Scat Cat’s Club Review (& FREE BEIGNETS!)

Scat Cat’s Club is a cafe and lounge in Port Orleans French Quarter Resort at Walt Disney World. This dining review features food photos, thoughts on the menu quality, our experience here, value for money, and how Scat Cat’s Club compares to other restaurants at these two resorts. (Updated November 6, 2019.)

Before we dig into the review, a quick note. Following the recent expansion of Scat Cat’s Club, the lounge is now serving a variety delectable beignets, made in-house daily. These are the same delicious beignets that have long been a Walt Disney World fan-favorite over at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory.

Between now and January 4, 2020, Disney Vacation Club Members and Annual Passholders can enjoy a complimentary order of three beignets by presenting a valid DVC Membership Card or AP card, along with a photo ID. However, as we often say, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” and there is, of course, a catch here…

In order to qualify for the free order of beignets, you need to purchase a specialty beverage. These drinks are all more than double the price of an order of three beignets. Moreover, this does not include the glorious Beignet Ice Cream Sundae (pictured below) nor does it include the Baton Rouge Beignets, which are “jazzed up” with Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua, or RumChata.

We guess this is a nice gesture, particularly if you were already planning on buying a specialty drink. However, if you weren’t, we’d recommend just paying out of pocket for a larger order of beignets or the sundae. The alcoholic drinks at Scat Cat’s are nothing special, and are a waste if you don’t want them. We’d recommend ordering some food (a couple of recommendations are below) and simply paying for the beignets–they’re fantastic, and you won’t regret it!

You’ll find Scat Cat’s Club in the main lobby of Port Orleans French Quarter. Walk in the front entrance and head to the left of the fountain and you’ll find the bar. Scat Cat’s Club Cafe is open beginning at 6 am daily, and is the side that serves up beignets and other items.

Scat Cat’s Club Lounge operates daily from 4 p.m. until midnight. Prior to 4 p.m., it’s frequently used as a crash area for guests waiting for Disney’s Magical Express or their room to be ready. (We’re not too proud to admit we’ve fallen asleep in this area before–its comfort level doesn’t hold a candle to the lounge area at Riverside, for whatever that’s worth.)

Even though we love the beignets served at Port Orleans French Quarter, it’s hard to say Scat Cat’s Club is a “destination” cafe and lounge worthy of visiting if you’re an Annual Passholder or Disney Vacation Club member staying elsewhere. Definitely if you’re staying at Riverside, and maybe if you want to take a leisurely boat ride over from Disney Springs. Otherwise, probably not.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen live musicians perform at Scat Cat’s Club. For decades, Elliot Dyson was the house musician at Port Orleans French Quarter. He was exceptional, but was let go a few years ago for reasons beyond us.

Currently, Jason Thomas and Billy Varnes perform at Scat Cat’s Club. While their schedule can change week to week (see the header on their Facebook page), they’re typically at the bar on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays from 8:30 p.m. until 11 p.m.

Moving along, Scat Cat’s Club does not participate in the full Disney Dining Plan (DDP); some items do qualify as snack credits on the DDP, however. The Disney Dining Plan not being accepted here is really no big deal, as the entrees would be a terrible value on the Disney Dining Plan. Scat Cat’s Club does accepts the Tables in Wonderland card for a 20% discount, though.

Scat Cat’s Club isn’t pushing the envelope thematically, but does accomplish the relatively straightforward goal of feeling like a cozy jazz bar. There’s nice texture in the rich woods, ornate trim, coffered ceilings, and variety of seating.

There’s also a variety of Jazz memorabilia lining the walls that gives Scat Cat’s a sense of history. To my knowledge, there’s no Imagineered backstory; it just speaks for itself as an intimate New Orleans jazz bar, which is perfectly sufficient.

The biggest advantage that Scat Cat’s Club offers is its pricing and relative low-key atmosphere. If you visit while there’s no live entertainment, there’s a chance you’ll find Scat Cat’s Club empty (or mostly empty), even on days when the nearby food court is packed.

There’s also the unfortunate reality that Port Orleans French Quarter has no table service restaurant, so Scat Cat’s Club is the closest you’ll get to that here. Bonfamille’s Cafe’s used to be French Quarter’s table service restaurant, but due to the consolidation of the two Port Orleans Resorts and operational changes post-9/11, it’s no longer open to guests.

We still hold out hope that Bonfamille’s Cafe will reopen someday. It operated during peak Christmas season a couple of years ago as a buffet, and the kitchen is still intact and operational for internal uses.

In terms of the menu, Scat Cat’s Club serves a selection of Louisiana Creole cuisine. The options are mostly mild and Americanized, with a level of ambition reflective of the price points. That’s no knock, just something worth pointing out so you go in with appropriate expectations.

Scat Cat’s Club had its menu updated last year, and now serves the Sassagoula Crab Dip, Chicken and Waffles, Mardi Gras Mac and Cheese, Crawfish Étouffée, Bayou Brisket Sliders, and Baton Rouge Beignets–infused with rum!

I ordered the Mardi Gras Mac & Cheese: “Gulf Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Cornbread Crumble.”

This is a totally straightforward guilty pleasure dish. The quality of the mac & cheese is somewhere between what you’d find at a typical counter service restaurant and house-made gourmet, skewing a bit towards the former. The dish is buoyed by the accompaniments, particularly the excellent andouille sausage. I liked this, but would try something different next time.

For her entree at Scat Cat’s Club, Sarah had the Bayou Brisket Sliders: “Smoked Brisket, Tomato Jam, Pimiento Cheese, and House Chips.”

These were excellent, with the tomato jam and pimiento doing a nice job to punch up the brisket, which was a perfect balance of fat and flavor. Initially, we were underwhelmed by the portion size, but the dish ended up being filling (perhaps thanks to a generous helping of chips).

Scat Cat’s Club compares favorably to other restaurants at the Port Orleans Resorts. We enjoy Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, the counter service restaurant at Port Orleans French Quarter, but Scat Cat’s Club offers better food at comparable (in some cases, lower) prices.

Of course, that’s meaningless at breakfast or lunch when Scat Cat’s isn’t open, but it’s useful to know for dinner. With the kitchen here open late, we’d definitely do dinner again at Scat Cat’s Club, potentially after coming home from a long day at Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

When opening the comparison to the bar and restaurants at Port Orleans Riverside, Scat Cat’s Club doesn’t compare quite as favorably. River Roost Lounge is similarly priced, and the better option in terms of atmosphere and entertainment. Boatwright’s is more robust table service restaurant (albeit with prices to match). Riverside Mill remains one of our favorite food courts at Walt Disney Word. However, if you’re staying at French Quarter, you may not be interested in walking over to Riverside.

Overall, we like Scat Cat’s Club. The food is good and reasonably priced for a quasi-table service restaurant, and it’s peaceful as compared to the loud Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. While we’d take it over that if you have a bit of extra time and are paying out of pocket, we’d recommend either Boatwright’s or River Roost Lounge at Port Orleans Riverside if you don’t “mind” a lovely scenic walk over to Riverside. If you’re not staying at either of the Port Orleans Resorts, it’s difficult to recommend Scat Cat’s Club unless you’re a Walt Disney World completionist; this is not a ‘destination’ bar.

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YOUR THOUGHTS…

Have you tried Scat Cat’s Club? Are you a fan, or do you more prefer River Roost? Thoughts on how Scat Cat’s compares to other dining options at the Port Orleans Resorts? Do you agree or disagree with our review? 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!