Old Hickory Steakhouse at Gaylord Palms Resort Reopens After Extensive Renovation

Hi everyone!

Old Hickory Steakhouse at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee has officially reopened after an extensive renovation. The remodeling includes a show kitchen, larger lounge and a private dining room! There is also a new dry-aged steak program, and 351 wine choices.

Read below for the details from Gaylord Palms on the Old Hickory Steakhouse renovation and menu items.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Old Hickory Steakhouse restaurant at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center has officially reopened, following a major, $7.25 million renovation that included a complete interior and exterior remodeling and the addition of new features, dining areas and guest enhancements. The restaurant, the resort’s flagship dining location popular with both convention and leisure guests, closed for the renovation in May 2023 and officially reopened in Feb. 2024.

Among the additions: a new show kitchen, dry-aged steak program and new display, a glass-enclosed wine wall visible from both sides, private dining room, gourmet cheese and charcuterie display, an expanded bar and new patio lounge, new furniture and artwork inside and outside the restaurant, and a new architectural and decorative lighting package. The renovation project also included the addition of a private dining area, the Sabal Palm Dining Room.

Since its original opening in Feb. 2002, Old Hickory Steakhouse has become famous with guests for its hand-selected, gourmet steaks. The current menu features everything from an eight-ounce Linz Heritage USDA Prime Angus New York Filet and a Prime House Dry-Aged 16-ounce New York Strip, to a 12-ounce Black Opal Australian Wagyu and a 44 Farms 28-ounce Cowboy Ribeye.
Gluten-friendly and vegetarian options are available, as well as seafood selections like Oven-Roasted Ōra King Salmon, and a Chilled Shellfish Tower. The shellfish tower serves two, and features Florida Gulf Shrimp, Oysters, Maine Lobster, Alaskan King Crab and Scallop Crudo. Specialty salads and soups, Roasted Bone Marrow, Housemade Gnocchi and Citrus-Brined Organic Chicken are also current menu highlights.

The restaurant’s dry aging program inside the new glass display is designed to create and showcase the most tender and flavorful steaks. It contains cuts of meat that have been dry aged for 30 days, 45 days and 60 days. With Old Hickory Steakhouse’s on-site dry-aging program, chefs can dry-age them on custom schedules.

“Old Hickory Steakhouse’s renovation is important as we continually strive to offer memory-making guest experiences throughout our resort,” said Johann Krieger, general manager of Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. “During our soft-opening period, we heard from both our convention and leisure guests how much they loved the new restaurant, with its new exposition kitchen, the steak, wine and cheese displays, and the new lounge and patio area.”

The $7.25 million remodeling project is the restaurant’s most extensive in its history.

Large sections of the restaurant’s exterior walls were removed to immerse diners in the Everglades-inspired environment that surrounds Old Hickory Steakhouse inside the resort’s 4.5-acre atrium. Designers sought to create the atmosphere of an alfresco dining experience where guests feel like they are outdoors, while inside the resort’s garden atrium where the temperature is maintained at 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Old Hickory Steakhouse diners also will notice the new teal-green tile, furniture made of rich woods and leathers, string lighting and Bermuda shutters.
Inside, new furniture includes tables and seating made of walnut, pickled oak and teak, accented with burnished brass and oil-rubbed bronze.

One of Old Hickory Steakhouse’s most popular menu selections, the Artisanal Cheese Board, has returned and features an expanded list of gourmet cheeses from around the world. The international cheese selection is complemented by local honey, freshly harvested from the beehives and apiary located on Gaylord Palms’ property, just a short distance away from Old Hickory Steakhouse. Guests can order a small cheese tasting or full platter of gourmet cheeses, alongside some of La Quercia’s finest cured meats.

The restaurant’s award-winning wine selection, featuring 351 wine choices and more than 3,600 individual bottles, is an extensive and diverse collection from renowned vineyards.

Also new at the restaurant – a custom cutlery collection, providing guests the opportunity to select from a variety of premium steak knives. Presented by servers in specially made, wooden presentation boxes, guests can select a specific steak knife for their meal. The collection features knives of different weights, lengths, handle designs and levels of serration. According to Old Hickory Steakhouse chefs, non-serrated knives are ideal for smaller, tender cuts like Filet Mignon – while longer, serrated knives usually work better with T-Bone steaks.

The signature dining experience at Gaylord Palms Resort, Old Hickory Steakhouse is the only restaurant featured at every Gaylord Hotel in the United States.

For more information about Old Hickory Steakhouse, to view current menus or book a reservation, guests can go to GaylordPalmsDining.com.