Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ has been my favorite restaurant at Disney Springs since it opened in July 2016. It has a perfect atmosphere. It’s not fancy, but it’s not too laid back. The way I describe it is comfortable and cozy. You won’t feel too comfortable when you leave because you’ll be full after eating all this comfort food.
Now this restaurant and I have had some struggles after I got diagnosed with my dairy allergy because everything here is made with buttermilk for the most part. I have had to tread very carefully here. After not going for a while, the team and I decided to try Homecomin’ to see how they could accommodate me and if the food was still just as good. Before going into it, Ryno let us know he’s always viewed this restaurant as a middle-of-the-road place, which is very different from how Craig and I feel about this dining location.
Before I jump into all food we ate, I want to touch on my experience with the staff and how they handled my allergy. To preface this, I don’t eat meat often; it just never sits right with me, but I’ve always said that for Homecomin’, I would eat chicken. The minute we sat down, they asked if there were any allergies at the table, and I notified them about my dairy allergy.
Then they further explained to me that they keep separate grilled chicken that has no contact with the buttermilk brine they use with all their food items. They also have plant-based options, but they won’t be found on the menu. You’ll have to ask. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s eat!
Appetizers
We ordered two appetizers, the Bee Haven Bay Fried Green Tomatoes ($17), served with Shaved ham, remoulade sauce, and dressed local greens. The other one we ordered was the Spicy Cauliflower Wings ($14) which are Cauliflower florets flash-fried and tossed in hot honey sauce. Craig enjoyed the Fried Green Tomatoes more than the Cauliflower, mainly because he preferred the flavors in the other dish.
The Cauliflower comes fried in the buttermilk brine. I have been told by the chef here that because it’s flash fried, most of the dairy gets cooked off. I have had these in the past, about a year ago, and it didn’t send me into an allergic reaction. If you don’t feel safe to test your limits, then don’t follow in my footsteps. For this review we shared these appetizers, so I only ate two of the “wings”, and I survived. I love this dish so much, and Ryno also enjoyed it. For me, I think this food item is a must order.
Entrees
I ordered The Country Club sandwich ($20) for my entree. This comes with Grilled chicken topped with white cheddar, pecan-smoked bacon, red jalapeño jelly, lettuce, and tomato on a brioche bun. Obviously, I had to make a few changes to this. The dish I got had no cheese, the separate no-dairy grilled chicken, and I asked for the bacon on the side so that Ryno and Craig could have some.
I thought it was a decent grilled chicken sandwich. My only critique is that the Jalapeño Jelly didn’t have any real kick to it, and I was hoping for a subtle hint of spice in this. When I return, I would want to try whatever plant-based option they have, compare the two, and see which I enjoyed more.
Craig ordered the Shrimp and Grits ($29), Pan-seared shrimp with tomato gravy, and Tasso ham served over creamy Bradley’s grits with a cheddar drop biscuit. When the plate arrived at the table, all I could think of was how heavy of a dish that looked especially to eat on a hot summer day.
Craig did enjoy this dish but said the biscuit was the low point of the meal. That genuinely shocked me because I used to think the cheddar drop biscuits were to die for. Ryno did try some of Craig’s dish but wasn’t impressed.
Ryno took a leap of faith and ordered the Britton’s Chicken Salad Sandwich ($19). This is Britton Smith’s recipe with pulled chicken, celery, grapes, Duke’s Mayo, and savory spices. It was served with lettuce and tomato on artisan bread. This is marked as new on the menu, so we were very interested in the dish. This sandwich was packed with chicken salad. There was enough on the plate to make another entire sandwich. Ryno wasn’t very enthused while eating his lunch, but the chips with the sandwich were good.
Dessert
For dessert Craig and Ryno ordered the Carrot Cake ($14). Unfortunately, I had no options, but that’s okay because I was too full from all my French fries to even think about sweets. The dessert is a house-made carrot cake topped with cream cheese icing and caramel drizzle.
This carrot cake was giant. It looked like an enormous brick of deliciousness. As they tore apart the dessert, I asked Ryno if it was better than the vegan carrot cake we had at Space 220, and he answered, saying that it was not, but it was close to being just as good.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Craig and I walked out of there, still thinking that Homecomin’ is a fantastic restaurant. Ryno walked out with the same feeling he had, which is that this restaurant is just a medium in his book. We all agreed this is a wonderful place to grab a drink and appetizer. There’s a bar inside and outside where guests can order food and beverages. We highly recommend it if you are interested in that kind of experience. Keep an eye out for our video review coming soon to our YouTube channel.
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