Sometimes we just have the itch to get out and see the rest of Disney World beyond the theme parks. When this is the case, we find ourselves strategizing which is the best course to take to end up by some of our favorite Disney World hotels.

On a recent visit to Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, we decided to stop by that quick service restaurant there — The Artist’s Palette — for an early dinner and see if they had anything new to the menu to try!

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort neighbors Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Disney Springs. However it’s a huge property and while it’s within walking distance to both, depending on where you’re starting your trek from, certain sections of the hotel grounds can be further away requiring a bit more time (and patience getting there by foot).

This hotel also offers complimentary boat and bus transportation depending on your destination and is one of the popular Disney Vacation Club hotel options due to its massive size and villas that can sleep up to 12.

Atmosphere

The Artist’s Palette has exposed brick walls on the inside and artistic glass light fixtures that give it a casual, yet sophisticated vibe.

We found it to be warm and inviting, with decor that feels like you’ve just stepped inside a hip city artist’s loft. There’s bench seating and tables available inside…

… and several iron patio tables and chairs available if you prefer to take your meal and eat outside.

The utensils are self-service here…

… and there’s even a convenient microwave you can use right by the condiments.

This quick-service restaurant also shares space with general groceries that hotel guests may want to pick up during their stay along with self-serve beverage machines, grab and go items in large coolers…

… an open concept kitchen so you can watch some of your food be prepared…

… and an extensive arrangement of desserts to choose from that will vary seasonally.

To get our meal started, we walked up to the Cast Member toward the center of the restaurant holding the menu, and asked to take a peek at what was available to order.

Menu

The menu options here here are fairly simple with a few dishes that make up entrees…

… along with soup and salad options, kid’s meal portions, select desserts, and even a create-your-own entree as a dinner exclusive!

During this time, Disney was celebrating Women’s History Month so there were a few exclusive menu items available for a limited time here.

This certainly piqued our interest, and we decided on what we wanted to order after a few minutes of browsing the menu.

Drinks

Our plans derailed a bit right off the bat here because we had a hard time finding the drink we originally wanted to try. After speaking with several of the Cast Members and subsequently all looking for this one drink, they persuaded us to try a newer pre-mixed drink that they all raved about. We decided to try out the On The Rocks Premium Cocktails — The Margarita which cost us $22.

Allow us to be the first to point out that this is quite a large premixed margarita bottle and the Cast Member at the register ringing out our order offered an accompanying cup so we could grab ice from the drink machines.

This drink was every bit as good as the Cast Members described to us (sometimes it pays to talk to them and really heed their suggestions)! It’s a classic lime-flavored margarita and for a premixed drink, it really had fresh flavor. The top of the bottle comes corked and when we opened it up to pour into the glass and take a sip it was just as good as ordering a margarita from the pool bar (just maybe a bit stronger).

Overall this was a solid drink choice that we’d totally opt for again, but it’s got a hefty price tag to it at $22. Luckily though, this bottle held around 4 full cup servings so we would highly recommend splitting it between your dining party because it is a bit stronger in the tequila than what you’ll get at the nearby bar.

Eats

We decided to order all of the new items that were on the menu for Women’s History Month along with a few extra options. All together we decided to try the Beef Bourguignon, Cauliflower Bisque, Traditional Pound Cake, and finish everything off with the Bears in Dirt for dessert.

Let’s start by talking about the Cauliflower Bisque first! This is made of creamy cauliflower bisque, harissa, with roasted pistachio gremalata and cost us $4.49. This one was quite a surprise!

After it had sat for a little bit in the cup, the top formed a visible buttery layer of grease to the top of it and we just knew it had to be delicious at that point.

Luckily, it delivered on all aspects and the creamy cauliflower didn’t even taste like cauliflower.

While it is a bisque, it was a bit thicker like a cream of mushroom soup, but this one hit the spot for us when it was served warm, gave great buttery notes to the top of the bisque with our spoonful, and tasted like warm buttery cream in our mouths. There were bits of cauliflower in it, along with a low-heat spice from the peppery taste of the harissa and the pistachio gremolata paired well to brighten the flavors in this veggie dish, too!

Then it was time to turn our attention to the Beef Bourguignon. This dish is made of slow-braised beef and vegetables in a rich red wine jus served over creamy mashed potatoes and cost us $14.99.

We had high expectations for this one, and it didn’t disappoint! This was served very warm and was still hot for quite a while after we had ordered it. The portion was very large, and we’re certain you could easily share it if you really wanted to try it along with something else.

The red wine jus is what will hit you first when you take a bite and it’s delicious. The meat is tender enough to cut through with a plastic utensil and juicy when it makes it to your mouth. The added vegetables tasted like carrots, onions, and even mushrooms mixed into the sauce layered over top of the mashed potatoes.

These weren’t as buttery as we’re used to with Disney World mashed potatoes, but with the accompanying red wine jus and veggies, it was a smart choice to hold back on that because it could easily have become too salty if it had been any more buttery than what they were.

We’ve made it halfway through our meal and, we think that deserves an award, so now it’s time to talk about the Traditional Pound Cake. This delectable goodie is a homemade vanilla pound cake slice and cost us $3.99.

Taking a bite of this just made your life complete at that moment. The slice comes individually packaged and tastes every bit like you would imagine a vanilla pound cake should. It was just moist enough, but not too much to ruin the pound cake consistency which crumbled in our mouth as soon as we took a bite.

It’s certainly a light vanilla flavor to this cake and for the price and the taste, it was a great value.

We wrapped up our dinner by treating ourselves to a little dessert. We opted for the Bears in Dirt cup made of chocolate pudding, chocolate cookie crumbs, and gummy candy bears, which cost us $3.79.

This one had us feeling like a kid again in all the best ways. The chocolate pudding was thick and chocolatey to taste and the layer of cookie crumbs at the time was almost like a thin layer of cake due to the moisture of the pudding.

The little gummy candy bears sticking up out of the dirt were adorable and we could easily see this become a popular grab-and-go snack or a special treat for your little ones when visiting here.

And if you were wondering, yes, the gummy candy bears also were delicious and we may have acted out scenes with them while we were eating dessert.

Overall

Overall we really enjoyed our dinner here. The entrees had a table-service quality with sophisticated flavors. It was a really great experience for what is essentially a fast food restaurant.

We were impressed with everything we ordered and really enjoyed talking through menu options with such friendly and helpful Cast Members who seem to know their menu offerings well enough that they’re comfortable making recommendations to you based on your discussed preferences.

Nosh or Not?

Stop by for a meal at The Artist’s Palette if…

• You’re looking for a unique meal at Disney World. If you’re looking to switch up your meal options from the typical burger, pizza, hot dogs, and fries, this restaurant would be a great choice!
• You’re looking to dine with sophistication on a budget. It’s not always going to be the fanciest of options meal-wise, but if you’re looking for a hip atmosphere The Artist’s Palette is where you want to be.
• You’re taking a day to tour a few of the Disney World hotels. There are lots of folks that work in a full day or more just to look around at the rest of Disney World outside of the theme parks. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, you’re probably just a short bus ride away.

We’d recommend grabbing a meal elsewhere if…

• You prefer a table service restaurant experience. While you can order here and get your food brought out to your table, this is still technically a quick-service restaurant so most of the menu offerings will be easily packaged to take on the go. If you’re looking for a plated entree experience at a traditional restaurant where you’re seated by a host, you won’t find that here.
• Buffets have your heart. We honestly can’t blame you because some of the Disney World buffets are real bangers when it comes to their menu selection but unfortunately, that just won’t be found here.
• You’re not willing to venture over to a big Disney World hotel JUST for a meal. We get it, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort is a massive hotel and grounds that might feel like it takes forever to get through at times. If the idea of venturing over to one of the largest Disney World hotel properties doesn’t sound appealing to you, you could find yourself a tad annoyed before you even make it to the restaurant.

We’ve eaten at EVERY restaurant in Disney World and we’re constantly updating or reviews of each. Be sure to check out a few of our most recent at the links below and stay tuned with us for all of the latest Disney food offerings, menu changes, and more!

REVIEW: This Disney World Restaurant BETRAYED US — But It Might Still Be Worth a Visit

Have you ever eaten at The Artist’s Palette? Tell us about your experience below in the comments!