What to Eat at Disney's BoardWalk Resort

Disney’s BoardWalk Resort is a throwback to a bygone era when turn-of-the-century folks dressed to the nines to take a promenade around a Mid-Atlantic BoardWalk, admiring the view — as well as each other’s fashion sense.

It’s an entertainment, dining, and shopping complex, where many Disney World guests go to take a relaxing break away from the parks in a place that feels a lot like retro Coney Island. But what should you eat when you’re making your own promenade around the area?

First, we are going to mention that there are some dining challenges at Disney’s BoardWalk. First, if you want counter service, there isn’t a lot available. Among what is available for counter service, you’ll be hard-pressed to find actual seating areas. You’ll more than likely need to take your food outside to eat on the Boardwalk itself, but you still might find it a challenge to find tables or even a bench to enjoy, especially when things are busy.

There aren’t a lot of places to sit outside

If you’re staying nearby, your best bet is to grab counter service and take it back to your room.

The good news is that you are near the EPCOT Skyliner station, so if all else fails, hop on the Skyliner and head over to another resort to enjoy counter service where ample seating IS available.

However, if you want to stay in the area for food and drinks, here’s what we can recommend.

AbracadaBar

AbracadaBar is a fun location to visit mostly because of its theme — it’s supposedly an old secret haunt of magicians and entertainers who mysteriously disappeared over 70 years ago (Disney does know how to create a theme, right?).

If you’re peckish, you can get the Abra Fries with Parmesan Cheese, Gremolata, and Truffle Cheese Sauce. But more importantly, you can get some solidly good unique cocktails here — we’re particularly fond of Pepper’s Ghost, which is made with Ciroc Pineapple Vodka and Habanero Lime — it’s a simple drink that just works. Also, it gets its name from a classic trick used by illusionists (a trick that’s used inside the Haunted Mansion).

Belle Vue Lounge

Belle Vue Lounge is a 1930s-themed lounge that is also home to some delicious drinks. Want some classic drinks like a Cosmopolitan, Tom Collins, or Old Fashioned? Here’s where you want to go.

However, if you’re a lover of all things bourbon, you’ll want to get a 2-oz. pour of the bourbons available here.

BoardWalk Joe’s Marvelous Margaritas

BoardWalk Joe’s is where you go when you want a margarita — it’s even in the name. From a classic Frozen Margarita to a Strawberry Margarita to a delicious Watermelon Margarita, you’ll have plenty of choices to quench your thirst.

You can also get a few other cocktails here, as well as snacks like a Mickey Pretzel (which we think pairs perfectly with a margarita).

Leaping Horse Libations

If you forget to grab that margarita before hitting the pool, you can always hit Leaping Horse Libations, which is the pool bar at the BoardWalk Resort. You’ll find some basic cocktails here. Granted, you can occasionally grab a fun seasonal drink here, so keep that in mind.

The pool bar also has some basic snacks like sandwiches, salads, and hotdogs.

BoardWalk Deli

Last year, BoardWalk Bakery morphed into BoardWalk Deli with a completely new menu. This is one of those counter service locations that doesn’t have enough seating for guests, but it’s decent for grab-and-go items like bagel breakfast sandwiches — if you’re itching for breakfast here, try the Everything Bagel with Smoked Salmon.

Lunch is also decent, although if we get anything, it might always be the Grilled Cheese with Tomato-Basil soup. We also think the Warm Pastrami Reuben was really good here — it’s made with Sauerkraut, Swiss, and Thousand Island Dressing on Marble Rye, served with your choice of Side.

A variety of sweet treats are available, too, like danishes, scones, cookies, and cannollis. However, we’ve had some standout seasonal treats here!

BoardWalk Pizza Window

Let’s say you’re looking for some late-night dining in the BoardWalk area. Everything else is closed, but the BoardWalk Pizza Window stays open late.

There’s just one problem — the pizza here isn’t great, and unless you’ve exhausted all other options, we’d tell you to skip it. So this is one restaurant we’d tell you to skip. If you’re wanting to know about other late-night dining options, click here.

BoardWalk Ice Cream

If it’s a hot day and you find yourself craving ice cream, BoardWalk Ice Cream could be a good place to cool down. It’s standard ice cream, and you’re sure to find something everyone will like.

However, if you’re wanting REALLY good ice cream and milkshakes, you’d be better off visiting Beaches and Cream at the nearby Disney’s Beach Club Resort. If you can’t get reservations, don’t worry — there’s a To-Go window there!

Big River Grille and Brewing Works

Okay, so here’s the thing, this isn’t necessarily somewhere you’d go for the food, although you can get a decent burger here. However, this is also a microbrewery where you can sample some award-winning beers.

So if you’re a microbrewery kind of person, you’ll want to go here for the beer.

Flying Fish Cafe

If you love seafood, you can find some delicious fare at Flying Fish — but it will cost you. If money is no object, though, order the Seafood Pearl Pasta, which comes with Shrimp, Lobster, Scallops, Clams, and Mussels which will set you back over $50. For a little over $20, you can also add Seared Scallops. Like we said, it’s pricey.

The Creamy Goat Cheesecake with Honey Glaze, Cassis Gel, and Pistachio Cake is the perfect way to end a meal here.

Trattoria al Forno

We saved the best for last because this is one of our favorite dining spots in the area. If you’re looking for what could be the BEST Italian food in Disney World, Trattoria al Forno is where you want to go. One of the things we love here is the Bread Service with housemade ciabatta served with butter and a garlic spread and olive oil dip — it is phenomenal.

The Insalata Caprese (Caprese Salad) is one of our favorite appetizers in Disney World. But the Bruschetta wins us over every time, too. You’ll also find a variety of tasty pasta options and pizza here — and it’s all good.

Basically, there are some good dining options at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort, but you’ll still have issues finding seating with a lot of the counter service locations, as well as problems finding good late-night dining (which is an overall Disney World problem).

However, some new dining spots are coming soon to the area, including the Carousel Coffee shop and The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers — we’ll be keeping an eye out for opening dates for those locations, so stay tuned to AllEars for more!