Did you know that some of the BEST food in Disney World isn’t even inside the theme parks? The parks have some great restaurants, of course, but there are plenty of places to dine when you don’t have a ticket for the day. Each of the Disney Resorts has at least one restaurant, but the REAL cream of the crop can be found at Disney Springs!

Disney Springs is home to literally dozens of dining locations, and they’ve got cuisine from all over the world. But if you’re coming to Florida and you want some traditional American eats with a taste from the coast, there’s one place that comes to mind.

The Boathouse is located at The Landing at Disney Springs, and it’s a very popular restaurant for visitors to check out when they come into town for vacation, or for locals who have a hankering for seafood. Here at DFB, we’ve visited The Boathouse many times, but we like to revisit Disney World restaurants every once in a while to see if they still live up to the hype.

So today, I’m taking you along with me on a visit to The Boathouse…let’s go!

Atmosphere

First of all, as I mentioned above, this is a seafood restaurant. And as you may have guessed, that means you can expect quite a bit of nautical decor. Each of the dining spaces is decorated with fun little fish-themed and boat-themed tchotchkes and trinkets. I found myself looking around the room and just taking it all in multiple times.

There are multiple dining rooms at The Boathouse, as well as a TON of outdoor seating. From bartops to regular tables to booths, they’ve got pretty much every kind of seating arrangement here, and they can even accommodate some larger parties.

When I was led to my table, I noticed that each table is set with cloth napkins, silverware, glasses, and a cloth tablecloth. The settings make me feel like I’m at an upscale beach restaurant!

I was seated at a pretty basic square table, but I absolutely HAVE to mention the coolest place to sit in the restaurant — INSIDE the boat. You’ll spot this table right as you enter the restaurant. Honestly, you can’t miss it because it’s huge!

And on the back of the boat, there’s a little extra seating that’s bar-style with chairs side-by-side. Here, you’re directly behind the host’s stand.

Outside, the tables on the patios that wrap around the restaurant literally seat hundreds of people. This large patio was recently covered with an awning, so The Boathouse now has a higher seating capacity on rainy days.

And we can’t forget about the Dockside Bar — it’s floating out there on the Sassagoula River! There are tables all along the dock leading to that bar.

The Boathouse is HUGE. If you want the fancy vibes, request to sit indoors. If you want things a bit more casual, I would recommend the outside tables.

Menu

I’ll be honest, this restaurant has one of the biggest menus I’ve seen in Disney World. I was given three separate menus throughout the meal with different offerings, and the main menu itself was so big that it was hard to fit it all in one picture.

But to start, I got the “Today’s Features” with the list of Oysters on the Half Shell. there are five different types of oysters and they’re $4.50 each or $27 for a half dozen.

The main menu with the raw bar, appetizers, and entrees is covered in pretty much every kind of seafood that you can think of. (Okay, maybe not EVERY kind, but there sure are a lot of options!) They have fish, lobster, pasta, shrimp, burgers, sandwiches, and more. 

In addition to all the entrees, there’s also a selection of sides to share. This list includes no less than four different kinds of potatoes, as well as sweet potato, mac and cheese, and asparagus.

Finally, toward the end of my meal, I requested to see the dessert menu, which is called La Dolce Vita here. There are three single-portion desserts — the Key Lime Pie, the Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake, and the Caramel Apple Bread Pudding. You could also order the Triple Chocolate Layer Cake or the Macadamia Turtle Pie if you’re dining with 2+ people, or you have a big appetite.

So now that we’ve covered the bases, let’s talk about what I ate!

Eats

At the very beginning of my meal, the server brought out a small jug of ice water so that I could refill my own glass throughout the meal. (Spoiler alert: I never had to refill my cup on my own because my server was THAT attentive!)

Also to kick off lunch or dinner, you’ll be brought a plate with their house bread and some butter. These rolls were some of the best I’ve had (especially for a roll that’s technically pretty basic) because they were SO light and fluffy and served warm.

They pulled apart easily, and The Boathouse makes sure to coat them in a little bit of honey butter that gives just the right amount of sweetness. The butter in the ramekin is pretty simple, but it pairs well with the roll and I definitely ended up eating more of these than I should have. (What can I say? Ya girl likes bread!)

The Boathouse is known for its Raw Bar, so how could I go and NOT get oysters? I ordered four different types — the Shiny Sea, Irish Point, Raspberry Point, and Hammerheads. Each one is a slightly different size and comes with different flavors and undertones based on its point of origin. They’re served on ice with a Cucumber Mignonette and London Dry Gin Cocktail Sauce, plus a lemon wedge.

First up, I tried the Shiny Sea, which is from Prince Edward Island, Canada, and is heavy on saltiness, but has a sweet aftertaste. It reminded me of the taste of seawater and it was on the smaller side, but it was still pretty good in my personal opinion.

Next up was the Irish Point oyster. This one comes from Prince Edward Island, Canada, as well, but it has more of a brine to it and a buttery-like finish. I thought it was nice and tangy, and I enjoyed it with some of the cocktail sauce to add a little bit of extra tartness. This was probably my favorite of the four.

After that was the Raspberry Point, which was also sourced from Prince Edward Island. It’s very salty but it has more of a clean finish, which means that it doesn’t taste as much like seawater. (If you’re concerned about that flavor in your oysters.) I really liked adding the Cucumber Mignonette to this particular oyster because it made it taste extra bright and fresh.

And finally, we come to the Hammerheads, which, unlike the others, is actually from Cape Cod Bay. It has a lot of brine and a note of seaweed, which makes it taste very oceany to me. It was probably my least favorite of the bunch, but a squeeze of lemon on the top helped add a little more flavor that I liked, brightening it up and detracting from the salt.

With your order of oysters, your server will bring some extra things to your table. We got a bucket for disposing of the shells, a bottle of Tabasco, and some saltine crackers. (It’s my personal opinion that many things taste better when eaten on saltine crackers, so I was pretty excited about this!)

Once I’d shoved four oysters down my gullet, it was time to eat…you guessed it…MORE seafood! My server recommended the Grouper, which is the only entree that has changed significantly on the menu in recent times. It’s from the Gulf of Mexico and is served atop charred corn, baby butter beans, and sweet peppers. It’s topped with Sunflower Chili Butter and is $39.50.

Oh and let me tell you, this fish was DELICIOUS. It was falling apart under my fork and so tender. The sauce on top is incredibly buttery and I loved the little bit of spice that the chili provided for the mild fish.

The veggies underneath were also quite good, although the corn was probably the star of that mix. They worked well with a bite of the fish and I found myself scarfing down this whole portion. My server described it as “summer in a bowl” and I have to say that I totally agree.

I was 100% prepared to name this some of the best fish I’d ever eaten, but when I got to the last two bites, there were a few little bones remaining inside that surprised me when I bit down. It didn’t detract from the flavor of the rest of the entree, and I would still highly recommend the Grouper despite it. It was likely just a random oversight, but I wanted to mention it in the interest of transparency.

As a side dish, I got their Truffle Fries, which are topped with truffle oil, parmesan, and parsley. They cost $11.50 and come with little ramekins of ketchup and a Lemon Aioli.

I’m not exactly the world’s biggest fan of truffles, but I AM the world’s biggest fan of potatoes (a verified FACT ), so I still really enjoyed these. They smell strongly of truffle, but the flavor is really only enough to make the potatoes not taste like basic fries. Even someone like me, who’s not head-over-heels for the flavor, might still like them. I got a good mix of both crispy and soft fries in here, too, so that was a definite win.

But the real star here? That Lemon Aioli! I really loved this sauce and thought it paired excellently with the fries. It’s creamy and mild and has a coolness to it that counters with the earthy potatoes. YUM.

Finally, we arrive at dessert. As soon as I saw that they had Caramel Apple Bread Pudding on the menu, I knew I HAD to try it. (I’m a big bread pudding fan, and I’ve tried several different types across Disney World!) I ordered mine with the sauce on the side so that I could pour it over the dish to my liking. 

This dessert is $10 and comes with a Butter Pecan Caramel Sauce. It’s topped with vanilla ice cream. It looks and smells absolutely amazing, but be warned that it’s a very sweet treat! The bread pudding had an excellent texture with a little bit of chew in each bite, and the base had a spiced cake-like flavor that paired well with the apples, caramel, and pecans.

I really enjoyed the crunch from the pecans throughout, and the apple is dispersed in large chunks, so each bite is a little bit different. The vanilla ice cream was a nice touch, but it didn’t have a very strong vanilla bean flavor and it melted quickly so that by the end, I was left with ice cream soup.

However, if you’re a fan of apple pie, caramel, or butter pecan, this is a MUST. Even though this is a single-person dessert, it might be too much for one person to finish, especially after a full meal. (I know it was for me!)

So how does this meal rank overall?

Overall

The Boathouse is the kind of restaurant I definitely recommend for a date night in Disney Springs. It’s a little bit classier than some of the basic table service places, the food is delicious, and the service was quite possibly the best service I’ve ever had in a Disney World restaurant. My server stopped by several times, refilling my drink, answering my questions, and even offering to refresh the items on the table (like bringing me a new Diet Coke that wasn’t as watered down from melting ice, or dropping off new rolls when mine had grown cold). I felt very well taken care of!

Everything I ate was quite yummy, and if I wanted to have a seafood dinner in Disney World, this would definitely be one of (if not THE) first places I would recommend. There are SO many items on the menu that you can probably find something to please each person in your group. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to budget a little bit more than some other meals.

But one lesson I learned while eating here that you might want to hear? The phone service in the dining room is not very good!

Nosh or Not?

Indulge your coastal tastes at The Boathouse if…

• You want to eat some seafood. There is SO much of it on the menu here, and other meals I’ve eaten in the past at this restaurant were also delicious. If you want fish, shrimp, or the like, this is a great spot!
• You want a leisurely meal in the middle of your shopping day. There’s a lot to do in Disney Springs and after walking around and shopping, you might be ready for a long break! My meal here was about two hours, but I did eat four different courses. If you didn’t order quite as much food, it would be a perfect length of time to just relax for a little while.
• You care about great service. Servers here were polite, attentive, and very helpful! Everyone I spoke with had a smile on their face and it made me enjoy my experience even more.

Just keep swimming to a different restaurant if…

• You don’t like/want seafood. This is mainly a seafood restaurant, and while there are non-seafood options…that’s not really what they’re known for. If you want a burger or pasta or a steak specifically, there are other places I would choose first.
• You’re on a tight budget. While this isn’t the priciest restaurant around, it’s certainly not the cheapest either. My meal added up quickly, especially with the pricey grouper and the oysters. There are other table service spots in Disney Springs that are a bit more budget-friendly, as well as some great quick service options.
• You’re not already planning to visit Disney Springs. Now this one can vary depending on the person and how desperately you want to eat at The Boathouse, but it’s definitely a trek over here if you’re coming from the theme parks for a meal. There aren’t currently buses from the parks to Disney Springs and vice versa, so you’d either have to go to a hotel and get a bus from there or drive yourself. That can be a bit of a pain!

That was my full experience at The Boathouse in Disney Springs. I had a great time! If you want to get more recommendations about dining spots you should try on your next Disney World vacation, stay tuned to DFB.

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Have you ever been to The Boathouse? Tell us in the comments!

The post I Spent on Lunch for One at The Boathouse in Disney Springs. Here’s What I Would Order Again. first appeared on the disney food blog.