One of Disney World’s once-bustling restaurants has been sitting abandoned for months and no one seems to care at all!

No sign of Big River Grille

One of the highlights of becoming a Disney World expert is when you can recount the park and hotel histories, and closures, and even impress your friends with abandoned places hiding in plain sight. There’s one particular abandoned Disney World hotel restaurant that’s patiently waiting its turn, yet no one seems to know what to do with it!

We’ve all been caught up in a whirlwind of Disney World construction happening at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Resort lately and for good reason. It’s an incredible option to consider when you’re choosing where to call “home” during your next Disney World vacation. It’s got a turn of the century Atlantic City vibe during the day and becomes a hot spot of dining and activity by night along its waterside Boardwalk stroll.

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

But, if it’s been a while since you’ve visited this Disney World hotel (and may have been out of the loop a bit), you might be shocked to find that one of its restaurants is no longer available. Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Resort once housed the Big River Grille & Brewing Works restaurant which was a popular dining option for both travelers and locals alike.

Big River Grille & Brewing Works

This restaurant served up several different kinds of beers, along with great burgers, steaks, nachos, and more. Inside, you’d be mesmerized by the floor-to-ceiling glass walls which provided a glimpse into the beer-making process.

Bar

You see this wasn’t just a restaurant to dine in, it was also a fully functioning brewery! While you were dining and enjoying your meal, you were also treated to views of an on-site brew master crafting the establishment’s various beers. It truly was an experience to step inside and witness such a sight that you couldn’t get anywhere else in Disney World!

You can see the whole process

However, this restaurant quietly and abruptly closed its doors on January 22nd, 2024. Shortly after discovering the closure, we headed out there for a visit to check out the progress and we noticed that the restaurant’s name had been taken down off of the outside overhang and most of the interior has been stripped down to its bare bones.

The sign is gone!

Although there’s been A LOT going on around this former restaurant, Disney hasn’t announced any plans for this location or given us any clues to how long we can expect it to sit abandoned. This seems ironic to us since the highly anticipated Blue Ribbon Corn Dog stand JUST opened mere steps away from this location and the second location for the upcoming The Cake Bake Shop is supposed to open at some point this year.

Mexican Street Corn Dog

We guess there’s always time to get around to it after these current projects are completely wrapped up, but considering both Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs AND The Cake Bake Shop’s original opening dates were pushed back several times, we’re not holding our breath about any announcement soon. Even at that, we’d still be skeptical of any ambitious timelines given how long it had taken to transform the former ESPN Club restaurant into The Cake Bake Shop.

Cake Bake Shop construction

Oh well, for now, all it seems we can do is wait and speculate on what we think would fit in this former restaurant space at such an immersive hotel!

We’re always keeping up with the latest changes around Disney World’s hotels, parks, and everything in between. Stay tuned with us at Disney Food Blog to make sure you don’t miss anything!

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What do you think Disney World will fill in its place? Leave your guesses in the comments below!