New Menus at Grand Floridian, Port Orleans & Riviera Resorts

Walt Disney World has announced new menus coming to the Grand Floridian, Port Orleans (French Quarter & Riverside), and Riviera Resorts in October 2022. This food guide dispenses with dish details, plus photos and thoughts about the enticing entress, savory snacks, decadent desserts and (uh…) drinkity drinks coming to Walt Disney World.

Before we get into the details of the menu additions, let’s quickly recap the Walt Disney World dining ‘scene’ as of mid-October 2022. It’s pretty much the same as last month, albeit with characters back at Cape May Cafe, Crystal Palace (lunch & dinner), and ‘Ohana. We also now know that Kona Cafe will reopen on November 1, 2022; ADRs are now available for what Walt Disney World has dubbed an “enhanced table-service experience” (perhaps a prix fixe menu?).

Beyond that, it’s more of the same. Reduced restaurant capacity problems persist because of staffing shortages, particularly in the kitchens. The biggest impediment is that operational locations are short-staffed and ones that have yet to reopen need to hire and train new Cast Members, something that the non-stop job fairs have yet to fix. Here’s hoping more International and College Program participants will help with that.

Let’s kick things off with what’s new at Walt Disney World Resort. Starting today (October 11, 2022), Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has some new bites for you to try…

At Walt Disney World’s flagship resort, Enchanted Rose has some new menu items.

This Beauty and the Beast bar is expanding its menu with a charcuterie board, artisanal cheese selection, and hummus with tapenade, smoked paprika, and grilled pita bread. The Smoked Trout and Crab Dip features salmon roe, chive oil, and sesame seed lavosh combined into a beautiful and tasty dish.

If you like Caviar or have always wanted to try it, this version includes Siberian caviar, an egg yolk spread, crème fraiche, caper berries and brioche. At the bargain basement price of $115, this is less than half the freshly-raised cost of building a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop and only 10 times the starting price of the Genie+ service (off-season only). Here’s hoping this caviar doesn’t have dynamic pricing!

Then there’s the Seasonal Flatbread topped with artichoke, fig, ricotta, roasted garlic, and watercress. While this blog is officially and vehemently anti-artichoke (at least, the half of this blog that does the writing), we make an exception for artichoke pizza, which can be shockingly good. And at $18, you can get 6 of these for less than the price of that caviar. You can never have too much pizza.

Next we head to Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, which is a criminally underrated resort. It’s true that “time has passed it by” in the sense that modernizations and expansions at Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach have made those more efficient and attractive by comparison.

It’s also true that the Port Orleans Resorts are exemplars of themed design, with mature vegetation that imbues the sister properties with a sense of calm and comfort. I’d also contend that the lack of expansion is part of the charm and appeal of the Port Orleans Resorts. Life moves a little slower, which makes them a nice antidote to the chaos of the parks.

But I digress. At Riverside, you’ll find a slew of new menu options at Boatwright’s Dining Hall starting today. According to Walt Disney World, the new menu items incorporate “more authentic Cajun and Southern flavors to the menu.”

However, this is also the same company that claimed BoardWalk Deli would be “inspired by the delis of the Northeast region, with a menu that takes you on a road trip of classic sweet and savory flavors from New York to the Jersey Shore.” All it takes is quickly skimming the fist-shaking from Northeasterners in the comments to our new BoardWalk Deli Review to see how well that turned out!

For an entrée at Boatwright’s Dining Hall, the Lowcountry Seafood Boil is a classic filled with shrimp, mussels, and Andouille sausage with corn on the cob and potatoes simmered in a spicy Cajun broth. It’s served with a tasty, toasted baguette to finish it off.

The slow-roasted Blackened Prime Rib is perfectly topped with Cajun butter and served with classic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

If all of these flavors have your mouth watering, consider the Taste of the Bayou, the chef’s all-you-care-to-enjoy platter with hickory-smoked pork ribs, crispy Cajun chicken, smoked sausage, barbecued beef brisket, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, roasted corn with Cajun butter, and seasonal vegetables. This is what I ordered for our most recent review of Boatwright’s Dining Hall, and I really enjoyed it!

For those who want a plant-based offering, try the Harvest Red Beans and Rice. This dish features red beans simmered with plant-based sausage, peppers, onions, and celery served over rice along with cornbread.

No meal at Boatwright’s is complete without sweets and there’s also a new dessert menu. You can choose between the Southern Cheesecake, a classic vanilla cheesecake with a bourbon-caramel sauce garnished with pecan-praline brittle; the plant-based Peach-Blackberry Cobbler, a classic peach and blackberry cobbler topped with blackberry sorbet; or the Mississippi Mud Crème Brûlée, a milk chocolate crème brûlée with a sablé breton cookie and fresh fruit.

For the little ones, the dessert menu is a boatload of fun with the Row Row Oar Your Boat Sundae and Cookies and Milk featuring two house-made chocolate chip cookies.

Rounding out all of these menu additions at Boatwright’s is a new cocktail – the Big Easy Whisky Sour.

This alcoholic beverage combines Maker’s Mark Bourbon, lemon juice, and pure cane sugar with a float of Fess Parker Big Easy Red Blend.

Port Orleans Riverside is also home to the River Roost Lounge. This is both a fan favorite and a hidden gem–it has a strong following among longtime Walt Disney World visitors who go to see “Ye Haa” Bob Jackson perform. Yet, it otherwise flies under-the-radar with first-timers and casual guests.

Beginning today, River Roost Lounge will be offering a new plant-based dish and a signature libation. The Spinach and Artichoke Dip will be a new plant-based favorite with a creamy dip served with Cajun-dusted cornbread crostini. The French 75, for those over 21, is a fizzy delight made up of Argyle Sparkling Brut, Hendricks Gin, fresh lemon juice, and pure cane sugar.

Over at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, there are new plant-based options starting today at Scat Cat’s Club.

The Sassy Sassagoula Sliders don’t just look (deceptively?) delicious but (supposedly) taste delicious too. This trio features BBQ jackfruit with slaw and fried pickles, fried green tomatoes with giardiniera and pepper jelly, and lastly a “fish” cake with spicy rémoulade and arugula.

There are also new menus at Disney’s Riviera Resort starting today (again, that’s October 11, 2022). The menu is expanding with flavors of the Riviera from French and Italian influences at Bar Riva.

The new Burrata Salad is perfect for those cheese lovers, with heirloom tomatoes, fresh pesto, and focaccia bread. If you’re feeling a fish dish, the Salmon with Orzo is the one for you. This plate serves up a perfectly seared salmon with Pomodroccio tapenade and lemon orzo. The Mushroom Arancini will leave you wanting more with risotto, mushroom, cheese, and truffle served with a house-made marinara.

Bar Riva also has a new dessert. The Molten Chocolate Cake features warm chocolate cake with a molten center and is topped with a raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries.

Disney’s Riviera Resort also has a new signature sweet the bakery team has been hard at work developing, according to Walt Disney World. The Riviera Signature Cookie bakes together semi-sweet chocolate chips, ground oats, California walnuts, toasted pistachios, dried cherries, and flake sea salt. You can pick up this soon-to-be classic from Primo Piatto.

Here’s hoping this is the start of a return to the former glory of the dining scene at Disney’s Riviera Resort. It started so strong out of the gate, instantly becoming one of the top destination dining resorts in all of Walt Disney World, with a formidable restaurant roster, wide range of excellent dining options, and deep menus at pretty much every location. That all changed in March 2020, and things just haven’t been the same since.

Finally, Belle Vue Lounge at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn has added new signature cocktails, zero proofs, as well as hideously mismatched modern furniture to its lineup. (Perhaps that furniture, too, is authentic to New Jersey. Any Northeasterners care to comment about your interior design?)

Joking aside, the Orange Blossom Manhattan makes its debut at Belle Vue Lounge. A holiday fan favorite, this beverage fits nicely within the year-round ambiance of Belle Vue Lounge. If light and refreshing is what you need, stop by to enjoy the Sparkling Hibiscus featuring Sorel Hibiscus Liqueur and sparkling grapefruit. Guests of all ages will be able to enjoy the Agave Garden, a zero-proof offering which features Lyre’s Agave Reserve and passionfruit green tea. That’s a wrap for this Walt Disney World menu update.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Thoughts on these new menu items debuting at Walt Disney World in October 2022? Excited to see new additions at Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter, Grand Floridian, and Riviera Resorts? Hope more menus are restored and expanded in the months to come? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? 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!