Our hearts may still be reeling from the loss of a beloved side item at Columbia Harbour House, but that wasn’t the only latest change to this restaurant!

One of our favorite restaurants is hot on the heels of a menu shakedown which included a devastating loss and slight changes to a few staple menu items. Although we had already reported on these recent changes to make you aware, we felt the situation called for a taste test in person and we knew what had to be done.

If you’ve ever searched for somewhere around Magic Kingdom for food that’s not the standard theme park food like burgers and hot dogs, you’ve probably considered the offerings at Columbia Harbour House.

This restaurant is nestled inside the Liberty Square area of the park and offers several surf-and-turf platters served with a New England-inspired flair. Historically, this restaurant has been a favorite of ours for years, so we decided we were overdue for another visit to check out their most recent menu changes.

Atmosphere

As we mentioned before, the food served here is inspired by the New England atmosphere and architecture of the restaurant. You’ll find the restaurant’s sign hung right out front beckoning you to come inside!

As you step through the restaurant’s threshold, you’ll feel as if you’re stepping into a restaurant just off the shore from a shipyard due to its multiple nautical touches. In fact, you’ll find lots of ship and sea decor throughout the entire restaurant. You’ll just want to make sure you’re looking all around you!

Seating here can be busy, but usually isn’t much of a problem because there’s seating all over the ground level…

…and in several rooms along with a second floor just up the stairs.

If you’re having a hard time finding a place to sit, consider making the short trek up the steps to find a quieter place to dine.

All of your utensils will be self-service and will be located at the frequent condiment stations found throughout the restaurant.

In addition to the normal ketchup, mustard, and mayo you would expect to find, you’ll also have options of other appropriate condiments to compliment the menu platters like tartar sauce and honey mustard.

Menu

There have been a few changes to the menu here that are mostly subtle lately. However, the overall theme of the menu remains mostly intact. The American cuisine served here sticks to entrees like Lobster Rolls and maple-mustard Glazed Salmon, and platters like fried shrimp, chicken, and fish.

There are also a few sides like New England Clam Chowder, green beans, and fries served here to go with the main entrees. Currently, desserts are a choice of either a Boston Cream Pie or Greek yogurt, and you’ll have a few fountain beverage options for soda, lemonade slushes, water, coffee, orange juice, and a few others to complete your meal.

After browsing the menu for a few moments in the line, we stepped up to place our order at the counter with the Cast Member and waited for our food to be prepared. It’s also important to keep in mind that you have an option to Mobile Order from this restaurant too and it could save you valuable time, especially at peak dining times when the restaurant is busier.

Eats

Ultimately, we decided to try out the new and changed items on the menu which included the Fried Shrimp Platter, Fish Platter, Shrimp Salad, and Chicken Platter. While some of these might sound like they’re no different than what was already on the menu, we’ll be talking all about their differences!

Let’s kick things off with the Fried Shrimp Platter. This dish is made of beer-bettered shrimp served with french fries and will cost you $13.99.

This dish probably was our least favorite of everything we tried, but that’s not to say it was terrible. Previously, the menu here called for breaded shrimp so the big change here was the beer-batter breading. The change in fried breading doesn’t do anything to elevate the shrimp’s flavor and only seems to add to its texture.

When you bite into it, it’s hard to get past the breading and taste much of the shrimp inside which we felt was muted against the new breading. It’s totally ok to stand on its own, but we really wish this one kept more of that briny, shrimp flavor that we felt would have totally helped it out. Ultimately, we doctored this one’s flavor heavily with condiments so if you’re planning to order this one too, we think you should mentally prepare to do the same.

Then we turned our attention to the Fish Platter. This dish is made of beer-battered fish served with tartar sauce and french fries and will cost you $12.99. It’s worth pointing out that our entree wasn’t initially served with tartar sauce and we ended up grabbing our own from the condiments stand.

What’s new about this fishy dish is the breading here, too! The restaurant also opted for a beer-battered breading over its previous form and we can’t say we mind the change much at all. We found it to be a bit crispier, and flaky, and almost reminded us of fish from Long John Silvers (if you’re into fast food restaurant fish).

It wasn’t a very potent fish taste so it’s possible that the batter muted the flavor a bit, but we found the way the fish broke apart on the outside to be very soft. At the end of the day, it didn’t leave us looking to give it a standing ovation but it was a decent fish meal, especially in Disney World.

The Shrimp Salad was up next! This dish is made of mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, mild pepperoncini, manzanilla olives, and capers topped with grilled shrimp on skewers and will cost you $13.49.

We have to warn you, this was a BIG salad! There was certainly enough in this portion to easily split between two adults and we were floored at just how many pieces of shrimp we received. As for the flavor, the salad was fresh and we loved how zesty it was! Overall it gave an Italian salad vibe with the capers and peppers, and we thought we tasted a hint of a vinaigrette dressing, but overall, it really works for this one!

The peppers taste just like the ones used on pizza at Papa John’s and the combination against the pepperoncini created a vinegar-like taste to it overall. The shrimp we had served on top of the salad were chewy and briny but they were lightly coated in a spice to try to enhance their flavor. We thought it tasted like an Old Bae seasoning, honestly, but it didn’t add much to the salad (or the shrimp for that matter) since it wasn’t thoroughly coated and we only got hints of it at certain times. Overall though, this salad impressed us and we weren’t sure how to expect the execution based on the ingredients but it seems that the restaurant pulled it together into something cohesive.

Last but not least we needed to try our tried and true, Chicken Platter. This dish is made of chicken strips served with french fries and will cost you $10.99.

We’re happy to report that the flavor here hasn’t changed! They’re still our fan-favorite chicken tenders just billed as “strips” now on the menu.

They’re lightly breaded on the outside and when you bite down into them you’re met with the soft resistance of the chicken meat in the center of the strip. It’s a crowd-pleaser for the masses of all ages!

Overall

Overall, we didn’t mind the changes too much as most of it was the same menu offering and applied mostly to how the main entree was prepared. While the most drastic change seemed to have been with the Shrimp Salad, it was easily our favorite of everything we enjoyed in this meal.

The beer batter on the fish wasn’t terrible, it just made it crunchier and there wasn’t a ton of flavor in the fried shrimp so we doctored it up with lots of condiments. If you’re planning to try out the newest menu changes here, we’d recommend you start with the Shrimp Salad and change to the Fish platter first.

Nosh or Not?

Stop by Columbia Harbour House if…

• You’re tired of the regular theme park food. If you’re craving a change from what you’ve been eating or burgers and hot dogs just aren’t your style, this could be an excellent option for you.
• You’re an old fan of this restaurant, and don’t mind trying the changes. The preparation for some of these meals is a little different than what you may have had in the past. If you’ve been a fan in the past, it’s time to try out what’s new.
• How you enjoy your meal matters. The atmosphere where you choose to dine and relax while grabbing a bite to eat matters just as much to you as the quality of the meal itself. If you’re looking for a place that’s quiet, indoors with great AC, and some ideal views from the window seats, this could be your new favorite spot.

You’ll probably want to find another place to dine if…

• Surf and Turf entrees just don’t appeal to you. Sure, there’s a chicken platter here and a few solid sides like fries and green beans, but most of the menu is going to have some sort of sea-based shrimp, clam, or fish to it.
• You’re looking to snack and go. This quick-service restaurant will have hefty portions that might take a few minutes to enjoy comfortably. If you’re looking for something that’s more of the grab-and-go style, consider stopping by one of the snack carts or restaurants like Gaston’s Tavern for even lighter bites.
• You’re still hurt over hushpuppy-gate. We get you, truly — and we commiserate with you. But, if the recent menu changes left you feeling lawless and without your favorite menu item to carry you through this meal, we could totally understand stopping somewhere else to eat.

We’re always looking for and checking out the latest menu changes and additions to restaurants around Disney World. Don’t forget to check out a few of our most recent reviews below and stay tuned with us at Disney Food Blog for even more!

REVIEW: 2 NEW Eats Have Arrived at a Popular EPCOT Restaurant

Are you a fan of the recent menu changes at Columbia Harbour House? Leave us your honest takes in the comments below!

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