Almost 2 years after Disney World reopened in 2020 after the pandemic closures, there are STILL some restaurants that haven’t returned!

Victoria & Albert’s is not available (although it’s going to reopen this year sometime!), and we don’t have a reopening timeline at all for Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in EPCOT. But the good news is that one quick-service spot has finally opened its doors for Disney World guests! Let’s head inside to check out NEW menu items and see if this HIDDEN spot is worth a visit now that it has returned.

Spyglass Grill is a quick-service restaurant located at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. It’s been unavailable since Disney World closed in 2020, but now it has finally returned! Caribbean Beach Resort is on the Skyliner route (in fact, it houses the main hub of this transportation service), so it’s pretty easy to get to this hotel, especially if you’re coming from EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or another hotel on the Skyliner route.

Getting to the right hotel isn’t the problem — it’s how to find the restaurant once you’re there! This spot is tucked away far in the back of Caribbean Beach Resort property. To get to it, you’ll head out of the Skyliner station and turn right to cross the bridge. Take another right once you’ve crossed, and you should find yourself in the Trinidad section of the resort. Spyglass Grill is located near the Trinidad pool! 

Most of the other dining at this hotel is located in the main building, which is all the way on the other side of the resort, so many guests head to that area instead. Don’t be fooled!

We’ve enjoyed the eats at Spyglass Grill in the past, but there have been a whole lot of menu changes since we’ve last been, with most of them happening right before this restaurant’s opening.

So how do the new eats measure up? Let’s find out!

Atmosphere

Spyglass Grill has a pirates theme (think Pirates of the Caribbean, not so much Peter Pan), with props on display around the small dining area. Maybe that’s why Disney made this spot so difficult to find — it’s like the buried treasure of restaurants! (No? Too far? Ok.)

Above the restaurant’s sign, there’s a very long spyglass as a nod to the name. Does this remind anyone else of the huge spyglass that Jack Sparrow (sorry, CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow) pulls out in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End to try to one-up Barbossa?

And another nod to those movies can be found on the wall of the dining room, in the form of a display case that features the Nine Pieces of Eight. There’s a shelf above this display with even more pirate-y props!

The restaurant itself is really a covered outdoor dining room with a counter to order food and a beverage station.

There are several tables with chairs in the dining area, and there are fans on the ceiling for those hot Orlando days (although the fans weren’t on when we visited, and it was pretty warm). All the seating is in the shade, so even with the fans off it wasn’t too hot.

From the dining room, you can look out over the water at some lovely views of the resort.

You can head up to the counter to order from overhead menus, or you can opt to Mobile Order instead, using the My Disney Experience app.

There are also reusable menus available if you’d prefer to use those.

Once you’ve ordered, you can head to the beverage station to fill up on sodas, tea and coffee, or even hot chocolate! Note that there are more beverages available on the menu (including alcoholic ones), which we’ll get to in a moment.

There’s another station to grab condiments, napkins, and various utensils.

And you can also find a microwave and toaster here, which is especially useful if you’re going to grab one of the bakery items and want it heated up!

Now that you’re oriented in the space, let’s take a look at the food options.

Eats

Menu

We would describe the menu here as “Caribbean-inspired but still approachable.” The eats aren’t unfamiliar (and you can still find good options for picky eaters), but you can find some more unique flavors in the mix as well if you’re looking for something more fun.

For entrées, there are choices like cheeseburgers, sandwiches, chicken strips, and tacos. Unfortunately, the Chorizo Burger is no longer available here.

You can also find a separate menu for salads as well as several plant-based entrée options.

Sides include Plantain and Yuca Chips or French Fries.

There are kids’ menus with dishes like burgers, tacos, salads, or chicken strips.

For dessert, you can choose from several tasty treats, like cupcakes, a special 50th Anniversary cheesecake, cookies, or even Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars and Ice Cream Sandwiches. The bakery section has a few baked goods as well, which would make great treats or snacks.

You can get a few different mocktails here, or opt for a simple soda instead.

Soda options include Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta, Lemonade, Sprite, and a few more choices.

There are various juices, milk, and milk alternatives. These are probably more popular at breakfast time, but they’re available during lunch and dinner as well.

Joffrey’s coffee is here (including the French Roast and Shakin’ Jamaican) as well as a few other specialty coffee drinks. You can also find hot chocolate and tea.

In terms of alcohol, there are some specialty beverages…

…a LOT of options for beer…

…some wine choices, and a few cocktails.

Ready to dig in?

Food

We got a side of Plantain and Yuca Chips to serve as our appetizer, which cost $5.49. The chips come with some Pico de Gallo and Mango Chutney to dip them in as well!

These chips taste similar to normal potato chips, but they’re harder and thicker, and they taste a little bit sweet. They’re lightly salted, which accentuates the flavors as well.

Our favorite part about this dish was actually the mango chutney! It was absolutely delicious. The mangos made it very sweet, but there was a lingering spice that stayed in our mouths after we ate it. You can also taste the raw onions and green peppers, and all the flavors blended well together.

The Pico de Gallo was great as well, and everything tasted very fresh.

If you enjoy potato chips and want to try some fun dipping sauces, this is a great option for you! The portion size is pretty big (especially for a side), and it’d make a great shareable snack.

We tried a few different entrées, starting with the new Chopped Jerk Chicken Salad for $10.99. This salad has Romaine, Kale, Red Bell Peppers, and Mango, and it’s served with a side of Key Lime Vinaigrette.

The toppings on this salad were all very light and fresh. The chicken was delicious and tender, and the seasoning on it was our favorite part of the whole thing! The chicken wasn’t really spicy at all — just well-seasoned and tasty. The red peppers added a nice crunch, and the sweetness from the mango was surprising and brought a great balance to the flavors.

The key lime dressing was surprisingly tangy. It was almost too much for us, but the mango actually helped to mellow it out a bit. If we get this dish again, we might request a regular vinaigrette, but if you love lime flavor then you may enjoy this! Overall, this is a great option for a healthier lunch that’s still interesting (and different from a normal salad). If you don’t like fruit or sweet flavors in your salads, you may want to avoid this one.

We also got the Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich for $10.99, which has Smoked Turkey Breast, Swiss, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato, and Dijon Mayonnaise on Multigrain Bread. It also comes with your choice of a side (so we got fries).

Some plain turkey sandwiches can be pretty dry (especially on multigrain bread), but that was definitely NOT the case here. There was plenty of turkey piled on our sandwich, and the whole thing was moist and tasty. The mayonnaise and avocado spread definitely helped when it came to that.

The flavors together complemented each other, although they were all pretty simple. In general, we think this was a simple dish done very well with fresh ingredients. It’s a good portion size, too! If you’re looking for a lighter meal, you could probably split this with someone else.

The only thing we might have changed about this dish is that we wish the bread were toasted. But you could actually do it yourself if you want since there’s a toaster in the dining room! We think toasted bread would have added an interesting texture, and it might have helped keep the bread together a bit better (because it started to fall apart a little bit with all the sauces on this sandwich).

The turkey sandwich is definitely not the most unique thing on this menu, but it’s a solid choice if you want something simple and good. Picky eaters will probably enjoy this!

We rounded out our entrées with the new Mojo Pork Tacos, which cost $9.99. These are three pork tacos topped with Pickled Vegetable Slaw, Cilantro-Lime Crema, Cotija Cheese, and Pico de Gallo. They’re served with a choice of side, so we got some more plantain chips!

These tacos were pretty good, but we have to say that we’ve had better tacos in Disney World. The cilantro-lime crema, however, was VERY delicious, and we enjoyed the zest it added to this dish. The pickled onions and cojita cheese were great flavor additions to the pork.

The pork itself was moist, but we would have liked more juiciness from it. And the tortillas were very soft (we’re pretty sure they’d been freshly steamed). You can definitely taste cilantro in this dish, so if you’re not a fan of cilantro then ask if it can be kept off when you order!

The reason we didn’t absolutely love these is that the flavors didn’t really blow us away. We expected more spice from the meat especially. We actually thought that the mango chutney (from the plantain chips side) would have been pretty delicious on these tacos, and it might have taken them to a whole new level! If you’d like to try that, just ask for a side of the chutney when you order.

Despite that, these are still solid tacos and are quite tasty. If you love roasted pork and want a dish with a true Caribbean Beach theme, you should give these a try! They’d be great for a snack by the pool.

Nosh or Not

Grab your pirate map and hunt down Spyglass Grill if:

• You want to grab a quick snack or lunch and you’re already nearby. This spot is a little bit tricky to get to, and we don’t think the menu really justifies a long trek if it’s too far out of your way. But it has some great options for a snack by the pool or a good lunch if you’re staying close by!
• You want a variety of simple and interesting foods. There are options for picky eaters (like burgers, chicken strips, and sandwiches), but you can also get some more unique dishes like tacos or salads.
• You’re looking for a refreshing snack with tropical vibes. The ingredients in all of our dishes were fresh, bright, and tasty. Although many dishes keep it simple here, everything we had tasted high-quality. And the additions of fruit (like the mango in the salad) made the food feel tropical as well!

Hoist the sails and find a different spot if:

• You’re looking for a nice, sit-down meal with ambiance. There’s just one dining room here, and it’s outdoors. This is definitely more of a quick meal kind of a spot. For a fancier meal, try out Topolino’s Terrace at the nearby Riviera Resort or even the casual (but indoors) Sebastian’s Bistro, which is also at Caribbean Beach.
•  You want heavier foods or are really hungry. Like we mentioned before, everything we had here was pretty light and fresh. If you’d prefer something heavier or are looking for a hearty meal, this is not the place for you! You may want to hop on the Skyliner and head to EPCOT, which has plenty of hearty meals. (Try the Rose & Crown Restaurant in the UK pavilion or Biergarten in the Germany pavilion!)
• You’re not staying near Caribbean Beach or using the Skyliner. Spyglass Grill is tricky to get to even if you are staying at this hotel, so it’s extra out of the way if you’re not planning on wandering around the resort anyways. The menu has good food options, but there isn’t anything so unique or mind-blowing that we’d recommend taking half of a Disney day to find this spot. Instead, look for a quick-service restaurant closer to your hotel!

Overall

We had a great time at Spyglass Grill! The Cast Members here were so helpful and friendly — many of them said how happy they were that this restaurant is finally open again. The food was good and fresh, and there are some options for picky and adventurous eaters alike. For a quick-service restaurant in Disney World, the food portions and quality were very good here.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — this is a great option if you’re already nearby. But if you’d have to go searching or take a long trek to get here, there’s not really any compelling reason to go out of your way. ​​Overall, there’s not anything truly astounding about Spyglass Grill, but it’s a solid choice if you want a fresh meal at Caribbean Beach!

Keep following DFB for more reviews of the newest Disney foods!

Check out a spicy chicken sandwich that is…neither of those things. (?)

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The post REVIEW: Do NEW Menu Items Make Spyglass Grill in Disney World a Must-Visit Spot? first appeared on the disney food blog.