll with country flair. You will find cool artwork, music memorabilia, and fun neon signs. The one thing we will note is live music can be loud. The atmosphere is more inline for a fun night out with friends versus a quiet romantic dinner.
One of the well stocked bars.
The decor features an eclectic mix.
Music memorabilia on the wall.
We loved the fun neon signs throughout.
The Ole Red retail shop has apparel, souvenirs, and more.
The Menu at Ole Red
We found Ole Red to have a menu full of a variety of southern inspired bar food. From shareable apps, sandwiches, and more. Here is a list of everything we tried. (Note that some pictures may show sample sizes and not full portions.)
REDNECK MAI TAI
Rumhaven Coconut Rum, Myers Dark Rum, Mountain Dew, Melon Liqueur, Pineapple Juice, Orgeat
SOME BEACH
Spiced Rum, Blue Curaçao, Banana, Lime & Pineapple
The drinks we tried were definitely fun vacation drinks. Not sophisticated craft cocktails, but perfect bar drinks for when you want something fun and a little sweet. The colorful drinks come in souvenir mason jars topped with little cowboy hats (how cute right?).
RED, RED, REDNECK SHRIMP
Crispy Shrimp, Bar-B-Que Street Corn, Cilantro, Fresno Peppers, Spicy Sauce
This new addition to the menu was delicious. The sauce was flavorful and just the right amount of spice. The set up in the take out boxes was super fun for the event too.
Souvenir cups at Ole Red Orlando.
Red, Red, Redneck Shrimp at Ole Red
KISS MY COUNTRY GRILLED CHICKEN SAMMICH
Balsamic Marinated Chicken Breast, Jalapeño & Peach Jam, White Cheddar Cheese, Red Onions, Arugula, Ciabatta Roll
Andrew loves a good chicken sandwich and this hit the spot. WIth upgrades like the arugula and roll it was elevated from an average chicken sandwich and the spicy sweet jam was a great touch.
Ole Red Slaw Dog Sliders (Late Night Munchies Menu)
Trio of Mini All Beef Hot Dogs, Wagyu Chili, Vinegar Slaw
These little hot dogs were good too with really good toppings for a full flavor profile.
Ole Red Kiss My Country Grilled Chicken Sammich and Slaw Dog Sliders
AUSTIN BRISKET SANDWICH
Smoked Brisket, Chorizo Hot Link, Vinegar Slaw, Onion Straws, Pickled Okra, White Bar-B-Que Sauce, Ciabatta Roll
This sandwich was impressive with so many toppings but almost a bit much for us (and a little messy), but we imagine some would love it.
WAGYU BEEF CHILI
Beans, Cheese, Sour Cream, and Fritos
This was really good homemade chili, great flavor and spice. (It’s also the same chili on the hot dogs above.)
Redneck Yacht Club Fish Dip (Late Night Munchies Menu)
Smoked Mahi-Mahi, Pickled Jalapeno’s + Red Onions, House Fried Tortilla Chips, Siracha
We love a good crab dip, we found this fish dip to be good but not our favorite compared to some others.
SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN
Wagyu Beef, Fried Green Tomato, Bourbon Onion & Tomato Jam, Pimento Cheese, Secret Sauce
If you are looking for an elevated burger this one was amazing. With the extras on top, it truly stands out as a little more unusual.
Ole Red Austin Brisket Sandwich
Ole Red Redneck Yacht Club Fish Dip
Ole Red Wagyu Beef Chili
Ole Red Southern Gentleman Burger
HILLBILLY BONES SMOKED HALF RACK
St. Louis-Style Ribs, Tishomingo Potato Salad, Onion Straws, Chili Spiced Bar-B-Que Sauce
Andrew loves ribs and was happy to try these. They were good and he would def order again.
BAR-B-QUE GATOR WINGS
24-Hour Brine/Smoked Alligator, Tishomingo Potato Salad, Vinegar Slaw, Orange Bar-B-Que Sauce
Andrew thought these were fun to try, very unique. Julie loves regular buffalo wings so much these didn’t quite do it for her.
Ole Red Ribs and Gator Wings
Big Ass Pretzel (Late Night Munchies Menu)
Bavarian Style Soft Pretzel with Velveeta Beer Cheese
We loved this big pretzel, def a great option for a snack to share with friends at the bar.
Nashville Hot Pork Rinds (Late Night Munchies Menu)
Flash Fried, Tossed in Nashville Hot Spice, Pimento Cheese
We liked the cheese dip, but don’t love pork rinds, they were ok, but we think this would be better with the pretzel.
HOUSE-MADE TOTS ❦
Velveeta™ Beer Cheese
These “tots” are handmade little potato balls and really good. The cheese sauce made them even better.
Ole Red Big Ass Pretzel
Ole Red Nashville Hot Pork Rinds
Ole Red Homemade Tots
S’mores Brownie Skillet
You can never go wrong with brownies and ice cream and this dessert was gooey and delicious.
Banana Bread Pudding
Julie enjoyed this one, but Andrew prefers chocolate to fruit so in the future the brownie would win at our table.
S’mores Brownie Skillet
Banana Bread Pudding
The Music at Ole Red
The stage is located on the bottom floor, but the music can be heard from anywhere. The couple times we have been in we have heard a variety from an acoustic guitar solo to more of a rock or country band. Some performers are local, while other travel in to perform. They usually take requests and naturally a lot of country songs are requested. You can check the Ole Red website for the latest line up of artists scheduled to perform.
A view of the stage at Ole Red Orlando.
Final Thoughts
We had a really fun night with our foodie friends. The Ole Red venue has a really cool vibe and we love the branding. It was nice to learn more about the menu and to know it is from scratch. We loved some options more than others but there really was a pretty good mix, definitely a little more on the unhealthy side though ;). If you are looking for elevated bar food and a fun music scene definitely check out Ole Red Orlando!
Enjoying our night at Ole Red Orlando.
Some of our Orlando Foodie Friends!
Have you been to ICON Park Orlando? This area located off I-Drive has a variety of things to do, see, and eat. From the Iconic Wheel to fun museums, to themed restaurants and bars this is a spot that always has something fun to get into. Recently we went on a little day date to explore a variety of attractions and used the Play Pass ticket. Read on to learn more about why the Play Pass is an amazing value, and see all of the fun things we tried…