We have eaten EVERYWHERE in Disney World, but that doesn’t stop us from continuing to review Disney World restaurants. We are constantly revisiting restaurants to make sure we are always providing the best information for your next trip!

Today we are heading over to Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, to revisit a restaurant focused on New England comfort food, Ale & Compass. Let’s get to it!

During past reviews, we have enjoyed this restaurant, but have found that there isn’t anything that it really excels in. We have had good experiences here, but it isn’t a restaurant we would shout about from the rooftop. It provided a cozy vibe with comfort food, but is has never been a super memorable experience. However, we are always revisiting restaurants and providing the most up-to-date reviews possible, so we are headed back to Disney’s Yacht Club Resort to check out Ale & Compass once again! 

Atmosphere

Ale & Compass is located inside of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. The restaurant is a Cape Cod-meets-Gastropub restaurant serving New England comfort food with a bit of refined touch. You will find it near Cape May Cafe and Yachtsman Steakhouse. Additionally, Ale & Compass offers a to-go option from Ale & Compass Restaurant to Go, bar seating at Ale & Compass Lounge, and a grab-and-go option at The Market at Ale & Compass.  

The restaurant is designed to feel like the interior of a lighthouse, and there are lots of nautical-inspired elements throughout the restaurant. The decor of this restaurant meshes well with the interior of the Yacht Club Resort, and you can see similar inspirations for both. Once you arrive, you can check-in on the My Disney Experience app or make your way to the host stand at the front of the restaurant. After you have checked in, you will receive a text when your table is ready.

Inside, the restaurant has very cozy vibes. The lighting is fairly dim which resulted in a calm ambience, but not so dim that you need to pull out your phone’s flashlight to see the menu. There is still plenty of light to see your surroundings, and the menu, without the need for additional light. The restaurant was not too crowded when we went, but it was still lively enough that we didn’t feel uncomfortable. The noise level was just right, and we appreciated the relaxing ambiance.

From certain seats you could also see into the kitchen and watch the chefs at work. While you can’t see into the kitchen from every single seat in the restaurant, you can always take a short stroll to look in. The restaurant was decorated with lots of dark color, which made for a serene ambiance that felt very tranquil. The tables are set-up with a small candle in the middle, with silverware and a cloth blue napkin. 

Now it is time to take a look at the menu!

Menu

Ale & Compass is focused on New England comfort food, and you can definitely see that represented in their menu. Even if you do not like New England comfort food, you can still find some great dishes on the menu though. Ale & Compass has a good variety of options, and we feel like almost anybody could find something they would like on the menu. 

Here is a look at all of the offerings for dinner at Ale & Compass. They have a good selection of starters, salads, and flatbreads.

As well as a good selection of main plates, including pasta, chicken, burgers, seafood, and more.

They also offer two different enhancements and desserts.

There are also plenty of options for the kiddos, including appetizers and create-your-own entrees.

There are multiple choices for sides, as well as a specialty drink.

They also have a large beverage menu including lots of options for non-alcoholic beverages.

They also have an extensive list of alcoholic beverages including beer and hard cider.

As well, as wines by the glass.

A variety of cocktails.

And even after dinner drinks.

Now, without further ado, let’s get to the good part: the food and drinks!

Drinks & Eats

We started off with two different drinks. The first drink we got was the Spicy Pomegranate Margarita which is El Mayor Blanco Tequila, Ancho Reyes Chili Liqueur, pomegranate juice, simple syrup, and lime juice. This drinks costs $16. 

This margarita was advertised as a spicy margarita, but we got absolutely no spice out of it. It’s possible it just wasn’t made correctly as not only did we get no spice; we also didn’t taste any sort of pomegranate flavor in it. The only thing that might make you think “pomegranate” was the color, but other than that it tasted like a normal margarita. For a normal margarita it was not bad, but likely not worth ordering if you are looking for more than a classic margarita.

We also tried the Maple Old Fashioned, which is Old Forester Bourbon, maple syrup, orange juice, and angostura bitters. It costs $15. The Old Fashioned was very well done, with just the right balance of flavors. It had the right amount of sweetness with the liquor being very forward. You could taste just a hint of the maple syrup as you sipped it, which was perfect. We drank this Old Fashioned much quicker than we normally do, so I think that means we definitely liked it!

Alright, now onto the food! We started off with the Parker House Rolls and Spread which came with three different spreads. They were bacon jam, pub cheese, and citrus butter. The rolls cost $14. These rolls are one of our favorites at Ale & Compass, so of course we had to make sure they still lived up to our hype. So, are they still as good?

We can confirm that they are still fantastic. These rolls were amazing! They are a staple at Ale & Compass, and we can still see why. The rolls were light and fluffy like a cloud, with a thin crust on the outside. Not only was the bread divine, but the spreads were equally delicious. 

We really loved the pub cheese, and it reminded us of port wine cheese. It was easy to spread and simply scrumptious. This was our favorite spread, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

The bacon jam was fatty, with a great sweetness to it.

The citrus butter was an interesting one. It had a wonderful, strong citrusy taste with lots of saltiness. The butter was really silky, and the citrus was a unique flavor.

Next up, we tried the Roasted ‘Buffalo Style’ Cauliflower with Hearts of Romaine and Herb Ranch which costs $10.00. 

We are definitely fans of this dish! The cauliflower was cooked really well and was soft. You could really taste the buffalo flavor, but it was not spicy. We thought the hearts of romaine were very reminiscent of the celery you get when you order buffalo wings at a bar.

We also tried out the Short Rib “French Dip” Flatbread which was braised short rib, marinara, sweet peppers, cheddar, herb ranch, arugula, grilled lemon juice, chili flake, and Au Jus. The flatbread costs $20. 

We really enjoyed this flatbread! The meat was absolutely delicious. It was super fatty and juicy – it just melted apart in your mouth. The flatbread had plenty of cheese on it and the crust had a beautiful char on it from the wood fire oven. We got elevated bar food vibes from this flatbread, but we aren’t upset! It was delicious and satisfying.

Next, we are moving onto our main plates. We got the New England Seafood Pot Pie which was shrimp, scallops, jumbo lump crab, and sustainable catch of the day with baby carrots, pearl onions, peas, potatoes, and crustacean cream with a flaky crust. You can get this pot pie for $31.

We were really excited about this dish, but unfortunately, we were really disappointed. It was filled with tons of amazing seafood and the vegetables were cooked perfectly. However, the dish was severely over-salted. Like so much salt that is was pretty much inedible. As well, the pastry was chewy and tasted like it had not been cooked correctly.

We were hoping to redeem the main plates with our next dish which was the Bacon and Vermont Cheddar Burger. The burger was made with caramelized onions on a Parker House Bun with applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and herbed mayonnaise. It costs $23.

We would say this is just a normal hamburger. Perfect if you are looking for a burger, but it wasn’t anything special. It tasted like a burger you could get at any Disney restaurant, so don’t go out of your way to get this one here. The burger had a great char and the meat was flavorful. However, we didn’t really notice the caramelized onions or herb mayonnaise, so the burger didn’t feel special. The house bun was probably the best part of the burger, though. Overall, it tasted good, but you can definitely find better burgers around Disney World

We are finished with our entrees, so now it is time to move onto dessert. We started with the Warm Apple Cobbler which was spiced Granny Smith apples, butter streusel, and frozen vanilla custard. It costs $7.50.

This dessert was really tasty, but we definitely wished there was more ice cream to it. The apples were fresh and perfectly cooked. They still had a bit of a snap to them but were still soft. There was lots of cinnamon flavor and the crumble on top added a great crunchy texture to the soft, warm apples. The coldness of the ice cream really pulled everything together (although we wish there was more!). Overall, this dessert was very satisfying and exactly what you would expect from an apple cobbler. 

We also got the Twelve Layer Chocolate Cake which is flourless chocolate cake and ganache served with milk-coffee Chantilly. You can get this beauty for $9.50. 

This cake was so decadent and sweet! The raspberry on the side was perfect, but we wish there were more to go with the cake. It tastes just like a classic chocolate cake, and it is definitely pretty to look at! While it wasn’t anything special, we did still enjoy it!

Nosh or Not?

You will want to stop in to Ale & Compass if…

• You are looking for something fancy, yet casual and family friendly. Ale & Compass provides a more upscale feel, while not making you feel out of place in casual clothes. You can definitely take your whole family here for a more refined dining experience. The restaurant offers a cozy ambiance, that can be great after a hectic day in the parks.
• You are looking for a sit-down with “something for everyone”. The restaurant has a good variety of options on the menu, and even picky eaters can likely find something they would like. The menu is approachable with lots of comfort food dishes.
• You are staying at an EPCOT Resort. The EPCOT Resorts are all located nearby to each other, and if you are staying in one of them, Ale & Compass could be a great option for a meal!

You should probably skip Ale & Compass if…

• You want a knock-your-socks off experience. While we enjoyed our time at Ale & Compass, it wasn’t anything really memorable or an extraordinary dining experience. If you are looking for a more “knock your socks off” experience, we might recommend checking out California Grill or Victoria & Albert’s.
• You are looking for a unique menu. Ale & Compass delivers on New England comfort food options, but if you are hoping for a menu with lots of unique eats and drinks, you won’t really find that here. We recommend checking out Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
• You want fun Disney theming or to meet Disney characters. The restaurant has a cozy, elegant ambiance, but there is not a lot of classic Disney charm or characters. If you are looking for lots of Disney theming, we recommend checking out Cinderella’s Royal Table or Roundup Rodeo BBQ. 

Overall

Overall, Ale & Compass has a very nice dining experience for a more moderate price. The restaurant has a fancier feel to it, but you could still wear casual clothes and not feel out of place. The restaurant was quiet and cozy, but still lively enough that we did not feel uncomfortable. If you are wanting to check out Ale & Compass, we think it is a great spot, but we highly recommend breakfast here over dinner. While we really liked some of the starters, we weren’t super impressed with all the food. We left feeling satisfied and that we got our money’s worth, but this restaurant probably wouldn’t make our top spots for dinner.

We had a good experience, but there wasn’t anything that really set Ale & Compass apart from other Disney World restaurants. A few dishes fell flat for us (like the Seafood Pie and Spicy Pomegranate Margarita), while others were stars of the show (Parker Rolls and Roasted ‘Buffalo Style’ Cauliflower). The rest of the dishes landed in the middle. We thoroughly enjoyed eating them but did not think they stood out amongst other Disney World food. Ale & Compass has a menu that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. There is something for just about anyone, which could make it a great option for your party. Ale & Compass combines a bit of fanciness with an approachable menu, and a casual atmosphere. It provides a good experience, but it is just not anything that really stands out.

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney food news and restaurant reviews!

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Have you eaten at Ale & Compass before? Let us know about your experience in the comments!