We spent $260 dining at a 100-year-old steakhouse chain. Our meal at the Orlando location was worth every penny.

• My husband and I had a $260 meal at The Palm Restaurant in Universal Orlando's Hard Rock Hotel.

• From the filling starters to the delicious dessert, we were blown away by the quality of the food.

• The prices, atmosphere, and service were similar to some of our favorite steakhouse chains.

The Palm Restaurant is a nearly 100-year-old steakhouse chain that operates close to 20 restaurants in the US, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. The closest location to me, however, is inside the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando.

I'd been to the restaurant before to enjoy a drink and a bite to eat at the bar — it's long been one of my favorite spots to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Universal — but I'd never eaten in the dining room before.

So, while staying at Universal Orlando's newest hotel, Stella Nova Resort, my husband and I drove to The Palm for a romantic dinner.

Here's what it was like to eat at one of the most distinctive and relaxing dining spots at Universal Orlando.

We started our meal with a round of drinks.

We kicked off our date night at The Palm with a round of drinks: an old-fashioned cocktail ($19) for my husband, and a pink berry sangria mocktail ($10) for me.

My alcohol-free sangria was really good, and as someone who doesn't drink, I was thrilled to find a few zero-proof options on the menu.

Later in the meal, my husband ordered a glass of red wine ($22 for a 9-ounce pour) from The Palm's vast wine selection.

The complimentary bread service was the best I've had at a steakhouse.

The Palm's complimentary bread service was an unexpected highlight of our meal. I thought it was some of the best bread I've ever eaten at a steakhouse.

Breads such as onion focaccia and sourdough rolls were served with creamy, salty butter. The real star of the basket, though, was the pretzel bread, which was buttery, delicious, and a treat I had to restrain myself from filling up on.

We shared The Palm's giant wedge salad as an appetizer.

When we ordered the $17 wedge salad, our server told us that, because of its size, it may be the only appetizer we needed. Wanting to leave room for our main courses, we took her advice and focused on the salad as our shared starter.

When our server brought out steak knives and said, "I know it sounds weird, but you'll need these to hack into our wedge salad," we knew we were in for a treat.

The salad was delicious, topped with crumbly, pungent blue cheese, crisp onion straws, thick bacon, and tomatoes.

Between the two of us, we made an impressive dent in it, but we left some on the plate so we could eat our main course.

While waiting for our entrées, I explored the restaurant's unique artwork.

After stuffing myself with starters, I needed to move around a bit. So, I walked around the dining room to admire the unique artwork on the walls — hand-painted caricatures of Orlando locals, celebrities, and more.

I asked a manager in the dining room about the unusual art, and he told me there are a few ways to get a caricature on the walls of The Palm.

Sometimes, the restaurant knows a celebrity will be stopping in, so an artist paints them in advance and asks them to autograph it. Other times, a local Orlando regular will do something noteworthy enough to merit a caricature. And finally, members of the Landry's Select Club, of which The Palm is part of, can earn a caricature after accumulating enough points.

However they get there, it's cool to be immortalized in caricature form on the wall of such a posh Orlando dining establishment.

My husband ordered the veal-chop Parmesan for his entrée.

My husband ordered the veal-chop Parmesan — a 14-ounce veal chop served with spaghetti.

The $64 portion was bigger than my husband's head and was cooked to a crispy-brown perfection.

Topped with savory, tomatoey marinara sauce and perfectly broiled mozzarella cheese, we both proclaimed it our favorite dish of the night.

I chose the filet mignon for my main course.

A creature of habit at steakhouses, I ordered the eight-ounce center-cut filet mignon ($58) with a side of truffle butter ($6).

When the steak arrived, I cut into it to find the perfect warm, pink center that always accompanies a perfectly cooked, medium-rare steak.

The filet was very good: crunchy and salty on the outside from its sear but buttery and pink on the inside. The cut of beef really melted in my mouth, and I was thrilled with the accompanying truffle-butter topping.

At first, I was a little unsure about the entire bulb of roasted garlic served on the side, but it really added to the meat's flavor and was incredibly easy to scoop from the bulb.

We shared two family-style side dishes.

We shared two sides with our dinner — creamed spinach ($16) and hash browns ($16). Both sides were massive and made great leftovers the following day.

I'd had creamed spinach at The Palm before, as I always order it when seated at the bar. It's some of the best steakhouse creamed spinach out there — perfectly creamy, cheesy, and salty without overpowering the flavors of the earthy spinach.

The hash browns — a mix of chopped fries and potatoes — perfectly complimented my steak and tasted delicious with a bit of ketchup, which was served on the side.

Our server suggested we order the Italian-style doughnuts for dessert.

The Palm's dessert menu had lots of enticing options, but at our server's suggestion, we tried the zeppole ($13).

The fried Italian doughnuts were served with a trio of sauces: raspberry, caramel, and chocolate. They were all delicious, but the raspberry sauce reigned supreme for us. We loved the tangy, sweet, fruit taste in contrast with the sugary, crispy, doughnuts.

I also ordered a decaf cappuccino ($6.25), which was exceptional, especially since so many restaurants offer only brewed coffee as a decaf option.

Our meal was worth the cost, especially given the restaurant's relaxing but elegant vibe.

Overall, our meal came to $260 after tax but before the tip. We thought our dinner was well worth the cost for the quality of the food alone.

We also enjoyed the posh atmosphere, and our meal felt like an indulgent date night. We'd definitely return to The Palm for a special occasion.

Moreover, we could've easily shared an entrée or skipped dessert and still left with full bellies and feelings of food-induced happiness.

The prices, atmosphere, service, and experience at The Palm were similar to some of our other favorite steakhouse chains — such as The Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris — with the added perk of being at one of our favorite theme parks.

Correction: February 20, 2025 — An earlier version of this story misstated the name of Universal Orlando's newest hotel. It's Stella Nova Resort, not Stella Luna Resort.

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