Favorite Lounges for Tapas Style Dinner

[gstonelake]

Hi all! Hubby and I are planning a trip without kids/grandkids. Wondering what your favorite Lounges are for Tapas Style Dinners and Drinks. I am thinking Trader Sam's Grotto, Territory, Jock Lindsay's Hanger Bar. Any others not to be missed? Thanks for all input.

 

[OKW Lover]

In Epcot we love to stop at Tutto Gusto.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Nomad Lounge in AK.

 

[carlandellie31]

We like to wander Disney Springs and stop into several places for drinks and a bite. Maybe because there are so many good spots and we're indecisive, but it's fun!

 

[Moliphino]

I'll second Nomad Lounge. Brown Derby Lounge at DHS is also good. We enjoyed their charcuterie board.

 

[disneyvoice]

Our absolute favorite is Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in the Italy Pavilion in Epcot. It is actually tucked away just past the main restaurant with it's own entrance, many people don't even know it's there. We love to get one of the little sofas in the room off to the right (if the sofas are all full you can request to wait for one) and get a bottle of wine and have a few of their shareable plates. They also have some very nice wine flights. We actually spend quite a bit of time here. It tends to be a bit quieter than many other places as you don't get many kids in the little sofa areas and it is nice and cool on a hot day. We have also always had GREAT interactions with the CMs there. They are always very nice with excellent service and we find them to be some of the most talkative CMs in World Showcase. My distant family is from a little town in Italy and we had a CM once who lived not far from there and actually took a lot of time to tell me all about it. We had another CM who told us all about her experience in America and we helped her make a list of some places to go and things to do. She was really fun. We have noticed that the CMs there all tend to act VERY mature and formal but once you get them talking their true personalities come out and you end up talking to some really great young people who are excited to be spending time in the US!

 

[a742246]

It's Nomad's Lounge for me!

 

[JZCubed]

Hi all! Hubby and I are planning a trip without kids/grandkids. Wondering what your favorite Lounges are for Tapas Style Dinners and Drinks. I am thinking Trader Sam's Grotto, Territory, Jock Lindsay's Hanger Bar. Any others not to be missed? Thanks for all input.

In no particular order:
Tutto Gusto - Epcot
Mizners - Grand Floridian
Nomad Lounge - Animal Kingdom
Paddlefish - outdoor lounge atop the boat - Disney Springs. Ambiance may be better than the food.
BlueZoo - Dolphin. Full menu available too (i.e., oysters).
Capa - Four Seasons Hotel. The 'real-deal' for tapas.

 

[Monykalyn]

Our favorites are Nomad (AK), Hangar bar (DS), and HBD lounge (DHS). We've not been to Trader Sams but it is on the list!
If drinks are priority then Nomad has best drinks hands down.

 

[crabbygal902]

The more I go to Disney, the more we've adopted this style of dining. I love it! No ADRs to fool with, and with one exception we've never had to wait.

Here's our favorites:
Cali Grill: go to the lounge early in the evening and have some apps and beverages enjoying the sun set (depending on the time of year.) Come back with your receipt, get a glass of champagne, and watch the fireworks from the observation deck.
Trader Sam's Tiki Terrace: live music, a truly lovely outdoor setting, a view of the castle if you sit in the right area.
Territory Lounge: fantastic wine list, quiet atmosphere. A favorite.
Jiko: The food choices at the bar are great. We had a smaller version of the Sanaa bread service and some great South African wine.
Sanaa: We only had drinks here but the menu includes the famous bread service. Sanaa was a little nutso-crowded but the bar was empty and quiet.
Tambu Lounge: If you are looking for a lively atmosphere, this is the place to be. It is fun to sit and have a drink, the menu looks interesting but we haven't tried the food here yet.

We don't enjoy Trader Sam's. There is too much going on--volcanoes, lights, decorations--and the waitstaff was completely unenthused about the antics they had to provide when certain drinks were ordered. Your mileage may vary.

The best of all....

La Cava de Tequila: I love this place!!! The margaritas and tequila flights are divine, especially with some chips and cheese or guacamole or salsa to dip.

 

[holden]

Nomad Lounge

 

[mousestruck]

Hubby and I had a fabulous evening at the Brown Derby lounge... enjoying a few cocktails and appetizers while watching the crowds go by. Also loved Sanaa lounge. Bread service there is awesome!!!

 

[wannabee]

Tambu is my favorite ..... pulled pork sliders and Ohana bread pudding.

 

[soniam]

Love the drinks at Nomad, but the food is looking not as appealing as it used to be.
Trader Sam's definitely!
Brown Derbey Lounge
Homecomin: they have excellent drinks and amazing appetizers. The Jasper board is awesome. They have indoor and outdoor seating. If you want a small amount of fried chicken with a side, consider splitting a kids chicken tenders. It's the best chicken tenders ever. Basically, their fried chicken without the skin and bone.

 

[natt]

The more I go to Disney, the more we've adopted this style of dining. I love it! No ADRs to fool with, and with one exception we've never had to wait.

Here's our favorites:
Cali Grill: go to the lounge early in the evening and have some apps and beverages enjoying the sun set (depending on the time of year.) Come back with your receipt, get a glass of champagne, and watch the fireworks from the observation deck.
Trader Sam's Tiki Terrace: live music, a truly lovely outdoor setting, a view of the castle if you sit in the right area.
Territory Lounge: fantastic wine list, quiet atmosphere. A favorite.
Jiko: The food choices at the bar are great. We had a smaller version of the Sanaa bread service and some great South African wine.
Sanaa: We only had drinks here but the menu includes the famous bread service. Sanaa was a little nutso-crowded but the bar was empty and quiet.
Tambu Lounge: If you are looking for a lively atmosphere, this is the place to be. It is fun to sit and have a drink, the menu looks interesting but we haven't tried the food here yet.
and the best of all....

La Cava de Tequila: I love this place!!! The margaritas and tequila flights are divine, especially with some chips and cheese or guacamole or salsa to dip.

 

[natt]

Which lounge at Jiko? I've heard you can get Jiko menu items at the bar, but I'm confused if it's Victoria Falls Lounge or Cape Town Wine bar.

 

[ariane37]

Tambu and Nomad for sure!

 

[gstonelake]

Thanks much for the amazing suggestions so far. Will look at them all!

 

[crabbygal902]

Which lounge at Jiko? I've heard you can get Jiko menu items at the bar, but I'm confused if it's Victoria Falls Lounge or Cape Town Wine bar.

We went to the bar that was directly inside Jiko to the right, Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar. The official Disney website says you can get the full Jiko menu there, although we opted for apps and beverages. I highly recommend it! It is quiet spot that is somewhat secluded and our bartender was just fantastic, very personable and helpful.

Victoria Falls is fun but it is bigger and out in the open, right above Boma. I'm not sure what foods they offer. After a long day of people and parks, Jiko is a nice place to recharge.

 

[loves to dive]

While we do TS about 4 out of 7 days, we also do lounges a lot as well. Our favorites have been listed but here goes:

Nomad Lounge in AK, a must do for us.
HBD Lounge in HS, another must do, I have to have a Cobb Salad, glass of white wine (or two) and a taste of grapefruit cake.
Tutto Gusto - Back in the day (about a year ago) you used to be able to go to the wine shops in Italy, France and Germany and get wine flights. Alas, those have ended and the only way to do it now is to do the wine walk, which only gets you two pours and you don't get to pick the pours. So enter Tutto Gusto, where you can get a wine flight and great food to go with it. They have a couple of excellent cheese plates.
Spice Road Tables - not really a lounge although they do have a bar you can go to, but they have small plates and you can walk up with ADRs to eat outside. Love me the hummus plate.
La Cava in the Mexico Pavilion - while hard a heck to get into, love their guacamole.
Jiko Bar - we went there and had appetizers before our meal at Jiko. We wished we had just stayed at the bar instead of eating at the restaurant.

Nod to the folowing: new craft beer place at HS - the food choices are fairly limited but the beers are pretty good.
the Tambu Lounge - it can be pretty crowded and loud but not bad.
the bar at the Wave - you can get a bar menu or the restaurant menu - not bad.

While you can't get food there, the Abacadabar at Boardwalk is pretty fun. So the bar inside the Boardwalk Inn. Small and intimate.

Can you tell me son and I like a refreshing adult beverage or two?