Mojo Bar & Grill

closed

I used to really really love this place for their food!
I heard from a few people that they had a hard time staying open because of the basketball shutout… so that explains them changing their menu… but the quality really changed, too.
I went pre-​Magic game last week and got their salad with crabcakes on it $ 11.the crabcakes were cute little teeny tiny tater tot sized thingies… didn’t taste at all like crabcakes, but they were cute to look at. I drank a couple of beers so I forgot about the crabcakes anyway. My friend got the hamburger po’boy for about $ 10…it was HUGE. Tasted like a burger. Nothing unique.
Beers were $ 7 for 32 oz… about the norm… I think I’ll stick with drinks here from now on. Bummer.

Make sure you check your itemized receipts and watch your bartenders pour. If you have a problem with your check, beware, that blonde manager may instruct You not to order drinks you arent going to want. But stop in and give it a shot, it may not be open for long. And be sure that you dont pay for two beers if they pour your draft in the huge plastic cup.
* If you order a Hand-​grenade, expect the bartender to pour with multiple liquors. Pre mixing different liquor bottles you pour on the bar is illegal.

Occupying an olé spot in Downtown Orlando’s Church Street Station Entertainment District, this two story love fest promises to entertain. It is everything you would expect from a New Orleans style restaurant. The upstairs veranda reminisces of bead slinging uninhibited flashers. The décor is a kitsy hodge podge of New Orleans and Cajun culture.
There are several bars, watering stops, and kitchens. Being steps away from the Amway Center this is definitely the place for before, during, and after the games. With a gazillion of TVs scattered all over the place there might not be a need to actually go to the Amway Center. Food, drinks, and beads right here. Oh there is that live factor. Well, everyone passes through here anyway. Food here caters to all. There are your usual suspects of fried, raw oysters, burgers, and po boys. The drinks are cold and flowing lively. Simply put, if you are heading to the Amway Center, get your Mojo on before you face the bright lights.

You know that something is not quite right with a restaurant when the one next door (Ceviche) is bumpin’ — an hour wait to get in and people happily waiting that long — but at Mojo you get right in and the place is half empty. Such was our experience on Saturday night.
First off, we ordered drinks. Our (somewhat intense) waiter recommended the «Mojo Red Brew» when we inquired about IPAs… It tasted closer to Budweiser than an IPA. One of our group of 4 order some melon-​flavored concoction that was pretty light on the alcohol content.
We ordered a dozen raw oysters, which, not having ever eaten before I made a point of trying at least one. My dining companions who are much more experienced mollusk consumers reported that they were ok, but had been rinsed with water to clean them — in effect washing away the briny flavor.
There was a bit of a wait for our food to come out — Chicken Fingers, a Shrimp Po Boy, and two Black Bean burgers. You can’t really screw up chicken fingers. The po boy seemed to go down ok. But the black bean burgers were pretty lackluster — a small, thin patty with way too much bread (same as the po boys are served on) and not a ton of flavor.
Overall there’s very little that would make me come back to Mojo… Pretty disappointing.

My review on Mojo is not on their everyday service or food… my company decided to have our annual Christmas party here so if you are thinking of just that, hopefully this might help.
Our company had rented out the entire back area of the place which included the downstairs dance area and the upstairs bar area that surrounds it. The front bar was still open to the public. The staff all seemed friendly but you could tell that none of them wanted to be there. Nobody was smiling. I am sure they were upset because they were not going to make tips like they would on a normal night. Our group were all given drink coupons so just about everybody was getting a cocktail and not leaving tips. Once your two coupons were used, any more drinks you wanted had to be paid for out of your own pocket. I did order a vodka tonic and I can tell you that the bartender did not even do a half shot into the glass. It was basically a glass of tonic water. When I asked him to actually put some vodka in it, he said that was all I was getting for these types of events. Nice… I stuck to wine for the rest of the night since they could not water down those.
Other than the disgruntled bartenders, the food was actually not bad. They had lots of hot foods for us, desserts, and snacks. All of it was good and that had to be the best part of it all. The DJ was good but it was supplied by our company so it had nothing to do with Mojos.
All of my coworkers enjoyed the party but we all agreed that the staff was the worst part of the night. Since I am on the party committee at work, that will be the last time we use Mojo…
Out of 10 points…
Food = 8
Service = 1
Atmosphere = 5
I wish I could have given this a better review but the bar staff just was not wanting to be there or make decent drinks for us. You get what you give…

Mojo was on life support a few months ago — abbreviated menu, only open random nights (and only the front bar area was open at that). Food was below average unfortunately. I won’t be eating here again anytime soon…
But — glimmer of hope — with the Magics coming back they should pick up. If you’re looking for food, be wary given such slow business, but if you just want a beer on your way to Amway Center — it doesn’t get more convenient than this.

Nachos are where it’s at! They have that great cheesy-​ooey-​gooey goodness all on top. Delicious. I am also a HUGE fan of their hurricanes.
They host Bonkerz comedy as well and are shooting for more entertainment nights. It’s crazy when a sporting event is going on, esp when the Magic play.
If you want a relaxing night here, go on a Monday-​Wed but if you want more of a full house, visit Thur-​Sat. I dig the upstairs and the bartenders are improving from when this place initially opened =)

I like their food and drinks although I don’t remember the taste of the real cajun food in New Orleans. I always order their Oysters. I don’t remember the name but I had a really good Martini that was recommended by a waiter we had at that time. I think inside is nice but I I like to sit outside in fall/​spring.
Most of waiters and waitresses we had were nice but I’m not big fun of the girls who leads to your table when you come in. once, a girl lead us to a table and a shef was using fire right in front of us. It was so hot so we decided to move to another table. Then a girl came back to us with an attitude and said «please don’t change your table without letting us know.» Wow that wasn’t very nice.

I had the gumbo and it was pretty good.
Happened to be there for their open mike comedy night. One of the comics lost his composure and went off on everyone there, which is why i hate open mike comedy nights. if I wanted to see comedy I’d go to a comedy club, not a cajun place!

I don’t really know what real cajun food tastes like, but just my taste buds speaking in general, the food was oooo-​kay. I had crab cakes and it was about average.
I liked the place though, it’s nice to sit outside and people watch, upstairs seemed pretty fun too.

Unfortunately, I already reviewed this place but pasted it into the other listing of Mojo Cajun Bar and Grill. Since I checked in at this place, it won’t stop telling me to review until I do. Therefore:

I still remember when Rosie O’Grady’s occupied this space and more recently a comedy club (not Bonkerz).
We went to Mojo’s to see the Bonkerz Joke Off last night. I have been to Mojo’s once before, but we did not eat. Last night I decided to try the food.
I ordered a shrimp po-​boy and a side of fried okra. The food was okay. I really was hoping for ‘amazing’ Cajun, but this was just okay. Not terrible, but nowhere near amazing. I’m guessing that everything I had was frozen and not fresh — at least that is how it tasted.
The service and atmosphere were good, but I was hoping for better food.

IMO, if you’re going to shove the NOLA theme down people’s throat like that, the food better live up to it too. It did not.
Dude! Everything in that place is Dat this, Bayou that. Even the bathrooms are labeled PoBoy and PoGirl. The salt shakers even have NO Saints logos on them. And the plastic cups? I get it but it would be way cooler if you could actually walk downtown with a beer.
Brought the bf who is from New Orleans so I trust his opinion when it comes to all things Nawlins. He was not impressed as well. Got the Jambalaya with a side of red beans and rice. Both were bland and needed salt. Honestly Zatarain’s out of the box tastes better to me.
I will be back at some point because I want to try the oysters. If they suck the only reason I would ever go back is for the Abita Amber on tap.

I really hate to have to do it, but I’m taking another star away. The food isn’t getting any better, I doubt the chefs have even been to NOLA, let alone train there, and the service gets worse every time I go. I will probably restrict my activities to only having drinks, and suggest you do the same. Oh, don’t be fooled by all the 5 star reviews, All those folks have like one review and probably work there or are friends of an employee.

Yummmmm.
Well, I was excited… so excited, but it didn’t live up to it! The atmosphere was great and so were the beignets but you just can’t get a po boy like you can at home in New Orleans. All four of us has po boys just none of us was impressed. It wasn’t bad, don’t get me wrong, just nothing like a real New Orleans restaurant. The bread was so hard I don’t think any of us even ate it. Not french bread but more like a hoagie roll. Just not it. Maybe other stuff on the menu would be better. But hey, the company was awesome.

Living in NOLA for a year and visiting at least once a year for the past 15 years since makes me a little bias when it comes to great New Orleans cooking. My husband and I popped in during the soft opening and sat at the chargrilled oyster bar. Now, trying to hold a candle to my favorite chargrilled oysters and Bar-​B-​Que shrimp from Deanie’s in New Orleans is not an easy thing to do … and Moho didn’t get close. While the presentation was spot on, the flavor of the oysters just wasn’t there, lacking the richness that New Orleans food is known for. The same can be said for their Bar-​B-​Que shrimp. Used to prawns the size of my hand, the shrimp at Moho were not.
But not to worry, this was the soft-​opening and I’m sure things needed to be tweaked. We did enjoy the red beans and rice w/​sausage. Good spice, temperature and consistency were just right. A nice Abita Restoration (beer) reminded me of the Big Easy. The service at the char-​bar was great (waitress included). I didn’t necessarily like the layout of the restaurant but the bar area and upstairs bar/​restaurant area reminded me of the cozy joints you might find in NOLA.

Given my uncontrollable, boundless love for New Orleans, I was predisposed to like this place, even though they lay the NOLA on a little too thick. It’s all over the walls, in the bathrooms, and everything on the menu is Mardi Gras this, or bayou that.
But the vibe was right, even if it was only because the Magic had just won. It seemed like a celebration, and live music, liquor and rich food fueled the party.
I asked for Abita Restoration Ale (the pale ale benefiting those affected by Katrina), and was looked at in complete confusion. Our manic clown of a server insisted that I must have meant the Save Our Shore (a Weizen Pils dedicated to cleaning up the oil spill on the Gulf Coast). Clearly, I have to stay on top of my New Orleans disaster-​related beers. In any case, it was tasty enough, and it’s always nice to drink for a good cause.
We were having a late dinner, so perhaps getting a full rack of ribs wasn’t the most prudent plan, but they tasted great, and besides, nothing says NOLA like excess.

A kinda late Friday night in Orlando and I’m in need of food and some beer, and not in that order. Colleen B wisely led us through the crazy Magic crowd to Mojo, which was seriously hopping. Some folks had somehow nabbed a big table upstairs and after winding through the maze of space and people I was finally settled in and perused the menu.
Our server was a little (okay, a lot) wackadoo and seemingly scatterbrained, but he was quick and never screwed up an order. Upon recommendation of a former New Orleans resident I opted for the Abita «Save Our Shores:» a pilsner that donates a portion of the profit to help cleaning up the Gulf Shore post oil spill. Charitable, tasty, and alcoholic? You’ve got a winner with me, Abita.
I ordered up the only thing that seemed right: a shrimp poboy. It was aight… you can’t really mess up fried shrimp on bread. Definitely not a great one, but nothing offensive by any means. All in all, a solid spot if you’re in the hood or looking for a lively spot post-​game, but nothing worth seeking out.

I’ve been here a few times now, so I feel I have enough experience to write a semi review. The first few times I was there it was a stop either too or from a Magic game, just a quick stop, grab a drink and move on.
Drink prices are what you would expect, around $ 5 for a beer, $ 7 for a mixed drink. The one time I went we sat a the bar and the bartender made it a very fun atmosphere for everyone. He was handing out Mardi Gras beads to everyone and tried to make you feel like you were in New Orleans.
The last time we were there we were with a semi-​big (10 people?) group on a Friday night. Even though the place was packed our waiting time wasn’t very long at all. We all got seated before we could finish our first drinks. I ordered an appetizer. I can’t remember exactly what it was called but it was a cheese dip served in a bread bowl. It was absolutely delicious, the downfall of it was it was very deceiving. they didn’t really hollow the bread bowl out, so you had four heaping bites and it was gone. For $ 8.95 I should get more than four bites. So my table ordered a second one and four bites later it was gone again.
The server did mess up our checks twice, but after the second time we were over it so my friend paid. (Yay for me!) Even though that trip did seem like a cluster, it was very enjoyable and I will go again and try more items. I’ll update later!

Mojo is a nice addition to Church Street, and does feature some pretty good Cajun food. If you’ve been here long enough to remember the great Rosie O’Grady’s Good Time Emporium, you’ll see some vestiges of the old place. But the grand staircase, mostly hidden from view, doesn’t look as grand as I remember.
I dined here for Sunday Gospel lunch/​brunch. While the menu promised live music, it was taped music today. And if you’re expecting the burning-​down-​the-​house gospel of the House of Blues, you’ll be disappointed. It was quite sedate by comparison.
There were some drink specials, mimosas and bloody marys for $ 3. The bloody mary was called the Bloody Marie Laveau, named for the famed Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Warning — it’s spicy.
I began with an excellent starter — Bayou Fromage — spicy cheese and sausage with multi-​color chips, served in a bread bowl. I passed on the brunch items, even though they looked enticing. I chose Crawfish Étouffée, which was good enough to remind me of dining in the N’awlins French Quarter.
This place should do well, located next door to Ceviche and across Church Street from Hamburger Mary’s. They have a good amount of outdoor seating.
One bit of warning if my service today is typical: Unless you want your courses coming on top of each other, don’t order the next one until you are nearly finished with the current one. I told my server I was in no rush, but I placed my entrée order anyway. It came out while I was only half finished with the app. That’s one aspect of bad service that sticks in my craw (so to speak). How hard can it be?