Not your average theme park meal: Wait till you see new restaurants at Disney, Universal
From the parks to the hotels to CityWalk and Disney Springs, Orlando’s theme park resorts got a notable number of new table-service restaurants in the last year. Also, two others originally scheduled for 2019 got bumped into early 2020, including the space-themed restaurant at Epcot we’ve been waiting for.
Here’s a rundown:
DISNEY WORLD
▪ Takumi Tei at Epcot: If the opening of Tiffins at Animal Kingdom three years ago didn’t convince you that some restaurants in the parks were going upscale at Disney World, Takumi Tei leaves no doubt. Most of Disney World’s high-end “signature” restaurants are in hotels and at Disney Springs, but with in-park spending growing steadily, pricey restaurants are also being opened in the parks.
At dinner-only Takumi Tei, which opened in the Japan Pavilion in July, traditional main courses range from $42 (salmon) to $120 (wagyu tenderloin), but the menu also offers sashimi and nigiri entrees ($21-$40) and an omakase (tasting) menu for $150.
Like Tiffins, Takumi Tei features gourmet dining at a level more or less commensurate with the prices. The marinated duck ($46) was some of the best duck I’ve ever tasted, but the salad of compressed watermelon, watermelon rind pickles, grapefruit and tomatoes was not as special as its $24 price. The menu is most like that of an American steakhouse that serves sushi and offers small portions of beef, delicately prepared.
What’s most surprising about Takumi Tei is how removed it feels from the surrounding theme park. Each of its five dining areas has decor themed to an element — water, earth, wood, stone and paper — that suggests tranquility, a contrast with what’s happening outside. From the unrushed service to the minimalist art to the napkins folded, origami style, to represent kimonos, the ambiance is rooted in Japanese culture, Disney-style.
▪ Jaleo by José Andrés at Disney Springs: Jaleo opened on Disney Springs’ West Side in March with a menu featuring the traditional dishes of Spain, José Andrés’ birthplace: paella, garlic shrimp, pan con tomate, Spanish hams and a variety of tapas, or small plates. It is the fifth Jaleo in the U.S.
Jaleo is a good choice when your dining group includes hearty eaters and people with bird-like appetites. The latter could order a bowl of gazpacho, a chilled tomato-based soup ($11), or nibble off a few shared tapas (most are $5-$20, but some seafood dishes or ham from free-range, acorn-fed Ibérico pigs cost more). The former could dine on one of two pork dishes from the fire pit, intended for two or more ($40 and $74), or one of two paellas offered each night from a rotating menu of five paellas ($25-$38). And the diner who is really hungry could try Jaleo’s version of a tasting menu ($70 and $120).
For lunch, we ordered thinly sliced ham, carved tableside; gazpacho spiked with sherry; a tapa-size plate of garlic shrimp; sautéed spinach with pine nuts, raisins and apples; a gooey pressed sandwich of Spanish ham and Manchego cheese; and a Basque-style cheesecake made with goat cheese. We didn’t leave much on our plates.
The name Jaleo means revelry, and the restaurant reflects that with dramatic decor. The outside was inspired by artichokes. The interior has bold chandeliers, big splashes of red and yellow, a dining table made of a glass-covered foosball table, and two enormous photographic murals, one of the back of a matador, the other of a beach town in Spain.
Adjoining Jaleo is Pepe by José Andrés, a permanent representation of the chef’s Spanish food truck, which offers hot and cold sandwiches, salads, desserts and other grab-and-go items.
▪ Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at Disney Springs: Wolfgang Puck, the Austrian-born California chef, has long had a presence at Disney Springs with a couple of “express” counter-service eateries and the Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe and Dining Room, which closed in 2017 (and now houses Jaleo). A Wolfgang Puck Express remains in the Marketplace area.
The new bar and grill in the Town Center section of Disney Springs offers a few features from the restaurants that made him a celebrity chef in Southern California, including an open kitchen with a wood-burning grill, smoked salmon pizza and Weinerschnitzel. In fact, Disney World said in a press release, the new restaurant would capture “the essence of the laid-back Californian dining experience, made popular by Puck himself.”
It also captures the essence of Southern California prices. The dinner menu offers nine entrees — beef, chicken, pork and several kinds of fish — at prices from $24 (meatloaf) to $59 (filet mignon); pastas are $24-$26; and a pizza that serves one or two people $18 to $31. The restaurant also serves lunch.
The restaurant, built to resemble a modernized barn, has high ceilings, big windows that let in plenty of light, oversized wood beams and a touch of industrial chic. A big copper pizza oven dominates one end of the room. Outside is a walk-up gelato bar. The ambiance is pleasingly comfortable and casual hip.
I stopped by for a late-afternoon meal one unreasonably warm afternoon this summer and seated myself at the bar, where I got attentive service and baseball on the big-screen TVs. But the heat had killed my appetite for a full meal, so I had a Caesar salad ($14) and a small order of crab cakes ($19) from the appetizer menu. Both were good. But I plan to return when the weather is pleasant and eat one of those famous pizzas.
▪ Toledo at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort: Coronado Springs isn’t new, but its Gran Destino tower is, and this Spanish-themed restaurant is at the top of it. I ate here the day before I ate at Jaleo. The back-to-back Spanish meals reminded me that just as southern cooking and southwestern cooking are different yet classic American cuisines, so Spain has more than one style of food.
Toledo offers tapas — tiny pintxos at $3; small plates, meat and cheese boards and salads $10-18 — but there is little overlap with Jaleo’s. The selection of entrees is larger and a little more Americanized, from $28 (chicken braised in red wine) to $36 (Manhattan filet) plus rib-eye for two at $89. We had the scallops ($32) and the filet and both were well-prepared. I appreciated the prices — the hotel is ranked as moderate and the new restaurant fits — and enjoyed the meal, but we wouldn’t choose it for a special occasion.
Inspired by the Toledo of the 1920s and ‘30s, the restaurant features a striking architectural design: its high vaulted ceilings with glass panels and lighting that changes colors behind them. Olive trees grow in planters. The 16th floor location provides a view of several parks’ fireworks shows — if you’ve got a seat near the floor-to-ceiling windows.
▪ Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort: This one wasn’t open yet when I last visited Orlando — it opened two weeks later, in mid-December — so I can’t pass on any impressions, but here are the basics. Both the hotel and the restaurant were inspired by Walt and Lillian Disney’s travels along the Mediterranean coast of France and Italy, and the menu follows suit. Topolino is the Italian name for Mickey Mouse.
The rooftop restaurant is open for dinner as well as character breakfasts. It has an outdoor patio where guests can take in the view — including fireworks shows — open only to restaurant guests. It’s one of Disney’s signature-class restaurants, which is its highest priced fine dining. Pastas are $30 (spicy tomato sauce) to $40 (seafood fettucine); main courses are $34 (cassoulet with plant-based sausage) to $54 (filet mignon), with bouillabaisse — a classic Provencal fish stew ($48) — that calls to me.
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO
▪ Bigfire at CityWalk: Bigfire opened in June, but I didn’t get a chance to eat there until December. It was chilly, and a cold-weather entree leapt out at me: short rib and cream sherry sauce over pasta. But when the waiter reminded me that the grill is the whole point of the restaurant, I switched to salmon ($26) and asparagus ($5). It was a good move: the salmon was moist on the inside, crusty on the outside from its brush with flame. My companion had the petit filet ($28). Entrees are $16 (cauliflower steak) to $39 (lamb chops); burgers and hot sandwiches are $15-$17.
Located in the former Emeril space, Bigfire was built to evoke a lakeside summer house and outdoor cooking. Lots of wood, big windows, camp lanterns, the frame of a canoe suspended from the ceiling. The interior is attractive, the grills (and cooks) in view behind glass. Different varieties of wood chips are used to add subtle flavoring.
But the best thing was the s’mores dessert. Our waiter set a dish with the ingredients and a tiny flame on the table in front of us. We knew what to do. Particularly inspired: the inclusion of Reese’s thin cups as an alternative to the traditional squares of milk chocolate. Whoever thought that the combination of chocolate peanut butter and marshmallow could be so darn good.
COMING IN EARLY 2020
▪ City Works Eatery & Pour House at Disney Springs: The newest outlet of this chain is scheduled to open in January next to the NBA experience at Disney Springs. Giant high-definition TVs, almost 100 varieties of beer, indoor and outdoor seating. Burgers and hot sandwiches $18-$24; dinner entrees $22 (fish & chips, Cajun linguine) to $38 (smoked BBQ platter).
▪ Space 220 restaurant at Epcot: This restaurant, located next to Mission: Space, is supposedly a space station accessed by an elevator that rises as if you’re being shot into orbit. According to the Disney story, Centauri Space Station is 220 miles above earth and offers views of Earth and the stars through its large curved windows. Disney World has not yet posted a menu but says the restaurant will feature modern American cuisine. After a delay, it is scheduled to open in February.
This story was originally published December 27, 2019 at 6:30 AM.
