So the question of the day is, can you enjoy yourself at a country bar even if you’re not a fan of country music? Typically the answer would be “Naw,” as there’s only so many spurs and chaps one hater can handle in a night. But the newly resuscitated Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House (as in concert hall, not fat lady singing) at 128 W. Church St. in downtown Orlando has enough levels of entertainment and twangtastic covers of disco hits to keep the anti-country bile at bay.
Décor: Spanning over 20,000 square feet, Cheyenne Saloon
technically has three levels, but each of them branches a set of upper and
lower balconies, making the place as disorienting as an MC Escher drawing. The
walls, floors, tables, and stairs are all wood and brass, which is quite a
stunning sight and part of the reason to visit – no other
The Bar: Unfortunately, in keeping with the old west theme the beer selection is pretty poor (but the liquor choices are vast). Bud, Bud Light, and Michelob Amber Bock are your only tap offerings, and though the $3.50 per glass price tag seems fair you’ll soon realize it’s not a pint but a quickly-draining 12-ounce puddle in your hand. Wells mixers are a reasonable $5, and poured just shy of strong. Fortunately happy hour comes along every once in a while (4-7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday) and each day shakes things up a bit: Tuesdays have 25-cent wings, 50-cent drafts (now we’re talking!), $0.75 mini-BBQ sandwiches, and $1 longnecks; Wednesdays are for the ritzy and hungry with $2.95 glasses of Mums Champagne and $15.95 prime rib dinners; Thursdays finish off the few happy hours with $1 Bud and Bud Light longnecks. Even if those specials don’t appeal to you, it’d be good to get in before 7 p.m. anyway, just to avoid the $10 cover.
Sounds: The local cover band, The Cheyenne Stampede, plays every night when there’s not a big act showing up (which can cost you upwards of $35 a ticket). They put on a good show, even when a twangy version of “The Electric Slide” makes you question the merits of having been born.
Crowd: Some young people show up, doffing cowboy hats maybe as a one-off tryout of the place, but a sizeable group of middle aged folks in jeans and belt-clipped cell phones are truly into the scene and make up the majority.
Tip: Poker nights are just starting up, including free lessons on Texas Hold’em. All proceeds from tournaments go to local charities ($20 donations are encouraged to enter competitions), though prizes are awarded to winners.
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