Disney's Boardwalk Resort

[The Mayor]

Many say they loved Big River Grille, but not enough people went there to keep it open. That’s why it was so easy to do walk up, unfortunately.

The company went bankrupt. It wasn’t just the BW location. We stay at BWV and always request BW View above BRG and every time we were there it was always busy and we at there every visit.

 

[CarolynFH]

they need to pick up the offerings on the BW or people are just going to stop going there.

there isn't a whole lot else anymore to make us recommend a trip over there for the evening.

LOL, it’s all a matter of point of view. My first thought on reading y’all’s comments was: Great, not as many cars crowding the parking lot, it will be easier for us to find a place to park when we stay at BWV!

 

[Disneydawg74]

The company went bankrupt. It wasn’t just the BW location. We stay at BWV and always request BW View above BRG and every time we were there it was always busy and we at there every visit.

We had the opposite experience there. It was never full in all our visits over many years.

 

[LoveDaisy]

Maybe it’s me but I was happy to see espn and big river grill close. ESPN was always empty and big river food just wasn’t any good. There was a reason you could walk in any time. Jelly Rolls was fine but I also think a jazz club will be fine.

I do miss Ample Hill but I get they went under. I was sad to see a generic ice cream shop go in, the area already has two.

I would like to see the Boardwalk Bakery offer a few more food options.

 

[Dave006]

I do miss Ample Hill but I get they went under. I was sad to see a generic ice cream shop go in, the area already has two.

Yes Ample Hill was another victim of Covid-19, and bankruptcy. A company purchased Ample Hill assets but their future plans did not include the Boardwalk locations. Disney now runs the "BoardWalk Ice Cream" location directly.

Dave

 

[Disneydawg74]

Maybe it’s me but I was happy to see espn and big river grill close. ESPN was always empty and big river food just wasn’t any good. There was a reason you could walk in any time. Jelly Rolls was fine but I also think a jazz club will be fine.

I do miss Ample Hill but I get they went under. I was sad to see a generic ice cream shop go in, the area already has two.

I would like to see the Boardwalk Bakery offer a few more food options.

I’m grateful that Disney kept the Boardwalk Bakery. I was worried that it might be closed when Cake Bake Shop got rolling.

 

[kanerf]

They should find an existing brewer, perhaps Florida Based, to move into Big River Grille.

 

[gleddo]

It’s not the Boardwalk Bakery anymore, it’s the Boardwalk Deli. Still sells some baked goods though.

 

[Anthony1971]

Can certainly understand the OP comments. The BW was far more lively years back. Spent plenty of time enjoying a pizza from the window with my family watching the entertainment then fireworks. The window is good pizza it is owned by a person from Brooklyn not good enough for the current pricing however. It is clear Disney will not invest in this area only relying on third party. Big river always had people eating as did ESPN. The “nightlife” was never great even going back to pleasure island days where Disney advertised the BW area… but it was 1000000% better than now. All really does not matter much most people stay at the BW,YC,BC simply because it is convenient to 2 parks. The area as whole never had great options for the hotel guests and why should it…. Walk to EPCOT. To us there are far better resorts to stay at for theming and food options especially in the CS area… and now easy to find better in the TS area.

 

[japanese maple]

Can certainly understand the OP comments. The BW was far more lively years back. Spent plenty of time enjoying a pizza from the window with my family watching the entertainment then fireworks. The window is good pizza it is owned by a person from Brooklyn not good enough for the current pricing however. It is clear Disney will not invest in this area only relying on third party. Big river always had people eating as did ESPN. The “nightlife” was never great even going back to pleasure island days where Disney advertised the BW area… but it was 1000000% better than now. All really does not matter much most people stay at the BW,YC,BC simply because it is convenient to 2 parks. The area as whole never had great options for the hotel guests and why should it…. Walk to EPCOT. To us there are far better resorts to stay at for theming and food options especially in the CS area… and now easy to find better in the TS area.

The Epcot area is a whole vibe. We think the area has fantastic table service options, even outside of Epcot.
We normally stay at Beach Club (as recently as 2023), trying Boardwalk. But whenever we stay anywhere else - including Polynesian, Gran Destino and AKL (which were all great) - we always wish we stayed in Epcot Resort area. Just something about it...

 

[toesmom]

Agree. I liked big river grille a lot. No ADRs and could usually get a walk up. They had good drinks and salads! I hope they put a similar type of place in there (or a sports bar).

and it was right on the boardwalk, and had DVC discount and prices were great, food at the end, well not so great.

 

[jennab]

and it was right on the boardwalk, and had DVC discount and prices were great, food at the end, well not so great.

I actually thought they had good salads and a great pineapple mojito! My husband liked their burgers. But I’m sure it depends on the day. It was fairly busy whenever we went, but never had to wait long for a table.

 

[The Mayor]

They should find an existing brewer, perhaps Florida Based, to move into Big River Grille.

This would be ideal. There are a lot of really good ones to choose from. They feature a few local beers during the F&W Festival

 

[RickNJane]

Long time BWV owner. I agree with most posters here that the BW is only a shadow of its former self. It was a destination back in the day with lots of entertainment on the boardwalk. No, Not so much. The villas side of the Boardwalk is just dead.

There is a problem with putting in a new eatery in place of Big River is location. Guest rooms are located above it and as such, you cannot have a fryer. I am sure there are other restrictions as well. I would love to see a new Jazz club, but I'm not holding my breath.

Don't get me wrong, we really love the BW and it is still the first place we want to stay. It all boils down to location location location.

 

[OKW Lover]

There is a problem with putting in a new eatery in place of Big River is location. Guest rooms are located above it and as such, you cannot have a fryer

What does guest rooms being above the location have to do with not having a fryer? How do they get around that for the restaurants on the Inn side of the resort?

 

[RickNJane]

What does guest rooms being above the location have to do with not having a fryer? How do they get around that for the restaurants on the Inn side of the resort?

Not sure where the kitchens are located on the Inn Side. It is the configuration on Big River that was the issue from what CMs have told me. I am not familiar with the codes in Florida.

 

[CarolynFH]

What does guest rooms being above the location have to do with not having a fryer? How do they get around that for the restaurants on the Inn side of the resort?

BWV guest rooms are directly above the BRG location, so grease and cooking odors can rise up through the ceiling of that space. There is no way to vent from that space to the outside without affecting the guest rooms, either through the floors or through the balcony doors.

I’m not sure that that’s the case for the BW Inn side. If there are no guest rooms directly above the kitchens for the restaurants over there, that could explain why they can have fryers while BRG could not. The ESPN Club (Cake Bake Shop) building is most definitely separate from the guestroom area, and that was the place that sold a lot of french fries. I’m not sure that the other dining locations have large commercial frying operations like ESPN Club had.

 

[OKW Lover]

If there are no guest rooms directly above the kitchens for the restaurants over there, that could explain why they can have fryers while BRG could not.

You only need to look up from the boardwalk when you are in front of Flying Fish and Tratoria to see that yes, there are guest rooms above them.

 

[The Mayor]

You only need to look up from the boardwalk when you are in front of Flying Fish and Tratoria to see that yes, there are guest rooms above them.

But do those two restaurants have fryers?

 

[CarolynFH]

But do those two restaurants have fryers?

Yes, that’s what I wonder too - whether they have the kind of large commercial fryers that a burger and fries place like ESPN Club was and that many of us would like to see back on the BW. I don’t think that Trattoria, Flying Fish, or BW Deli do the volume of frying that such as place would require.

In any case, I think that Big River Grille would have offered French fries with their burgers instead of potato chips, if they could have, so I tend to believe the reports that there’s something about that location that prevents it.