Downtown Disney Orlando | the disney food blog

— offers tremendous insight into dining at Walt Disney World, and I’d like to share one more of the valuable Disney Dining Tips found in the DFB Guide!

Chef Mickey is a good place to start your vacation (or say farewell until next year)!

Dining on Your Arrival and Departure Days in Disney World

Arrival and Departure days at Disney

can be a lot more tiring than you imagine. For many of us, these are half-days that require creative planning.

Annual passholders can easily hop into a park for a half-day, but if you hold a regular Magic Your Way ticket, you probably want to reserve it for a full days of Disney touring!

We recommend using these half-days to explore the wonderful dining opportunities outside the theme parks.

Disney Springs has some dynamite new restaurants and the chance to stock up on a few souvenirs in stores like World of Disney.
Visiting the Boardwalk resort is a fun adventure with dining available on the waterfront or at nearby resorts (Yacht and Beach Club; Swan and Dolphin).
Inexpensive and hearty food can be found at [Read more…]

Guest Review: Cookes of Dublin in Downtown Disney

By AJ 20 Comments

Learn About:Cookes of Dublin

Disney Springs
Disney World Restaurants

We’re welcoming back Melissa Sue Sorrells Galley with a review of Cookes of Dublin!

I found myself sitting alone in my room at Pop Century with a free evening. It was getting late, and the parks were closing early, so I decided to take myself on a date to Downtown Disney.

When I got off the bus at Pleasure Island, I had no plans for dinner, but I knew I was hungry. The line for Raglan Road was daunting, and I wasn’t in the mood for Fulton’s, so I headed into Cookes of Dublin.

Pleasure Island

Cookes of Dublin

This hidden quick service gem is located right on the water at Disney’s Pleasure Island. You might walk right by it on your way to the Marketplace without even noticing it if you weren’t weak with hunger. But next time you head to Pleasure Island, make sure to keep your bellies empty and your eyes open because Cookes is worth [Read more…]

Grand Launch Sale: The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2012 e-Book

By AJ 4 Comments

We’re excited to announce the grand launch of The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2012 e-Book! It’s now available for purchase and download to help you make the most of your dining opportunities while in Disney World.

The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2012 e-Book is an instantly downloadable PDF guide, featuring over 310 full-color pages of photographs, information, and advice about our favorite things — food and dining in Walt Disney World.

It’s guaranteed to help you navigate your way to delicious dining on your next vacation! And if you’re ready to get yours now, head on over to DFBGuide.com to pick it up!!

For our Grand Launch Sale, use code: 2012 to get a $4 discount this week only!

If you purchased the 2011 Guide last year, scroll down for details on repeat purchase discounts. Also, scroll down to the bottom of the post for details on the 6-word Restaurant Review winner, Vicky B!

What’s In The Guide?

As you know, the Guide includes:

A 5-Step Strategy for Disney Dining Planning, covering everything you need to know from budgeting and booking to kids’ meals and fireworks.
A comprehensive and in-depth look at Disney World dining, including tips and tricks to ensure a positive and stress-free dining experience.
The ability to be read on your mobile device or computer!

While our 2011 Guide was very extensive, Disney World is always updating menus, prices, and other dining info. And we’re always finding new things to tell you about! So we’ve updated our 2012 edition with over 60 new pages of details along with more photos, coverage of new Disney dining experiences, exclusive games, and more!

In addition to these updates, our 2012 Guide adds:

Over 60 new pages of Disney Dining information
More Disney food and restaurant photos, and NEW Disney food and restaurant photos
An entire chapter focused on Snacks in the theme parks and resorts, one of the most popular Disney dining topics
Disney Dining Trivia to play while you’re waiting in line (or waiting for a table!)
Exclusive Disney food-themed scavenger hunts for each Disney World theme park
A comprehensive section of Disney Food news and updates from the past year, including new restaurants, new menus, and more
Brand new “Top 5” lists to help you make quick dining decisions
A brand new At-A-Glance section featuring quick facts such as how to locate your lost dining reservations, where to dine with the princesses, or where to pick up a six-pack of beer
New Snack Crawls through the parks and resorts
Updates on all pertinent facts such as dining hours, prices, resources, phone numbers, and restaurant closures/openings
All new restaurant additions, closures, and added dining experiences
And much more!

And the best part is: the price hasn’t changed! Our extensive Disney Dining information, updated and added to with 60+ extra pages and countless new details, will cost you the same amount that it did in 2011.

But, of course we’re offering a [Read more…]

“Biramisu” Review and Recipe, Portobello Trattoria

By AJ 5 Comments

Beer? For Dessert? Yes, indeed.

Despite the fact that I don’t know much about beer and I’m not a fan of tiramisu, I’m extremely glad that I got to try this combo of the two — Biramisu — at Downtown Disney Orlando’s Portobello Trattoria.

I’d known for months (over a year, maybe??) that I needed to get my butt in a chair over at Portobello to try this dessert. It’s pretty innovative, eh? Beer + Tiramisu? And the fact that they make it with a local Orlando Brewing Company porter makes it even more compelling.

Biramisu on the Dessert Menu

The local Organic Blackwater Dry Porter that’s used to make the Biramisu was new to us when we got to the restaurant, but we tried a bottle during lunch to check it out. Liked it!

Orlando Brewing Company Organic Blackwater Dry Porter

But when it was time for dessert, I was still skeptical. (Don’t worry, though; we ordered the white chocolate creme brulee, too, just in case.) I’m just not a big fan of soggy cake, alcohol-soaked anything, or beer in my dessert (as far as I knew). And isn’t that pretty much what this was?

But, if you’re like me and concerned, not to worry. If you take a look at the recipe for this stuff, there’s more [Read more…]

Tables in Wonderland: La Nouba Discount, Flower Power, and The Wave

By AJ 6 Comments

There are some fun Tables in Wonderland perks and events over the next couple of months! First up, members will receive a discount on Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba tickets in Orlando’s Downtown Disney from April 17th-May 11th! Next, another Flower Power Happy Hour will be happening in May. And The Wave has another great dinner planned!

La Nouba Discount

Tables in Wonderland members will receive a discount on tickets for themselves and up to three guests at 6pm and 9pm performances Tuesday-Saturday between April 17th and May 11th, 2012.

Tickets will be Category 2, and price will be $66.75 for adults and $54.00 for kids. Call 407-WDW-SEAT (407-939-7328) to purchase tickets! (Must show current Tables in Wonderland card when picking up tickets at the Box Office.)

Click for MUCH larger image

Flower Power Happy Hour

Held in the special event space atop the Norway Pavilion at Epcot®, join your fellow Tables in Wonderland members for a cocktail hour and then reserved seating for the Flower Power concert of Herman’s Hermits starring [Read more…]

Review: Bongos Cuban Cafe

By AJ 22 Comments

Learn About:Bongos Cuban Cafe

Disney Springs
Disney World Restaurants

At long last, we finally made it to the Downtown Disney hotspot that is Bongos Cuban Cafe!

I’ll admit, I’d been putting off my visit to this restaurant. I hadn’t heard great reviews, and I wasn’t sure I’d like the food. But I’m SUCH a giant loser — what have I been waiting for?!?

I had a great time, I had awesome food…and it’s finally time to peek inside and find out what the Big Pineapple has to offer!

Atmosphere

With architecture billed as “Old Havana” in style, this breezy, open restaurant certainly puts you in the mood for a tropical drink and a conga line. 😉 When we visited just before St. Patrick’s Day, Downtown Disney was alive with the excitement of a young, vibrant crowd, ready to get their dance on! The traditional Cuban dance music pouring out from the restaurant beckons you to come take a closer look and listen, and was perfect for a warm, breezy Florida evening.

Bongos Sign

Originally, our Advanced Dining Reservation was scheduled for much later than our 7:30 meet up time. When we checked in at the podium, though, we had no trouble getting a seat immediately. As a newcomer to Cuban food, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the fun setting hinted of some adventurous eating ahead!

One of THE most amazing features of Bongos is the wide open feel of the place. Seating is available both inside and outside, giving the restaurant an authentic Cuban or Miami vibe. After all, these are places where people “live outside,” and restaurants in these locations really reflect that.

To help with the heat, both inside and out, we noticed high ceilings and lots of ceiling fans. It really lends to the impression of cool, airy spaces.

Outdoor Atmosphere

The upstairs veranda also provides a pleasant view of surrounding hotels, the Characters in Flight balloon, and the lake beyond. VERY cool view, eh??

Upstairs Outdoor Seating

While the walls inside are painted to give an old world, weathered feel (and the stone no doubt lends to a sense of coolness on a sweltering Florida summer day), there are plenty of [Read more…]

Top 5 Disney Dining Plan One-Credit Table-Service Values for 2012

By Kim LaPaglia 38 Comments

Now that you’ve booked your 2012 Disney World vacation, it’s time to make your Advance Dining Reservations. Which restaurants are credit-worthy?

The vacation package add-on called the Disney Dining Plan is a meal plan with a set price in exchange for a certain number of credits. Many table-service meals in Disney World cost one credit, but are you getting the best value?

Stick to the one-credit restaurants, order the most expensive meal on the menu, and maximize your savings! Let’s get to my top picks for best value at “one table-service credit” Walt Disney World restaurants. I think some of them will surprise you!

Criteria Used

When we looked at values, our main criteria was price. These restaurants offer a great bang for your buck when paying with the Disney Dining Plan.

We also looked at enjoyment level and food quality, but these criteria were secondary and tertiary to cost. Note that these aren’t necessarily our favorite restaurants, but they are good values for one Disney Dining Plan credit.

Tutto Italia

Tucked into the Italian pavilion at Epcot, Tutto Italia Ristorante boasts regional cuisines from Italy in an Old World setting. Table service is attentive, although the fine-dining atmosphere can lead to longer waits.

This restaurant serves up a Roasted Rack and Leg of Lamb ($34) as an entree. End your meal with Copetta Sotto Boscue, a dessert specialty comprised of berries, zabaglione cream, gelato, and chocolate sauce, which has an out-of-pocket price of $14. When both of these items are ordered, Tutto Italia becomes quite possibly your best one-credit table-service value in Walt Disney World.

There’s also a Veal Roast which would run you $31 out-of-pocket but… perfectly worth one dining credit!

Veal

Tutto Italia is closed for refurbishment until [Read more…]

Review: Ghirardelli Soda Fountain

By AJ 18 Comments

Learn About:Ghirardelli Soda Fountain

Disney Springs
Disney World Restaurants

There are lots of great spots to grab dessert in Orlando’s Downtown Disney, but a favorite of many of our readers is Ghirardelli Chocolate Shoppe and Soda Fountain.

This chocolate-lovers’ heaven has both a chocolate store and an ice cream and soda fountain, so it’s the perfect spot to grab a sweet treat.

We’ve written about Ghirardelli before, but when we stopped in to have a couple of our own custom creations, I knew I wanted to tell you about those as well!

Ghirardelli Soda Fountain Downtown Disney, Orlando

Atmosphere

The first thing to know is that the store and ice cream shop are separate. If you’re in the wrong one, go outside and head next door. 🙂 Once you get into the ice cream shop, you’re greeted with a [Read more…]

Guest Review: Downtown Disney’s AMC “Fork and Screen” Theater

By AJ 20 Comments

Let’s welcome back Bill Iadonisi with another fun Disney Food review! This time he covers the “Fork and Screen” experience in Downtown Disney’s AMC Theatre!

When the film “The Jazz Singer” premiered on October 6, 1927, it ushered in the beginning of the “talkies” and the demise of the silent movie era. It was stated that this was the most revolutionary and evolutionary advancement for the film industry. The movie-going public would never view films the same way again. But although this technology did change the way films were made, the movie going experience has changed very little since.

Outdoor Seating

That was until the concept of combining the proverbial “dinner and a movie” was brought into being. The “Fork and Screen” theaters were born, and the way we go out to see a movie has been revolutionized.

Atmosphere

The Fork and screen made its debut here in downtown Disney on May 16, 2011. When I first heard about this, I was a bit skeptical. After all, I thought “where in a movie theater could you possibly eat and be comfortable?” There was no room to put the food, and you would [Read more…]

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Raglan Road Pub

By AJ 2 Comments

Looking for somewhere in Orlando to get your green on?! Raglan Road Pub in Downtown Disney is putting on some serious green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this weekend!

I was there last year for the festivities, and I can honestly say they’re AWESOME! Here’s the schedule for tonight and tomorrow:

Friday 16th
“Open air performances on our Tonsil Tickler patio from 6pm with the wonderful Murphy’s Law and The Irish Rogues, all the way from Ireland!! Creel performs on our Main Stage from 7pm with special guest appearances!!…. A not to be missed performance!”

Elevation -- U2 Tribute Band

March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day!
“Doors open from 11am with live entertainment from 12pm. Creel and the Raglan Road Irish Dancers will perform throughout the day. Guest musicians all the way from Ireland include Murphy’s Law & The Irish Rogues. Elevation, the worlds best [Read more…]

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Tips from the DFB Guide: Disney Dining on Your Arrival and Departure Days

Dining on Your Arrival and Departure Days in Disney World

Guest Review: Cookes of Dublin in Downtown Disney