Blu Cafe — Restaurant in Ocoee

I appreciate the concept of this cafe/lounge, but I found the experience to be overpriced. My friend and I attended an event called "My Funny Valentine" and paid over $45 for a table for two, expecting more than just a reserved spot. It was frustrating to learn that the tables were first come, first served, despite having paid for our reservation. We were surprised to see others walking in and being seated at tables while general admission seemed to allow for standing, and no one was actually standing.

When we ordered our drinks, they took about 10-15 minutes to arrive, and only my drink came initially. After inquiring about my friend's drink, it took another 5-10 minutes for it to arrive. We then waited 30-40 minutes before receiving our food. I had the crab cakes as my appetizer, which lacked flavor, and my friend's appetizer didn’t arrive until after her entrée, leading her to decline it since her main dish was already gone.

We both ordered lamb chops with mac & cheese, but my friend had collard greens and I had the Caesar salad. The food was just okay for both of us. The comedy show, which was supposed to start around 9:30 or 10, was delayed, and a singer performed instead—something we weren't informed about beforehand.

When we finally requested our bill to leave, it took 15-20 minutes to receive it, during which my friend had to follow up. We also noticed that she was charged for her untouched appetizer, which required additional effort to have removed from the bill. While I understand some issues were out of the waitress control, we were unaware that gratuity was included, which affected our tipping decision.

Overall, we spent over $45 for the table, around $30 on an entrée, about $18 on an appetizer, and $9 for a drink, and up to 20% in gratuity only to leave before the comedy show even started. It felt like a lack of value for the money spent. I’d suggest that if ticket prices are high, including a drink or some added value would make a significant difference. The vibe of the place is nice, and I see potential, but improvements are...

Update: I went this evening and must say this was the opposite of what we experienced back in December. The food was phenomenal and the manager JT was accommodating. My family and I will definitely be back. I can’t remember the name of the waitress but she was awesome as well. This was definitely a much better experience regarding the food. It was further advised some changes were made since the last time and must agree. Thank you and will be back soon.

We went on last Friday 12/08 for my daughter’s birthday. It was a nice venue, however, we were extremely disappointed as they were out of all egg rolls and the wings and amount of fries given were for a child. I was told yesterday this was due to the person that orders the food was out. That is still no excuse because when it comes to the food someone else should have been second in charge. The ball was dropped obviously. It was more of an insult to injury finding out the event that took place on the next evening was the total opposite as all menu items were available and the size of the food differed. I specifically chose this place because my daughter would have loved the crab egg rolls. The entertainment was mediocre as we could not hear the singer. I’m Unsure if I would be back and I can not tell others it was a great experience. We made the best of what we had due to the...

The food was just okay, but the service and overall experience were disappointing. Someone in our party asked for a virgin Blu Lemon Drop. When the server asked the bartender (a young woman with a natural puff hairstyle), the bartender responded right in front of us, “So they want blue simple syrup and lemon juice? Ok, and don’t send it back.” The server then turned to us and said, “Ya’ll heard her?” as if that was acceptable. If you don’t know how to make a non-alcoholic version of a drink, that’s fine, but being dismissive to paying customers is not. We should have left then, but we stayed. I ordered calamari and it came out cold with soggy batter. I told the server, and she took it back, but when she came back she said the kitchen was behind and it would be about 20 minutes if they remade it. I feel like my order should have been remade first since they served me old food in the first place. For my entrée, I had salmon with collard greens and mashed potatoes. It was average and not worth the poor service. The music was also extremely vulgar, which took away from the whole dining experience. Between the rude bartender, cold food, and bad atmosphere, I won’t be back. Management should consider hiring staff who are more experienced instead of allowing them to project their frustration...