Disney World Has Two More BoardWalk Mystery Projects Coming to Empty Restaurant & Retail Spaces.

For the last several years, Walt Disney World has had a problem with the BoardWalk. There are currently three vacancies along the promenade that follow a wave of closures, which followed a prior slate of openings and reimaginings. To borrow a phrase from the troubled EPCOT overhaul, BoardWalk has been in a state of “becoming” for a while.

Last month, we reported on mystery projects at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, which resulted from visible construction happening inside the vacant venues that used to house Jellyrolls and Big River Grille & Brewing Works. This came after a mystery bulletin appeared late last year on the Walt Disney World website, indicating that there’d be construction at the BoardWalk through late 2026.

Back when this was first announced, we speculated about what the project might entail. It’s possible that construction warning only concerns utilities work and other routine maintenance, but we doubt it. Rather, there’s reason to believe that BoardWalk is finally getting ‘phase two’ of its bigger picture resort reimagining, similar to what Grand Floridian has received over the last year following an extended hiatus in that well-received hotel overhaul.

The latest development is that two new entries in the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District database confirm that new restaurants and retail are coming to Disney’s Boardwalk after two storefronts have sat empty for months. Although still officially unannounced by Walt Disney World, the two new projects are listed as “Project Amazon” and “Project Bubbles,” and both are at locations that have been sitting empty for some time.

Let’s discuss each one in turn along with fresh photos as of late May 2026…

Project Bubbles

Project Bubbles is located at the former Promenade Fine Art Gallery, which closed last October. The CFTOD database info indicates that the space is roughly 2,300 square feet in size, which means it uses the same footprint as the previous galleries.

With a name like Project Bubbles, the first thing that might jump to mind is a champagne (or “bubbly”) bar. Something like Pink aboard Disney Cruise Line. This would be a huge hit with Walt Disney World’s target demographic, and without cannibalizing business from other bars around Crescent Lake that skew towards other audiences.

Between a bubbly bar and Cake Bake, Crescent Lake could solidify itself as the destination at Walt Disney World for bachelorette parties and other such experiences. It would be a license to print money!

The only hang-up here is that the Promenade Fine Art Gallery was, obviously, a shop. As was the previous tenant before that. If Walt Disney World were going to retrofit this space to become a bar, that would be an ambitious and costly endeavor, unless it were done as simply as possible (and we’ve seen exactly that with other recent bars).

Accordingly, unless Walt Disney World is going to go all-in on making BoardWalk a drinking district for conventioneers, bachelorette parties, etc., it probably makes more sense for this space to be reimagined into retail. With a trio of vacancies on the BoardWalk (plus other borderline locations that could be put to better use), there’s really no reason to completely transform any location into something materially different from what it was before.

All three of the coming locations are probably fairly 1:1 additions. Meaning that the former Promenade Fine Art Gallery is likely to become a shop, Big River Grille will likely house a restaurant, and Jellyrolls will be a bar. No need to swim upstream with this many options on the table.

Another logical explanation derived from the Project Bubbles codename is a soap shop. As anyone with handwashing experience should know, soap bubbles when lathered.

Walt Disney World has partnered with a number of bath products companies over the years. The most recent of these additions have been Basin shops at both Disney Springs and the Grand Floridian, which seem reasonably popular. (At least, in terms of foot traffic. I don’t know how strong sales are…but there are two of them!)

Setting aside issues concerning competitors and exclusivity, we’d also note that Disney has aggressively expanded its partnership with Bath & Body Works. They recently released 26 products as part of a Mandalorian and Grogu partnership.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Basin or Bath & Body Works set up shop here, especially if it’s part of a bigger picture initiative to revitalize the BoardWalk and increase foot traffic. There’s probably also significant overlap between Cake Bake’s core demo and prospective purchasers of soap.

Walt Disney Imagineering has a history of getting cute with project names, leaving cryptic and indecipherable breadcrumbs that are nonsensical unless you know what the end project is and can work the logic backwards.

For instance, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was Project Alcatraz and the Skyliner was the Italian Job. Once both were officially announced, those names made sense in an oblique sort of way, but no one would’ve guessed either without any additional information.

Accordingly, it’s probably a fool’s errand to try to do the same with Project Bubbles (or Project Amazon, for that matter). The only other thing I’d add here is that the former tenant was Wyland Galleries. The artist behind that gallery, Robert Wyland, paints marine scenes that frequently feature…bubbles. That would give us zero insight into the future for this space, just the past.

Project Amazon

Project Amazon is located at the former Big River Grille & Brewing Works, which was a table service restaurant and sports bar that closed back in January 2024. I think we can all agree that the codename is a clue that this is going to be a distribution center for a certain popular retailer. Obviously.

Joking aside, the name here could point to this being a Rainforest Cafe or a new jungle-themed concept from Landry’s. It’s been a while since T-REX Cafe opened at Disney Springs, so it might be time for another entry into that campy and cheesy collection. Then again, I sometimes wonder how the Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom is still in business, and don’t think this location lends itself to a kitschy family-centric sit-down restaurant.

A more likely option, given the conventioneer clientele, is a Brazilian steakhouse. Something like Fogo de Chão, but not a chain and perhaps more upmarket. The template for this could be more like Bourbon Steak over at the Swan & Dolphin. Convention guests staying at these high-end resorts tend to have money to burn.

Logically, what makes the most sense is a sports bar & grill…like what was there before, but with a fresh interior and different branding. As noted above, all of these new projects are probably 1:1 replacements, meaning that Project Amazon is almost certainly a table service restaurant with a bar that reuses the existing kitchen and infrastructure, as opposed to, say, an Amazon fulfillment center.

A sports bar and grill would also fill a vital role that’s now conspicuously absent from this area. There are a lot of dads and other sports fans who enjoy watching “the big game,” and there isn’t a great option that’s easily accessible from the parks. This spot is easily accessible from EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as 10 resorts that cater to a wide range of demographics.

Although it’s not evident from these photos, which just show the windows blacked out, a lot has been happening at Big River over the last few months. There was a moveable barricade up recently, there’s been audible noise inside, and construction crews have been spotted coming and going. Something is already happening, beyond just the Project Amazon entry.

Project JR (Jellyrolls Replacement)

Unfortunately, that’s not an actual project name, so don’t get your hopes up about Japan Railways opening a line connecting BoardWalk and Orlando International Airport. (A more apt name would be Project Chord, giving us a name related to a past/future tenant and completing the ABC trifecta.)

Oddly enough, there is no project entry for a Jellyrolls replacement in the CFTOD database, and this is despite that project being the most visible of the bunch! As we reported last month, there’s been visible and audible demolition and/or construction at Jellyrolls, with workers hauling in and out materials. They weren’t active when I visited for these photos, but it was the evening. Regardless, this is the only location where visible work is happening, with the facade open behind the construction walls.

More notably, there was this photo that allegedly shows the interior of Jellyrolls has been gutted, with plumbing and utilities work being done. Given the state of that interior, work has also been ongoing at Jellyrolls for at least a few months. While I haven’t seen inside the building, it’s evident even from the outside that something major is happening with Jellyrolls.

For almost the last year, there’s been a persistent rumor that Jellyrolls would be replaced by a jazz club or speakeasy. I haven’t heard anything credible about this in a while, and it’s frankly a bit hard to parse wishful thinking and legitimate rumor.

Purely speculative, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see something akin to Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar and Trader Sam’s, but with a prohibition-era jazz club as the theme. If Disney can land on a concept with a merchandising component (like tiki mugs), that would make it much easier to sell internally, as Trader Sam’s is a license to print money.

One way or another, I’d fully expect this to be a bar of some sort. Again, these are all probably 1:1 replacements, and that’s likely the case even with Jellyrolls being completely gutted. It still makes the most sense to have this be another bar, reusing the underlying infrastructure.

Another safe bet is a lounge similar to Geyser Point or Wailulu Bar & Grill. In between counter service and table service, efficient, family friendly, and indoor/outdoor water views. This type of family-friendly lounge has proven immensely popular with guests, and it would fill a major void at Crescent Lake. That’s doubly true if they figured out a way to do a counter service window. (This would be another option in the former Big River space.)

I’m skeptical that this would be a straightforward food court without the lounge hook. Although that’s at the top of wish lists among guests who actually stay at the BoardWalk, it’s unlikely that Disney sees it that way. Large-scale food courts are a feature of all Value and Moderate Resorts, but not Deluxes.

There’s a reason for that. Whenever we visit the marketplaces over at Yacht & Beach Club, they aren’t that busy, which could be because they’re underwhelming but could also be due to a lack of demand. Having access to so many dining options all around Crescent Lake, not to mention a short walk away in World Showcase, is a significant limiting factor on demand.

If BoardWalk is going to get a fast casual restaurant, it probably needs to be one with “magnet” status that can draw guests from the parks and surrounding resorts. Something like Portillo’s or D-Luxe Burger, both of which were suggested in our list of Top 10 Restaurant Replacement Concepts at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort. (Along with lots of other ‘Armchair Imagineering’ about other potential concepts to revitalize the BoardWalk.)

Project Timelines

Again, nothing has been officially announced as of yet for any of these vacancies, but Walt Disney World wouldn’t be actively working on these venues if there weren’t internal plans for them. In our view, the construction offers sufficient confirmation, and the project names for two of the venues are the icing on the cake. (Maybe one is another cake shop?!)

This means that Walt Disney World has either firm plans for an in-house concept and/or third party tenants that have already signed leases and made commitments. It’s actually a bit surprising that there wouldn’t be an official announcement already given the apparent stage of work.

An opening this fiscal year feels unlikely given the scale of construction, but a Christmas 2026 (calendar year) debut isn’t completely far-fetched for the retail space. Sometime in 2027 seems like a safer bet for the restaurants. Work is clearly already happening on all three of these projects.

It’s also possible the news is being dictated by the third party tenants (assuming these projects aren’t in-house Disney concepts, which is probably a safe bet for at least one of them). Or that Walt Disney World is holding an announcement for D23 Expo, although this seems a bit too small-scale for that.

Here’s hoping that Walt Disney World has big plans to breathe new life into the promenade with brand-new dining concepts and more. There’s a ton of untapped potential at the BoardWalk; the replacements just need to be unique and worth guests and locals going out of their way to seek out.

Even with minimal parking, the BoardWalk is connected to thousands of hotel rooms via the Skyliner gondolas, and there are another few thousand rooms that are walkable in the Crescent Lake Resort Area–many of which house high-spending convention guests.

Cake Bake Shop already serves as proof-of-concept for this. Despite a lot of complaints and criticism over pricing, fan forecasts that concept was doomed to fail weren’t just greatly exaggerated, they were flat-out wrong. Every time I stay at or visit the BoardWalk, including a random shoulder season weeknight for these photos, Cake Bake is hoppin’. Meanwhile, the other end of the promenade is a ghost town.

It certainly helps that the BoardWalk is within walking or boat distance of both EPCOT’s International Gateway and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The right concept can do big business at the BoardWalk, so long as guests are given enough of a reason to walk over here.

The district could certainly sustain a few new tenants (especially complementary ones). They just need to be exciting concepts that will draw guests beyond those staying at BoardWalk. As much as I’d love to see something like Primo Piatto or another nice counter service restaurant here, I don’t think that would cut it. But with the right additions, business could boom at the BoardWalk, helping revitalize and elevate the area to destination-worthy ‘Second (Disney) Springs’ status.

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Your Thoughts

Think replacements for Jellyrolls, Promenade Art Gallery, and Big River Grille & Brewing Works are actually in the works? Have your own favorite theories for Project Amazon or Bubbles? What about announcement and opening timelines? What is most needed in the Crescent Lake Resort Area? Think something more adult would help revive the BoardWalk, or should Disney focus more on family-friendly options for BoardWalk? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!