The Boathouse

Anyone who's been to Disney Springs could point out the small spectacle that the Boathouse restaurant creates on the promenade - diners occupy sweeping nautical themed rooms and spectators outside the restaurant watch amphicars cast off into the Spring's lagoon. But how's the food? After several visits, I can assure you that it's pretty dang good. If nothing else the complimentary bread will get your stomach half-way there by itself. Soft slightly sweet buns are served with heavenly whipped butter. The venue also has some rotating signature cocktails and a decent menu of wine.Entrees have all been pretty solid. Steaks are cooked well and waiter/chef eager to please if something isn't quite right. I think after trying a variety my favorite has to be ordering a classic wedge salad with sirloin on the side. There are daily specials/offerings for fresh fish.Finally, finish your meal with the most obnoxious desert at Disney. Heed the recommended serving size and price tag, our team of 8 adults couldn't quite conquer the $50 baked s'mores Alaska. But I'd be willing to try again.

We checked into our Disney hotel early afternoon and had made reservations for 4pm here for a late lunch/early dinner since all of us in our party of 4 were pretty hungry from traveling. There are shuttles from the Disney resorts to the Springs, which is where the restaurant is located, but we took a Lyft since we were cutting it close to make the reservation. Getting to the restaurant after getting into the springs was pretty easy.The restaurant was packed and had a fairly long line, so I'm glad we made reservations! We were seated almost immediately and got a lovely table outside with the water view. After we put in our orders, we were served table bread - the rolls and butter are delicious, but beware - they are very sweet! It almost tastes like dessert.I got a fizzy blueberry mocktail to sip on which, again, was very sweet. For the table we got the duo dips and chips - the chips were nicely seasoned and both dips were decent, but the table favorite was the pimento over the romesco. One thing I do wish I had realized was that both dips are served cold.I got the cauliflower steak for my entree and we got a side of the asparagus to share. The cauliflower was good, but it was sitting in a fairly sizable puddle of butter, which is probably why it tasted good. The asparagus were fine - not bad, but nothing notable either.Overall it was a decent way to start our Disney adventures, but having explored other areas and restaurants, I'm not sure I would choose to eat here again as a vegetarian, but I think my carnivorous companions feel differently!

Loved the location of this place and it has a nice view.Their staff was attentive but they had a difficult time getting us bottled water. Not sure why it was an issue.However, the food was really good, fresh and high quality!

Where do I start....THIS PLACE IS OUTSTANDING! Went here on a whim based off of a friends recommendation and I'm glad we did. We sat outside by the dock where you can watch the amphibicars go into the lake. We initially came in to grab some drinks while we waited for a dinner reservation elsewhere, but after hanging out for a bit and chatting with our server, we decided to stay. It was the best decision we could have made.We got a bunch of different items, but for my main, I got a bacon cheeseburger (I'm not a seafood guy). It was cooked to perfection and had amazing flavor. Also got the truffle fries with it. On top of that we got the chips and salsa, lobster bisque and my wife got the shrimp tacos. Everything was outstanding. On our second visit I got the NY Steak and Fries....sooooo good!To top it all off, the Epcot fireworks were going off when we were seated out there and had a view. It could not have been more perfect. If you are ever in Downtown Disney, GO HERE.

Any time we arrive for a Disney vacation we always start with dinner at Disney Springs. This was our first time trying Boathouse and had a lovely dinner on the patio. We were the last table on the side of the outdoor dock, and it was nice and secluded. I highly recommend you get a reservation, as when we checked in at 5pm for our 5:15pm reservation they were completely booked up for the night! The free bread they start you out with is so doughy and sweet - it left me wanting more! There was a sweet glaze on top and a delicious salted butter to accompany it. Next, we opted for the calamari appetizer which was unique Thai take on calamari. I was not the biggest fan, as I love the traditional style calamari dipped in a lemon aioli or cocktail sauce. Our waiter was able to bring cocktail sauce for me to dip into, which was much appreciated! My husband and I then split the filet mignon sliders and the side of truffle fries. At first glance, the sliders look sad - holy moly once you bite in, the garlic butter greets you with a smile! Repeat after me, do NOT add anything to these sliders. Enjoy as presented! Lastly, the truffle fries were plentiful but on the soggy side. The Parmesan and truffle flavors were very present which helped overlook the sogginess. Overall, it was a nice evening! Our server, Noah, was a delight and showed a genuine interest in us and our trip we had planned. Thanks for a lovely evening!

We had a good dinner at The Boathouse, a steak and seafood restaurant situated on the water at Disney Springs. I think this restaurant is worth visiting.Disney Springs is a retail development at Walt Disney World Resort -- no ticket required. Both The Boathouse and Disney Springs are popular. Restaurant reservations are highly recommended. There were folks standing in line with us that didn't have reservations; they were given 90-minute wait time estimates. This was on an ordinary Thursday around 5:45pm.When I booked, The Boathouse was on OpenTable and awarded 100 dining points per reservation. Not all OpenTable restaurants award points, so the points are a plus. You can use those points to redeem restaurant discounts, Amazon gift cards, hotel stays, and magazine subscriptions. I recently used 2,000 points to redeem $20 in Amazon gift cards (January 2025).There was a problem with OpenTable when I booked, so I had to call The Boathouse and book over the phone. I then chatted with someone at OpenTable to get the points added to my account, which was a hassle. It's rare, but it wasn't the first time I had to do that.The restaurant was slammed during our visit. We checked in on time and had to wait inside for about 10 minutes. We were seated on the uncovered waterfront patio outside. The sky was clear, the wind was calm, and the temperature was cool. We enjoyed the atmosphere, especially the sunset and Disney Springs' Aerophile balloon in the sky (fun backdrop). We were surrounded by *a lot* of heat lamps and were warm and cozy. The heat lamps had flames, so the fire lighting added to the romantic evening ambiance. The patio was a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of Disney Springs.This is a big restaurant with several areas of seating, inside and outside. The place is nicely decorated with a nautical theme. There's also a gift shop.In addition to steak and seafood, they have a full bar and a raw/oyster bar. Here's what we ordered:CocktailsBoathouse Specialties* Duck Duck Razz ($16) - Skyy Raspberry Vodka, blue curacao, lemon juice, simple syrupCrafted Cocktails* Strawberry Gin Fizz ($15) - Hendrick's Gin, strawberries, mint, lime juice, soda waterRaw Bar* Oysters on the Half Shell ($54 for dozen, $4.50 each) - served with London Dry Gin cocktail sauce and cucumber mignonette- Beausoleil (4) - New Brunswick, Canada; medium size, exquisite bright clean brine, sweet cucumber melon finish- Hammerhead (4) - Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts; medium size, crisp brine, distinct "ocean-in-a-shell" flavor- Lucky Dux (4) - Duxbury Bay, Massachusetts; grown and harvested exclusively for The Boathouse; medium size, crisp brine, clean finish and buttery textureLaunch* Fried Atlantic Clam Strips ($18) - chipotle tartar sauce and lemon* Filet Mignon Sliders ($22 for 3) - maitre d' butterDockside Classics* Grilled Mahi Tacos ($24) - al pastor marinade, chili garlic puree, pineapple pico, salsa romesco, tortilla chipsMarket Fresh Fish* Coriander Seared Yellowfin Tuna ($36) - blistered shishito peppers, soy lime vinaigrette, wasabi mayo, SrirachaThe cocktails were great. My wife got the Duck Duck Razz because it's one of the iconic drinks at The Boathouse according to some Disney food blogs she read. She also wanted to get the Key Lime Pie Martini ($12), made with Licor 43, key lime juice, and cream, but wanted to save space for other food and drink at Disney Springs. Both the Duck Duck Razz and the Strawberry Gin Fizz were well made and strong. I got buzzed.Our favorite food items were the complimentary dinner rolls, Oysters, and Filet Mignon Sliders. The rolls were glazed/brushed with we think honey butter, because they were sweet, buttery, and scrumptious. We had them replenished once and could have easily kept eating more.The oysters were incredibly fresh and superb in quality. Given the scale of this restaurant and the high volume of oysters they go through on a daily basis, I wasn't surprised at how fresh and delicious the oysters were. My wife's favorites were the Hammerheads (clean taste, medium-large size), but I enjoyed all three of the Beausoleil, Hammerhead, and Lucky Dux equally.The Filet Mignon Sliders had actual slices of filet mignon inside, not ground filet mignon. That was a pleasant surprise. The steak quality was excellent. Tender and flavorful.While the above items were a solid four stars or higher, the rest of what we had -- the other app (Fried Atlantic Clam Strips) and entrees (Grilled Mahi Tacos, Coriander Seared Yellowfin Tuna) -- were three stars at best. The clam strips were tasty, but one-dimensional with many strips consisting of more batter than clam meat. Unfortunately, the fish taco and yellowfin tuna entrees were average and nothing to write home about. Also, both were a little too salty for me.Eddie was our server and he was fantastic. Five stars. He took great care of us. He was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. In general, great service.

Food was great. Service was great. Busy and hectic food took a little while to come out and service was a bit slow. But as usual food was really good. Had the lobster bisque for starters. COCONUT shrimp for mom , I didn't have any but she loved it. Beverly tasty and cooked perfectly. Ordered the lobster Oscar with red boiled potatoes. Great choice. You have to make reservation otherwise to Will wait or have to sit at the bar. Outside area and bar are a good spot as well. First come first serve full bar and menu served. Here are a few of my favorite picks. Filet mignon sliders Lobster bisque Lobster tail Oscar Truffle fries Mac and cheese. Enjoy!!

Great food, great service, a perfect dinner to complete our time at Disney! The weather contributed nicely to dinner in the outdoor area overlooking the water!We were a party of six but Lucas did a fantastic job in making sure we were well served. We enjoyed the coconut shrimp appetizer, the shrimp firecracker and filet mignon sliders. The Caesar side salad was great and the table service bread was yummy! We do not come to Orlando too often but would consider a return!

Ate here for dinner - can't beat the view and atmosphere and our food was amazing! Ryan was our server and he was excellent. We come every time we are in Florida!

Amazing lunch. We thoroughly enjoyed a wedge salad, coconut shrimp and a burger and fries. Delicious. Our server Ryan was amazing, kind, and efficient. He didn't even need to write our orders down and we asked for a few modifications and he remembered everything. Very personable too.