The Disney World Boardwalk Snackaround Tour
Disney’s Boardwalk area is one of the better non-park Disney options for those seeking another activity that isn’t dealing with crowds and lines. Consisting of three hotels (Six if you want to count the Swan/Dolphin side of the area), multiple lounges, several bars, restaurants, nighttime entertainment, and shopping options, this is the low-calorie low-sugar version of Disney Springs, complete with trails, boat, and gondola transportation to other areas. The resorts are within walking distance to Epcot’s World Showcase as well as Hollywood Studios.
Instead of planning an itinerary, I’m providing you with a fun unranked list of good snacks, nice meals, and lounges that I visited. Consider it a snacking tour of some sort. For the record, I didn’t do all this in one day so please don’t call me and scream about how you’re worried about my health.
#1: Blue Ribbon’s Corn Dog
Corn dogs are one of those things that is almost always delicious when made fresh, while being a mixed bag when its delivered frozen from elsewhere. The corn dog nuggets from Casey’s Corner at Magic Kingdom will always be legendary, but its never enough of a portion and I doubt they actually make the batter and coating in the venue (as the kitchen is quite small, so not a knock on the cast members at all).
Blue Ribbon at the Boardwalk however, does make the corn dogs with the fresh batter and 5-minute frying time, so it can be a wait if there are many orders lined up, but on a slow day you have to make the effort to buy one. Ginormous, sharable, fresh, and the perfect Americana bite. Comes with a bag of chips, but that’s useless, just toss it to the lake to feed the fishes. Their lemonade is pretty good too, especially on a hot Florida summer day.
#2: Millionaire Cake
Alright, not gonna lie, the Cake Shop is not without their controversies. The prices, the wait times, this place has become a microcosm of the Disney shift in strategy, which is a conversation for another day. Now, I couldn’t tell you if their lunch/dinner is quality, but I will have to admit that their upscale and oversized cake slices are actually pretty good.
The cake slices are over $20 each, which is beyond what I would ever spend on such a thing, but its clear as day that desserts like this are meant to be shared with another person, maybe two other people. The Millionaire Cake slice is a French chocolate cake with a plethora of sweet toppings interlocking and topping the cake portion of the behemoth. Vanilla buttercream, chocolate ganache, salted caramel, and even shortbread cookies can be found within this plate of heavenly indulgence. Controversies aside, don’t buy a slice to take with you as the Florida weather (except for like…2-3 months of the year) will affect its flavor from purchase until you finally try it. Go inside to the bar with someone special, buy a slice, get some milk, and have fun.
#3: Mickey Premium Bar
The classic ice cream bar is smaller than what it used to be, and I’m 95% sure the recipe has changed a little, but it still always hits the spot. Most of your tiny markets within the hotels sells this ice cream among others, so if you want to spend less while roaming around the Boardwalk, just hit one of the shops and grab one of these.
#4: Abracadabar’s Hoodunit’s Punch
The Abracadabar definitely could have been better-themed and feels/appears/sounds disjointed while in between the upscale seafood restaurant and the casual Italian restaurant. But the drinks look good, and this spiced rum cocktail hits the spot on a hot summer day. Pineapple juice, coconut, rum, well-balanced, can’t go wrong here.
#5/#6: Cheese and Bacon Tots (Feat. The No Way Jose)
Beaches and Cream is a spot that has become a victim of its own success. Before social media, Disney blogging, and strong word-of-mouth elevated this place to a level of popularity that demanded an eventual expansion, this spot was a tiny but amazing restaurant with a classic 1950s feel with even a jukebox thar allowed you to choose some music to play. I wrote about this place way back in 2010 (…dear lord…) and discussed how they had some of the best cheeseburgers in not just Disney, but Central Florida. Their thin angus burgers were a thing of beauty. But the recipe changed, the burger changed, and I haven’t ordered one of their burgers since the refurbishment. The aesthetics don’t quite hit like they used to, the jukebox doesn’t even work.
However, their dessert lineup remains strong, and now they have loaded tator tots with peppercorn ranch, bacon pieces, and cheese sauce. Instead of having my heart broken again, I went with their grilled cheese with the loaded tots, and did not leave disappointing even though the price tag stings. Tots are crisp, plenty of bacon, lots of sauce to keep the party going.
The No Way Jose is still their best sundae outside of the Kitchen Sink----which you should never ever ever order unless you’re in a group. Two sauces, two ice cream flavors, chocolate chip and peanut butter morsels, and enough substance to make you a happy diabetic.
#7: Loaded Crab Fries
Apparently, this was a popular option among the Disney TikTok crew, as Disney has decided to step up its French fry game. Similar to what has happened with the chicken strips across the entire property, there have been multiple variations of loaded fries popping up in select areas in order to entice Disney Adults and Disney fans to explore a bit more and expand their Disney territory horizons.
The concept here from Hurricane Hanna’s is seafood poutine, as you have the crab pieces, cheese curds, and a healthy portion of crab bisque to top it all off. Honestly, for a heavy Disney snack, the price and quality is actually pretty good. Its not too much sauce so that it drowns the fries, and the crab pieces with the cheese bites gives it some texture variety. Sharable, simple, delicate, a good seafood bite that won’t wreck your wallet.
#8: Ale and Compass Lounge’s Flatbreads
Each hotel in the Boardwalk has at least one lounge, and this one might be the best of them all. Connected to the Ale and Compass restaurant in the Yacht Club, this place is a very good spot to relax, unwind, and have a good drink. This place definitely isn’t fast-paced, and its by design. They have a good variety of sharable bites and drinks, but the server insisted on their seasonal flatbread.
Not sure if it will still be there by the time you visit, but their goat cheese and peaches flatbread was an absolute riot. The combination of peaches with balsamic glaze and goat cheese and arugula is quite a creative one, and it definitely works. Supposedly their parker house rolls and truffle fries are also great, so I might have to return someday.
