Review: Brunch at Boathouse (Disney Springs’ Best Restaurant)
The Boathouse restaurant in Disney Springs has a new weekend brunch: “The Captain’s Sing-Along.” In this Walt Disney World dining review, we’ll share food photos, menu info, and thoughts on the seemingly self-contradictory experience.
To my knowledge, the Captain’s Sing-Along has still not yet been announced via a press release or update to the Boathouse’s official website, but instead via Instagram (a ridiculous trend that overestimates the influence and reach of social media, but I digress). Per those posts, brunch runs from 10 am to 3 pm with dueling pianos from 11 am until 2 pm. Guests who wear a captain’s hat or Boathouse shirt receive a free mimosa.
We’re huge fans of the Boathouse–it has held the #1 slot on our Disney Springs Table Service Restaurant Rankings for several years. We also love many of the brunches at Disney Springs and were excited to see the Boathouse join the brunch mix. Approaching this brunch review is consequently a bit of a challenge. In some ways, brunch builds upon and enhances what normally makes the Boathouse so great. In other ways, it falls woefully short and could be the weakest brunch at Disney Springs…
One thing worth mentioning before we dig into the food that this was literally the most crowded we had ever seen the Boathouse. Not just post-reopening, but ever. We’ve been during Marathon Weekend, weekends around the Christmas season, and other peak times. I don’t recall the restaurant ever being this busy on any of those past visits. It was a stark contrast to our “Ghost Town” experience dining at the Boathouse a few days after Disney Springs reopened.
The new brunch menu likely played a role, but we didn’t see many bloggers. Additionally, everywhere at Disney Springs was busy–not just the Boathouse. There was a long line just to get through security from the parking garage at noon and congestion throughout Disney Springs. It was probably the combination of really nice weather (literally every table outside at the Boathouse was occupied–something I’ve never seen before), Mardi Gras visitors, and some early flickers of pent-up demand as case numbers improve after a rough few months.
As we’ve mentioned in numerous posts, we’re still only doing outdoor dining. Everyone’s risk tolerances vary, so to each their own on that. The good news is that there are numerous restaurants with outdoor seating at Disney Springs, and the Boathouse is chief among them. (If you’re simply looking for the best options to avoid indoor restaurants, check out our Outdoor Dining at Walt Disney World.)
This meant we couldn’t see the dueling pianos, but that would be true of the vast majority of guests dining inside at the Boathouse. This is a colossal restaurant with multiple rooms. Everyone inside, outside, and walking past the Boathouse could hear the dueling pianos, though. They added a ton of energy to the experience and were really enjoyable to hear. Think Jellyrolls, but minus everything else that makes Jellyrolls almost unbearable. (Who are we kidding–we love Jellyrolls, warts and all.)
Moving on to the menu, which is pictured above since it doesn’t seem to be readily accessible online. It’s worth noting that there’s the weekend brunch menu in addition to, and not in place of, the normal menu at the Boathouse on weekends.
Having the normal menu is huge, and arguably makes the Boathouse brunch a “bonus.”
Brunch at the Boathouse begins with bread rolls for the table. These are the iconic rolls that normally start each meal, but covered in icing like a cinnamon roll. If you find yourself with a new appreciation for life, what better way to celebrate than with bread, butter, and icing? Knock out three of the four food groups just like that.
Joking aside, these are phenomenal. The Boathouse’s rolls are always one of the highlights of dining here, and that’s dialed up to 11 with these indulgent puppies. We had a couple of rounds just for the sake of research, and each roll was better than the one before it.
Moving on to the “Captain’s Choice” brunch menu entrees at the Boathouse, we first have the Steak and Eggs: Broiled Petite NY Strip Steak, Home Fries, and Two Eggs any style.
There should be added emphasis to the petite in that entree description. It may look like a decently-sized plate, but there are only four pieces of steak there. The meat was fantastic, but it’s simply too small. We do not recommend ordering this.
For her entree, Sarah had the Avocado Toast: Multigrain Toast, Avocado, Tomato, Pickled Red Onion, Feta Cheese, and Two Eggs any style.
Sarah enjoyed this, praising its fresh and refreshing quality. However, she also said it was “nothing special,” offered nothing inventive to distinguish it from avocado toast served anywhere else, and not on par with the same entree at other Disney Springs brunches. We do not recommend ordering this.
Finally, I ordered the Fried Chicken Biscuit and Gravy: Buttermilk Biscuits, Creole-Onion Gravy, Panko Chicken Tenders, and Two Eggs any style.
I really enjoyed this. The gravy was an excellent twist, with an herby and well-seasoned flavor plus a very mild punch. It was still creamy and decadent, pairing well with the also-fantastic biscuits.
As for the chicken…I’ve had a lot of delicious fried chicken at Walt Disney World. It’s one of the dishes that Disney has mastered, with great options everywhere from Fort Wilderness (a glorious, great value family feast) to Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ and many places in between.
This was very good fried chicken, but not better than the nearby Homecomin’ and probably not top 5 material. Definitely top 10, though. (My #1 and #2 fried chicken dishes are actually at the resorts–here and here.) We recommend this to anyone craving brunch; there are at least a half-dozen better items on the normal menu.
In gawking at other dishes as they passed us, there appeared to be several duds–or at least, very pedestrian options–on the brunch menu at the Boathouse. Aside from what’s reviewed above, the other interesting items are the Shrimp & Grits and the Jumbo Lump Crabcakes Benedict (but the latter is $28).
For review purposes, this creates something of a dilemma. Do we rate our meal primarily on the brunch menu? If so, this is one of the weakest brunches at Disney Springs. Or, do we judge the Boathouse brunch on its overall experience while factoring in the what we could’ve ordered from the normal menu? If so, the atmospheric enhancements and the rolls on steroids plus the potential for a free mimosa makes this meal a winner, you just have to ignore the brunch menu.
Ultimately, we’re inclined to do the latter. You might cynically call this giving the Boathouse a “pass” on its lackluster new menu, and maybe that’s true. However, we had an absolute blast at this brunch. The atmosphere was delightful and jovial, imbued with a sense of energy and life that we haven’t felt at a restaurant in a long time. In short, it was fun, happy, and felt normal.
Based upon all of that, we’d definitely do brunch at the Boathouse again–we’d just totally ignore the separate menu for the far superior regular options. There are at least 5 better brunch menus at Disney Springs, but nothing else touches the overall atmosphere of brunch at the Boathouse. This was far and away our weakest meal at the Boathouse from a cuisine perspective, but our best non-food experience. Next time, we know what we can do differently to avoid the pitfalls of this meal, and only enjoy the upsides of brunch at the Boathouse.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you tried brunch at the Boathouse? What do you think of this menu–or the normal one? Thoughts on the overall experience and atmosphere of brunch at the Boathouse? Do you agree with our “weighting” of the meal v. the experience? Would you give this brunch a try or stick to the superior options at Disney Springs? Any standout menu options you’d recommend people give a try at the Boathouse? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Any questions about this meal? Hearing from readers is half the fun, so please share your perspective on whether this meal is ‘worth it’ or any other thoughts you have in the comments below!
Just got back from brunch and can happily confirm the steak in the steak and eggs has doubled in portion! We weren’t going to order it based on your review but saw another table get it so two of us also ordered it. Easily twice the amount of steak that you had. A little less potatoes too. And delicious.
We went in November, and I couldn’t believe how busy it was. We ate on the dock, but there was zero social distancing inside, and it looked like pre-pandemic times. This is one I’ll only do outdoors at for now too.
Please what are the top items you recommend from the regular menu while attending brunch at Boathouse?
The Boathouse is one of my favorite dining locations at Disney Springs. Love the Lobster Oscar and Crab Stuffed Lobster .
Went to Boathouse for the first time last August after reading about it for years on fine blogs such as this one. It was everything I wanted it to be. Can’t beat the atmosphere – and the CMs that work there are truly fantastic. One of our servers wore a name tag that said he was from “Wakanda, Indiana,” so naturally we had to ask him about that. Apparently he was from a pretty small town and was able to convince Disney to let him change the town name to something more “exotic” for his tag. So great. Can’t wait to come back!
“a ridiculous trend that overestimates the influence and reach of social media, but I digress”
I love that as someone who maintains a prodigious blog (and I’m assuming posts to some other channels?) you consistently throw bits of shade at social media. This blog is quite literally the only thing in this vein I follow as I dislike social media with the passion of a thousand burning suns. So, don’t ever ditch the blog :-).
“I dislike social media with the passion of a thousand burning suns”
lol – same.
I wouldn’t say I hate social media “with the passion of a thousand burning suns” but I strongly dislike it. I’ve managed to give up personal use of all social media except Twitter, and have dramatically decreased my usage of that.
With that said, it’s somewhat necessary for a website like this one to have a social media presence, so we do.
Thanks, Tom! I did a quick search and did not see a “Best Brunches at WDW” article. I assume California Grill is tops, but would love to see how others rank in your opinion.
This would be a great article topic!
We don’t have one–but that’s a great post idea, thanks!
I have been looking at Plancha brunch at the Four Seasons with its unlimited bubbles or bloody Mary’s. This would be a great addition to your review! 🙂
Oof, just looking at the prices on the brunch menu makes that a hard pass. Just way too much money for what you see on the plates.
Tom – So Burning questions. Did you & Sarah wear a captain hat or Boathouse shirt? And, were is the accompany picture
Nope. We didn’t know that was being offered until we arrived. Perhaps part of the reason I’m a tad bitter about the info being disseminated piecemeal via social media instead of an actual announcement or press release.
The restaurant zoomed down and then up again in my estimation in the course of 10 minutes during out last visit. The online menu showed a fried fish basket, and my kid really likes ‘fish fry’ fish and not much else that lives in water. I had told her about fried fish and she was pumped for it. Then we were seated… and the menu had no fish basket. I asked the server about it, she confirmed it was off the menu, apologized for the online oversight, and gave us a few minutes to recalibrate our choices. Much to my surprise, she proactively talked to the kitchen staff, who said they could make fried fish happen. Good fried fish, too. Satisfied customer, just like that.
Best memories at The Boathouse! It started pouring (like a late August downpour where the raindrops were the size of quarters lol) as we walked through the Downtown Disney entrance. We ran all the way to The Boathouse and we ended up with cool t-shirts to take home!! We ate dinner there and the crab cake was huge and delicious. My son tried oysters for the first time (not a fan) and my husband ordered the tuna steak (also delicious). I would love to try brunch and sit outside next time! Thanks for this brunch review Tom! I love to see pictures and reviews of restaurants that we have also visited, it brings a bit of sunshine to my dreary and freezing cold Michigan days! 🙂
“Thanks for this brunch review Tom! I love to see pictures and reviews of restaurants that we have also visited, it brings a bit of sunshine to my dreary and freezing cold Michigan days!”
You’re welcome and thanks for sharing that fun story. Hope things thaw out up there soon! 🙂
Glad you reviewed this. We’re planning a meal at The Boathouse when we visit Disney in a couple of months, but not for breakfast. It would have been lunch, but after reading this, I think I’ll bump it to dinner instead. Nothing on that menu excites us, so it’s not a great idea to go for the regular menu when the crowds will be higher than normal because of the new brunch menu. Hopefully, though, they’ll limit it to just the weekends like most other brunches at Disney Springs do.
FWIW, dinner is typically busier than lunch. I’m not sure I would move my ADR if I were you.
You’re best worst review.
Haha thanks, I guess? It really was difficult approaching this one–acknowledging the weak brunch menu but strength of the overall experience. Hopefully I’ve explained it sufficiently so people can reach their own conclusions about whether or not it’s right for them