Jaleo or Paddlefish for Lunch on Arrival Day

[jvalic33]

We're big foodies, love everything, love all Seafood, love Paella, love to eat.

After having traveled to Spain, I can find it difficult to enjoy Spanish cuisine in the states, but I have high hopes for this place.

I ate at what was the restaurant before Paddlefish, I forget the name, back in 1996, and I really loved it. My kids have never had a chance to eat there though and I remember as a kid really enjoying the atmosphere.

Any opinions on food and atmosphere would really help me make up my mind!

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

The food at Jaleo is delicious and is has a lively atmosphere. If you or some of your group may be tired after travelling, I think Jaleo is a great choice, as you can share small
plates and a wine or two and relax, without battling your way through a huge plate of food.

 

[jvalic33]

The food at Jaleo is delicious and is has a lively atmosphere. If you or some of your group may be tired after travelling, I think Jaleo is a great choice, as you can share small
plates and a wine or two and relax, without battling your way through a huge plate of food.

That is a great point and we love tapas and sampling lots of different things. My other thought was that Paddlefish might be a lighter meal because we have a ressie that night at Morimoto, but to your point, we could just eat lots of tapas.

Thank you! Great advice!

 

[OKW Lover]

Jaleo is a really, really good restaurant. Highly recommended for lunch or dinner.

 

[JaxDad]

FWIW, I love Jaleo. It’s one of my favorite restaurants, but NOT the one in Disney Springs. It was by far the worst of the four locations I’ve visited. I live in Florida, and I won’t go back.

 

[johnb3]

I've eaten at Jaleo twice. Its on our short list at Disney Springs with Morimoto and Wine bar George, Great food and some nice wines. I've not eaten at paddlefish so I can't compare but we usually do at least one dinner at Disney Springs (and more when staying st SSR or OKW) and we try our "list" first and any of (and often all) three are great experiences.

 

[Beachyrock]

I agree with Jaleo bring the better choice. It is delicious and one of our favorite restaurants in DS!

Paddlefish was very disappointing when we went several years ago--the atmosphere you remember from the previous restaurant has been completely changed and it's very sterile now. The food was very plain/boring and service was below average.

The only reason to choose Paddlefish over Jaleo might be because it is more plain, and you are eating at Morimoto for dinner. I'm not sure if I could handle Jaleo for lunch and Morimoto for dinner, that's a lot of different flavors and spices.

 

[cruisin5]

Agreed - Jaleo is the better choice. Wine Bar George would be another good option. Both are available on OpenTable without a cancellation fee.

 

[gatour]

My wfie and my self have eaten at Jaleo twice. We have eaten together atPaddlefish once, and I have eaten at it another time solo.

We both agree that Jaleo is superior. The plus is that you can order the tapas to split like you can do in Spain. So you can plan according base on you dinner plans.

 

[kanerf]

Another vote for Jaleo.

 

[soniam]

Jaleo is amazing! One of the best restaurants I have eaten at period, not just Disney or Orlando. Paddlefish is fine. We prefer it over Boathouse, but most people seem to like Boathouse better. Do Jaleo!

EDIT: Just noticed your comment about traveling to Spain. The restaurant owner is from Spain. We have been to Barcelona twice, and Jaleo easily competes with anything we have eaten in Barcelona, except for this excellent Basque pintxos place that we could eat at every day all day.

 

[gharter]

Have not been to Paddlefish, so can't compare.
Our meal at Jaleo was one of the best of our last trip, just behind Toppolinos.

 

[Centopar]

Jaleo is phenomonal. I am British but have family in Spain; we visit the country a lot. Jaleo is standout-excellent, even when compared to lovely little family-run tapas places in Madrid and Barcelona. You really can't go wrong with it.

 

[gatour]

Yes I am aware Jose Andres is from Spain.

We have been to Barcelona twice. First time I didn't know what to expect, but fell in love with the city and food. So much so when I got home a I bought several Spanish cookbooks along with a paella pan.

The thing about Jaleo is while you can spend a bunch of money similar to other signature restaurants. But ordering off the tapas menu you get great food without shelling out tons and tons of money.

The other thing Jose Andres has become very activein various disaster relief efforts. Not just giving it lip service or just writing checks, but organizing efforts, and paricipating.

Jaleo is amazing! One of the best restaurants I have eaten at period, not just Disney or Orlando. Paddlefish is fine. We prefer it over Boathouse, but most people seem to like Boathouse better. Do Jaleo!

EDIT: Just noticed your comment about traveling to Spain. The restaurant owner is from Spain. We have been to Barcelona twice, and Jaleo easily competes with anything we have eaten in Barcelona, except for this excellent Basque pintxos place that we could eat at every day all day.

 

[minniebeth]

We ate lunch at Paddlefish this week and were very disappointed. While the people who worked there were pleasant and extremely hard working, it was very apparent they were quite short staffed. Everything was slow. The food was definitely sub-par as well. We've never been there before so we had nothing to compare it with, but compared to several other DS restaurant experiences we had on the same trip, it was on the very bottom. I would not recommend it~