The Boathouse Restaurant Disney Springs

The Boathouse Restaurant at Disney Springs, near Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is one of the most sophisticated restaurants in Disney Springs. Dine along the waters of Lake Buena Vista, take a post-meal retro amphibious car tour around the lake, and enjoy seafood & drinks you can’t find anywhere at Walt Disney World.

The Boathouse Restaurant

Location: Disney Springs Near Walt Disney World
Address: 1620 E Buena Vista Dr
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Food Type: Seafood
Dining Experience: Indoor, & Al Fresco
Price: $50+ Per Person
Dress Code: Smart Casual +
Reservations: Strongly Recommended
Special Diets: Gluten-Free (not GF dedicated),
Pescatarian

The Ambience

I felt immediately at home, as the ambience of this restuarant reminded me of life back in Petoskey, MI, where I grew up along the shores of Little Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan. Dining al fresco, we enjoyed the warm breeze off the water, surrounded by a nautical themed patio decor, and we were very near where they launched the amphibious boat tours, which were very fun to watch them come and go.

Inside, the restaurant has a very expansive bar, where the bartenders can make practically any drink under the sun. Inside the dining rooms, retro wooden boats have been upcycled into dining room seating, and lush botanicals dot the restuarant.

Having visited in the warmer months of Florida’s eternal summer, it was refreshing to go inside for the air conditioning, but even more invigorating to dine outside under a hearty umbrella that kept the sun from our skin but invited the cooling breeze from the lake.

I loved the refreshing blue washed exterior of the restaurant, the presence of nautical flags which were fun to decode, and the pops of cream and white around the restaurant. Overall, I think they did a lovely job of conveying the nautical theme, without being too kitsch with it, which can be diifficult to do. It really felt like we were at a dockside restuarant back home!

The Boathouse Restaurant & Our Meals

My best friend Jamie and I knew as soon as we hear about The Boathouse Restaurant that we had to give it a try. She loves seafood as much as I do, and it ended up being the perfect place to grab cooling salad, seafood, and drinks for our midday meal.

I ordered the Classic Caesar Salad without crutons to make it gluten-free, several Wild Caught Sea of Cortez Shrimp, which were gigantic, and a few Oysters on the Half-Shell. There were so many more things on the menu I would have loved to try, but when it’s really warm outside, I don’t have as large of an appetite as I might normally.

Everything was phenomenal, and our food was brought out just minutes after we ordered it, despite the restuarant being quite busy. Our waitress said that they do their best to be one of the fastest sit-down restuarants in Disney Springs, so that hungry patrons aren’t kept waiting.

Jamie made it her personal mission to try all of the Bloody Marys she could find around Walt Disney World and Disney Springs, so she of course got one at The Boathouse too. She said it was fantastic, and she loved that came with another jumbo shrimp, and plenty of olives.

She also ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Oysters on the Half-Shell, and Peel and Eat Key West Shrimp, all of which were absolutely delicious, according to her. I tried some of her peel and eat shrimp, and they were so plump and delicious that I crave them from time to time, even now!

Final Thoughts on The Boathouse Restaurant at Disney Springs

We loved our meal at The Boathouse Restaurant Disney Springs, from start to finish. Everything was so delightful, from our fast server who never once made us feel rushed, to the delectable seafood that was chilled to perfection and outstandingly succulent. We loved every bite of our lunch here, and it’s certainly a place I’d recommend for seafood lovers (or for anyone else on a quest to try all of Walt Disney World’s different Bloody Marys!)

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