Sometimes, you’re just looking for a solid food option at Disney World without a lot of fuss, and we can relate.

We’ve checked out the updated menus at several of the Disney World hotel lounges and even had decent meals at hotel pool bars and none of them had quite the options that this restaurant does. Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is known for some fancy dining options, but how do their quick-service food options measure up in comparison. Let’s find out!

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is home to some pretty stellar dining options. Most of the restaurants you’ll find here are table service. Ale & Compass Restaurant and Yachtsman’s Steakhouse are both like this with Crew’s Cup Lounge and the Ale & Compass Lounge being the lounge options to pop into for a spirited drink and light appetizers.

If you’re not looking for a bar-type atmosphere or sitting down to a lengthy (and pricey menu), the option you’ll have at this hotel for quick service food is The Market at Ale & Compass. It had been some time since our last visit here, so we decided to pop in while visiting the hotel for a quick bite (and to see what all there was to enjoy on the menu)!

Atmosphere

This restaurant may take you by surprise at first. To find it, you’ll need to be looking for it. It’s kind of tucked away from the main lobby and concierge down the hall.

As you step inside, you’ll find that it’s a very open-concept restaurant that shares real estate with the adjoining gift shop for the hotel.

You’re immediately greeted by an open kitchen counter with registers to place your order…

… and just off to the side, you’ll find a small dining area. Here you’ll find both small tables…

… and booth seating for small and large groups to dine inside.

Since this is a quick service restaurant, most of their food can be taken “to-go” and it seems that the majority of folks prefer to do so since we didn’t find it very full.

There are also a few condiments and utensil stations around that can be picked up at your own choosing.

While they prepare hot meals here, that’s not all this restaurant offers. Since it’s a quick-service restaurant, it also provides grab-and-go snack food options like bakery items, pastries, chips, and treats…

… refillable beverage stations for sodas along with coffee and tea…

… and refrigerated items that can be purchased for rooms that include a full-size kitchen to prepare meals, like the Disney Vacation Club rooms.

While all of these options are a great idea to have in one place, we were looking for fresh food, so we stepped up to the registers at the open counter to review the menu board above them.

Menu

The food options here are unique. The menu consists of mostly hot and cold sandwiches…

… salads…

… a few kid’s meal options…

… desserts, fresh fruits…

… bakery items…

… snacks…

… a wide array of beverages…

… that really could fit any taste…

… specialty coffee…

… alcoholic beverages, beers…

… even more beer...

… and wines by the bottle…

… or glass.

They also offer allergy-friendly menu options available upon request. We decided to opt to mobile order our meal through the My Disney Experience app, placed our order, and waited for it to be prepared.

Eats

If you’ve been waiting in suspense to find out just what exactly we ordered, we’re hoping we make it worth your while. To keep things simple, we decided to order our entire meal at once, and everything was prepared in individual wrappers or containers. We opted for the Grilled Chicken Panini, Cuban Sandwich, and Caramel Cheesecake for dessert.

It certainly looked a bit intimidating to tackle all together so let’s break this down by each item!

We started our meal off with the Grilled Chicken Panini. This panini sandwich is made of basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, and oven-roasted tomatoes on Ciabatta served with house-made chips and costs us $11.49.

This sandwich was served warm, and the first bite was super flavorful. You could taste the herbs in the zesty pesto against the juicy chicken, and the mozzarella gave it a chewier bite. The tomatoes were juicy and would burst when you bit into them, but added an interesting flavor dimension when paired up with the pesto.

We thought this sandwich was delicious! The cheese gets a bit thick as it sits though, so it’s best eaten warm.

The house-made chips are a side we have had many times before at Disney World hotels (they seem to be a popular option) and come standard with the sandwich.

And these chips were no different than we’d tasted before and reminded us of a barbecued kettle chip.

Then it was time to turn our attention to the Cuban Sandwich. This is made of ham, slow-roasted pork, swiss cheese, pickles, mayonnaise, and mustard all on a hoagie roll. It’s also served with a side of house-made chips and cost us $12.29.

The first thing we thought when we bit into this one was, “Wow this thing is tangy!” The pickles and juices were very prominent and snapped when you bit into them. The ham is a bit salty, but in a good way, and the grilled hoagie along with the melty cheese brings it all together.

The meat was tender, sliced thin, and easy to cut through. While the hoagie had the charring in the bread from the press, it was still soft and served warm. Also, it’s at its prime if enjoyed when it’s warm and fresh rather than trying to eat with the same expectation in flavor after it’s had time to cool down.

We were hoping we had saved the best for last! The Caramel Cheesecake was made of vanilla cheesecake with caramel sauce, chocolate stripes, whipped cream, and a chocolate Mickey face and cost us $5.79.

This dessert was decadent! It was thicker to cut into even after it had sat for a while. The caramel sauce is subtle, but so good, against the crumble of the graham crust in the cheesecake.

It reminded us of a New York-style cheesecake more than most Disney cheesecakes. The caramel sauce and chocolate drizzle pair nicely together for extra sweetness, and Mickey’s face is a nice chocolate touch.

We’re confident that we made a solid choice to wrap up our meal here with this treat!

Overall

Overall, we thought this turned out to be a great grab-and-go restaurant, but you’ll need to make sure that’s what you intend to do with it.

We were pleased with how our food was presented, packaged for easy transportation, and even tasted after it had time to cool off and settle.

Nosh or Not?

We’d recommend stopping by this restaurant if…

• You’re looking for light and somewhat healthier options for Disney food. This food is going to be enough to fill you up for the time being, but you’ll probably be ready for another meal after a few hours have passed.
• You’re not keen on spending a ton of time in a dining room. If you’re concerned that taking time out of your day to eat in a more formal dining room will slow you down, this could be a great compromise.
• You’ve also really got to be in the mood to enjoy sandwiches. That’s really the majority of their meal options here.

You’ll probably do better dining elsewhere if…

• You’re looking for a sit-down, but a quick meal. These menu items aren’t going to be super filling and will be more for folks who won’t mind taking something back to their hotel room to enjoy or bringing it along with them as they’re headed into the parks.
• You need a heartier meal. If your idea of a meal is a select protein with a few sides, this certainly isn’t the greatest option for you to select.
• You want more variety in your dining options. Even if you’re willing to look past limited choices for side items, there’s just not a huge variety of entree options here so you’ll want to keep that in mind when deciding where is best to eat for you.

We’ve reviewed EVERYTHING there is to eat, drink, and snack on in Disney World! Check them out at the links below and be sure to check back in with us for more!

REVIEW: There’s a NEW Kitchen Sink Sundae in Disney World and It’s a LOT

What’s your favorite thing to order from the Market at Ale & Compass? Tell us in the comments below!