the disney food blog

food IS a theme park

Read the Latest Posts

Looking for something?

STAY CONNECTED

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

Category: Boardwalk Inn and Villas

Entree Duo and PB&J Creme Brulee at Flying Fish Cafe on Disney World’s Boardwalk

By 9 Comments

Learn About:Flying Fish
Boardwalk Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

Any time I have the chance to dine at Flying Fish Cafe in Disney World’s Boardwalk Inn Resort, I take it! I love this restaurant, and it always manages to surprise me with its clever and innovative menu.

I dined there in July, and while I’m not going to do a full review of that meal, I needed to share these awesome menu items with you just in case you’re headed over. I wish I had this meal to do over again, because I’d definitely order the same thing!

Get these on your must-eat list, stat!

Duo of Char-Crusted Angus New York Strip Steak and Potato-Wrapped Red Snapper

Well, Flying Fish Cafe has two signature entrees…can you guess what they are? 😉 Yep, the Char-Crusted Strip and the Potato-Wrapped Red Snapper are the menu’s highlights, and Flying Fish has done us all a favor and put them together on one plate!

Duo of Red Snapper and Strip Steak

The Potato-Wrapped Snapper includes Leek Fondue with a Veal Glace, Red Wine, and Cassis Butter reduction; while the Char-Crusted Angus New York Strip comes with Fingerling Potatoes, Hericot Vert, Young Carrots, and Bermuda Onions, and an applewood-smoked Bacon Mustard Seed Vinaigrette and Classic Sauce Foyot (hubba hubba!).

I was very surprised and impressed how well everything actually went together. I was using the sauce from the Snapper with the steak, and vice versa. The flavors were [Read more…]

Snack Series: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake and Key Lime Pie at Boardwalk Bakery

By 14 Comments

Learn About:Boardwalk Bakery
Boardwalk Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

I’ve fallen into a bit of a habit when it comes to walking the Boardwalk in Walt Disney World, and it always includes heading into the Boardwalk Bakery to check out what’s new!

This big bakery with a teensy-tiny little sales area for purchasing goodies is a hidden gem and hot-spot when it comes to unique, can’t-get-em-anywhere-else sweets and savories like the Cheesecake Brownie and Mickey Face Cake.

Atmosphere

As I said, while the bakery itself is large (they create baked goods and wedding cakes for the area), the area where guests can actually purchase things is very small. Almost an afterthought.

Boardwalk Bakery Sign

And as much as I love Boardwalk Bakery, the big detractor is the lack of indoor seating. Rain or shine, sweltering or less sweltering, you have to take your purchase outside to eat it. Sure there’s a bit of an overhang, but that hardly constitutes indoor seating.

Bakery Seating

Still, it can be very nice — should the weather cooperate — to sit outside and enjoy the view of Crescent Lake. There’s also great people watching to be had here! (If you see me say Hi — I’ll be the one with the camera who’s super sweaty and probably running late for something…and I’ll likely still have chocolate on my face from something or other.)

Eats

Still, this is a terrific spot to have in your back pocket as you head off to a busy day in the parks. They have a variety of [Read more…]

What Are Your Favorite Disney World Hotel Restaurants?

By 63 Comments

I love hearing from you about your favorite restaurants and experiences in Disney parks and resorts. So as I gear up for another trip to Walt Disney World in the very near future, I’m sharing with you a few of my favorite restaurants at Disney resorts (aka: hotels)…and hoping you’ll share right back!

Beaches and Cream

What are your favorite Disney World Hotel Restaurants, and why? What are the spots that keep you coming back, visit after visit?

I’ll tell you mine, and then I want to hear all about yours…

Beaches and Cream

If you know me, you know that Beaches and Cream Soda Shoppe is truly my go-to place (and it’s my parents’ go-to place…chances are you’ll see AJ’s Dad and AJ’s Mom there if you’re in Disney World at the same time they are)!

Nestled between the Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts, this table service restaurant — which does NOT accept reservations — is just like the soda fountains that you grew up going to (or hearing about)! This is THE place at Disney for burgers and ice cream treats, like my absolute favorite, the No Way Jose.

The ooey gooey peanut butter and hot fudge confection is pretty amazing, don’t you think?

No Way Jose

Flying Fish Cafe

The Flying Fish Cafe

at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn consistently wows me every time I dine there. With unique decor, awesome service, and inventive food, this spot currently holds one of the top spots on my list of hotel restaurants…and never disappoints.

Whether you choose seafood or a land lover’s option, you will leave happy! And fun desserts, like this Trio of Concession Sweets (a nice tribute to their spot on the Boardwalk) are just [Read more…]

Review: Frozen Grapefruit Margarita Disney’s Boardwalk Resort

By 4 Comments

Thanks to reader (and fellow margarita fan) Tricia, we have a new margarita to add to our Disney Margarita Gallery! This concoction was recently found at Boardwalk Joe’s.

Take it away, Tricia!

We saw the sign for the Margaritas and had to stop! Boardwalk Joe’s is always a good stop for a pre-Mexico margarita when we walk from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Epcot.

We enjoy going for one of the seasonal drinks (i.e. Caramel Apple Margarita) so we were looking forward to trying the Grapefruit Margarita.

BoardWalk Joe Margarita

I am not someone who loves very sweet drinks, so Grapefruit was right up my alley! It tasted just like you were drinking frozen Ruby red grapefruit juice; it was tart with just a little sweetness.

Wonderful for a hot July day at Disney.

Grapefruit Margarita

And if this margarita is not your thing, they were also offering [Read more…]

Disney Food for Families: Getting Kids to Try New Foods at Walt Disney World

By 19 Comments

It’s no secret that my daughter Louisa is more than a little produce averse. There was a period of about four years when NO fruit or vegetable crossed her lips, and even now at age 12 she still has to be cajoled into having more than a bite or two of something as innocuous as sweet potato or banana.

Frozen bananas, a gateway fruit.

So you can imagine my surprise when, on a recent trip to the Animal Kingdom’s Yak & Yeti restaurant, she consumed nearly the entire plate of wok-fried green beans we had ordered for the table. It was one of those parenting moments where you hold your breath and move slowly so as to avoid breaking the spell.

Yak & Yeti wok-fried green beans. My hero!

Those Yak & Yeti yummies didn’t turn Louisa into an inveterate bean eater, but she is now occasionally willing to nibble on a tempura string bean if we’re out for Japanese. Based on our prior track record with legumes, I’m going to count that solidly in the win column.

The Theme Park Food Effect

What was it about the Yak & Yeti beans that made Louisa such a fan? Yes, they were quite tasty, and yes, the green part was handily obfuscated by a crunchy, yumtastic fried breading coating; but we had tried similar ploys in the past to no avail. My theory is that the Yak & Yeti beans were flavored by the spice of (cue the orchestra) The Theme Park Food Effect.

Much like campers will say that meals eaten on the trail are the BEST, you know that their experience is colored by the fact that their senses are overwhelmed and they’re starving from an [Read more…]

Review: ESPN Club in Walt Disney World

By 18 Comments

Editor’s Note: As of May 2013, hot dogs are no longer being offered and the nachos are served with BBQ Pork.

Learn About:ESPN Club
Boardwalk Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

It’s been TOO LONG since I’ve done an ESPN Club review for ya, so we finally headed over there on a recent visit. It wasn’t from lack of trying, mind you — I actually like this restaurant a lot and we enjoy going there. But other restaurants kept getting in the way. 😉

But now it’s time for this paradise of bar food to get its day in the spotlight…here we go!

Atmosphere

Your first impression of ESPN Club will be that you’ve died and gone to Sports Bar Heaven. Seriously, as you will see, no detail is left untouched. This is a world created for the die hard sports fan. From the menu to the television placement (more to come!) you need never miss a second of the game while you’re here.

ESPN Club (with a line to get in on Game Day!)

But never fear, even though the feel is straight-up sports bar, it’s very kid-friendly, with the standard Disney kids’ menu offered. And with an arcade off to the side, chances are you’ll wave goodbye to the kids and not see them again until dessert anyway!

As you walk in, you can choose from seating in the bar area to the right or the dining room to the left. The bar area has ample TVs situated all around the room — even at your table.

Bar

And what goes better with the game than beer? Here are a few of the draft selections, including the very popular local Orange Blossom Pilsner.

Beer on Draft

Although we were there on a quiet weekday, make no mistake: this place gets packed fast when there’s a big game on. And while it’s a fantastic venue to catch the play-offs or a World Cup match, be prepared to [Read more…]

Disney Food Pics of the Week: Hot Dogs

By Leave a Comment

Your photo contributions to the Disney Food Blog Photo Extravaganza on flickr are soooooo mouthwatering! We love looking through your food pics!

The Disney Food Pics of the Week this week feature Disney hot dogs (we would have added corn dogs, but I think those should get their own feature)! For a classic theme park snack or meal, the hot dog is always a delicious option.

Loaded or plain — these hot dogs from Casey’s Corner in the Magic Kingdom look fabulous!
Photographer: Lucy Bartholomew/DisneyRoobs

Hot Dogs at Casey's

Here’s the new Italian Hot Dog from [Read more…]

Review: Big River Grille and Brewing Works at the Boardwalk Inn Resort

By 23 Comments

Learn About:Big River Grille and Brewing Works
Boardwalk Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

Today, it’s high time that we share with you our thoughts about the one and only working microbrewery at Walt Disney World, Big River Grille & Brewing Works!

Located at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Resort, the American pub-style restaurant features a primo location to see and be seen right on the Boardwalk. But, I’ll be right up front with you and tell you now that this has NOT been my favorite place to eat at Disney in the past.

However, we came to it with an open mind hoping to find some improvements on our last visit. We were rewarded with a much, much better experience than in times past! What did they do right on this visit? Read on…

Atmosphere

The entrance to the restaurant on the Boardwalk, beneath an awning bearing the restaurant’s name.

Big River Grille & Brewing Works

Once inside, you’ll notice that there are three distinct seating areas within the restaurant: the bar area to the right; the seating area to the left, a rather nondescript space; and a patio area offering great views of the Boardwalk, the lake, and the Yacht and Beach Club on the other side of water. (You may even see the tops of Illuminations fireworks from here.)

There are a few good reasons to head over to Big River Grille:
1.) It’s normally pretty easy to get into, so if you’re hungry and don’t have an advance dining reservation, or you’re at Epcot or Hollywood Studios and would like to skip out on the park crazy for a while, this can be a good place to come for a bite and a sip.

2.) As I mentioned above, it’s the only working microbrewery at Disney, and the beers are quite popular! (More on the beer a little later.) It’s also pretty cool to look around the interior and see just where your brew is being produced.

Brew Kettle, Big River Grille

3.) Finally, while I don’t love the [Read more…]

News! Flying Fish Cafe Epcot Food and Wine Festival Events and July Wine Dinner

By 5 Comments

Learn About:Flying Fish
Boardwalk Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

The Flying Fish Café Team at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort has scheduled a July Wine Dinner!

Also, Winery Series events that will take place during the 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival have been announced (including a brand new dessert-focused event)!

July Wine Dinner

This Winery Event will take place July 26, 2012. Special Guests Ronald and Marianne Lachini –- Founders/Owners of Lachini Vineyards in Newberg, Oregon — will be on hand to greet guests.

Time and Cost
6:00 pm Reception; 6:30pm Dinner
$149.00 per person, (inclusive of gratuity) plus tax

Flying Fish Cafe Tables and Murals

Lachini Vineyards Bio - click image for larger version.

Call 407-939-5102 at your earliest convenience to [Read more…]

Guest Review: Coffee Mocha Cupcake at Disney’s Boardwalk Bakery

By 8 Comments

Learn About:Boardwalk Bakery
Boardwalk Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

Join me in welcoming guest author Dereka Erickson with a review of another awesome Disney Cupcake!

As a chocoholic, one of my favorite things about staying at Disney’s Boardwalk is the easy access to the Boardwalk Bakery and Seashore Sweets. One day, I’d like to walk in and say, “I’ll have one of each!”

On this particular day I had to settle for only one item: The Coffee-Mocha cupcake caught my eye, as I’d never seen it before. It sounded promising, so I asked for one of those and an Oreo Bonbon cupcake for my husband.

Cupcakes in Case

Cake Review

When I took off the wrapper I was initially disappointed to see “wet” cake. I do not like soggy food. I took that first bite hesitantly, but my hesitation quickly turned into enthusiasm! This was “wet” cake done right.

Chocolate cake can sometimes come off as a bit dry, so the coffee added to this definitely prevented that without going overboard. It was not soggy at all.

The coffee beans that you see are actually molded dark chocolate. Even my husband commented that they were a nice touch.

Coffee Mocha Cupcake and Oreo Bonbon Cupcake

Frosting and Filling Review

The frosting on this has a nice, smooth mocha flavor. It’s not super-sweet and is very smooth. It isn’t that kind of frosting that “tickles” your teeth and throat.

The filling inside is a little thicker than the frosting on top, but maintains the mocha flavor.

To be honest, I didn’t even [Read more…]

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER EBOOKS

Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.

View our ebooks now

POLICIES & CREDITS

Staff & Regular Contributors
Disclosure Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
Partner With Disney Food Blog

Logo by J Kennedy

Disney Food Blog does not claim to represent the Walt Disney Company in any way and is not employed by or affiliated with The Walt Disney Company. For official Disney information, visit Disney directly.

Subscribe to our Feed via RSS
Subscribe to our Feed via email