There are some Disney World restaurants that you have to try at least ONCE.

Classic spots like Chef Mickey’s or Casey’s Corner come to mind, and if you want to take it up a notch you could even knock Be Our Guest Restaurant or Cinderella’s Royal Table off the list. But if you’re heading to Disney Springs, there’s a place where you can get some delicious comfort food that we’ve RAVED about in the past.

Recently I made a trip back to Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ in Disney Springs. This has been a DFB favorite ever since it opened, but does it still reign supreme in Southern favorites? Let’s see!

Atmosphere

The restaurant is located in The Landing at Disney Springs, behind Morimoto Asia. If you’re coming specifically to visit this spot, Orange Garage is a great place to park.

As you approach the restaurant, there are a number of tables in addition to the host’s stand. There’s also an outdoor Moonshine Bar.

Once you’ve checked in, you can enter the waiting area. There’s a second host stand here, but there are several chairs where you can sit and take in the ambiance while you wait for your table to be called.

This is also one of the restaurants in Disney Springs that sells its own merchandise! If you’re dining here, make sure to check out the fun (and often chicken-themed) items in their collection.

There are three main rooms inside with ample seating and tables of various sizes.

This could actually be a good restaurant for a larger group because there are multiple big tables spread throughout the dining space. (It’s a personal favorite spot for me to come and visit for birthday dinners!)

There’s also a bar indoors, and here, moonshine is the specialty drink. But more on that with the menu!

I got a great spot by the window, and the table was set with silverware and a menu.

Now let’s see what we can order!

Menu

There are quite a few things on the Homecomin’ menu, but one of the iconic options they serve here is Moonshine. Their “Shine on Tap” comes with quite a few options to choose from, and you can also order a number of cocktails with the beverage in it. They also offer a flight with all five Shines on Tap flavors.

But they’ve also got a wide selection of food to choose from! Starting with the appetizers, you can try the Church Lady Deviled Eggs or the Thigh High Chicken Biscuits. The Spicy Cauliflower Wings and Fried Pickles are newer additions.

For those who want something lighter, the Salads & Such section has a Fried Chicken Salad, a Chopped BLT Salad, and even Addie Mae’s Chicken & Dumpling Soup. Plus, Brunswick Stew was added earlier this year.

For sandwiches, you can order a Fried Chicken Sandwich, a Chicken Salad Sandwich, The Art Burger, a Cuban Sandwich, or a Catfish Sandwich. There’s also a Country Club on the menu.

Now we make it to the Main Plates! Art’s Famous Fried Chicken is an iconic choice, or you could go for the new entree and get the Skillet-Fried Chicken Paillard. Fried Chicken & Doughnuts or the Kitchen Plate are good choices if you want to sample multiple items.

Homecomin’ is also known for its delicious sides, and there are plenty to choose from. Cheddar Cheese Drop Biscuits, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Mac and Cheese, Southern Green Beans, and Bradley’s Grits are just a few of the options.

Finally, we can’t forget about dessert! The Hummingbird Cake is a signature treat, but the Hot Fudge Bourbon Brownie is an intriguing new add. They also offer Carrot Cake, Everglazed Doughnuts, or Chocolate Pecan Pie. Can’t decide? Get the Signature Sampler.

Now that we’ve covered all that, it’s time to order!

Food

Before we get into the food, I have to mention my drink! I’m a southern gal, so I, of course, HAD to order sweet tea. But the drinks here come with agave straws! That’s a big bonus for people who hate paper straws, so I just wanted to share.

Let’s start things off with an appetizer, why don’t we? I ordered the Fried Pickle Spears, which is one of the newer additions to the menu here. These are house-made spears, fried crisp and served alongside a remoulade.

You can get this app for $16, and while that’s a bit pricey for an appetizer, it just might be worth every penny. We got a TON of pickles with our plate, and they were all decently sized. They could be a little hard to bite without the fried bits falling off, but the pickles themselves were tangy and had a delicious, strong vinegar flavor.

The batter was very crispy and reminded us of their fried chicken batter. The stack of pickles was topped with scallions and paprika, which added some good depth of flavor and when all paired with the remoulade, worked really well together. The remoulade is creamy and herbaceous, but still pretty mild so it goes well with the strong pickles. Honestly, I don’t even eat pickle spears, but this was a STELLAR appetizer in my book. I would get these again, but probably not if I was by myself (the portion was so big that I had to take some home).

Now on to the entrees! I got two of the classics on the Homecomin’ menu to review — the Fried Chicken & Doughnuts for $32 and the Shrimp & Grits for $29.

Let’s start with the Fried Chicken & Doughnuts. This is a Homecomin’ staple because Chef Art Smith is known for his spectacular fried chicken. And with the menu changes earlier this year, this item changed from including house-made doughnuts to now having doughnuts from Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew, which is located in Disney Springs on the West Side.

You also get a side of mashed potatoes with your chicken and doughnuts, and obviously, I opted to include the gravy on top. YUM!

One bite of each of these elements and I knew instantly why this is a signature dish. First of all, those yeast doughnuts were incredibly soft, sweet, and pulled apart perfectly. I think they’re a significant improvement from the ones included before.

The chicken…just WOW. It’s hard to explain what’s so good about this chicken, but I’ll do my best. It’s boneless and completely gristle-free with a nice crunch in the breading. I could tell that it’s made with high-quality ingredients, and it was well-salted and seasoned. There’s even a little powdered sugar dusted on top. I would eat this again and again!

And finally, those mashed potatoes. You can order them with or without the gravy, but they are SO buttery and creamy. The gravy adds a little bit of peppery flavor, but it’s buttery and smooth as well. All in all, very delicious and a side I would definitely recommend.

Next up in entrees, we’ve got the Shrimp & Grits. Now, I consider myself a bit of a shrimp & grits connoisseur. I’ve ordered them a LOT in Disney World, and I even have a current ranking going of the best and worst ones (but that’s a conversation for another time). Comparatively, these are REALLY good.

You can order either cheese or regular grits and I opted for cheese, although I’m not sure whether or not that would be my choice if I ordered again. I LOVE cheese, but there was so much of it that it made it hard to scoop the grits that were on the edge of the bowl. Where the cheese content was a little less, though, I could tell that the grits were buttery, thick, and had a great texture.

The sauce on top is a tomato gravy, and it was spiced in a way that reminded me of the ocean. You can also order these with or without the Tasso ham on top, which is shaved/sliced thin and takes on a lot of the flavor of the tomato gravy. The ham was pretty good, but I think this dish would be fine with or without it.

My favorite part of the entree was the shrimp! They’re peeled and deveined, which is really important to me when it comes to ordering shrimp & grits — do you know how hard it is to peel your own shrimp when they’re covered in grits and gravy?! They had a good chew and there were plenty of them.

The Shrimp & Grits also comes with a Cheddar Drop Biscuit, which is another popular item at Homecomin’. It was soft and cheesy, but I recommend that you eat it while it’s warm or it gets a little stiff.

In fact, this whole entree is a dish that you should eat as soon as possible…delicious, but not exactly the best when it’s cold or easy to eat as leftovers.

And finally, we come to dessert! Another new-ish item on the menu here is the Signature Sampler for $24. It comes with three iconic Homecomin’ desserts — the Hummingbird Cake, Chocolate Pecan Pie, and Carrot Cake.

This is a great way to try multiple popular treats all in one, and you get a pretty decent portion of each. First up is the Carrot Cake, which was warm, tasted like it was spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and was very moist. There’s a nice chewy texture from the shredded carrots that I liked a lot. It’s topped with a cream cheese drizzle and caramel, but I couldn’t taste much of the cream cheese flavor because the icing is VERY sweet. I actually preferred eating the cake on its own without the sugary icing.

Next I tried the Chocolate Pecan Pie, which according to the menu, is a 100-year-old Smith family recipe. It’s SO sweet, you guys. If you’re into sugary and rich desserts, this was made for you. There are candied pecans on the side and it comes with vanilla ice cream that helps cut down on the richness. It was delicious, but it can be a tad overwhelming to the senses and it started to melt because it was served warm.

Finally, we’ve got the Hummingbird Cake. It’s served cooler in temperature than the other two and comes topped with a cream cheese frosting. This pineapple-and-banana cake combo was spiced and reminded me a lot of banana bread. It’s very good and I totally see why it’s a signature dessert here. The frosting was also pretty sugary, but I especially enjoyed this dessert because it took me back to hot summer days spent at my grandmother’s house (she made this cake often since it was my grandfather’s favorite).

And you know what? That’s just the general feeling I get at Homecomin’ — like everything is familiar and comforting and just the best version of a meal my mom or grandma would make. And that’s a serious compliment!

Overall

Overall, this was definitely one of the best meals I’ve eaten in Disney World, so I was reminded why it’s one of our favorites. Next time I go back, I would definitely order those Fried Pickles again along with the Fried Chicken & Doughnuts. After that, I don’t know if I would even need to get dessert because the portions here are HUGE.

It’s not necessarily the cheapest table service meal, but I really do think that you get your money’s worth here. I had some excellent service and I went home with a lot of leftovers. And besides these items that I talked about above, I’ve had some other great things that I LOVED on their menu like the Country Fried Steak and the Kitchen Plate.

Nosh or Not?

Wrap yourself up in Southern comfort food at Homecomin’ if…

• You’re craving those homemade classics. This is one of the best places to get fried chicken on property, and you can’t go wrong with their delicious sides. Every time I leave here, I feel like I’m eating the best meal my mom ever made.
• You’re dining in Disney Springs. When it comes to Disney Springs restaurants, this is definitely one of our favorites. It consistently gets good reviews, it has a convenient location, and you can dine here indoors or outdoors with large or small parties. A true crowd-pleaser.
• You want a meal that’s guaranteed to be good. Obviously, we can’t guarantee that your meal will be perfect, but I’ve never left this restaurant dissatisfied. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tried on the menu in the past.

Pass up on a country meal if…

• You’re on a tight budget. This isn’t the cheapest table service restaurant in Disney World, and there are plenty of other budget-friendly options in Disney Springs. Especially if you want more than entrees, you’ll be shelling out a few bucks.
• You want some more adventurous eats. The menu here, while delicious, is pretty standard fare. It’s not really “exotic” or “adventurous” and that’s generally the point. If you want to try something new and different, there are several other options in the area.

That’s a wrap on our visit to Homecomin’! Stay tuned to DFB for more food reviews and all the news from around Disney World. We’ll help you prepare for your next trip.

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Have you ever been to Homecomin’? Tell us in the comments!

The post REVIEW: Is Homecomin’ Still Worth the Hype in Disney World? first appeared on the disney food blog.