ORLGuide
The Best Restaurants & Bars In Disney Springs
photo credit: Anne Cruz
You don’t need a ticket to visit Disney Springs, but make no mistake: this outdoor mall with stores, restaurants, and live music is clearly in Mickey’s backyard. It’s a parallel universe taken over by amusement park frenzy, where tourists carry backpacks skewered by Winnie the Pooh pins and performers belt “Part Of Your World” while riding pianos on wheels. Even if you’re not a hardcore Disney fan, it’s possible to have a fun time and great meal here. In fact, some of the restaurants are better than their in-park counterparts. And when you want to get away from the Mouse, we have a guide to the best restaurants in Orlando proper as well.
THE SPOTS
Disney Springs’ newest restaurant is a calming respite from fried snacks and gaggles of wailing children. Settle in with a spritz and some of their lighter options: the tuna watermelon tostadas are refreshing, and since acceptable salads are hard to find at Disney, we’re especially thankful for the cobb loaded up with corn, cucumber, and plenty of bacon. The fluffy double chocolate cloud cookies from their in-house bakery are a perfect dessert, much better than waiting in line at Gideon’s for an hour. It's all set inside an airy dining room with huge windows facing the water, which will help you mentally prepare before facing crowds back at the park.
It’s easy to feel overstimulated at Disney World. Between the pumped-in scents and roaming princesses, there’s a constant fight for your attention. Thankfully, there are no costumed characters in sight at Jaleo, making it a good choice for low-key dinners and splitting some small plates in peace. Other locations in Chicago, DC, and Las Vegas prove that it’s a reliable spot to graze on crispy patatas bravas and cured meats. But you can also ball out on larger plates like a hefty 16-ounce rack of lamb or a giant paella that’ll prompt the staff to ring a ceremonial cowbell—that’s the extent of the theater-kid energy here, we promise.
Disney World doesn’t have a yacht-themed attraction, but if they did, it’d look a lot like the Boathouse. The huge space (and menu) is great for large family dinners with picky eaters, and the boat that’s been turned into a booth is excellent bait for anyone in your group that’s obsessed with Jimmy Buffet. You can leisurely snack on coconut shrimp and drink frozen cocktails topped with rubber duckies on the patio all evening long, but if the kids are jonesing for a post-meal activity, the restaurant also runs lake tours in their ‘60s amphicars.
photo credit: Anne Cruz
This little patisserie just across from the giant Disney store is useful for distracting your feral niece or nephew from begging for an $80 Stitch sweatshirt. There’s a huge selection of tarts, cookies, and macarons, but you need to get one of the glistening character cakes. The Mickey version is like a chocolate turducken: chocolate chiffon topped with dark and white chocolate mousse that’s light enough to enjoy on a steamy Orlando day. As with any fun dessert spot in Disney, the lines can get long, so place an order ahead of time and go catch whatever band is playing on the waterfront stage.
All the metallic surfaces make the Edison feel like you’ve sipped the shrinking potion from Alice In Wonderland and now you’re hanging out between the gears of a mechanical clock. It’s a lively nighttime spot, when charming musicians take the main floor stage and sing bluesy covers. This live entertainment goes well with an evening of gooey grilled cheese sandwiches and rounds of drinks. The cocktail list is all pretty good, but ask for the off-menu cherry limeade spiked with vodka and orgeat. At the bar, you might overhear an exhausted dad asking for a Bud Light to go—it’s stroke of genius worth copying for a boozy night-time walk around the Springs.
