My partner and I went to Hard Rock Cafe for the first time. The decor is cool, but our $80 meal wasn't worth it.

• My partner and I dined at Hard Rock Cafe for the first time in Philadelphia.

• We got two appetizers, a steak-burger meal, and specialty mac and cheese with chicken for $80.

• As music lovers, we loved the experience, but our food wasn't worth the price.

My partner and I are always looking for new chain restaurants to try, and Hard Rock Cafe has been at the top of our list for a while.

As fans of all genres of music, we were intrigued by the chain's famous decorations, which include autographed vinyls and outfits worn by music icons like Taylor Swift.

Luckily, Hard Rock International is a multibillion-dollar company with over 50 restaurant locations in the US alone, so it's not hard to find one.

We visited the chain's Philadelphia location to see if the food and atmosphere lived up to the hype.

Here's what our experience was like.

I was immediately impressed by the restaurant’s interior.

Before visiting, pretty much all I knew about Hard Rock Cafe was that each location showcased different relics from music history.

Right when we walked in, I noticed a lot of cool pieces hung up around the dining room, including a guitar used by the Goo Goo Dolls and a signed Smashing Pumpkins vinyl.

Music videos of all genres played on TVs around the restaurant, which I also loved.

Despite it being a tourist hot spot, we were seated right away.

I was expecting there to be a bit of a wait when we got there because I know it's a bit of a tourist trap, but my partner and I were ushered to a table right away.

I liked that Hard Rock Cafe is committed to its theme right down to the menus, which are wrapped in snakeskin-like material.

The menu also included unique, music-themed items like the Purple Haze cocktail and Little Legends sliders.

We started with nachos as our first appetizer.

The chain's Legendary nachos came with the basics like black beans, queso, pico de gallo, jalapeños, and a lime crema. We could've added chicken, steak, or guacamole for an upcharge, but we decided not to.

The portion size didn't feel big enough for a $17 starter, and nothing really stood out about the taste. They were run-of-the-mill nachos, and I know I've paid less for similar dishes at other chains.

Next, we tried the chain’s shrimp appetizer.

I love Bonefish Grill's iconic Bang Bang Shrimp, so I was excited to try Hard Rock's One Night in Bangkok Spicy Shrimp, which looked very similar.

Again, for $17, I thought the portion could've been bigger. But the breading was delicious, and I loved the sauce.

If I returned to Hard Rock Cafe, I'd get this dish over the nachos.

My partner ordered a steak burger from a limited-edition menu.

When we went, the chain had a special menu called the Hard Rock Cafe World Burger Competition dedicated to smash and steak burgers influenced by different cultures.

My partner opted for the Romanian-inspired Bucharest burger ($20). It included a 7-ounce steak (ordered medium-rare), Camembert cheese, garlic-horseradish aioli, red-wine cranberry jam, tomato, onion, and lettuce.

The dish also came with a side of fries.

The burger was enjoyable, but the frisée lettuce was too much.

We both liked how the burger was cooked but agreed it was a bit dry.

The red-wine cranberry jam added an interestingly bitter taste, much like the Thanksgiving side dish. But there was a bit too much frisée lettuce, which made it a little hard to bite into at times.

We would've preferred if the sandwich used a more muted lettuce, like romaine or iceberg.

The fries were crispy, and we had no complaints about them.

I ordered the specialty mac and cheese.

I'm a huge mac-and-cheese fan, so I was excited by the Twisted Mac, Chicken, and Cheese on the menu.

The $24 dish included cavatappi pasta, chicken breast, red peppers, and a four-cheese blend.

We were pretty disappointed by the pasta dish.

We weren't really impressed by the mac and cheese or the chicken breast, especially since the dish was considered a specialty. The chicken seemed a bit overcooked and underseasoned.

I liked the smokiness that the red peppers gave the cheese sauce, but the dish fell a little flat otherwise.

The portion also felt small for the price. I think it would make a decent appetizer if it was cheaper, but I wouldn't order it as a main course again.

After eating, we walked around to look at more decorations.

The atmosphere and decorations, especially the neon band posters, were by far my favorite part of the dining experience.

We also made a pit stop to check out the gift shop.

The Hard Rock Cafe gift shop was cute and offered everything from shirts to hoodies to souvenir pins.

Although I didn't buy anything because I'm a Philly local, I could see the appeal for people visiting the city.

We didn’t feel like our meal was worth $80.

Although my partner and I enjoyed the theme and vibe of Hard Rock Cafe, we didn't think the food was worthy of another visit.

I'd eat the shrimp appetizer and steak burger again, but nothing else stood out. And I thought the portions were small for an $80 dinner.

In the future, we'd probably opt for Applebee's or Chili's for similar items at a more affordable price.

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