Hard Rock Cafe in Venice:Christmas 2018

Festive Menu at the Hard Rock

The Hard Rock cafes do not need an introduction, but the Hard rock cafe in Venice has a peculiarity!

It is the smallest Hard Rock cafe in Europe with just 360 square meters.

The Venetian site is located near Piazza San Marco, in Bacino Orseolo, the most famous ‘gondola station’.

Situated inside a beautiful historic building, the style of this place is unique in its kind: divided between two floors (the bar at the entrance and above the restaurant), it offers 120 seats and it is full of rock history, enhanced by the Murano chandelier by Venini, the famous glass makers, the Venetian furniture and floor, as well as the suggestive view on the Basin – from the windows it is possible to admire the characteristic canals and moored gondolas, as one of the main stopping points is located near the cafe.

Throughout the Christmas period, the Hard Rock Cafe in Venice will be offering a “special menu” that binds the taste and style of American food to the most local flavors belonging to the Christmas tradition.

From December 1 to January 7, The Hard Rock Cafe Venice is open every day, on Christmas eve (until 4pm) and Christmas Day included, and offers to all the gourmet fans their new Christmas 2018 Festive Menu.

The Special Menu dedicated to the festivities mixes the traditional Christmas dishes with the great Hard Rock classics designed for all palates, including vegetarians, and for all occasions: from social occasions in the family to the unmissable appointment of many workers’ professional life, the Christmas dinner or corporate lunch.

Arianna and I, as Cook In Venice, were invited to test the Festive menu a few days ago!

The super professional and smiling staff, which took us to our table, warmly welcomed us.

Hard Rock Cafe Venice

We got there quite early, after spending a whole day in Venice, so the place was not full, but within on hour it simply got packed!

Hard Rock Cafe Venice

Hard Rock Cafe Venice

We were immediately brought two welcome non-alcoholic cocktails served in souvenir glasses, which were simply delicious: one was called Passion Fruit My Tai (my favorite) and a second one called Classic Caribbean Mojito, which Arianna loved.

We took a look at the Festive menu, which is quite varied.

The Menu includes two starters to choose from: delicious Spring Rolls or fanciful Chicken Wings – we decided to try them both.

Turns out the portion are really really generous! But both starters were amazing: tasty, slightly spicy, and very well cooked!

As a main dish you can then savor one of the following dishes:

• Original Legendary Burger, served with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and a fried onion ring
• Grilled salmon served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables
• Barbecue Combo with smoked bbq and pulled pork chops frosted with BBQ sauce
• Herb Grilled Chicken Breast, grilled spicy chicken breast served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables
• Black Bean & Quinoa Burger served on a toasted sandwich with fresh guacamole and chipotle aioli sauce.

I chose the Original Legendary Burger and Arianna opted for the Barbecue Combo.

Again the portions were quite big and if I am honest, I think the Combo would be enough for two people!

But we did really enjoy them: you can see the cooks hard at work in the open view kitchen and we were fascinated by the speed at which the chefs were dishing out the plates.

My burger was really succulent, very big and most definitely delicious! The Barbecue combo was huge: the pulled pork was amazing and so were the ribs!

To conclude dinner or lunch, you can then pick a dessert of your choice: the special reinterpretation of the Brownie for the holidays, the Christmas Pudding Cheesecake or the Panettone / Pandoro of the Italian tradition.

We decided to try the Brownie and the Cheesecake.

Again, very large portions: the cheesecake was quite interesting and the brownie was perfect…we only complained about the cream, which we both found simply not up to the rest of the dessert….but we mentioned it to the manager. She said she would look into it!

All this can be accompanied by 1 soda (choice between Pepsi, Pepsi max, 7up, Schweppes orange) or 1 draft beer Nastro Azzurro 12oz.

Among the exclusive drinks, try the ‘keepers’ (Martini, Hurricane, Shor or Margarita), but also the classic cocktails.

And don’t forget, you can spend New Year’s Eve 2018 at the Rock Cafe Venice too.

Monday, December 31st, the countdown will begin at 20.00 with DJ Tuby Rubber who will sign the warm up of the evening making unleash the fans with his personal and super selected play list of pop music. From 23.30 there will be a change in the console, on the stage will rise Dj Christian Effe, while the first floor dedicated to the restaurant will be transformed, for the first time in the history of the club, into a real dance floor. The the best known DJs  in Northern Italy will ignite the night of the Lagoon with a dance and house music show that will continue until 03.30 on the first day of 2019. Off the tables and all the fans will be able to unleash themselves on the dance floor of the most ballads and heard hits of the 90s.

Starting at 21.00, the Cafe will give the opportunity to participate in the event of the longest night of the year only using the special Drink Card, on sale at the Cafe, which will allow you to enjoy up to two drinks of your choice.

So, if you are in Venice during the Christmas Holidays and you are missing home a little, a quick stop at the Hard Rock might be the right answer to get rid of the nostalgia!