Never hear much about Big River Grill and Brewing company

[monica9]

We have a free day that we will be doing absolutely nothing but shop in DTD, visit other resorts and eat dinner somewhere new. No ADR for that day. We have never visited to BC or BWI and have a big interest in seeing both (future resort stay maybe??) We really wanted the clam bake for dinner at Cape May but its sold out the day we can go.

My questions are:

-Why don't I hear much about Big River Grill?

-In your opinion or someone you have spoken to, which is better to eat dinner at Big River or Beaches and Cream?

-We will for sure be getting ice cream at Beaches and Cream so will I have to make a reservation for just ice cream or is there a designated area for ice cream only guests?

-Can you walk from BWI to BC and vise versa?

Thanks for the help!

 

[kimysbug]

We had lunch there and really enjoyed it.

 

[SideshowBob]

SSB has been many times as close/easy to meet others. In general I have had good service and the beers quite good (as far as choice, etc.) and when I have eaten there, also good. My best experiences have been when it is nice enough to sit outside!

 

[OKW Lover]

We wrote off BRG a few years ago after giving it several "second chances". Really poor service and food. Why bother when there are so many other good choices nearby. Consider going to ESPN, B&C or the Dolphin Fountain instead.

 

[RubySlippers]

Big River is a great place to eat. We have enjoyed it in the past.

I do not think Beaches and Creams takes ADRs at all....even for dinner...hmmm... Nope I am pretty sure it is always a walk up.
They do have a small counter to order Ice Cream to go. My DH enjoyed that MANY times! LOL!

 

[Sunshinedaydream]

Personally, I would eat at beaches and cream. Consistently good food and service there. It's only a 5-10 minute walk from the Boardwalk.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Our Ratings of Big River Grille and Brewing: (6/6/2012)
. . . food price value: C
. . . food quality: D
. . . food quantity per serving: C
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: B
. . . eatery atmosphere: C
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: C
. . . staff attentiveness: D
. . . character interaction: n/a

NOTE: The restaurant is an actual working brewery of specialty
beers. If you want to drink, it is a great place to swill the suds. If
you want to eat, I would do it before or after the visit. The food is
well below average in quality and the service is consistently poor.
The saving grace is the Beer Cheese Soup, which is truly quite tasty
and filling - couple it with a salad and it makes a good meal, especially
when accompanied by several (or many) glasses of brew. The other
offerings are very ordinary and well deserving of a "poor quality and
overpriced" rating. I would rather go to a Chili's or Applebee's for food
rather than Big River. This is probably why the place is seldom fully
packed or busy.

 

[Jestocost]

BRG is operated by the same company that runs the Gordon Biersch and Rock Bottom brewery/restaurant chains (as well as a few others), so if you are familiar with those it may help you get a better picture of BRG.

IME, beers are pretty good and the selection is better than you will find at most WDW locations. Food is decent, but nothing to go out of your way for, and service is meh.

 

[SmileEar2Ear]

We really enjoy BRG! We have gone the last 3 trips. It is a great ADR for AK day. We watch the parade and then get on a bus for Boardwalk. All of the resorts in that area are in walking distance - Beach club, Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin. Plus, you can also walk to Epcot or HS after to catch nighttime entertainment.

Last trip, DH got the steak and declared it the best of the trip (and he is pretty particular about his steak). I wasn't super hungry so I got the chicken nacho app. Delicious and huge!! We have always had awesome service. The last time we were on the dining plan and our server went ahead and gave us "free" salads with our meals in addition to the sides. They also packaged up all our desserts so that we could eat them later while watching Illuminations. This was our servers idea, we were just going to skip it because we were so full. We will be going back in two months!

 

[JennyDrake]

BRG is good for the standard burgers, fries, chicken tenders, nachos. I don't drink beer, so that aspect is lost on me. It is not bad, but is nothing special at all and is very pricey for *just* burgers.

B&C has VERY good burgers (I was pleasantly surprised) but very little seating. they do not accept ADRs.

 

[Pakey]

I think BRG is decent if you are sitting outside and able to people watch. Sitting inside, not so great.

For burgers and ice cream, we prefer the Fountain at the Dolphin over B&C.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Maybe b/c there's not much to hear.

but seriously, my dh and I had a night out alone and went to dinner here. We enjoyed it, but NOT for the food. It was being able to sit outside on the Boardwalk. When I think about whether I would have enjoyed it without that, no, I wouldn't. The food wasn't horrible, just nothing remarkable, and I thought a little overpriced. Can't speak for the beer, I had an overpriced mixed drink (but hey, it's Disney!) but we LOVED sitting outside, watching the sunset while we had our meal. Very romantic. Doubt we would eat there again though b/c of the food.

 

[bek]

Went to Big River Grille a couple of weeks ago after Fantasmic! and would recommend it. My DH had salmon, I had chicken -- we both enjoyed our food. I thought it was some of the better food I've had at Disney. The service was so good my DH tipped well above 20%, when he's usually very precise about exactly 15%. The beer was good. We ate inside but I think outside would've been nicer. It also proved to be a good place to just drop into without an ADR. We were seated immediately.

There's a boat that goes between Beach Club and Boardwalk. I'd probably take it. But it's also a walkable distance. I'd guesstimate no more than 10 minutes.

 

[sharadoc]

Nachos, burgers and Red Rocket Ale while sitting outside on the Boardwalk.

Otherwise, Beaches and Cream is a great choice, although if you're going to do a Kitchen Sink or one of the big sundaes, then eating at Big River Grille and strolling the Boardwalk for a while will give you some room for that ice cream.

We had a Kitchen Sink for four of us for dinner one night. We ate a late lunch then headed to B&C around 8:00 pm. Lovely evening.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

I feel it was good, we did not have bad service when we were there.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[lemondog]

We have a Big River in our city so have eaten there a few times. The beer is fine, the food is fine. Nothing terrible, nothing special. I guess we never eat there at WDW because we can get it at home. I also second the recommendation for Beaches and Cream.

 

[GreenCntryGirl]

I liked this review from Disney Food Blog...based on it, I would give the place a try:

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2012/...nd-brewing-works-at-the-boardwalk-inn-resort/

 

[monica9]

Thanks for all the reviews. I am going to also check out the fountain at dolphin. unfortunatly we probably won't be eating outside since it will be the end of November.

 

[vicki_c]

Thanks for all the reviews. I am going to also check out the fountain at dolphin. unfortunatly we probably won't be eating outside since it will be the end of November.

It might be 80-85 degrees out at the end of November.

 

[islandtimect]

BRG and B&C are very different atmospheres, so I would choose based on that. no adr for B&C, which has great atmosphere and fd, but limited menu. Wasn't thrilled with BRG indoors, but maybe outdoors I would have enjoyed it more. . Late Nov will probably be high in the low 70s, so should be good for outdoor dining.