Raglan Road Review
Raglan Road is a table service Irish pub at Disney Springs in Walt Disney World. While you can stop into the bar just for drinks, the table service dining and quality Irish entertainment is the real draw here. Raglan Road has an authentic Irish menu, which (per the Raglan Road website) is a real rarity for Irish restaurants in the United States.
We have little experience with authentic Irish pubs, but Raglan Road certainly feels authentic. Between the buildings that were actually brought over from Ireland and the entertainment consisting of Irish acts, it feels authentic. The Irish decor is comprised of dark woods, brass fixtures, nice tiling, and brickwork, rather than just a bunch of green shamrocks liberally thrown around, giving further credibility to the pub actually being Irish, not just posing as an Irish pub. Either it actually is, or they’ve sure done an incredible job faking it.
We visited at night while a band of Irish musicians were performing, and the location had a loud, pub atmosphere. We didn’t see any restrictions on children, but there weren’t any around. (We also sat down for dinner at 10 p.m., so that could have been part of it.) Guests won’t necessarily feel out of place with kids at Raglan Road, but we probably wouldn’t take them there at night. It’s loud, and about as close as anywhere at Walt Disney World gets to being raucous.
During its “dark years” before expanding and being rebranded as Disney Springs, there wasn’t much that drew us to this area–except Raglan Road. It has proved a reliable draw offering an experience that is wonderful and (mostly) unique. While it is owned by a third party, (many restaurants in the parks are, too), it doesn’t have any other locations (there used to be a location in Kansas City, but it closed). I spent way too much time researching this, and found a bit of information about the company. This may not matter to anyone else, but we far prefer dining at restaurants in Walt Disney World that we can’t experience anywhere else. It makes them “feel” woven into the Disney experience, even if their ownership is different.
As for the wonderful experience you’ll have at Raglan Road, let’s take a look…
Although we probably won’t be regular visitors to Raglan Road until phases of Disney Springs start opening, we absolutely would walk over here if we find ourselves staying at Saratoga Springs Resort when park hours are short.
The house band was excellent, giving Irish twists to contemporary music, and performing medleys of Irish songs. We could have sat in Raglan Road for hours just enjoying some beer (of which there are numerous options on tap). It’s a great place to eat and drink with a really fun atmosphere.
While the atmosphere is great, the food is the real star of Raglan Road. Here’s a look at what we had…
We started with bread. It was decent, certainly not a highlight of the meal.
Next up was the the Appetizer D’Lirrah. I didn’t get a picture of the entire spread, but it’s four of Raglan Road’s popular appetizers. Above is the “Heaven on Earth,” which is baby back ribs tossed in a Guinness glaze. These were tender, and amazing. Imagine combining delicious ribs with delicious beer–if your brain doesn’t explode at the prospect of so much awesomeness, you’ll have an idea of how these taste.
These are the “Nom Nom Wings,” which are sweet and spicy wings tossed in a honey, chili flake, soy & ginger sauce. The breading and sauce here gave a nice flavor to the wings, which were mild.
The “Scallop Forest” probably gets its name from being scallops on forks. These were thickly breaded, but the scallops inside were also large, tender, and flavorful. The golden batter had a nice, sweet taste, too. We unanimously agreed that these and the ribs were the highlights of the appetizer.
The “Dalkey Duo Sausages” were good, but were very rich. The combination of batter and the rich sausage flavor was a bit much here. One sausage was good, but two was a bit too many.
For an entree, our friend who was with us ordered the “Swordfish Steak.” He found it to be tender, and well cooked. Neither of us had a chance to try it, but it looked great.
Sarah ordered the “Braised Be. Beef,” which was braised beef with horseradish mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, and parsnips. She really liked it, and the portion was absolutely huge. I tried some of this, and it was incredibly tender and very flavorful. It reminded me of the pot roasts my mom used to cook all day in the Crock-Pot. This is a dish that could definitely be split between two lighter eaters.
I had the “It’s Not Bleedin’ Chowder!” based on the recommendation of a few people from Twitter. I was initially apprehensive that it actually was chowder, and I was no mood for soup masquerading as an entree, especially one that cost over $25. Fortunately, this was no soup. It was essentially seafood in a white wine cream broth. The seafood was plentiful (I’m not sure of everything in there, but I’m pretty sure there was salmon, cod, prawn, shrimp, and mussels), and all perfectly cooked with the slight exception of the shrimp. The white wine cream gave the entree a nice, rich flavor, and the vegetables balanced it out and made it another incredibly filling dish. I couldn’t eat it all, but that’s not for lack of effort or enjoyment. They’re right, it’s definitely not chowder.
Over half the people who responded to our recommendations request on Twitter recommended “Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding.” The fact that our server asked if this is what we wanted before even giving us a dessert menu suggests that this is their most popular dessert. And for good reason.
It was served with a caramel sauce and a cream sauce. Our server recommended spreading out the bread pudding on a plate and mixing all of the sauces onto it. This was an excellent suggestion, and it ended up tasting like a heavy, buttery sponge of sweet deliciousness. Normally, I couldn’t eat much of something this sweet, but it was so good that I just couldn’t stop. This rates as one of the best desserts at Walt Disney World, and is highly recommended. Two people can probably share it.
Overall, Raglan Road is an incredible restaurant that alone can justify a visit to Disney Springs. Thanks to large, memorable entrees, great dessert, and an incredibly energetic atmosphere, Raglan Road is the type of restaurant that we could see entering the regular rotation for some guests and a place that’s a “must do” each time you’re in Disney Springs. For pub food, the prices are slightly on the high side, and there don’t seem to be many healthy options on the menu, but the portions are huge, and who wants healthy food on vacation, anyway? If you’re already planning on being in Disney Springs, dining at Raglan Road is a no-brainer. Even as Disney Springs has expanded to include so many other options, Raglan Road remains one of the absolute best restaurants here. Raglan Road is one of Walt Disney World’s most hyped-up restaurants, and unlike in other cases, Raglan Road absolutely lives up to the hype. Have you tried Raglan Road? Did you enjoy it? If so, what did you try? Thinking of giving it a try? Please share your thoughts and questions about Raglan Road in the comments!
This Irish Family loves Raglan Road! Great food, wonderful atmosphere and quality dancing. And best of all if you have an Irish Dancer in your family like us, they will let them perform solo on stage. My daughter has been lucky enough to do it twice on 2 of our trips. Often when it says Irish dancing in a place, we will go and their ability is less than that of my 14 year old but here many of the dancers look to have been serious competitors in their day. Just make sure to try and get a seat where you can see the stage even if you have to wait. It’s worth it!
Excellent food, great service and wonderful entertainment. The Scallop Forest is phenomenal!
How best to make reservations?
180 day advanced dining reservation?
Open Table?
Direct with the restaurant?
Thanks for your help!
Went to Disney Springs with my sister on 29 August 2018 and ate supper at Raglan Road. We ate at the bar because it was a spur-of-the-moment pick and we had no reservations, and we got right in! We shared the Rack of Heaven and an order of Bacon & Almond Roasted Brussels and I had a Guinness Blonde to wash it down…everything was delicious! And the live music and Irish dancing was the icing on the cake…it was a wonderful evening that I will never forget! Next visit to WDW will include a stop at Raglan Road!
We tried Raglan Road on your recommendation 3 years ago, and it has become our favorite restaurant in all of WDW, and an automatic visit at least once every time we’re there.
There’s a Raglan Road cookbook that’s worth picking up for fans (available in the restaurant gift shop as well as Amazon). I got it for the recipes, though I haven’t tried any yet, as I’ve been too engrossed in the fun history of Irish Pubs and the beautiful pictures!
Years ago when I was meticulously mapping out restaurants for our first Disney trip 6 months out (and getting no input from my husband) he decided a month before we left he wanted to eat here. It wasn’t even on my radar and I was mildly annoyed he decided to suggest something “last minute” but we went since it was his one request. We now HAVE to go every trip (it’s actually the only restaurant we’ve done every trip). Food is consistently good, atmosphere is fun and we love the entertainment. We always make sure we do a 6pm reservation because we have a daughter and it definitely gets louder as the night goes but the dancers always come over and show her some dance steps and she loves it. Such a good place!
Being of Irish descent Raglan Road has been one of our favorite locations at WDW! My now 6 year old son loves going here for the music and traditional Irish dancing. I can’t say for sure if we have brought him here after 10pm but we have taken him there while crowded and he really enjoyed himself. Slainte!
Our family ate there yesterday for lunch for the first time. We had the Shepards pie, bangers and booze and the Fish and chips. Everything was delicious and the entertainment was fun. We would all recommend it and will return. Much better than Rose and Crown if any are debating between the two pubs.
Have been here twice in the past year for dinner…once with an 18-year-old niece, and once with a 35-year-old niece and 6-year-old. The latter two thoroughly enjoyed it while the 18-year-old preferred Morimoto Asia. Will definitely return on the next trip to WDW. Food and entertainment are great and very similar to actual pubs in Ireland.
We ate here on our last trip in August 2016, and it was amazing! We still talk about how wonderful it was from the atmosphere to the food. Highly recommend!
We tried the Irish Egg and it was very good. Ask for extra mustard!! It is comparable to the Scottish Egg that we have had at The Pub at The Greene in Beavercreek Ohio!!
as a person of Raglan heritage was delighted to hear of this pub
We dined here January of 2015 and the food was amazing as was the entertainment. However, I couldn’t help but be irritated that we had a reservation and we had to wait 45 minutes to an hour for our table. Why on earth would they have reservations when you then have to wait a lengthy amount of time? They did not apologize or seem to care that we had to wait. With that being said, Raglan Road is a must-do because of everything else they offer (great food, dancing, music), just beware that you may have to wait for your table at dinnertime.
Having visited last June when seeing that they had a chipper attached we went along to see yet another mauling of Irish culture to giggle about as we love to do, except…
The chipper was perfect, right down to the floor. They even got the crappy tile pattern right. Felt like home, and the chips were good and soggy. It’s a little too clean and well maintained for a proper Dublin chipper but there’s a few “high class” ones around that are similar enough.
Really hoping that I’m able to catch a band some night when I’m there this June. I love authentic Irish music.
Reserved Raglan Road for our first trip back to Disney in 10 years (Google reviews are excellent) and this post just makes me feel better about it. We are going with my in-laws (who said make the plans – we will do whatever you decide:}) Haven’t been back since they changed Pleasure Island (as a former Cast member-College program participant-the Adventure’s Club was the BEST thing on PI-not to mention “backdooor” at Fireworks on Thursdays for cast members-the 21 Rum salute…)so looking forward to exploring the new Downtown Disney…
I’m 23 and I got engaged at wdw last October. Raglan Road was our best disney experience of that trip (aside from becoming betrothed, of course). However, our advice, if you want an amazing Irish night of partying, is to get there just after dark and stand at the bar outside before you are seated. You can easily make friends with the members of the authentic irish band. They will be your best mates all night. Yes, the interior of Raglan is nice, what with the dancers and all, but the outside can be a much more intimate party. The band asked us what we wanted to hear the entire night, and drank with us, too! It was a night that made my boyfriend and I fall in love all over again!
We went to Raglan Road on March 13 and loved it. Reserved a late lunch at 2:15 and were just in time to hear the house band perform their first set of the day, they’re great! Lunch is more affordable for those who don’t want to pay the higher evening prices and the food portions are so huge we didn’t eat dinner that night! Missed the dancers as they don’t perform until later. Stayed at Saratoga Springs so it was a 10 minute walk, will return again!
I have dined at RR several times.. my fav was It’s Not Bleedin Chowder. My last visit I think there may have been something off with it.. because it left me off for a couple days :/ Anyway, regardless I love RR and the chowder is delish and that bread pudding is to die for. One visit we had a gentleman come into our area, put down a piece of flooring and begin to river-dance… loved it!
Unfortunate to hear that the chowder was ‘off’ on your last visit, but good to hear that it doesn’t sound like that’ll keep you from going back. Hilarious about the riverdance!
We always go to Raglan Road, every time we go to WDW, either for lunch or dinner. This year we were lucky enough to go the week before St Patrick’s Day. My friends, husband and I had a wonderful time. Part of the entertainment was that a couple of the dancers asked all the children to come up on the main stage and dance with them. It was adorable! The food, including the bread and dip they serve, is always delicious!