PHOTO BY COLIN FORWARD
Editor’s Note: This is a rare opinion piece from us. We apologize for straying from our regular formula, but we felt the need to inform you of this interesting addition to Orlando’s growing third place scene.
The tiny, back room adjacent to the North Quarter Tavern is easy to overlook. It’s unassuming exterior would make passerby think it’s simply another strip mall-ish watering hole, but we happened to step into it last week for a private event, and kind of fell in love.
Bar Room (Website) itself is fun and simple. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday at 7 p.m., and has a late night happy hour from 9 p.m. to close. The full menu from sister restaurant North Quarter Tavern is available here as well. Poutine.
The walls are adorned with historic photos, nods to Orlando’s neon sign collection at the Morse Museum, and even a wall with giant letters spelling out MCO.
The star of the bar, to us, was the book collection at the back. The mini library, selected from developer Craig Ustler’s private collection, features an abundance of Orlando-focused coffee table books, urban planning manuals, and various hard cover tributes City Planning.
We asked our friend, photographer and health-tech guru Colin Forward (Instagram), who was also in attendance, to snap some photos for us and he humbly obliged.
RachaelTronic,notice something in that picture?
Can’t wait to see this place. Great photos, Colin.
Make it happen!
Great idea! We’ve been wanting to do some trucker hats with MCO on them. I like your brain David.
I really like the “MCO” in the bar. I really wish that took off more around town. An Orlando Magic hat with MCO on it would be really cool. Sort of like an underground way of saying Orlando that not everyone would get. Maybe something for the bungalower store
haha happy to help!
I was urban planning before urban planning was cool This may help me convince my teenage daughter that her urban planning daddy has always been ahead of his time cool. 🙂