Disney Springs is one of my absolute favorite places to visit and is always a must whenever my boyfriend and I are in Florida! If you've never been to Disneyworld in Orlando, Disney Springs is a shopping and food area outside of the parks (think Downtown Disney outside of California's Disneyland, but multiply it by ten). It's so big and there is so much to do, we honestly will make the drive into Orlando just for the food and not even go to the parks!
With so many incredible restaurants, shops, and bars, your first visit there can be a little overwhelming. My first time there, I wanted to do everything and eat everywhere, and had no idea where to start, so I put together this little guide of my favorite food spots to help you on your next trip!
Without further ado, let's get started!
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Favorite Spot for Dinner: Enzo's Hideaway
If you love Italian food, this place is an absolute MUST. It's tucked away out of sight, so if you don't know to look for it, you'll most likely miss it; but past Maria & Enzo's Ristorante and STK there is a sign pointing down that says: Enzo's Hideaway Tunnel Bar. Just follow the arrow and you'll find the door!
This restaurant honestly has it all: the decor is rustic, dark and intimate, creating a cozy and romantic ambiance; the food is unbelievably delicious and the portions are very generous; and the drinks are some of my favorites of all time. Seriously. On the rare occasions we eat somewhere else for dinner, we'll still come down to this place and grab a seat at the bar so we can have their signature Hazelnut Old Fashioned while in town.
My #1 recommendation for dinner is their Pasta Della Nonna - you get three different styles of meat (short rib, meatball & sausage) over rigatoni pasta with pomodoro sauce. This is consistently the best dish we've gotten at Enzo's! This portion is too big for me to finish, so I'll make my boyfriend share his with me and I'll try and branch out with other things on the menu. Everything we've had is great, but nothing ever compares to the Pasta Della Nonna, I always wish I had gotten it!
Other great food recommendations: Spaghetti E Polpette, Linguine (the one pictured above is clams & garlic in a white wine sauce; it looks like on their site they've updated it with mushrooms and spinach, no clams), and Enzo's Red Sangria (definitely get the pitcher if two or more people are enjoying this; it's $15 for a glass but only $39 for a pitcher and trust me - you'll want more than one glass!).
I only say lunch because of preference, since this restaurant has fantastic seafood & steak, and you can catch live music after 8pm. We've eaten inside for dinner before and everything was great! It just felt a little crowded since the restaurant was full that night. My favorite time to come here is during the day, because there's open seating on the outdoor dock area and I love getting to walk out on the water and having a casual lunch!
If you have a hard time deciding on what to eat (like me!) you will definitely want to check their menu out before you come. They have so. many. options that sound insanely delicious!! It'll be hard to choose when it comes to making a decision! Don't worry - I linked their site & menu above for you!
For drinks, I enjoy the Fleur de Mer Rosé, and my boyfriend will get a can of the Boathouse's Dockside Lager every once in a while, which is especially fun & unique to their location because it's their own beer, complete with their picture on the label! For food, we get their classic cheeseburger (if you're craving burgers, this one will definitely hit the spot...SO good!!) and the "Yacht Club" Club (roasted turkey breast, cucumber, BLT, avocado, Swiss cheese, and chipotle-honey mayo on multigrain bread). Both sandwiches come with fries, and we usually upgrade one to truffle fries because they're amazing. Our other go-to lunch is splitting the burger and a wedge salad. This is one of my favorite lunch spots at Disney - everything is delicious and fresh, the ambiance out on the water is calm and relaxing, and seeing the big "Welcome Home" sign across the water just makes everything perfect.
Another one-of-a-kind experience to be had here is their "Amphicar" rides right next to the restaurant! They're old-fashioned cars that are able to drive on land AND in the water, and you can get a 20-minute guided tour on the lake! I love watching the cars out on the water while we eat lunch, so fun!
Favorite Spot for Midday Drinks & Appetizers: Hangar Bar
When you're in that time of day between lunch and dinner, you've been walking around all day and just want to sit back, relax and drink a cold one? That's when we go to Hangar Bar! Just a few steps away from the Boathouse, Hangar Bar's got a really cool 1940s airplane hangar theme inside and covered seating on the water out back. If we have room for a snack, the Air Pirate's Cargo Loaded Pretzel is a MUST.
It's got a bunch o' meat (prosciutto, sliced brats, & pepperoni), a bunch o' cheese (smoked cheddar, Black Diamond cheddar), Caraway pickles, and spicy mustard & beer cheese fondue for dipping! And of course, there's the pretzel itself! We have no problem sharing this between 3-4 of us. Not going to lie, we've never been able to NOT order this when we come here, so I can't speak for the other food. But if this is a testament to how the rest of their food menu is, then you can imagine how great everything else is! (**Side note: they only have appetizers and small bites for food, so I wouldn't plan on coming here for a full lunch/dinner meal unless you're looking for tapas.)
It's pretty hard to pass up their scotch or whiskey flight when we visit, but they've also got an extensive wine & beer menu and a bunch of delicious craft cocktails to try. If you're looking for a great drink to refuel before you head back out into the Springs, you won't be disappointed!
Favorite Spot for a Quick Burger: D-Luxe Burger
Got a craving for burgers but wanting something more casual? D-Luxe Burger's your spot! It's counter-service as opposed to being waited on at a table, so it's more casual than the aforementioned spots, but the burgers are still made fresh and there's an awesome outdoor seating area for once you get your food! This place only has burgers on their menu, but man do they do them well!
In addition to beef burgers, they have a buffalo chicken sandwich, plant-based Pacific Island burger, sandwich options for kids, and...artisanal gelato shakes!! I'm dying to try their S'mores Gelato Shake (vanilla gelato blended with toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate & graham cracker crumbles topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, more dark chocolate and a graham cracker) and of course, their Smoked Bourbon Gelato Shake (vanilla gelato blended with Knob Creek bourbon, hickory smoke, dark chocolate sauce and topped with bacon).
Burgers, fries, shakes, and that view? Yup, D-Luxe is always a good idea!
Favorite Spot for Cocktails & Pan-Asian Bites: Morimoto Asia
We literally always make a point to stop in at Morimoto's while at Disney Springs. Keep in mind that they are only open for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays (12pm-3:15pm) and then every day from 4:30pm - 10pm, and these guys are ALWAYS busy, they're so good! If you want to eat here, it's best to make a reservation or try to get in line before they open. Since they often don't have any reservations available when we go (and we're usually eating at Enzo's for dinner), we love popping in during lunch on the weekends or right when they open at 4:30 to snag a high-top in their bar area.
If you're craving some Asian bites while they're closed, they do have Morimoto Asian Street Food, an open-air patio right next to it, that's open from 12pm - 8pm with its own separate menu. We always end up going inside, but the ramen on the patio's menu always sounds so amazing when there's cold weather!
Our favorites on the menu? Pork Dumplings (pork, napa cabbage, scallion), the Morimoto Spare Ribs (pork ribs, cilantro, hoisin sweet-chili glaze), and the Sake Sangria (sake, white wine, plum wine, asian pears, apples, & tangerine juice).
Favorite Spot for Ambiance & Entertainment: The Edison
The swanky and lavish Edison is one of the coolest and well-decorated tributes to the 20s era I've seen! It's fun & romantic with a touch of class & sophistication. If you're looking for a new experience for date night, this is it!
They honestly have it all - fantastic cocktail menu, unique & delicious American cuisine, and the entertainment acts they have are always so cool.
We grab cocktails and snacks here whenever we can, and are never disappointed!
Favorite Dessert Spot: Gideon's Bakehouse
Gideon's Bakehouse serves cookies & cake by the slice...but not just any cookies or cake. Oh no. These babies have up to a FIVE hour wait to get to them! My advice is to go there when you first get to the Springs and put your name in their virtual queue. They'll get your phone number, confirm with a text that it's you, and then they will give you a text for when it's time to come and stand in the physical queue outside their store.
They say that once you physically get in line, they try not to keep you there longer than 10-15 minutes, so the good news is if you get in their virtual queue, the hard part is done! Go shop and enjoy yourself, and you'll get a text when it's time to come back.
They serve their massive cookies (almost 1/2 a pound!) cooled; they believe it's the best way to taste all of the flavors baked into the cookies (which are made from scratch daily). However, according to their menu, "Hot Cookie Hour" is every day between 2-3pm and then again from 7-8pm, where you can get their classic chocolate cookie served warm right from the oven!
Another Fun Dessert Spot: Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew
Everglazed, though known for their donuts, has a whole assortment of things on their menu! I've never been to a donut shop where I've been tempted to try anything outside of their donuts, but everything honestly looks amazing on their menu!
Donuts? They got 'em. Cold brew coffee? Got 'em. Fries? Sure, choose between waffle, spicy buffalo or loaded with chili & bacon! Sandwiches? You got your choice between breakfast, a double cheeseburger and a spicy fried chicken with ranch slaw and BBQ sauce. What about alcohol? YUP! They've got cold beers, seltzers, and spiked coffees!
It's quite literally a one-stop shop! Definitely check out their cold brew drink menu before you go, or you'll be stuck there like me trying to make a decision!
Spot to Sit & Relax During the Day: Wine Bar George
I always want to get food at Wine Bar George whenever we visit, but we're always too full to make it in or they're full by the time we go. However, we have popped in a couple times for a glass of wine, and we've always had great service and are impressed with their wine selection. If you're looking to check them out for food, be sure to make reservations in advance! They've got a lunch, dinner, and brunch (Saturdays & Sundays 10:30am-2pm) menu available.
They also have a little area outside on the first floor called The Basket, which is a gourmet quick-service counter offering convenient to-go food and "Frozcato" made with Disney's signature Dole Whip Pineapple!!
It's like the ultimate picnic in a restaurant!
Spot to Sit & Relax During the Evening: House of Blues
We're always lucky enough to snag a table with chairs outside on their patio so we can enjoy some drinks and live music. We have a House of Blues near us in California, so we've never gone in to eat at this location, but it's always been nice to hear live music and relax for a bit when the weather's nice! Plus they string lights overhead, so it's a fun and cute atmosphere at night!
They'll always have live music from 4pm to close on Monday-Friday, and on Saturdays & Sundays they'll have live music from 12pm-4pm and 5pm to close.
Also worth mentioning: they've got a brand new brunch menu with bottomless drinks available! Their brunch menu is available from 10am-2pm on the weekends with bottomless bloody mary's or mimosas for only $15!
Irish Spot: Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant
This is a fun Irish-themed pub & restaurant that has an outdoor patio for seating as well! What's funny is that I've always consistently heard from my friends that this wasn't the place to go for food, but the one time I went, I actually enjoyed my dish and had a great time! They had live music and dancers that performed on the bar, and the whole time there was a fun experience.
I ate the Gnocchi Sea Gnocchi Do (potato gnocchi with seared scallops, crispy pork belly, tomatoes, and kale in a white wine butter sauce) and my boyfriend got their OMG Burger (dry-aged prime short rib & brisket beef burger, Irish bacon & cheddar, crispy potato straws and Jameson BBQ sauce) and we both thought the food was delicious! So if you're looking for something a little different, this place is fun!
P.S. You can find a complete list of all the dining options at Disney Springs here!
My top recommendations for fun themed restaurants for kids: Rainforest Cafe and T-REX.
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