There are a LOT of restaurants in Disney World, and especially over at Disney Springs.

Picking what spots you want to visit during your Disney trip can be quite the undertaking when there are so many to pick from. That’s why we make it our job to stop by Disney’s restaurants over and over again to sample their items and see whether a breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner there is worth the cost. (Tough work eating all of that food, but someone’s gotta do it!) Recently we made our way over to one of the Disney Springs spots that nearly EVERYONE says is practically perfect — Wine Bar George. Does this restaurant still live up to the hype and should you visit? Let’s dive into our review and find out!

Atmosphere

Wine Bar George is a wine bar and restaurant owned by Master Sommelier George Miliotes, who you’ll often see walking around and serving guests in the restaurant. Wine Bar George has the distinct honor of being the only Master Sommelier-owned wine bar in the state of Florida. Take that everybody else! Oh, and in case you didn’t know, Miliotes was previously most known for being member of the opening team of California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

During our experiences at Wine Bar George (we’ve been there quite a few times), we’ve had  consistently amazing service and found that the staff is very knowledgeable.

In terms of theming, the restaurant has some industrial chic vibes.

It’s laid back but still feels hip and cool, if you know what we mean. There are a variety of seating options available depending on what you’re looking for. There are standard tables and chairs…

…bar seating…

…and outdoor seating as well.

There are also multiple levels to this spot. Downstairs you’ll find that bar we showed you…

…and some high tables.

Upstairs there are two dining rooms with more traditional seating and a bar.

And outdoors there are some tables where you can sit down and enjoy the view. There ARE heaters out here for those rare chilly nights in Florida! These are great tables for people watching!

Seriously, if you’re looking for a spot to dine outdoors in Disney Springs where you can take some awesome nighttime photos, this is IT.

On the tables you’ll find a paper napkin with utensils.

Now that we’ve gone over the overall atmosphere, let’s dive into the menu.

Menu

When it comes to menus, there was both a QR code available to scan…

…and paper menus available as well. The paper menu detailed the various wines and other drinks available at Wine Bar George.

There are a LOT of different drinks to pick from.

But this place isn’t just about wines. There are also cocktails, beer and cider, and even frozen drinks (some of which are made with DOLE Whip).

And there are some delicious food options at this spot as well. You’ll find some small plates, boards, and entrees available.

There are also family-style plates if you’d like to share some larger dishes. And there are sweets and kids’ meals.

This trip we decided to have some small plates, a board, an entree, a dessert, and some drinks — just to try a little bit of everything!

Eats

During our recent trip we got one wine drink and a separate cocktail. For our wine, we went with the Villa Antinori Chianti, which was $17 for a glass.

We actually opted for this wine because it was recommended to us by our server. They said that the wine would be light enough to go with the cheese board we ordered (more on that in a sec!), but strong enough to balance out the ribs we ALSO ordered and they were right!

Overall the wine had a little bit of acidity to it, but also an earthy flavor that balanced it out nicely.

Wine is one of those things that can definitely depend on your palette, your meal, and the flavors you’re looking for. The good thing is that Wine Bar George’s extensive wine menu and knowledgeable staff mean you’ll have a LOT of choices to pick from and a friendly guide to help you pick the right one!

During our visit, we also grabbed The Harvester, which is made with Copper and Kings Brandy, Nixta (which is a corn liqueur), and Lemon. This one was priced at $15.

This drink was tart and subtly sweet from the corn-based liqueur, but very refreshing. We found it to be quite unique in terms of its flavor profile, and actually really delicious. It’s something we’d totally order again!

If you’ve been wanting to try brandy, this could be a good drink for you to try since it’s refreshing and not too sweet. If you’re not a brandy fan or are looking for a different type of drink, Wine Bar George likely has you covered with their LARGE selection of wines and other options.

On to the grub, we started with some small plates. For our first, we’ll start with the Crispy Mac & Cheese Bites. These come with
tomato nage (Michelin defines “nage” as a stock flavored with vegetables, white wine, and herbs), and pecorino. It is priced at $13.

These are perfection. We’ve had these time and time again and they never fail to impress.

The breading is light and flaky (a.k.a. perfect). There’s a little bit of heat from the spices in the breading, but the mac and cheese is so creamy and perfect, it balances everything out. We’ll put it simply — we adore these. 

If you love mac & cheese and fried foods, this has to be on your must-try list when here. Seriously, our ONLY critique would be MORE! You’ll be shocked how fast these four bites go down!

Next, we went for the Saganaki on Fire, which is basically cheese on FIRE. It’s made with Vlahoriti (a type of cheese), Metaxa (a Greek amber spirit), and is served with crostini. It’s priced at $16.

We have eaten this so many times since it debuted. It’s FIRE CHEESE, so of course we have! The presentation of this one is a big part of the fun. Having a giant thing of flaming cheese at your table will draw some eyes from the audience and undoubtedly will make for some EPIC photos.

Seriously, this thing is ON FIRE. How much more fun can you get?!

After the fire calms down and the dish gets a bit of the lemon treatment…

…it’s time to dig in!

The cheese tastes like the toasty cheese that didn’t make it on a chip on a plate of nachos — but in a good way, you know? It’s that perfect amount of “burnt” flavor coupled with the deliciousness of the cheese itself.

This dish is SO incredibly tasty and really is a showstopper.

Pair all of that with a little bit of acidity from the lemon and you’ve got a total winner. This is another favorite of ours that we’ve had time and time again in the past, we just can’t help but order it again!

Love cheese? This is another one you’ll probably want to check out!

Next, we got the House-Made Meatballs. These come with triple cheese polenta and tomato sauce, and they’re priced at $14.

These meatballs are (shockingly!) another WINNER. It’s another one we’ve had in the past and loved, and our experience with them during our most recent trip was no different.

We love the cheesy polenta they’re served with (can you tell we love cheese?) and the meat is cooked perfectly — very moist and tasty. It can be so annoying to get something that tastes good in terms of seasoning, but then is just overcooked and too dry. These meatballs aren’t that at all — they’re seasoned well, have layers of amazing flavors that hit you as you bite into them, and they’re not dry. Perfection (again)!

If you like meatballs, this is a fantastic take on the comforting dish that you’ll probably love!

Now we’ll move onto the “boards.” For our most recent visit, we went with the Artisanal Cheese Board, which comes with 4 artisanal cheeses, condiments, and some crackers. It’s priced at $28, which is a pretty hefty price, but it’s got a lot to offer.

Our board came with Tommes cheese (made from cow’s milk), Spanish Manchego cheese, Cali blue, and Seattle cheddar. 

Plus it had fig jam, honey comb, and marinated olives.

This was a fabulous cheese board with a large amount of cheese! It’s expensive at that $28 price point, but you can taste that the cheeses are of a high quality and you do get a decent amount of cheese with it.

The honey and fig were a great touch. It’s nice to have those elements there to help you balance out the flavors of the cheese and add a more unique layer of flavor to each bite.

Our reporter’s favorite was the Seattle Cheddar or the Tommes cheese. But the blue cheese was also great and had a more subtle flavor. It wasn’t punch-you-in-the-face-blue-cheese-flavor, which was nice.

If you love cheese and like to mix cheese with other flavors, this is another winner for you. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the boards are really something you can’t miss if you’re a meats & cheese fan.

But again keep in mind that they aren’t super cheap. If you’re sharing this with a few friends then the cost might not seem so bad. Even if you’re sharing it with just 1 other person, that works out to about $14 per person — not too bad, but you’ll want to see if it’s worth it for you. If you’re not really into cheese and would rather spend less money to get something fried or something with meat, then consider some of the other options here.

After all of those small plates and our cheese board, we were ready for…more FOOD! So we went with the Santa Carota Short Ribs as our entree. These come with red potato mash and caramelized vegetables, and are priced at $42.

These babies are fall off the bone tender and so delicious. There’s a certain sweetness in the meat, though it’s not overly sweet at all. The meat itself is very juicy, and really packs a punch in terms of flavor.

Apparently there is a specific reason why these short ribs are so spectacular. A few years ago, George himself let us in on the secret. According to George, the cattle they use for these ribs are from the Santa Carota farms in California. These free-range cattle are originally grass fed, but as they grow they switch them to an all carrot diet. Apparently that makes ALL the difference when it comes to these short ribs, and hey, we can see why they do it — it works!

The Brussels Sprouts are seared and tasty. If you like your Brussels SUPER crunchy (like they’re almost black from how long you cook them), this isn’t it — so be aware of that. But if you’re just looking for slightly seared Brussels that are super flavorful, then this will satisfy that itch!

The red potato mash is also excellent — really nice and buttery.

If you like short ribs, these are probably among the best you’ll find in Disney World. If, however, you don’t enjoy the slightly fattier cut of short ribs or aren’t a big meat-eater, then you might want to opt for something else here.

Finally, we ended our night with the Olive Oil Cake. Yes, you read that correctly — an Olive Oil Cake. The cake comes with candied olives and lemon mascarpone, and is priced at $7. This cake hasn’t been our favorite in the past, but we think it truly depends on your taste buds! We’re all for second chances, so we went for it.

Our reporter who tried it during the most recent visit really enjoyed this dessert because they’re not a fan of sickly sweet desserts. You can prominently taste the olive oil. Olive oil cake is actually fairly common, so don’t knock it til you try it! It’s typically more mildly sweetened, which was very much the case here. It gets a lot of sweetness from the mascarpone topping. It’s very moist (which is wonderful), and very unique in terms of flavor. The candied olives are gonna be a huge hit or miss for you — you just gotta give em a try and see! They’re certainly QUITE unique!

If you’re not a fan of olive oil and that specific flavor profile, then beware — this won’t be the dessert for you! But if you’re a fan of olive oil and looking for something unique and not too sweet to end your meal, you could give this a try.

But, much like other table service locations in Disney World, we feel like you’re likely better off skipping dessert at the table service restaurant and going to a snack spot or a dessert-specific location to get a sweet treat to end your meal, especially in Disney Springs. Gideon’s Bakehouse is LITERALLY across the street from Wine Bar George, or you could stop by Amorette’s Patisserie for a layered cake, or hop over to Sprinkles for a fun cupcake.

Nosh or Not

You should stop by Wine Bar George if:

• You’re looking for a great spot in Disney World that feels more adult and offers lots of wine options (as well as other drinks) — Though kids can visit Wine Bar George (there is a kids menu after all), it has more of a relaxed, adult feel, and can be great for those moments when you just want to escape the hustle and bustle of the parks and go to a more adult-feeling, relaxed atmosphere.
• You want a great spot for date night — Wine Bar George truly can be an awesome date night spot. Again, it’s got that more adult atmosphere while not being stuffy by any means. There are plenty of delicious dishes to share, and drinks to enjoy.
• You’re looking for some seriously delicious food or awesome wine — Wine Bar George has  you covered in both categories. Truly, Wine Bar George delivers on food over and over again (except maybe when it comes to that olive oil cake, depending on your taste). Whether it’s the cheese board, the short ribs, the fried mac & cheese bites, the cheese on fire, the meatballs, or the lovely drinks paired with it all — they’re all winners in our book and we think you’ll likely love them too.

You should skip Wine Bar George if:

• You’re looking for a cheap meal in Disney Springs/Disney World — Wine Bar George isn’t on the level of Victoria & Albert’s by any means, but it also isn’t exactly cheap. A small plate here will cost you anywhere from $8 to $26, the boards can be pricey, and the entrees aren’t cheap either. If you’re sticking to a very tight food budget, then a full meal at Wine Bar George might not be possible. But remember you could swing by just for the fried mac & cheese bites if you want and then grab the remainder of your meal at a cheaper spot.
• You’re not a fan of or simply don’t eat meat and cheese — Wine Bar George does have some non-meat and non-cheese options, like their Grilled Sea Bass or Hummus, but we’ll admit that most of our favorites here are either cheese or meat-based dishes. That’s not to say that Wine Bar George’s other items aren’t great — they very well may be, but the stand-outs to us are in the cheese & meat category, which could make it tough if you don’t eat both of those.
• Families with young kiddos — While there is a kids’ menu at Wine Bar George, the overall feeling isn’t necessarily one young ones might enjoy. It’s got more of an adult atmosphere, particularly with the bars. There are great views from the outside, which kids might like, but it’s not quite as entertaining as other places on property for young ones.

Overall

Overall, we really enjoyed our experience at Wine Bar George, just as we have many times before! (Shocker, right?!) Our server was wonderful, made great recommendations, and paced our food perfectly. Our reporter loved all of the dishes they tried here (including that cake, even though that one has our team a bit divided).

Wine Bar George is a solid spot. You can come here just for drinks if you want, or just for appetizers, or just for an entree and a drink — it’s nice that you can customize your experience here to be as little or as much as you want it to be.

In our opinion, it’s a great date night, girls or guys night out, or place to escape the theme parks and get some awesome food and drinks. It’s a little on the pricier side, but you get what you pay for in terms of food and drink quality and service.

What do you think? Are you a fan of Wine Bar George? Tell us in the comments. And stay tuned for more Disney news and reviews.

Click here to see what’s new in Disney Springs!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Have you ever been to Wine Bar George? Are you a fan? Tell us in the comments!

The post Review: Can Confirm, This Disney World Restaurant STILL Lives Up to the Hype first appeared on the disney food blog.