Daniel B.
Yelp
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:
Cocktails
Boathouse Specialties
* Duck Duck Razz ($16) - Skyy Raspberry Vodka, blue curacao, lemon juice, simple syrup
Crafted Cocktails
* Strawberry Gin Fizz ($15) - Hendrick's Gin, strawberries, mint, lime juice, soda water
Raw 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 texture
Launch
* Fried Atlantic Clam Strips ($18) - chipotle tartar sauce and lemon
* Filet Mignon Sliders ($22 for 3) - maitre d' butter
Dockside Classics
* Grilled Mahi Tacos ($24) - al pastor marinade, chili garlic puree, pineapple pico, salsa romesco, tortilla chips
Market Fresh Fish
* Coriander Seared Yellowfin Tuna ($36) - blistered shishito peppers, soy lime vinaigrette, wasabi mayo, Sriracha
The 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.