It’s been a while since I shared my last Disney post with you. I’ve been saving my pictures and memories from Disney Springs, where we spent our first and last moments of our magical WDW vacation, and couldn’t wait any longer to share them! In case you aren’t aware, Disney Springs is located outside of the parks – you don’t need a ticket to visit this area! It’s a really fun area that is still undergoing some renovations (including better parking options) and is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Orlando.

Disney Springs is full of unique restaurants and shopping, including The World of Disney – the biggest Disney store I’ve ever seen. I picked up most of my souvenirs there and really enjoyed browsing. We ate at two different restaurants and I am excited to share our experiences with you today!

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The Dining Room at Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe

The Food:

This was a rich, delicious meal! For starters, Paul had scallops (I forget why he was viciously attacking them in the picture) and I ordered the Caesar Salad. It was lightly dressed and came with delicious goat cheese crostinis. We both ordered the New York Strip for our main course, which came with house fries and grilled asparagus. The port wine sauce on the steak was pretty rich and heavy – I wish I had asked for that to be on the side, but it was still very good. We were so full and took our chocolate cake to go!

Overall Experience:

The atmosphere was elegant and formal – truly a fine dining experience. This was definitely the most expensive meal we enjoyed during our Disney vacation. Since this restaurant accepts the Disney Dining Plan, we didn’t have to pay out of pocket (except for the tip). The service was exceptional, and the view – amazing! They weren’t busy on this Sunday evening, so we got our choice of seating along the windows that overlook the water. I’m glad we had the chance to eat here!

Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant

The Food: 

This was one of our favorite meals from the trip! We’re still talking about the appetizer you see pictured above, the “Smokie City.” It is a creamy smoked haddock & Dubliner cheese dip with potatoes, tomatoes & crostinis. I would almost drive to Orlando just to have another bowl of this stuff. 🙂 If that wasn’t enough, look at the beautiful plates – made in Ireland!

We reluctantly moved on from the cheese dip and worked our way through the main course (when you’re on the Deluxe Dining Plan, all three courses are included…so why not?). Paul had their sirloin beef burger and fries – the burger came with an amazing tomato chutney that I ate all by itself (Paul’s not a tomato lover). Yum.

I can’t find the exact salad I ordered on their menu currently, but it included endive, baby arugula, pears, pecans, grilled chicken and goat cheese. They were pretty generous with the cheese and it ended up being a little too strong for my taste. However, check out that gorgeous presentation and the lovely blue and white plate (yes, I was all about the dishes at Raglan Road!). Dessert was one of the best from the week – a sort of Irish death by chocolate. If I drove to Orlando for some more of that dip, I’d get this dessert to go with it. 🙂

Overall Experience:

We visited for lunch on a weekday, and it was pretty calm and not crowded. I imagine it can get very loud and crazy in there – they have a stage for a band as well Irish dancers. We don’t drink, so I can’t comment on the pub aspect of the restaurant. Obviously the food was amazing and we hope to eat at Raglan Road again in the future!

FYI – From my Disney app, it looked like they were completely booked for lunch the day we visited. We stopped by anyway, just to see if we could get in – and there were tons of available tables! Because it’s not in a Disney Park, the hostess had “turned off” the ability for Disney guests to make reservations from the app. We were able to get a table without making a reservation and with no wait.

Have you eaten at Disney Springs? I would love to hear about your experience!

This post is part of my Walt Disney World Series. We visited WDW at the end of October and chose the Deluxe Dining Plan. Eating at Disney World is not cheap, but choosing a dining plan that works for your family is a great way to go. We loved our meals at WDW and I’m excited to share some of our favorite restaurants with you! This post is not sponsored by Walt Disney World – all opinions are my own.