UPDATE: Please note that as of February 2015, Las Ventanas also serves dinner. Advanced Dining Reservations are also accepted. 

Guess what! Disney World opened a new restaurant, and we’ve got all the details for you! 🙂

Nope; you won’t find it at the parks. You won’t even find it at Downtown Disney! Nope — it’s at Coronado Springs, a Mexican-themed moderate resort!

Coronado Springs has a few aces up its sleeve when it comes to dining. The Pepper Market has a great reputation for lots of delicious choices in its unique station-style food court, and no one can argue with the margarita flight available at Rix Lounge and Maya Grill. Today, we’re excited to present the Resort’s brand new restaurant: Las Ventanas!

Well…it’s not exactly new. Las Ventanas has always been the private dining room for Rix Lounge. I guess they just realized they needed more table service offerings for conventioneers!

Las Ventanas is open for breakfast and lunch. It’s tucked in a hallway next to Rix Lounge. Since it’s closer to the Convention Center, if you are staying at Coronado as a non-Convention guest, it could be easy to miss. Thankfully, there is a sign in front of the Pepper Market leading the way.

Atmosphere

Two things struck me upon entering Las Ventanas. First, the size. It’s small and intimate, due to previously being a private dining room. You’ll nearly be able to see the entire restaurant within these pictures.

There were only 14 or 15 tables in the whole place and, even though the room is small, they were very well-spaced with plenty of room in between each.

Second, it’s beautiful. Decor is minimalistic. Rather than being filled to the brim with details, things are kept rather simple. This serves to enhance the atmosphere, as you can truly take in the touches that catch your eye.

One thing I can’t share with you in pictures, obviously, is the music. But I want to mention it because it is a huge part of the ambiance, and the choice surprised me. The music was… well, the best way I can describe it is “spa-like.”

Okay, I’ve only been to one spa in my whole life, so you can take that with a grain of salt, but I think you know what I mean. Coupled with the beautiful and clean design, everything comes together wonderfully to encourage a sense of calm.

Eats

Before digging in, I really appreciated the easy-to-find-and-read menus on the outside of the restaurant. Prices are readily available, and both breakfast and lunch are designated as a Table Service Credit on the Disney Dining Plan. While the prices here are low enough that it won’t maximize your use of a Table Credit, it’s nice to know it’s available.

BREAKFAST
Though you can find plenty of egg dishes alongside Whole Wheat Pancakes and Sourdough French Toast, the breakfast menu features a few options with a bit more Mexican flair, including Huevos Divociadas and a Chorizo Skillet.

I opted for the Skillet: chorizo potatoes, peppers, and onions topped with a Monterey Jack cheese omelet.

I did wait a while for my order, and I was one of only a few diners. I credit that to the fact that the restaurant is so new, and I assume that kitchen rhythms are still being worked out.

Besides, my attentive and kind server checked in with me often to let me know the status of my order… and my plate was worth the wait.

I loved the presentation from top to bottom, from the steam coming off the omelet down to the bright yellow triangular plate under the skillet.

The omelet itself was hot, fresh, and nicely garnished. And you just gotta love a gooey string of cheese greeting you first thing in the morning. Woo!

Oh, and the toast? Seriously – melts in your mouth. It’s just meant to be an accent, but I would’ve happily taken more. It had a great crunch without being break-your-tooth hard.

The skillet just seemed mammoth once I dug in. The more I ate, it seemed like the more there was left! Just oodles upon oodles of garlic-flavored potatoes.

The chorizo sausage was wonderfully spiced and added a little heat, but the spice didn’t carry over to the potatoes, so if you like a boost of flavor without spice taking over everything, this is a solid choice.

I think the only change I might prefer would be to have larger slices of the peppers and onions instead of diced to break up the potatoes a bit and add more variety. Still, sitting there enjoying my skillet and the peaceful atmosphere, I really couldn’t think of a more pleasant way to start the day.

LUNCH
Now, Guest Author Michelle Buchecker dined at Las Ventanas for lunch, and here’s what she had to say:

The lunch menu has a couple of appetizers, four different salads, five entrees (although they are all sandwiches of some sort, so Gluten-Free guests will need to make changes to what they order or get a salad), and three desserts.

For lunch, I had the Chicken Focaccia sandwich. My choice was between house seasoned fries or sweet potato fries. If I have an option for sweet potato fries, I’ll always take it!

The chicken was tender and juicy and the focaccia bun had lots of flavor and good texture. The sandwich also has baby arugula and bacon aioli on it. I found both toppings complemented the sandwich well, although I could not taste any bacon. There was also a double layer of chicken on the sandwich. I found that to be too much chicken for me and took off half.

The sweet potato fries were moderately heavily seasoned but not overpowering. They were cut about 1 inch long and very thin. This allowed them to be crispy and just the right amount of “softness.” Sometimes sweet potato fries can be flimsy and limp and that was not the case here at all. However, because of the small size, there wasn’t much actual sweet potato flavor. They were still tasty though.

For my beverage I ordered a hot tea and was provided with a selection of a variety of Twinings options. Halfway through my meal, my server asked if I would like more hot water and I replied “yes.” Not only did she bring more hot water but also brought a brand new tea bag. That was a nice touch.

Sadly, I did not have the time or room for dessert. But I look forward to the Key Lime pie next time!

Overall

Maybe it sounds silly, but as I was eating, I honestly kept thinking, “What a nice morning.” It was just a simple and lovely experience.

Where the Pepper Market is bright and festive, Las Ventanas is tranquil and calm. While there are merits to starting your day in either fashion, if you’re craving a little more peace before hitting a busy day in the Parks, you may want to consider visiting Las Ventanas. I think it’s a terrific addition to Coronado Springs!

A few details: Las Ventanas is not currently accepting Advanced Dining Reservations, and — just a reminder — it’s only open for breakfast (7:00 – 11:00 am) and lunch (11:00 am – 2:00 pm).

Would you like to visit Las Ventanas on your next trip to Coronado Springs? Please let us know with a comment!

A note on the writers: Wendy is a DFB full-time author. Michelle is our Guest Author who lives in Chicago and is an avid Walt Disney World fan. She and her husband were married at the Disney Wedding Pavilion in 1998 and return to WDW whenever they can.