Please tell me about the Boardwalk Restaurants?

[jiggerj]

They all sound soooo good but was hoping for some first hand reports of which ones are must do's and why? I love restaurant report details! Thanks in Advance!

 

[lllovell]

The only one I have tried so far is the ESPN one. It was pretty neat. Enjoyed walking around and looking at the things on the walls. The food was reasonable by WDW standards and good. The kids enjoyed it being loud so they didn't have to be too quiet. We went about 5 on a Sunday evening and walked right in. By the time we left, there must have been 60 people standing in line outside waiting to get in. (its first come first served). There is a bar area that is a bit seperate from the restaurant area, lots of tvs, casual food. Not bad.

We would try it again

 

[DukeStreetKing]

While I don't normally like to recommend restaurants for fear of someone having a less than magical time, my GF and I had a wonderful dinner at Spoodles. It was a while ago so I don't remember everything, but we had a wonderful appetizer sampler with hummus, Z sauce and some other great dips with flat bread. It was a meal in itself.

Also, we have managed to get somewhat "relaxed" at the ESPN Club from some of their drinks. Have a drink or two, rent a surry bike and terrorize the strollers on the Boardwalk. Woohoo!! Now that's livin'!

Anyway, check out the menus online and when I get home I'll see if I can dig up my old Spoodle's trip report and post it.

Enjoy.

 

[Stitch 03]

I agree that Spoodles is very good, though I have been there only once.

The Flying Fish though is considered to be one of the better restaurants on property (up ther ewith Citricos and California Grill). The Valrohna Chocolate Souffle is amazing.

 

[new_yawka]

We absolutely love Spoodles. IMHO it is the must do restaurant on the Boardwalk. An interesting and varied menu combine with a nice atmosphere and good service.

Flying Fish is Good. Some swear by it. I do not. It is one of the best seafood restaurants on property, but is also among the most costly. The service we had was average and the food was only good. It is a nice location for a convenient, romantic dinner, if staying at the Boardwalk.

ESPN Club is fun! Food is good Pub food, but the atmosphere is sports oriented and fun (if you like sports ).

Overall, we love the Boardwalk area and the food options is one of the big reasons.

Enjoy!

 

[dsneygirl]

We ate at Spoodles last month and really enjoyed it.

 

[tjkraz]

Spoodles: A relative ate there about 6-7 years ago and HATED it. So we've always been afraid to try. Did eat breakfast there about a year ago, and it was OK but not great. My entree was a bit more eclectic than the standard "eggs and hash browns", and it was a disappointment.

ESPN Club: Surprisingly a meal at the ESPN Club tends to be one of the more memorable meals from each trip. Every entree that we've tried was very good. One time we got takeout to eat back in our room at the Boardwalk and the containers were absolutely overflowing with food. My only criticism would be that it is a very loud restaurant.

Big River Grill: Never ate there. Asked for opinions before our last trip hoping it would be a good option, and the responses I got from folks here were about 90% negative.

Boardwalk Bakery: Pretty good stuff. I've had one or two items that I didn't particularly care for. But more often than not, it's very satisfying. Note that they have a Breakfast Burrito for about $4 dollars in the morning that (IMO) is one of the best deals at WDW. The thing takes two hands to eat and is a full meal for even my 6' 3" frame. Show me another location at WDW where you can fill-up for $4.

 

[Thumper's Tara]

Hi there...I stayed at BWV in Feb/Mar and had a couple of comments about 2 of the restuarants there.

We ate at ESPN and the Brewery. We loved the ESPN club. The amtosphere was cool (loud though) - TVs are everywhere. It was a lot of fun to be watching about 6 different sports at once. The service was good. The food was SUPER yummy. We (my parents, pregnant sister and I) had the wings to start, sandwhiches and drinks for dinner and it was very reasonable. Very good. Would eat there again.

The Brewery on the hand, I would have to pass on. The atmosphere was nice - we sat on the boardwalk. The service, excellent. The drinks and food - BLAH. We had a variety - I had a cesear salad, my mom had pasta, my dad had meatloaf and I can't remember what my sister had. None of us were impressed. There really was no flavor to the food. I definitely will not be eating here again.

Hope this helps!

 

[imsorry]

ESPN is very casual - The Exreme Reuben Sandwich is absolutely great!
If you are in the mood for a burger, they are very good here. The club wrap and the chili were also good. The pitcher of red beer is always a must for us!

I love the fettuccine at Spoodles! The mussels appetizer is delicious. When we were there in early May they had steak and pork chop on the menu and both were excellent.

Flying Fish is expensive. I always liked the peeky toe crabcakes as an appetizer. I don't really like to sit up that straight on vacation, though!

Haven't eaten at the Big River Grille in years - although it is very enjoyable to sit outside and have a beer and people watch! I really like their wheat beer.

You might also enjoy walking across to the Yacht and Beach Club. The Cape May buffet is always great. The Yachtsman Steak House is excellent, but very pricey. Their baby spinach salad is wonderful.

Beaches and Cream is a must try if you are in the mood for a great burger and an ice cream sundae!

These are just my opinions - hope it helps!

 

[Greg K.]

Flying Fish is superb. A bit pricey, but imho, well worth it. Also, it's not too difficult to get a seat for one, at the "open kitchen" counter. Just walk in and they can often accomodate single diners.

Big River is okay if you're fond of protein. But I wasn't overwhelmed.

And the Bakery? Ahhhhhh. Sublime. They also have tasty pizza on the Board Walk, in a walk-up window. But like everything else in The World, it's ridiculously overpriced. (I think it was something like $3 a slice two years ago.)

Also worth checking out are the restaurants over at the Beach Club/Yacht Club, just a short walk away. The Yachtsman Steakhouse has some superb cuts of meat, the Cape May Cafe hosts a terrific character breakfast in the morning and a fairly extensive and filling seafood buffet/"clambake" in the evening. And Beaches and Cream has some memorable deserts (if you can ever get in ... the place is usually packed.)

 

[MJTinNH]

I have tried:

Spoodles for both breakfast and dinner. They have a more Mediterranean flair for their dinner menu. I think their food is very good.

Pizza Window at Spoodles-Good for a fast bite.

ESPN is a great sports bar. Their food is good and so are their drinks!

Big River Brewery, I am not impressed with the food here at all. Tried it twice. Don't plan on returning.

Boardwalk Bakery-Just walk in the door and try to leave without buying something!

Flying Fish-Have not tried this place yet, I'm not a great fish eater. The reviews always seem to be excellent. I think I will try it sometime anyway because I keep reading that they do a really great steak!

 

[Deb & Bill]

My husband loved the Flying Fish (my son and I went over to Disney Studios that night). We tried the Big River Grill and had the worst service and even worse food.

 

[SoCalKDG]

Ribeye and garlic mashed potatos at ESPN. So good I went back another day for the same item. Good pricing there as well(for WDW standards).

 

[AreWeThereYet]

we make it a point to go to Spoodles each time we are at the BCV.

We've been to Flying Fish once and it as very good - pricey but excellent food.

Boardwalk Bakery of course.

B&C at Beach Club!!! A Must.

 

[MLK-RI]

Have been to Spoodles 5 or 6 times over the past 3 years and have enjoyed it everytime. Have not tried breakfast there however so can't recommend.

The Boardwalk Bakery - yum!

Only tried the Big River Grill one time and it was nice to sit outside an people watch. The food wasn't anything to get excited about, it wasn't bad either, just nothing special.

Also a fan of the walk over to Beaches & Cream and then just roll me back . It is now one of our traditions to have an ice cream dinner there one night each trip. My DS is already asking which night it will be on our next trip!

 

[DaveT1]

IMHO
Flying fish- Expensive but worth it for food and service. Can be a little noisy. They do have a great strip steak along with some of the better seafood in WDW

Yachtsman's Steakhouse-Expensive but worth it for food and service. Very nice steaks and all the sides were great. We liked it better than Le Cellier, it was also quieter. Some call the service stuffy, i found it perfect, they are very attentive yet get out of the way so you can talk.

Palioat the Swan- Very nice upscale italian. We had a very nice meal here. Watch the strolling musician though, he want's exact song names not a generalization.

Fresh in the Dolphin- Super Breakfast buffet, everything really nice.

Beaches and Cream Good burgers and such, great for ice cream. Can get very crowded especially after illuminations. There is sit down and counter.

ESPN Good burgers and bar food. They can do take out too if it gets crowded.

Big River Grille We had good burgers and i enjoyed the meatloaf. Service was very good.

Spoodles-Great breakfast, decent dinner.

Cape May -Good breakfast buffet, dinner buffet is just ok for us.

 

[Sherri]

We loved The ESPN club. The portions were a nice size and their prices compare to Ruby TUesdays or a TGIFridays. We really enjoyed the atmosphere. My twelve year old daughter and 13 year old son liked it best.

 

[JimMIA]

Palioat the Swan- ... Watch the strolling musician though, he want's exact song names not a generalization.

We have the same problem here in Miami with the mariachi's - plus I have a language problem with them. So I always ask for the same song, by title: "Twist and Shout."

Edit: I have actually done that twice - much to my DW's horror. Never got the song tho'. Must be my accent.

 

[mickey's bud]

We ate at Spoodles last month. I had heard really great things about it, so I really wanted to like it. But if I honestly evaluate, it was a 6, maybe a 7 on a scale of 10.
The flatbread appetizer we got was delicious. And the kids meals were nice - fairly healthy, good sized, and the kids seemed to like it. I got the paella, and it was very sub-par. My wife had the gnocchi and it was average.
The sangria is pretty good, and may have been the only thing that saved the meal!!! And even though most things "Disney" are kid friendly, Spoodles was only so-so. Not much to entertain them, and it seemed like most of the guests were looking for a little peace and quiet.
ESPN Zone, though technically bar food, is actually very good. Good portions, good food, and kid friendly.

 

[deerh]

We got back from BWV 2 weeks ago, and ate at Flying Fish, and Spoodles.

On a scale from 1-10, 10 being great, I would rate FF as a 9.0, and Spoodles a 9.0.

Spoodles and FF were great food, but better service at Spoodles than FF.
FF was the better food however. Get the DDE card if possible, it is worth it.

DeerH