There are certainly NO shortage of places to eat at Disney World. 400 restaurants. 400!!

But of all the quick service spots, grab-and-go food items, and table service restaurants, Wine Bar George is one of our FAVORITE places to eat, not just at Disney Springs but in ALL of Walt Disney World! And…interestingly, that’s something that just about everybody agrees with! That NEVER happens! So here’s why this restaurant seems to be universally perceived as practically perfect!

So of course we’ve visited a few times since Wine Bar George reopened at Disney Springs to sip on some wine and cocktails and nibble on some nosh-worthy bites. We LOVE this place because

1) You’d think it would be pretentious, but it’s 1000% not,

2) They have really really good, really really accessible eats,

3) The cast members here are smart, knowledgable, and super good at their jobs.

And the truth is, locals and travelers alike flock here, if they’re in the know.

But let’s see how this UBER popular spot doing after all those months of closure?

Atmosphere

When we first visited Wine Bar George when it reopened along with Disney Springs, there were quite a few new health and safety measures put into place, including a QR code menu, additional sanitizing of common areas and items, and paper disposable napkins, among other procedures like socially distanced tables and plexiglass barriers.

Beyond those measures, Wine Bar George has a cozy yet modern vibe, with tons of wood, windows from the floor to the ceiling, and an open-aired atmosphere that is meant to mimic a winemaker’s retreat.

And I can’t stress this enough — unlike a lot of wine bars, this place does not have a stuffy air about it, making it a great place to try something new! Like, oh, say…TONS of yummy food.

Eats

Wine Bar George is operating with a limited menu right now but thankfully, most of their Small Plates menu made the cut.

Their cheese and charcuterie boards are still here as well. If you’re in the mood for something more substantial they do have a few of their Entrées on the menu still.

You’ll also find a small Dessert and Kids’ Menu.

In the word of drinks, you’ll find a healthy-sized Cocktail menu. You’ll also find a few beers and ciders, if you’re not in the mood for the hard stuff. Oh, BTW they have wine here too. Wine IS in the name of the joint, so, not surprisingly, they have a LOT of vino options!

Like all great meals, we started our time at Wine Bar George with a drink. Instead of opting for a glass of wine, we decided to try a cocktail. We landed on the Vecchio Fashioned. This cocktail contains Copper and Kings American Brandy as well as Homemade Barrel-Aged Barolo Chinato Bitters for $14.

If you know us, you know we looooove an old-fashioned, and we found WBG’s version to be super smooth and not-too-sweet (which can be a challenge sometimes at Disney World!). If you’re not feeling wine, this is a great option for sipping.

Because we love to snack (duh, have you MET us?!), we opted for a few small plates on this visit. Our first small plate was the Hummus, which is topped with olive oil and chipotle and is served with cucumbers and naan bread.

It may sound weird to rave about a plate of simple, unassuming hummus, but we swear this was INCREDIBLE hummus. It was creamy and fresh and for $11, we feel like we got a HUGE portion too. Our only complaint? There isn’t enough naan bread. But, pro tip, you can (and should!) ask for some more so you can dip away to your heart’s delight.

Next up, we got the House-Made Meatballs served with a triple cheese polenta and fresh tomato sauce. This small plate costs $14.

The meatballs are tender and quite hearty, but the star of this dish is actually the three-cheese polenta! If we could just sit and eat this creamy, cheesy comfort food all day, we totally would. Don’t judge! You could easily order this as a meal if you weren’t mega-hungry.

And because we loooove cheese, you know we also ordered the Crispy Mac & Cheese Bites, which cost $12.

How much do I LOVE that a wine bar has mac and cheese bites? And it’s totally un-ironic because they’re so, so good!

Oh where do we begin with these crispy, cheesy beauties? Guys, these are seriously just the best! The Mac & Cheese Bites come served on top of tomato nage (FYI that’s basically, like, a sauce…OK so maybe there’s some pretense here) and are sprinkled with pecorino cheese, both of which add a nice little zip to the dish.

The coating is perfectly crispy and the mac inside is creamy and oh-so-cheesy. YUMMM!

And because cheese was the name of the game for this meal, for our final small plate, we opted to get the Grilled Romaine for $12. Eat your veggies, y’all!

Though it may sound a tad boring, we promise this fun twist on salad is anything BUT that! The lettuce is quickly charred so the edges of the leaves get toasty crunchy bits. Sounds strange. Tastes awesome. Also (because we’re obviously all about living that cheese life), it comes with a pecorino wafer — who can say no to a giant crispy piece of cheese?! The dressing on this salad, which is called Anna’s dressing on the menu, is reminiscent of a Caesar dressing, and the creaminess of it plays well off the charred lettuce and the toasted cheese.

Healthy portion of the meal out of the way, back to all things rich and cheesy! We also ordered Saganaki on Fire, which is quickly becoming a required DFB order at Wine Bar George every single visit because it’s THAT good. (I mean, really, I will eat this as a meal over and over again. Just a big block of firey cheese.)

Vlahoriti cheese (a firmer Greek sheep milk cheese) is doused in Metaxa liquor tableside then lit on FIYAH! You get a lemon to squeeze over the flames and it’s served with Crostini for scooping up the goodness (again — ask for more! You only get a few.)!

It’s a fun show and, you know, a ton of melted cheese all for $15. We’re fans, if you couldn’t already tell.

We rounded out our meal with a lil sweet treat, the Olive Oil Cake. This dessert is $7 and is served with candied olives and lemon mascarpone.

This cake was incredibly moist thanks to all of the olive oil, but it also…well…TASTED like olive oil! This is my one complaint about Wine Bar George — the desserts could be better. But some people seriously lurve this dessert, so…if you’re not in love with lardy frosting like us, this could be the perfect light and sweet bite to end your meal.

If you’re down with the flavor of olive oil, you’ll likely love this but if that taste doesn’t sound appealing in your dessert, maybe try the Key Lime Pie.

Nosh or Not

Grab a table at Wine Bar George if…

• You’re looking for a meal you can linger over with wine and cocktails and friends.
• You enjoy small plates and sharing dishes with the other diners at your table. A lot of the items here are meant to be shared and sampled.
• You want a mid-price meal at Disney Springs. The small plates here average in the mid-teens but have ample portions, so this spot is not a bad deal.

Dine elsewhere in Disney Springs if…

• You’re traveling with really little kiddos. They’ll like a lot of the food here, and the menu and restaurant are family-friendly, but the relaxed yet modern vibe here isn’t exciting, vibrant, or particularly fun for little ones (especially with in-your-face kid options like T-Rex around the corner!).
• You’re not into the idea of sharing food with your fellow diners right now.
• You want a quick meal so you can get back to shopping ASAP! WBG isn’t “slow” per se, but if you wanna dine and dash, choose quick service.

Overall

Wine Bar George impressed us yet again. Shocker. The simple-sounding dishes were all totally impressive, and the service at this spot has ALWAYS been top-notch in our experience. The servers and staff are super knowledgeable and helpful about food and wine pairings and anything else you could possibly need! And, the best part: George Miliotes himself — owner, sommelier, and all-around great guy — is literally IN the restaurant most of the time (pretty sure he sleeps in the back) to help you decide on wine choices. He’s super approachable and — I say this with 100% sincerity — DOES. NOT. CARE. if you know nothing about wine. He’s just invested in making sure you get food you like with something yummy to drink. And he — or his staff — will help you discover what that is.

When we find ourselves in Disney Springs, it’s an easy decision to decide to stop in for a drink and a nibble. And it seems this is nearly a universal opinion. Oh, and did we mention BRUNCH?!?

If we HAD to complain about something here, we’d say desserts could be more indulgent, and the menu could be expanded a bit. We always want access to more excellent eats when they do this good of a job. But…yeah…practically perfect.

Wait Til You Hear About Wine Bar George BRUNCH. Read All About It Here.

Have you dined at Wine Bar George lately? Let us if this is one of your fav spots in the comments!