There are so many restaurants around Disney World that it can be a challenge to decide where to eat.

While some restaurants are so iconic they can be tough to get reservations for, there are gems hidden around Disney World that you might not even realize are worth checking out. The Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort is home to some of our favorite dining experiences, from the Food and Wine Classic to restaurants like Todd English’s bluezoo and Rosa Mexicano, but you have to leave the parks to try them. Just outside of EPCOT — inside the Dolphin — The Fountain is an unassuming spot with classic American fare like milkshakes and burgers. We stopped by for lunch recently to check it out — keep reading for our full review!

Atmosphere

To get to The Fountain, walk through the doors that pass under the fountain near the Swan and Dolphin causeway.

You’ll find the host stand down the hall toward Rosa Mexicano on the right.

There is a selection of various booths, tables, and bar tops around the dining room…

… as well as a few cases where you can see the ice cream and bakery options.

We were seated at a table with silverware, cloth napkins, and a condiment caddy with ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.

There’s a pretty sizable menu here — let’s take a look!

Menu

For starters, there are some pretty classic options like Onion Rings, Chili Cheese Fries, and Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce. There are also a few salads, like the Asian Salmon Salad.

For Burger & Sandwiches, you’ll find things like the Fountain Signature Burger, the Grilled Chicken BLT, and the Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese.

There are a few fun drink options like Boylan Craft Soda, beer, and wine.

You know we can’t forget about dessert! You can order hand-scooped or soft-serve ice cream with fun toppings and sauces, or pick something from their Sweet Selections, like a Peanut Butter Cupcake or Chef Specialty Cake Slice.

This spot also serves up some delicious Sundaes and Shakes.

Let’s dig in!

Eats

To eat, we ordered the Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce, the Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese, and the Low-n-Slow Brisket Sandwich. For drinks, we tried a couple of their shakes — the Coco Loco Shake and the Loaded Strawberry Kookies.

The Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce, which we ordered for $8.50, were soft and pillowy with a generous portion of Coarse Salt.

These were a fun starter for those who like pretzels, and they come with a cheese sauce that is similar to what you’ll get with a pretzel in the parks, not plastic cheese. If you like a thinner sauce, this is great!

However, those who prefer the thick plastic cheese you can also find in the parks might be a little disappointed. Overall, these were still enjoyable though — but make sure you eat them when they are hot! After they sit for a while they can get a bit greasy and tough.

The Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese comes with braised Buffalo chicken, Colby cheese, and blue cheese crumbles on toasted French country bread. This is served with fries and costs $18, but you can substitute the fries for sweet potato fries or onion rings for an additional $3. We loved this sandwich! If you’re a fan of the Buffalo Grilled Chicken Cheese Sandwich at ABC Commissary in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you’ll also probably really love this.

Keep in mind, however, that this comes with blue cheese crumbles that give this sandwich a sharp, funky flavor typical of blue cheese. If you don’t love that, you can always ask them to leave that off. The buffalo sauce on this was actually pretty spicy with a mild sweetness, the chicken was tender, and the bread was buttery and delicious, with a nice crispy exterior from the grill. The fries were similar to steak fries and were pretty good, but not the best we’ve had in Disney World. They had a good texture but could use a bit more salt.

We also tried the Low-n-Slow Brisket Sandwich for $19. This came with house-smoked Angus beef brisket, Vermont white cheddar cheese sauce, charred tomato barbecue, Wickles pickles, and sautéed onions and mushrooms and was served on a garlic toasted Amoroso roll. This also came with fries with the option to substitute sweet potato fries or onion rings for $3.

We were blown away by this sandwich! It has so much flavor from the brisket, which was smoky and tender with crispy edges and a bit of flavorful fat. The mushrooms and onions added a complex sweetness and umami flavor that, paired with the Vermont cheese sauce, made this incredibly rich and savory.

We also loved how the charred tomato barbecue added a sweet and tangy touch to this messy, delicious sandwich.

The bread was soft but held together pretty well under the weight of all of the toppings, considering. Overall, this reminded us of a Philly Cheesesteak, and we can’t stop thinking about it.

The Coco Loco Shake, which we ordered for $11, was made with whipped cream, chocolate ice cream, caramel cappuccino ice cream, malted milk balls, and chocolate caramel drizzle. This was creamy and delicious, on par with some of our favorite shakes that we’ve gotten at Beaches and Cream.

This had a mostly chocolate flavor with a mild hint of coffee — decadent, but if you’re looking for a more coffee-forward shake, keep in mind that you can have them build one however you like. You might want to try this with just cappuccino ice cream!

We also ordered a boozy shake — the Loaded Strawberry Kookies — for $14. This was made with house vodka, strawberry patch and cookies and cream ice creams, whipped cream, and Oreo crumbles.

The vodka was definitely present in this — strong, but not overpowering. There were chunks of strawberries in it that made this taste fresh rather than artificial, and we loved how the light whipped cream and crunchy Oreos added some interesting textures. We do think we would have enjoyed this more without the alcohol, but it was still tasty nonetheless.

Lastly, we ordered the Banana Split for dessert. This came with your choice of ice cream or yogurt flavors, banana, strawberry, pineapple, chocolate sauce, peanuts, whipped cream, and peanuts for $13.50.

We got this classic Banana Split with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream, and it was delicious but messy! The ice creams were thick and creamy, which paired well with the whipped cream topping and crunchy peanuts. The bananas added a fresh and bright pop and weren’t too ripe so they balanced out the sweetness well.

The chocolate sauce was gooey and delicious and brought the whole thing together. A simple, tasty classic.

Overall

Overall, we were surprised by how good the food was here. What seems like just a simple spot with basic American classics actually was a homerun. The food is comforting but not basic, with a ton of bold flavors that blew us away.

By Disney standards, this table-service restaurant is actually pretty affordable, so we were very pleasantly surprised with how good everything was. The service was friendly and although we were there for a late lunch, the dining room was pretty quiet, so this might just be one of our new favorite hidden gems. It’s definitely worth checking out!

Nosh or Not

Leave EPCOT for lunch at The Fountain if… 

• You want a nice table service lunch but you’re on a budget.
• You’re staying at an EPCOT resort or are looking for a mid-day break during your park day.
• You love classic American fare like burgers and milkshakes.

Skip this spot if…

• You’re on a tight schedule and don’t have time to leave the park for food.
• You want a lighter meal.
• You are looking for a more adventurous dining experience.

We’ll continue bringing you all the latest Disney news and food reviews, so stay tuned to DFB for more!

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