The Stubborn Mule

The Write-Up

The full story

The Stubborn Mule sits steps from the swans of Lake Eola with Moscow mules as its calling card and a cozy, lively room that regulars call simply a vibe. The Stubborn Mule Burger and the Belgian waffle burger carry the menu, and one regular calls the smash burger the best they have had in a long while, with sticky pork belly and parmesan rosemary fries earning their own loyalists. Service can be hit or miss on crowded nights, but the food and the lakefront stroll after keep people coming back.

District Story

The story of Lake Eola

A name written on a plat in 1913, east of Lake Eola, and still carried by brick streets and bungalows today.

Read the Lake Eola story →

Similar Feel

More places with this feel

Matched by vibe, not by neighborhood: the places across Greater Orlando closest in spirit to The Stubborn Mule.

Rusteak

American · Downtown · $$

On the Lake Eola corner in Thornton Park, a neighborhood spot cooking like it has something to prove, polished, relaxed but never stiff.

101 S Eola Dr, Suite 103, Orlando, FL 32801

Outpost Neighborhood Tavern

American · Thornton Park · $$

Two blocks off Lake Eola, a welcoming room guests call a cross between a sports bar and a boutique restaurant, with a lively patio and trivia leagues.

227 N Eola Dr, Orlando, FL 32801

Delaney's Tavern

American · Orlando · $$

Warm and stylish on the ground floor of the Delaney Hotel in SoDo, the room the neighborhood saves for special occasions.

Delaney's Tavern, 1315 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32806, United States

Lake Eola Park & Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain

Parks & outdoors · Downtown · $

Downtown's lake is the city's front porch, with swans, pedal boats, a lit fountain, and a shaded loop around the shore.

Lake Eola Park, 512 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801-1941

Fixtion Restaurant & Bar

American · Downtown · $$

On Orange Avenue, comfort food and huge comfy booths early, club energy after dark, shape-shifting through the day.

15 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801

Nona Blue Modern Tavern

American · Lake Nona · $$

Lake Nona's dressed-up tavern feels upscale but comfortable, with a big center bar and a kitchen cooking from scratch.

9685 Lake Nona Village Pl, Orlando, FL 32827

Keep Going

More in Thornton Park

Other places in Thornton Park, Local Picks first, then the closest to The Stubborn Mule.

Rusteak Local Pick

American · New American · $$

On the Lake Eola corner in Thornton Park, a neighborhood spot cooking like it has something to prove, polished, relaxed but never stiff.

101 S Eola Dr, Suite 103, Orlando, FL 32801

F&D Cantina

Mexican · $$

On East Central, Thornton Park's festive cantina, a dog-friendly patio room where regulars dream about birria tacos and the watermelon margarita.

617 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801

Osteria Ester

Italian · $$

The Good Salt group brings its touch to Italian American cooking on East Central, a warm room that reads as a neighborhood red sauce joint.

629 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL

The Escobar Kitchen

Japanese & sushi · Sushi · $$

Family-run sushi inside a wine shop on East Church Street, rolling Latin-flavored rolls regulars say they dream about.

The Escobar Kitchen, 420 E Church St, Orlando, FL 32801-2775

Wine & Corks

Bars & lounges · Wine Bar · $$

Locally owned bottle shop on East Church Street with a real sushi kitchen inside, an odd pairing that actually works.

420 E Church St Ste 108, Orlando, FL 32801

Orlando Farmers Market

Markets & shops · Farmers Market · $

Every Sunday, the Lake Eola lakefront becomes a shaded, dog-friendly stretch of vendors with live music and a wine and beer garden.

20 N Eola Dr, Orlando, FL 32801