The Hangry Bison In Winter Park

The Hangry Bison is a laid-back, American restaurant, and bar, here in Winter Park. It is packed with fantastic staff that are friendly and eager to feed you and keep your drinks coming. The Hangry Bison won an award for Orlando’s Best Burger in 2019 and the Scott Joseph’s Foodster Award in 2018. When we walked in, we noticed a sense of calm with a fun energy. It’s difficult to leave once you sit down at the bar. The Hangry Bison is absolutely a place to go and hang out with friends for multiple hours.

Thanks to their Happy Hour (Mon. – Thur. 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM & Fri. 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM) you can enjoy some of their signature cocktails and small plates for no more than $6.00 per item. That is a fantastic deal, especially in Winter Park, and provides the perfect excuse to spend a few hours having drinks with friends.

Some Smoked Cocktails From The Hangry Bison

We were immediately helped by the general manager and the friendly bar staff who were more than happy to serve us. It’s wonderful to meet people who really enjoy what they do and who care about your experience. One of the first things we were offered is their signature cocktail amply named The Smoked Bison. The Smoked Bison may be the best rendition of an old fashioned that we’ve had the pleasure of enjoying around town. The Hangry Bison executes this cocktail in exceptional fashion using Heaven’s Door Straight Bourbon, the traditional components of an old fashioned, served over a large ice cube, and then smoked with hickory wood using a torch and glass dome.

Let us be the first to tell you, if you’ve never had a smoked cocktail, please go try one. It’s magnificent. It is so well balanced, and the smoke flavor really comes through. It’s an excellent drink to pair with any burgers or their bourbon wings. The cocktail, beer, and wine list offered at The Hangry Bison is enough to satisfy anyone. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t like anything the bar has to offer. This includes plenty of Florida breweries on tap from Sanford Brewing, Crooked Can, and Cigar City.

The Hangry Bison Happy Hour

After already being blown away with The Smoked Bison cocktail, we were brought out three small plates to try. We were offered some fried green tomatoes with a basil aioli. Now we’re talking, normally we wouldn’t go for fried green tomatoes, but these were so well prepared and executed that we’ve developed a craving for them. They taste more like fried pickles than tomatoes and were perfectly fried to a medium golden-brown color and topped with some tasty basil aioli. If you’re sitting down for a drink, the fried green tomatoes are just the right starter, and they happen to be included on their Happy Hour menu.

Small Plates On The Happy Hour Menu

By now, you all know how much we enjoy great chicken wings. Usually, we tend to remain more traditional, but you cannot surpass the bourbon wings at The Hangry Bison. The bourbon wings are fried for just the right amount of time to be crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. So, aside from the wings being prepared well, they are also huge. When you get a taste of that bourbon glaze, we’re sure you’ll be smacking your lips and licking your fingers to get every bit of it.

The flatbreads offered, also on the happy hour menu, are anything but small. It’s about the size of a personal pan pizza and we felt that we could have made a meal of it. We were lucky enough to try the Caprese Flatbread which we can only describe as a bruschetta pizza.

It’s what you would expect from The Hangry Bison after having the pleasure of trying other items on their menu. It’s so cheesy and topped with diced tomatoes and a balsamic drizzle that is sure to make anyone’s taste buds happy. We almost ate the whole thing but had to remember to save room for the next plate.

Award-Winning Burgers

We always tell restaurants to serve us what they would like us to taste. With that being said, we ordered the recommended burger. According two staff members, it is their most popular burger. The Doddzilla is a well-seasoned, well portioned, burger patty topped with a fried egg and ham, along with traditional toppings. It is served with cheddar cheese and hand-cut fries on a pretzel bun.

Now, this is something we don’t see very often. We were excited when we saw that there are three different bun options for their burgers. You can order a burgers that is served on a brioche bun, pretzel bun, and even Texas toast. We really love the options, that may seem silly, but it really does make a difference in the overall taste of the burger.

The Doddzilla is so flavorful and juicy that you may need some napkins to wipe your chin. We will be back soon, specifically to try some of their other burgers. Based off our initial experience, this is the place to get a great burger and it’s no wonder why they’ve won awards for them.

The Bourbon Maple Bread Pudding

Usually, we skip dessert. This time we’re glad we didn’t. The Hangry Bison offers a Maple Bourbon Bread Pudding that is out of this world. It’s crunchy and sweet on the outside with a soft, warm inside. What more could you want for dessert other than a warm, crispy, maple bourbon bread pudding? It goes with their motif and is an excellent dessert if you’re looking for something that isn’t too sweet.

On the other hand, we also have heard about a bourbon-infused milkshake on the dessert menu. You can order chocolate, vanilla, or peanut butter. We don’t know about you, but a bourbon-infused peanut butter milkshake sounds like a dream. We cannot wait to go back and try one of those. It’s safe to say that we’ll be ordering dessert from now on, especially when we visit The Hangry Bison.

The Hangry Bison is a gem of a watering hole located right in the Winter Park Village and can cure even the toughest blues after a long day at the office. From their award-winning food and cocktails to their desserts, we hope The Hangry Bison is here to stay. Support from the local community is the way we keep restaurants around that we enjoy. So, be sure to support The Hangry Bison by following their social media pages (Instagram & Facebook) and by popping in for a tasty cocktail and an even tastier meal. Also, be sure to check out their menu so that you have plenty of time to decide on what to order.

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