We’re reporting to you live from Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort today for this first time since mid-March.
That’s because while the rest of Disney World’s theme parks and hotels will remain closed until further notice, some third-party restaurants and retailers have started reopening today.
We’ve been busy sharing with you our own guest experiences such as parking at Disney Springs, having our temperatures taken, and seeing what some of the recently reopened retail stores have been like inside. Now want to share with you what it’s like to dine at Disney Springs right now. Do note that each location is doing things a little differently!
As a reminder, masks can be removed when sitting and dining at a table service restaurant in Disney Springs.
Table Service Restaurants in Disney Springs
The Boathouse
At 11AM, The Boathouse reopened today. We made our reservation over the phone and were given the option to dine inside or outside. Tables were noticeably spaced apart in the main dining room.
The restaurant is also taking walk-up reservations for patio seating and their indoor dining room is limited to 25% capacity. We spotted this sign stating face masks must be worn at all times unless seated at a table.
We sat outdoors where the guest tables had also been spaced apart more than usual. The Boathouse has been using paper menus for some time, but are no longer passing them between guests — our sever even suggested we keep ours as a free souvenir!
The servers at The Boathouse were all wearing masks and gloves. Cutlery was rolled in a cloth napkin while drinks were served in normal glassware with paper straws. We ordered the Jumbo Lump Cake with a side of Truffle Fries.
And the Duck, Duck Razz, of course! We were PUMPED to see this drink back; we do like it a lot. Good to note: the bars are not open at The Boathouse yet, but they will make you a drink to go.
We DO love this martini. Can you blame us? Look at that little guy!
Read our review of the martini that comes topped with a rubber duck here!
Servers were cleaning their own tables in between guests. We asked our server what her experience has been like. She said the restaurant staff was given the choice if they wanted to come back right away, and she was ready to go and is excited to be back. Training packets were sent out a week ago and yesterday team members were brought in for training.
Everyone is being asked to change out their gloves in between tables while cooks in the kitchen have a timer that goes off every 15 minutes reminding them to stop, wash hands, and change gloves.
Read MORE about our experience at The Boathouse TODAY here.
Frontera Cocina
Frontera Cocina also opened at 11AM today while the staff came in earlier this week for safety training. The restaurant is doing food-to-go and currently accepting reservations. We booked our table in advance on OpenTable and once we arrived, we noticed a new hand sanitizing station for guests and employees at the front of the restaurant.
Frontera Cocina is using both disposable paper menus and digital menus. There’s a QR code at each table that you can scan to view the menu on your smartphone or you may view a paper menu instead. Our server told us paper menus are being thrown out after each use.
Beverages were being served in normal glassware with single-use agave straws. Unlike The Boathouse’s servers, the food runners at Frontera Cocina weren’t wearing gloves.
We ordered the Flautas and the Play with Fire Margarita. Our food was delicious as it always is at Frontera Cocina.
Frontera Cocina is also operating a to-go window where you can pick up eats or sips without the full sit-down experience.
Things were a little different at Frontera Cocina, but the staff was still friendly and the fare was still delicious.
Click here to learn more about our lunch at Frontera Cocina!
Wine Bar George
Over at Wine Bar George, we saw similar distancing efforts such as markings on the ground to guide the queue for entry.
They also have a To-Go Booth with the full food and beverage menu available for purchase.
The check-in booth at Wine Bar George featured a plexiglass shield for the hosts.
As we were seated we noticed some significant health measures. The restaurant is using digital menus that you access via a QR code. You are also delivered a paper bag to hold your mask and two packaged wipes to clean your hands when you sit down. Standard glassware is used.
George Miliotes was here today! You know him as the “George” part of Wine Bar George. He came and talked to us, telling us bout how hard it was for him not to be able to smile at customers. Such a nice guy!
We ordered the Burrata and the Saganaki (read: cheese on fire) and they both delighted. We do love us some Wine Bar George.
The servers were wonderful, as always, and took care to follow health measures. We noticed that our server was changing gloves often and he told us that they had undergone a good amount of training.
We had a nice time at Wine Bar George and they have put some thought into following the new health guidelines.
Take a closer look at our Wine Bar George dining experience here!
Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill
Our trip to Wolfgang Puck showed us some changes too. We had a reservation, but there was almost an hour-long wait for walk-in guests. We think this is partly due to demand and partly due to the fact that there are fewer, spaced out tables to allow customers to distance.
The restaurant has shifted its menu a bit. Instead of changing menus between lunch and dinner, they have one all-day menu that is slightly reduced. Since the menu is more similar to their dinner menu, they have opted to include more lunch options at the Grab and Go Window outside.
Some more of their health measures include heightened cleaning, sanitizer available at all bus stations, the sanitization of pens between uses, handwashing required anytime a team member enters the kitchen, and the use of gloves.
We opted to try the Bruschetta this time since our server said it was the most popular appetizer, and it did NOT disappoint. Think Caprese salad piled on fresh bread. Yeah, it’s good.
At the To-Go Window, we tried the new Reese’s Cookie, the Banana Pudding Gelato, and the Kakamora Cocktail. Honestly, we’re not sure there is a more perfect dessert.
We’ll be keeping an eye on Wolfgang Puck and the other dining locations to see how health measures develop over the next few days and weeks.
Click here to read about our Wolfgang Puck experience!
STK Orlando
We sat down outside at STK Orlando for a nice lunch and to check out the kind of measures they are using. Like other locations, tables were spaced out.
STK is using a reduced paper menu. The dinner menu is available all day but there is a lunch menu as well.
We opted to try the STK Sandwich since we didn’t spot anything new. Plus, would you ask us to pass up on coffee-rubbed ribeye with gruyere? We sure hope not. It was pretty good too! Maybe a little bit heavy and warm for such a toasty day, but good nonetheless.
Originally STK announced that they were going to be opening on May 25th but they were able to open earlier than expected.
Click here to learn more about our STK experience!
Counter Service Restaurants in Disney Springs
Starbucks
We stopped by Starbucks early this morning and discovered they have a new specialty drink called “Welcome Back!”
It’s a cold drink made from mango, dragonfruit refresher, coconut milk, strawberries, blackberries, and pineapple ginger syrup topped with golden ginger whipped cream!
Instead of guests congregating around the order pick-up window, a friendly Starbucks employee retrieves your order and places it on a table for you to grab while you wait at a safe distance.
Guests were also encouraged to socially distance themselves while waiting in line with some floor decals indicating where guests should stand.
And while Starbucks was selling Reusable Cups today, they aren’t permitting guests to use them at this time. As for payment, they’re still accepting all forms, but we recommend downloading the Starbucks app as a touchless payment option!
Check out our full experience (and our review of the Welcome Back drink!) HERE!
Joffrey’s Coffee
We also swung by Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company to see how they’re adapting.
There were social distancing markers on the ground to keep guests six feet apart from one another. At Joffrey’s, they fittingly use coffee bean stickers to denote where to stand. There were also designated entrances and exits to keep the flow of traffic moving a certain way.
We were able to confirm that you can walk around Springs with your coffee, you cannot, however, stay and drink your coffee inside of Joffrey’s. They ask that you remove your mask to take a sip or bite, and replace it between sips or bites.
Joffrey’s is still serving a full menu of coffee and donuts when you need a pick-me-up.
Read more about what Joffrey’s is like now at Disney Springs here!
The Polite Pig
You know we love The Polite Pig, so of course, we had to stop by and see how they’re contending with new health measures. Plus, they have a new item on the menu! Like pretty much everywhere, there are stickers on the floor telling guests where to stand.
We also noticed that they had a heightened cleaning protocol. An employee was out wiping down the divider chains while we were there. The interesting touch here was that employees are wearing branded masks!
When ordering, you can opt to use a digital menu through a QR code or you can use a paper menu to be disposed of after use.
A big thing here is that the sauce bar is out of commission. You can still get sauces, but the employees will bring them to you.
We ordered the pork rinds (because they’re NEW) and a gloved employee brought them over to us. Pork rinds and sauce? We’re not sure we’ve had that before but we’re not complaining. They were tasty!
The most interesting thing at Polite Pig was definitely those branded face masks. They’re a cool touch.
Want a full update on Polite Pig? Click here!
Chicken Guy!
Chicken Guy! was pretty popular when it opened this morning. Still, physical distancing helps to make lines look a little bit longer and it went down pretty quickly. The distancing stickers here featured chicken feet telling us where to stand.
Once inside, you’ll notice a whole lot of plexiglass barriers at the counter, and distancing stickers continued inside.
To get you your order, they call your name and a designated employee hands it out to you. It looks like they have taken measures to reduce the number of folks near your food or drinks.
We opted to get the Triple Double Mint Shake since it sure was starting to get warm outside. Plus, look how pretty that shake is.
Altogether, things are still tasty (if a little different) in Flavortown.
Click here to read more about the changes at Chicken Guy!
Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza
A stop by Blaze Pizza revealed some changes too! We were interested to see what the deal was here since Blaze uses an assembly line method to put orders together.
Sure enough, the store had tape marks on the floor. The blaze stickers show guests where to stand and the red tape was intended to keep guests away from the glass. However, a few folks weren’t following the guides when we were in the store.
Perhaps Blaze should have their greeter or more signage to clarify the meaning of the taped floor section!
Want to know about the Blaze Pizza reopening? Click here!
4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa
4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa is the only food truck to be open in Disney Springs right now, and they’re not doing things quite like a typical food truck. Instead, there’s a stall located out front of the truck where you order with one employee so that the surfaces of the truck are kept clean.
They had some quick grab and go options available too like beef jerky and sodas!
The employee out front grabs your food from the cooks and brings it over to you. It’s a surprising and effective way to keep guests distanced.
Check out 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa’s updates here!
Yesake
Yesake was open too with the standard distancing markers to help guests with spacing in line.
They had added plexiglass at the service window to protect guests and employees as well!
Earl of Sandwich
Like Blaze Pizza, Earl of Sandwich is an assembly line style spot. The difference is that Earl of Sandwich has cases that help to keep guests distanced from the glass. Of course, there were distancing stickers too.
Other health measures at Earl of Sandwich include limited use of the soda machines. An employee will get your drink of choice for you.
We tried the new Chocolattini and it was tasty and refreshing on such a warm day!
Will we ever say not to a chocolatey beverage? Probably not.
Click here to learn more about how we felt about the Chocolattini!
Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC
Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC is open today as well with a physically distanced line. The bakery cases were stocked with all those famous diet-friendly treats.
The floor in the bakery was taped off to show guests where to stand and where not to stand.
Plus, only a very limited number of people are allowed in the bakery at one time thanks to its limited space.
Click here for a breakdown of how Erin McKenna’s changed!
Sunshine Churros
Finally, we took a trip over to Sunshine Churros to see what kind of changes this kiosk had. Like everywhere else, we saw ground stickers to keep guests’ distances.
Super interesting here though is that the kiosk has actually gone cashless! That’s right, better bring your card or contactless pay. You won’t be getting a churro with that $5 bill in your pocket!
This is an interesting measure that was partly expected and partly surprising. Perhaps more locations will follow in the lead of Sunshine Churros.
As you can see, all the restaurants we visited have implemented different safety precautions with many following social distancing and sanitation practices. If you have any questions about our dining experiences, please let us know.
Check out more details on temperature checks, capacity limits, and face masks which are now required at Disney Springs here!
More Disney Park Closure Details and Info
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What did you think about some of our dining experiences at Disney Springs today? Let us know in the comments below.
Kitchens are normally well-timed machines in order to get the food prepared and out to the tables. With the long shutdown, did you notice (or did you ask) if the kitchens were running like their usual selves or a bit slower?
It’s wonderful to see and read once again about DFB doing what it does best – tasting food and letting us know how good it is (or not)! All of the food pictures look. great too! I know things are far from normal right now , and they may never be the “old norm“ again but a “new norm”. Still, It was great seeing all of the pictures and reading all of the reviews of the food. It gives us all hope going forward that perhaps the “new norm” will not be as bad as some thought. Everyone looks like they were having a great time at Disney Springs today in spite of the restrictions, and the food looks delicious! My favorite is the BOATHOUSE, and I can’t wait to get back there, hopefully in November.
: )