Today, we’re welcoming back Bill Iadonisi with a guest review of the Art of Animation Resort’s new food court – Landscape of Flavors! You can see our previous review of Art of Animation here!
We love Disney for so many reasons; the attractions, shows, fireworks and one of my favorites, the food! For us, nothing beats a meal at Disney. But the ultimate magical experience is dining at a brand new eatery! Case in point is the new “Landscape of Flavors” counter-service restaurant in the newly opened Art of Animation resort.
This restaurant is the only eatery for the resort and is counter-service. It is very similar to one of my very favorite places to dine, the Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavilion at EPCOT. Here you will find healthier, more upscale offerings than the usual hot dogs, burgers and chicken fingers. The menu has something for everyone.
Atmosphere
I like to rate eateries on four criteria – Atmosphere, Service, Food, and Value. Let’s begin!
You enter the restaurant through the Animation Hall lobby, making a left through the “Ink and Paint Shop” gift store. The dining area seats 596 guests, but in no way will you feel crowded. The spacious dining room is bright and airy.
Dining Area
There are several smaller areas off of the main room, and like the main area, they are surrounded by pictures and lighting fixtures.
On the far wall by the pool area, the whole wall has floor to ceiling windows, offering a fantastic view of the pool area and its many themed sculptures and designs.
Smaller Dining Area
Artwork
Art
There are beverage stations and small snack kiosks all around. Microwaves are also available.
Beverage Stations
Microwaves for Guest Use
Guests pick up a tray and utensils and move on to the food stations to order. There are no hard-copy menus, the menus are above the different food stations on an LCD screen just like in the Sunshine Seasons. Editor’s Note: I absolutely love that the utensils are NOT plastic! 😉
Utensils
Food Order Areas
After picking up your order, you pay on the way out and that is where you also order your beverages.
While it was fairly crowded when we were there, the noise level was not at all offensive. You could have a conversation with no problem.
We sat near the windows to enjoy the view. There is a covered outdoor area next to the pool with plenty of seating. All of your condiments are at the various stations around the dining area.
Outdoor Seating
What I also liked about the eatery is the large beverage cooler, offering water, juices, yogurts, kids’ picks and even wine.
Beverage Cooler
You can also just pick up a quick snack to go. There is a dessert cooler with even more goodies to choose from.
Snack Kiosk
Bakery Case
The round lighting fixtures above are just amazing. Each one sporting different motifs from the various films represented, the artistry is what you would expect from the Imagineers.
Lighting
Ceiling Light Fixture
The service aspect is really moot here, since it is counter service; but whatever station you choose, the staff was Disney efficient and of course, friendly!
Eats
Now the food. Each station has its own menus and everything is made fresh and right in front of you. There are also sample plates of the dishes offered, giving you a heads-up on what you will be getting.
The menus have a nice variety for almost every palate.
Offered are custom “Create your own Burger”, veggie burgers and even a pastrami Cheeseburger.
Burger Menu - click image for larger version
Art of Animation Burgers
Art of Animation Burgers
There is the “Create your own Salad” with a plethora of fresh ingredients, including shrimp or chicken.
Salad Menu - click image for larger version
Soups are also offered. And for the pizza and Italian crowd, a variety of pizzas and pastas can be had.
Pizza Menu - click image for larger version
All menus have a “Kids’ Pick” side. There is also a Tandoori and Mongolian Grill menu.
Tandoori Mongolian Menu - click image for larger version
My wife Donna chose the Caprese Sandwich ($8.99) with fresh tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese, basil and a fantastic Balsamic drizzle, served on a Ciabatte roll with Disney’s House made chips. The chips are very tasty, have a sharp crunch and are not at all greasy.
House Chips
The sandwich was very tasty and the bread was soft and crunchy. It’s a great choice. She also picked up an éclair from the cooler.
Caprese Sandwich and Eclair
I’m a salad man and had to try the make your own salad ($9.99). Iceberg lettuce, spring mix, or spinach is offered. I made my salad with a combo of all three and really went wild. Some of the choices are ham, corn, bacon, shrimp, chicken, and several varieties of beans.
Salad Sides
The greens were fresh and crisp, and the add-ons were just as tasty and fresh. It turned out to be a hefty salad, more than enough for the average eater. With my coffee and Donna’s Diet coke, it was an enjoyable meal.
Create Your Own Salad
We were both pleased with the choices, and if that is any indication, the other freshly made offerings looked as enticing and were probably just as tasty. And the Landscape of Flavors did not forget the desserts!
Dessert Menu - click image for larger version
In addition to the dessert cooler, a smoothie and cake station is offered. From Mango, Wildberry, and Create-your-own, the smoothies look delectable! Gelato, Espresso and Cappuccinos are available.
Beverages - click image for larger version
Gelato
There is a breakfast menu also, which includes omelets, eggs, French toast, variety platters, steak and eggs, pancakes and sandwiches. Also, muffins, pastries, croissants and a variety of beverages. The menus change depending on the time.
Overall
For value, the prices are in range with other Disney counter-service restaurants. But the fare here is a step above the norm. The bright and open dining area, along with the artwork and the wonderfully themed resort, make it a great stop for a bite.
The eatery is open from 6am till midnight. My wife and I enjoyed this new addition to Disney’s stable of Dining choices and will be back again soon to sample the other menu items offered.
No reservations are needed and it accepts Tables in Wonderland, but not DVC (Disney Vacation Club) discounts. I have included the menus in the picture section.
What’s your impression of the menu, prices, and decor at this new food court?
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Good to see another positive review of Landscape of Flavors. I get more excited every day as my trip gets closer to stay there!
Great review, AND very timely – Thank you!
We actually just added Landscape of Flavors to our own “dining plan” for our October trip.
Our daughter wants to go see the sculptures, etc. at the resort so we’re making plans to go on a tour, then have lunch there.
My husband is a “salad man” too! I’m sure he’ll be blown away by the make-your-own salads, especially since they’re that fresh.
Looking forward to our visit in November!
Was there last week and the food was good. The only drawback is the kids menu choices are somewhat limited. If you have a picky eater, you may find yourself walking over to Pop Century for kids meals…..
I ate there in June and had the make-your-own pasta. There was a great assortment of meats and vegetables to add to your choice of four different pastas and I believe three sauces. All of the ingredients looked fresh and they cook and mix it right in front of you. It was a great value for the money, and it was honestly enough for two people to share. And I totally agree with you, AJ – I love the fact that it’s served on real plates with real silverware!
Was planning on an afternoon/evening of resort hopping when I’m there in Sept. Looks like I need to add this to the itenerary.
I’ve said this before on one of the previous blogs discussing this counter restaurant; the Disney folks are going to have to step up their game in most of the other resort counters to match this. Those of us that have a different favorite hotel will expect them to bring our counter up to this level in both food and decor.
Thank you for an excellent report! We’ll be staying at AOA after Thanksgiving and I’m really looking forward to the healthy and delicious looking food this resort has to offer. I enjoyed the wonderful photos that you shared with us.
Thank you all for your comments! All seem to agree that this is another Disney gem. Disney is now offering many more healthy food choices in it’s restaurants, both counter and table service, and the Landscape of Flavors does not disappoint. I did compare it to the Sunshine Seasons in the Land, which is our favorite counter-service in EPCOT and the food offerings at both eateries are on par with each other.
With the wonderful theming, artwork, food and open seating, this is sure to be a first choice for many guests for a great meal!
Oh man, that Mongolian Grilled Fish with a side of acorn squash and spinach and paneer is calling my name. I think it’s pretty awesome they offer unique counter service food like this instead of taking the easy route with more burgers and fries. I hope this trend continues across WDW!
I will be heading there for dinner the first night of November trip. I’m not sure what I will have for dinner but will definitely be partaking in gelato and a cappuccino.
wow, that looks so good. If I get a chance to go in September the friends I’m traveling with are getting a family suite here and I’m going to use that as an excuse to try it out.
For my trip to POR in October, I’ve already planned in a breakfast here. Now, after this review, I may have to pop in a lunch too!!
It looks so pretty. Thanks for posting the menu prices…they really help when budgeting!
Good to know they have lighting fixtures
There are quite a few vegetarian options here: veggie burger, caprese sandwich, salads, pizzas and tandoori acorn squash. I’ve had the tandoori acorn squash a couple of times and love it. I had it with multigrain rice and lentils. Ask for the lentils on the side and they put it in a little bowl, which is great for dipping your naan bread in.
They use real utensils and plates, which is great. After eating here I tried the counter service area at Pop Century, thinking that it would be similar, but that was a disappointment. I had the veggie calzone at Pop Century and it was nearly impossible to cut through the hard thing with my little plastic knife. The layout of both restaurants are very similar, but I liked Landscape of Flavors 10 times better.
On the dining plans, does a smoothie count as a drink or only as dessert?
Thanks so much for this review. I am so glad to hear about the “real” plates and flatware. All I need now is to hear that Be Our Guest will be open by Thanksgiving and I’ll be in dining nirvana for my November trip!
Visited while on New Year’s vacation with my family of 5; I and my son had the Mongolian Beef with vegetables served with naan bread. Beef was great; lentils (pureed) and white rice were my sides which were quite tasty. Naan bread left a little to be desired because it was a little too baked; almost chip like and not very soft. One of my sons had the meatball sub which he thoroughly enjoyed. Wife had the surf and surf burger which she found quite tasty!
This is my second visit and we have walked the grounds of the hotel after our meal which both kids and adults seem to enjoy very much with all the Nemo, Cars, Little Mermaid and Lion King art work. You can also walk around hour glass lake and end up over at Pop Century!
I ate there last night after reading the reviews above and was very disappointed. We had the tandoori chicken and that had very little flavor to it, if we hadn’t read the sign saying tandoori chicken, we wouldn’t have known what it was. There was no sauce with it at all and it was very dry and so was the basmati rice. We had the side of roasted cauliflower with a bit of tomato sauce and that was all the sauce there was on the plate. We also tried the side of roasted red potatoes and those were rock hard and hardly cooked at all. Even bearing down on the knife it was hard to cut those things.
I love lentils but unfortunately there were none of those available just spinach which I despise so we were stuck with the cauliflower and potatoes for sides.
I don’t know if they were having an off night because they were so busy but this was just so disapointing and I had really been looking forward to it.
Terrible! Chaotic in the food area and a super long wait to check out. With 3 people in front of us it took 25 min to check out. Needless to say my food was cold, my son ate his meal standing in line. I certainly expect more from disney.
Tried it out on vacation last week. Had the tandoori shrimp. It was quite tasty. The other three people I was with also enjoyed their lunch. Not a bad choice at all if you are sans car and chained to Disney world.