A Disney Food Reunion! (May 2021 Reviews from F&G, Disney, Universal, & More) Completed 7/16

[Raeven]

Hey guys, I'm back!



If you've been following my long running PTR over on the Universal boards you're probably more up to date. Basically last year like everyone else I ended up cancelling all my planned trips. We did go to Denver for a bit when the cases were very low, but it was planned really last minute, and didn't look much like our regular trips. We planned to go to Disney/HHN in Sep this year (and still do), but when restrictions started lifting earlier than I thought they would I decided to plan another trip to Disney & Universal!

I feel like it's been a long time since I've posted on here so I should probably reintroduce myself...

My name is Raeven, and here I am spilling an overly full margarita down my sleeve, and trying to pretend it isn't happening for the sake of the picture.



I'm 28 years old, and I'm the planner, photographer/vlogger, and DTR writer for our trips.

My favorite food is french fries, I love dessert, and I've been eating a bit healthier in the last year so this TR won't have quite as many burgers as past ones. And I was excited to finally enjoy some of that delicious Disney food I'd been missing.

Especially my beloved poutine...



My trip partner is my boyfriend, Josh.



He’s 35, and gluten free. After adjusting his diet for years, he seems to be able to handle small quantities of gluten and cross contamination no longer seems to be an issue for him so that expanded some of his choices. His food likes include steak, BBQ, burgers, coffee, and Erin Mckennas. If you guys remember his food dislikes from old DTR's he's even started eating lettuce and tomato on his burgers...



This DTR will have snacks from F&G, Disney dining, Universal dining, one of the most picture worthy restaurants in Florida, a lot of french fries and churros, new restaurants, and some old favorites. We did a mix of days at Disney and Universal with 2 days in Tampa in the middle so there is a lot of variety.



There will also be vlogs coming as well! But I don't think we did any this trip that we're food review specific so the food will just be in the daily vlogs.

If you want to follow along on my TR it's here:
"We Have To Go Back!" May 2021 Universal/WDW TR

& my PTR is here:
A 2021 PTR: HHN 30 & More


​

We ate at:

• Chick Fil A (Airport)/Splitsville/Amorette's
• The Hollywood Brown Derby
• Antojitos
• Vitality Bowls/Bartaco
• Milkin' It/The Oxford Exchange
• Flower & Garden
• Three Bridges Bar & Grill
• The Daily Poutine/Polite Pig/Vivoli Il Gelato
• Banana Cabana (Snack)/Cosmic Ray's
• Jake's American Bar
• Shula's Steakhouse
• Today Show Cafe/Voodoo Doughnut
• Bice Ristorante
• Islands Dining Room (Breakfast)
• Wrap Up (Best & Worst of the Trip)

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

WOOHOOO!!! Can't wait!

 

[marryfrmtx]

Yay!!!!! Following along.

 

[sandrews0608]

So excited for an ACTUAL food report! Yay!

 

[Raeven]

WOOHOOO!!! Can't wait!

Yay!!!!! Following along.

So excited for an ACTUAL food report! Yay!

Thanks for following along! I’m excited to finally be able to write another one of these again. ​

 

[WL2000]

This is normal i need in my life right now!

 

[elsbit]

Count me in ready to dine vicariously through you!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Always up for a good dining review! Looks like you hit some good spots. Very interested to hear about Bice. Just saw a review on YouTube recently and it made me really want to try it!

 

[Raeven]

This is normal i need in my life right now!

Count me in ready to dine vicariously through you!

Thanks for following along!

Always up for a good dining review! Looks like you hit some good spots. Very interested to hear about Bice. Just saw a review on YouTube recently and it made me really want to try it!

We love Bice! We've been there the last few trips and it's one of our favorites.​

 

[Raeven]

Chick Fil A

I like to start these before my TR's so I can link back to these posts so let's get this started!



Since I like to include all the dining we do, I always start with the very exciting airport food. Unlike most trips we take, this flight was a little later in the day. And I'm not sure if it was due to renovations or the time of day but the Starbucks I normally dine at was closed.



So we'll be starting the trip with some Chick Fil A!



I ended up getting the 8 piece chicken nuggets and fries with ketchup and buffalo dipping sauce. I did think 8 nuggets was more than the usual, but they were pretty tiny. They also did seem like real chicken vs that kind of faker/more processed chicken in a McNugget. The fries were not very flavorful on their own, but were enjoyable with the dipping sauces. I really liked the buffalo sauce, and feel like that kind of made the food seem better overall. So while the food seemed fresher than some fast food places, I think it's the sauces that really make the food stand out. (But I'd still rather get a breakfast sandwich at Starbucks next time). I think I also got a bottle of water, and the meal was about $9 which seems like a pretty good value for what you get.

Also when we got to the hotel I did at least get a drink from Starbucks



Splitsville/Amorette's

Splitsville is a place I've been wanting to try for awhile. I don't really like bowling, but I heard the food was good and they had a lot of gluten free options for Josh. Splitsville is a large building on the West side of Disney Springs. It's styled like a retro bowling alley, and I think the decor is really cute. It looks like a fun place if you're planning to bowl, but I think if you're planning to eat and would like a more relaxing meal, my guess is it's a little less loud in the daytime. We went on a Friday night, and the music was incredibly loud on the first floor, however we were seated upstairs where it was a little quieter, but it still made it hard to hear each other.

When Josh looked at the menu he didn't see a lot of gluten free options, but the server did let him know aside from the items that were naturally gluten free that they did have gluten free buns for the burgers and gluten free rolls for the sushi.

I typically like burgers (burgers and sushi are the main menu items), but this seemed different and caught my eye:

Taco Bowl
Seasoned ground beef, black bean-corn salsa and white rice topped with shredded lettuce, cheddar jack cheese and sour cream. Served in a crunchy tortilla shell



I do think it needed more cheese, but I just really like cheese.



I liked the seasoning on the beef a lot, but the taco shell itself was kind of boring and tasted like something you'd find at Taco Bell. This was overall good, just very big and I don't think I even finished half of it.

Josh got:

West Texas Burger
Smothered in barbecue sauce, melted cheddar and topped with bacon, frizzled onions and mayo. Served with lettuce, tomato and pickle



He enjoyed this. He was rather hungry and ate it quickly so I didn't get much of a review out of him. I will say I tried a few of his crinkle cut fries, and they were delicious. They were perfect crinkle cut fries, and I love that they do that style of fries because it works with the retro theming.

They took the onions off because they're fried, but then also gave them to him on the side which kind of confused us. The only reason they might have done this is because I think the fries are also cooked in a shared fryer, and Josh said those would be okay.

(For those who are newer and are reading Josh has had a gluten allergy/sensitivity for years. I would say it was more of a sensitivity because he didn't have super serious symptoms, but would get very sick to his stomach for about 12 hours after eating gluten. But I always put it in ADRs as an allergy because he really couldn't handle any cross contamination either. However he's made a lot of diet changes in the last couple years, and he seems to be okay with tiny bits of gluten or foods that could be considered cross contaminated (like things fried in the same fryer) and doesn't get sick when eating them. This is great because previously he'd have to turn down things that were gluten free just because of how they were cooked. But it's also why he'd eat the fries, but would not eat something like the onion rings).

The meal came to around $53 with tip which seems a little on the high side for what we ordered, but sounds about right for Disney pricing. My meal was around $22 itself which isn't insane for the size of it, but I feel like is kind of high for a taco salad type dish. The service also was kind of slow, and we didn't see our waiter a lot.

While it wasn't bad food and I'm glad we tried it, I don't see us in a rush to go back there again. And I'd probably go back during the day if we ever were to go back. I do think it'd be a fun place to go if you ever wanted to go bowling on Disney property though.

I also will say if you're at Universal and want a similar alternative, Cabana Bay (which is also retro themed) has it's own little bowling alley/restaurant. We went years ago so I think the menus changed substantially since then, and it probably only really makes sense to go if you're staying in the hotel, but it's a lot smaller so if you're looking for someplace a little less busy to bowl that may be it.



I also grabbed a snack at Amorette's to eat back at the hotel as we were leaving Disney Springs. Since it was the end of the night they didn't have as many choices left, but I got the:

Mickey Mouse
Chocolate Chiffon Cake, Dark Chocolate Mousse and White Chocolate Mousse


(It got a little smushed in transit).

This was a delicious little cake (like most the cakes I've tried from Amorette's). I'm not the biggest fan of white chocolate, but the chocolates worked together and neither one tasted stronger than the other. It also had crispy pearls inside which were not in the description but gave it a bit of crunch. The chocolates were all delicious, and I liked that it wasn't covered in a fondant because while pretty I don't think those always taste the best. I think my favorite from Amorette's is still a seasonal red velvet one I had a few years ago around the holidays, but this ranks very close to that one. ​

 

[KathyM2]

While it wasn't bad food and I'm glad we tried it, I don't see us in a rush to go back there again. And I'd probably go back during the day if we ever were to go back. I do think it'd be a fun place to go if you ever wanted to go bowling on Disney property though.

Sounds like it was decent but...I always thought there is so much to do at Disney/Universal...it doesn't make much sense to me that people would take the time to bowl? But whatever floats your boat lol!! The atmosphere sounds cool but a little too loud for my taste too!

 

[maiziezoe]

Looking forward to your reviews... you always have such great memes and gifs!

 

[yaywatermelons]

Love seeing the dishes! I haven't done much research into Universal or Disney Springs dining, so looking forward to those posts! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Raeven]

Sounds like it was decent but...I always thought there is so much to do at Disney/Universal...it doesn't make much sense to me that people would take the time to bowl? But whatever floats your boat lol!! The atmosphere sounds cool but a little too loud for my taste too!

Lol honestly I think that too. I guess maybe on a non parks day or if you're bored later at night and things are closed? I'm not really big on bowling so it wouldn't be my choice of activity either.

Looking forward to your reviews... you always have such great memes and gifs!

Aw thank you!

Love seeing the dishes! I haven't done much research into Universal or Disney Springs dining, so looking forward to those posts! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for following along! I hope the posts help! ​

 

[Raeven]

The Hollywood Brown Derby

We've been to and reviewed The Brown Derby many times on my reports, but I have to keep going back for that delicious Cobb Salad!



I also love the old Hollywood decor and theming which it seems HS keeps moving away from more and more, but I always thought was a really cool part of the park.

Another thing I love about the Brown Derby is their delicious bread service!



I know this is the same as you can find at a lot of other Disney TS restaurants, but I love these rolls because they're so crunchy and delicious. And perfect with the salted butter.

They also had a GF version for Josh:



As usual I got:

Our Famous Cobb Salad
Spit-roasted Turkey, Bacon, Egg, Tomatoes, Blue Cheese, Avocado, Classic Dressing



This was delicious as usual, and I ate every bite! I love a good Cobb salad and the dressing here is absolutely perfect.

Josh decided to get the:

The Brown Derby Signature Burger
Bacon Jam, Cheddar, Fried Egg, Russian Dressing, Hand-cut Fries with a gf bun



I had gotten this years ago, and thought it was okay, but a little overcooked. Josh's did appear to be cooked perfectly though, and though it was a bit messy to eat he loved it. I also snagged some of his fries, and they were delicious too. They kind of tasted like the ones at Five Guy's. But you know fancier...



The meal came to around $55 which seems pretty good for The Brown Derby. The salad may seem a little expensive (I do think they increased the price a bit recently), but that's because at lunch they have the entree sized version which is a little pricier than the appetizer size on the dinner menu, but you're getting a lot in the dish. The service was also good, and we got everything in a timely way.

I highly recommend trying the Cobb Salad here, but there's also a lot of other delicious options. I think the entree sized version of the salad is only available at lunch so keep that in mind if you're planning to have dinner there.

As you can tell from previous reports I do love the Brown Derby, so I'm sure I'l be going back to the Brown Derby again on my next trip too.

​

 

[Raeven]

Antojitos

Originally we were going to dine at Disney Springs this night, but instead went back to our hotel, and decided to head over to Citywalk for dinner. Not many restaurants still had reservations open the day of, but we had a few to pick from. We'd been to Antojitos once a few years ago, and it was pretty good so we decided that's what we were in the mood for!

There was a live band that played occasionally that night (I'm guessing they play on weekends). It was really fun, but the music from the band and from the speaker are both played quite loudly so keep that in mind if you're looking for someplace to eat that's a little quieter.

They also only open at 5pm so they don't serve lunch. I also would recommend a reservation here because they did look quite busy, although the reservations were easy to come by. Citywalk was pretty busy though, and there was a little bit of a wait for our table.

First we got some chips and salsa:



Then we ordered some drinks. I got the:

Fresh Margaritas
Handcrafted made with 100% Corazón Blue Agave tequila. Your choice of Mango, Blackberry, or Strawberry (frozen)



This was good, but I don't think I finished it. It was very very full (and I know this because I spilled it on myself while taking this picture):





And the paper straw made it difficult to drink, but it was good.

& Josh got the:

The Spirits of Mexico Flight
Each spirit is produced from different distillers, making this flight a great tour around Mexico.
Casa Noble Blanco
Casamigos Reposado
Herradura Añejo



Which he enjoyed.

To eat I got the:

Budin
Layered corn tortillas, chicken tinga, roasted corn, poblano peppers, menoita cheese, ranchero sauce



This was amazing! And one of my favorite things I tried this trip. It kind of reminded me of like a dinner version of Huevos Rancheros (which I love). It was soooo cheesy, and chicken was really tender.

Josh got the:

Pollo Fajitas
Adobo chicken, grilled peppers and onions



This is what we had there last time, and really enjoyed. The chicken was really tender and moist. The first time we also ordered the beef too, but it was a little dry and we preferred the chicken.

Also because Josh was still sampling his flight, I decided to order dessert.

Mexican Chocolate Mousse
Spiced Mexican chocolate mousse, coconut cream, seasonal berries, kiwi, cinnamon sugar churro



I will say looking at the description that I don't think there was a churro in there. But everything else sounds accurate. It wasn't super spicy, but did give you a little spice at the end of each bite. The cream and berries at the top kind of cut the spice and chocolate so it wasn't too strong.

And the service was pretty slow here even when it started to clear out. (I would say our meal took about 2 hours because the server only came back once a half hour). We actually got the drinks after we'd already eaten most of our meals even though we put in the orders at the same time. We were okay with taking our time, but the server also never cleared any plates off our table when we were done, and the tables were super tiny so it was hard to maneuver the new food coming.

Despite the service I will say we had a really good meal there and probably will be back again if not the next trip than maybe one next year. I would definitely recommend Antojitos is you're looking for a place to go on Citywalk. I really enjoyed the Budin and would absolutely get it again. The meal came to around $105 with tip, and I will say looking at the menu the dishes are quite a bit cheaper than I think they're Disney counterparts would be (our entrees were pretty big and only around $14-17). ​

 

[KathyM2]

This was delicious as usual, and I ate every bite! I love a good Cobb salad and the dressing here is absolutely perfect.

I love Cobb salad but I usually ask for it without the egg. It's something that is so good in a restaurant but would be so much work to make at home...I think that's why I like it so much!

The Mexican place sounded fantastic too despite the service...

 

[Raeven]

I love Cobb salad but I usually ask for it without the egg. It's something that is so good in a restaurant but would be so much work to make at home...I think that's why I like it so much!

Yeah same! I would never take the time to make it at home but I love it!

The Mexican place sounded fantastic too despite the service...

It was!​

 

[nouvellefleur]

Oh, I've only been to Antojito's once (a few years ago) and also ordered the budin - yours looks like what I expected mine to be! Aka actually has sauce on it.

I had kinda written Antojito's off for our next visit because our visit was lackluster across the board, but I might put it back on the Possibly list now.

 

[Raeven]

Oh, I've only been to Antojito's once (a few years ago) and also ordered the budin - yours looks like what I expected mine to be! Aka actually has sauce on it.

I had kinda written Antojito's off for our next visit because our visit was lackluster across the board, but I might put it back on the Possibly list now.

Oh no that doesn’t sound like it was a good experience! Honestly, we kind of did too. We has an okay meal there a few years ago, but nothing that made me really want to go back, but I’m glad we did try it again. ​