My family of 4 went to Bahama Breeze for the first time, and our $160 meal at the chain felt like an incredible value

Terri PetersMay 29, 2023, 19:42 IST

My family tried the chain Bahama Breeze for the first time and left feeling impressed.Terri Peters

My family tried Bahama Breeze, a chain specializing in Caribbean-inspired food, for the first time.
Dinner for my family of 4, including appetizers and multiple alcoholic drinks, was $160 before tip.

In the days when I could say my family never ate at chain restaurants, I'd drive past Bahama Breeze locations and feel curious.

With its sweeping, open-air patios and tropical signage, I'd imagine diners inside sipping mai tais and feasting on jerk chicken. It turns out, my perception of the chain was pretty close to the truth, though it's in a strip-mall parking lot instead of a tropical cruise port.

Since my two teenagers started asking to try the chain restaurants they'd heard about from friends or TikTok, my husband and I have reneged on our "no chain restaurants" rule and started visiting some of the classics, like LongHorn Steakhouse.

Recently, we went to a Bahama Breeze restaurant in Orlando, Florida, for dinner as a family.

Although I'd never visited, Bahama Breeze has been around since 1996.

Bahama Breeze has over 40 locations.Courtesy of Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants opened the first Bahama Breeze in 1996 in Orlando, Florida. Known for its tropical cocktails, Caribbean-inspired menu, and overall island vibe, the restaurant grew quickly and today exists in 42 locations throughout the US.

In addition to serving dishes like coconut shrimp, seafood paella, and Jamaican jerk chicken, Bahama Breeze is known for frequently offering live music and affordable happy hours, where guests can sip $5 specialty drinks and order half-priced appetizers.

I started by ordering one of Bahama Breeze's signature sangrias.

Bahama Breeze's Sunset Berry Sangria was tasty.Terri Peters

The drink menu at Bahama Breeze is extensive, with island-themed cocktails like Bahama mamas and rum runners on the menu, in addition to frozen cocktails and varied mojito flavors like coconut and strawberry.

Typically a wine drinker, I chose from two sangria offerings: Sunrise Moscato Sangria and Sunset Berry Sangria. I prefer reds so I chose the berry flavor and was not disappointed.

It was made with spiced rum, red wine, strawberry and pineapple juices, and soda water. It was a great value at $9, and it felt like a tropical vacation in a glass.

Later on in the meal, I ordered a glass of Cabernet for $15.

Typically a wine drinker, I chose from two sangria offerings: Sunrise Moscato Sangria and Sunset Berry Sangria. I prefer reds so I chose the berry flavor and was not disappointed.

It was made with spiced rum, red wine, strawberry and pineapple juices, and soda water. It was a great value at $9, and it felt like a tropical vacation in a glass.

Later on in the meal, I ordered a glass of Cabernet for $15.

My husband went with the Painkiller cocktail.

The Painkiller was $10.Terri Peters

A Painkiller is a creamy, coconutty drink that is perfect for a vacation. Since our family was in the Orlando area on a weekend getaway, my husband tried Bahama Breeze's version, made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple and orange juices, then topped with nutmeg.

I tasted the drink as well, and it was delicious. The cocktail was as flavorful as any Painkiller we'd had on a tropical vacation, and at just $10, it was well within our dinner budget.

We got yuca cheese sticks and a shrimp dish as appetizers.

I was glad Bahama Breeze had something with yucca on its menu.Terri Peters

Yuca, a nutty-flavored tuber native to South America, is one of our favorite things to order in a restaurant, so we were impressed Bahama Breeze had yuca-filled cheese sticks on its small-plates menu.

They were served with two dipping sauces: a cilantro-crema and Sriracha aioli.

The yuca cheese sticks were melty and delicious and were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in my party, even my teenage son, who typically sticks to a diet of plain cheeseburgers.

At only $7, I'd have been down to get another serving, but we had plenty more to order, so I resisted the temptation.

My husband also tried the $13 Firecracker Shrimp as an appetizer and enjoyed its crispy batter and the Sriracha aioli drizzle it was served with. I'm allergic to shrimp, so I wasn't able to try this dish, but it looked delicious and I heard no complaints from his side of the table.

They were served with two dipping sauces: a cilantro-crema and Sriracha aioli.

The yuca cheese sticks were melty and delicious and were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in my party, even my teenage son, who typically sticks to a diet of plain cheeseburgers.

At only $7, I'd have been down to get another serving, but we had plenty more to order, so I resisted the temptation.

My teens loved the non-alcoholic drink options.

Bahama Breeze has a 0% alcoholic menu.Terri Peters

At Bahama Breeze, adults can order boozy frozen cocktails or drink straight out of a hollowed-out, fresh pineapple.

But it's not only the 21 and over crowd who can order a festive drink at the chain. My kids were thrilled to see a "0% alcoholic, 100% island" section on the drink menu and had a hard time choosing what to order.

At Bahama Breeze, adults can order boozy frozen cocktails or drink straight out of a hollowed-out, fresh pineapple.

But it's not only the 21 and over crowd who can order a festive drink at the chain. My kids were thrilled to see a 0% alcoholic, 100% island section on the drink menu and had a hard time choosing what to order.

My kids both got fruity drinks that cost $10 and $5.

My kids loved getting to sip on unique mocktails.Terri Peters

In the end, my son chose the Virgin Ultimate Pineapple, a swirl of frozen piña colada and strawberry (sans alcohol) that cost $10. My daughter went with a $5 Virgin Bahamarita, made with kiwi, mango, and strawberry ices.

So many restaurants offer only a Shirley Temple as a mocktail option, so having an exciting variety of booze-free drinks to choose from made my kids' evening.

I opted for a grilled chicken, plantain, and cilantro dish.

I had enough leftovers for lunch after my meal.Terri Peters

The entrée menu at Bahama Breeze is extensive, with sections for seafood, steak, pork, and chicken. There are also sections for soups, salads, and sandwiches, so choosing an entrée was a bit overwhelming, if not fun.

I ordered the grilled chicken with cilantro-crema, as the bed of mashed potatoes and roasted corn the chicken breasts were served on intrigued me.

The entire dish, which cost $15, was topped with a cilantro-crema, melted cheese, and a crispy plantain. The dish felt like an extreme value, as it was way more food than I could eat and I got to take half home. And yes, like with most leftovers, the dish was even more delicious the next day.

I ordered the grilled chicken with cilantro-crema, as the bed of mashed potatoes and roasted corn the chicken breasts were served on intrigued me.

My daughter chose a dish she'd seen on TikTok.

Bahama Breeze's jerk-chicken pasta cost us $17.Terri Peters

Whenever we dine at a chain restaurant, my daughter likes to order a dish she's seen copycat recipes for on TikTok. At Bahama Breeze, she ordered the jerk-chicken pasta, videos about which have been viewed more than 17 million times on TikTok.

The $17 pasta dish is made with sliced jerk chicken breast, asparagus, mushrooms, and bow-tie pasta, tossed in a Parmesan cream sauce.

She loved her choice and the enormous portion sizes at Bahama Breeze, as she, too, left the restaurant with leftovers.

The $17 pasta dish is made with sliced jerk chicken breast, asparagus, mushrooms, and bow-tie pasta, tossed in a Parmesan cream sauce.

She loved her choice and the enormous portion sizes at Bahama Breeze, as she, too, left the restaurant with leftovers.

My husband ordered an appetizer as his meal.

The dish came with six wings.Terri Peters

The menu had tons of options, but the Jamaican jerk wings were calling my husband's name, so he chose the $16 appetizer as his main entrée.

At Bahama Breeze, the wings are served whole and weigh a pound-and-a-half total. They're also served with jerk barbecue sauce.

Overall, he was pleased with his decision, saying the jerk flavor of the wings was wonderful and the meat was juicy and moist. He also praised the barbecue dipping sauce for its extra zing of flavor.

The menu had tons of options, but the Jamaican jerk wings were calling my husband's name, so he chose the $16 appetizer as his main entrée.

At Bahama Breeze, the wings are served whole and weigh a pound-and-a-half total. They're also served with jerk barbecue sauce.

Overall, he was pleased with his decision, saying the jerk flavor of the wings was wonderful and the meat was juicy and moist. He also praised the barbecue dipping sauce for its extra zing of flavor.

We didn't order dessert, but we tried a cocktail flight.

Bahama Breeze's cocktail flights were so fun.Terri Peters

Stuffed from our delicious dinner, we decided not to order dessert.

My husband was curious, however, about Bahama Breeze's cocktail flights. When we visited, the chain had two different cocktail flights available: one with a Bahama mama, Painkiller, and One Love, and the other with classic, dragon fruit, and coconut-pineapple margaritas.

We picked the one with the first option, which was hilariously named Mama's Hooch and Holler.

At $11, the flight was a fun way to try some of Bahama Breeze's signature island-themed cocktails. The servings were smaller than normal cocktails, so no one left the restaurant overserved.

Stuffed from our delicious dinner, we decided not to order dessert.

We picked the one with the first option, which was hilariously named Mama's Hooch and Holler.

At $11, the flight was a fun way to try some of Bahama Breeze's signature island-themed cocktails. The servings were smaller than normal cocktails, so no one left the restaurant overserved.

We'd definitely eat at Bahama Breeze again, based on our experience.

Bahama Breeze was a pretty great value.Terri Peters

It may have been a chain restaurant in a strip mall, but Bahama Breeze definitely got my family in the island mood. And for $160 total, it felt like a great value.

As a part of our Orlando staycation, it felt festive and the food was very good. The cocktails were creative and colorful, and even my picky son, who ordered a cheeseburger and fries, was pleased with his meal.

Bahama Breeze felt like a worthwhile experience for my family because we paid about $40 per person for dinner (with tons of leftovers), two appetizers, and multiple drinks.

Next time, I'd love to visit for happy hour, which usually comes with live music and seems to have great discounts.