The Bottom Line
- Unique, island environment
- Music in the evening, most nights live
- Becomes a night club with dancing later in the evening, 21+ only
- Food is just...OK
Description
- Margaritaville is open seven days per week for lunch and dinner.
- You'll miss out on the wonderful decor, but if you eat outside there are tables with a view of the WaterDance Plaza.
- In the evening Westgate's fountains are choreographed to Jimmy Buffet songs. Cool!
- After dinner, Margaritaville is transformed into a 21+ dance club with DJs and live bands.
- Smugglers Hold is the Gift Shop at Margaritaville. It's big, and a delight for Parrot Heads.
Guide Review - Margaritaville
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in Glendale is in the middle of the exciting Westgate City Center entertainment, dining and shopping destination. Right across the street from the Jobing.com Arena and within a hefty stone's throw from the University of Phoenix Stadium, Margaritaville joins a selection of bars and eateries there.
Margaritaville is just plain fun. The fantastic decor has some people eating in fishing boats and other patrons surrounded by sights and sounds of the beach, complete with a lighthouse, pelicans, sea creatures, scuba gear, surf boards and everything else to make you believe that you've just stepped into an island paradise.
The "Who's To Blame Margarita" with Margaritaville Gold tequila was smooth, and I upgraded it to 20 oz. in the souvenir glass ($11.50). The Corn & Crab Chowder ($5) was a thumbs up, but definitely had mostly a sweet corn flavor. The Crab, Shrimp and Mushroom Dip ($10.50) was light on the crab and shrimp, heavy on the garlic bread and cheese. Cheeseburger in Paradise ($11) was OK, and onion rings for an extra buck were very greasy. All sandwiches come with unremarkable fries and a pickle. No cole slaw or other sides are available, except for items at extra charge or vegetables. The Crab Cake Sandwich was fine ($10) and the Coconut Shrimp ($16) included 6 tasty decent-sized shrimp, barely warm mashed potatoes, and vegetables consisting of carrots and squash (cheapest vegetables of the season). Chocolate cake ($7) was one of the highlights of the meal.
The food wasn't bad, but you are paying for atmosphere here, which is very enjoyable. Next time I'll stick with my Margarita and order those volcano nachos--yowee those looked good!
Consider it 5 stars for environment/ambiance, and 3.0 stars for the average food.
All dates, times, prices and offerings are subject to change without notice. (01/08)
