With over 400 restaurants across the Disney World property, some of them are bound to be seriously underrated.

For the past few years, I’ve personally found Boatwright’s Dining Hall to be on that list! I’ve been there for work, and I’ve been there for fun, and every visit has been delightful, cozy, and relaxed. But recently, they changed their menu pretty significantly… so you know we had to stop by!

Atmosphere

Boatwright’s Dining Hall is located in the main building at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort.

As it’s a table service spot, reservations are recommended, though this restaurant isn’t as popular as some others on the property.

The theme of the restaurant is boat-making, and you’ll find nods to that throughout the decor, including a wooden hull of a ship.

You will also find woodworking tools throughout the restaurant. In this room, you can spot a wall filled with hand planes

There are a variety of different dining areas, and you can spot details throughout. This room features a ship’s wheel and plenty of wooden accents.

But enough about the restaurant — what’s on the menu here?!

Menu

The menu here is Southern-inspired with lots of cozy homestyle dishes. For appetizers, we often recommend their famous Pimiento Cheese Fritters. Entrees include options like Jambalaya, chicken, steak, or the Taste-of-the-Bayou platter.

The desserts sound just as delicious as the rest! Bourbon Chocolate Cake and Peanut Butter Pie have recently been added to the menu.

And now, onto the main event — the food!

Eats

We started off by enjoying the Bread Service, which has changed a bit since our last visit. It is now a ciabatta bread with a chimichurri butter. Previously, the bread service was cornbread with honey butter. The new ciabatta bread has a lovely crust on the outside with a bit of chew. The inside is soft, light, and fluffy.

The chimichurri butter is whipped, which gives it a light texture. You definitely taste the chimichurri flavor, but it isn’t overwhelming. We were super impressed by the flavors and loved that even though it was fairly simple, it was delicious!

The most interesting new items on the menu are the entrees, desserts, and enhancements, so I decided to skip the appetizers this go around and start with the Shrimp Pappardelle for $28. It’s made with Roasted Garlic-Chardonnay Cream Sauce, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Spinach. You get five shrimp in this dish, but they are LARGE! Definitely a satisfying amount of shrimp for the dish.

The garlic-Chardonnay cream sauce tasted fairly basic to us; we didn’t get much flavor beyond the cream and garlic. The main flavor we tasted was the sun-dried tomatoes. The tomatoes brought a bright tanginess to the dish. This dish also has spinach, but you don’t get much flavor from it.

We thought the pasta was slightly overcooked; it was very soft and breaking apart with our fork. It was tasty, but definitely not our favorite pasta dish in Disney World. But it will hit the spot if you are looking for a seafood pasta dish.

We wanted to try all three of the new “enhancements” (AKA sides) that they’re offering now, and who’s stopping us?! First up is the Chimichurri Grilled Shrimp for $10. The shrimp has a grilled smoky flavor, and then they are covered in a chimichurri sauce. The chimichurri sauce made the dish a bit spicy and a bit zesty. It gave the dish a great brightness and lots of flavor. The shrimp were once again huge, though they still had tails, so you will need to remove them. The dish is a bit pricey, but you do get quite a bit of meat from the size of the shrimp.

The potatoes were really calling my name, and there are not one, but TWO kinds. These are the Spiced Smoked Gouda Potatoes for $5.50. This is potato wedges rolled in spices, topped with a Gouda cheese sauce, and then sprinkled with chives. The spices have a slight bit of heat, but remind us a lot of a seasoning salt.

The cheese sauce has a rich, smoked Gouda flavor. It’s cheesy, with a bit of earthiness and nuttiness. If you are a potato and cheese person, you need to grab this! Definitely chow down on these as soon as they hit the table, as the cheese sauce can get a bit cold.

The other taters are the Bacon and Cheddar Loaded Mashed Potatoes for $6. These reminded one of our reporters of the dish their grandma makes at Christmastime, and it ended up tasting exactly like it! The base of the dish is mashed potatoes with a bit of skin still on them. We tasted garlic and a lot of butter. They are covered in a layer of cheddar cheese and sprinkled with bacon and chives.

The potatoes are creamy and a bit chunky. They aren’t whipped to a completely smooth consistency, which we think really worked with this dish. The cheddar cheese was baked to perfection, with a lovely, slightly crispy crust. This dish is full of classic flavors, and if you can’t get enough cheddar cheese and mashed potatoes, it’s a must-get!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a truly wonderful meal without dessert. Once again, we are going big by ordering BOTH new desserts. Say hello to the Peanut Butter Pie for $9. It’s topped with Chocolate Cookie Crumbs and Chantilly Cream. WOW! This was delicious. It has a thin, cookie crust, and the inside is a mousse. It is served with candied peanuts and salted caramel.

We loved the combination of sweet and salty, and how all the flavors worked together. The mousse is light, with a strong peanut flavor, and the cookie crust adds a bit of texture and chocolate. You also get a bit of crunch and sweetness from the peanuts, along with more peanut flavor. Then the saltiness from the caramel comes into play, with a rich caramel flavor. We definitely think this will be a hit at Boatwright’s!

And then here’s the Bourbon Chocolate Cake for $12. It’s made with Milk Chocolate Mousse and Dark Chocolate Ganache. Alright, we’re being honest: this didn’t beat the amazing chocolate cake at Steakhouse 71, but it is still a yummy chocolate cake. It has milk chocolate mousse between the cake layers, then it is covered in dark chocolate ganache.

The dark chocolate ganache is silky and full of rich dark chocolate flavor. Inside, the chocolate mousse is light and fluffy but lacks depth of flavor. You can taste a hint of the bourbon in the chocolate cake. The cake itself is light and fluffy, but almost too light as it had a hard time holding the weight of the other elements. We think this cake could be slightly denser to hold up better, as our cake was leaning from its own weight.

So how did these new items stack up?

Nosh or Not

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You are looking for a hidden gem. We have had delicious meals at Boatwright’s Dining Hall time and time again. While we recommend reservations, this restaurant isn’t as popular, so you can usually make it in without one.
• You are craving cheese and potatoes. While they definitely aren’t the only yummy thing on the menu, we were super impressed with the new Bacon and Cheddar Loaded Mashed Potatoes and Spiced Smoked Gouda Potatoes.
• You want to escape the hustle and bustle of the theme parks for some yummy food. We always love a trip over to the tranquil Port Orleans hotels. You get to escape the hustle and bustle for a bit while you enjoy some delicious food. You can always take a scenic walk around the resort before or after your meal too!

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You want a quick meal. This is a table service restaurant, so make sure you have enough time to enjoy your meal. Plus, if you aren’t already at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, it can take a bit to get over here. If you are at the hotel and looking for a quick meal, head over to Riverside Mill Food Court.
• You have picky eaters in your group. Definitely check out the menu before you make the trek over here. While picky eaters might find something they enjoy, there might not be something for everyone at this restaurant.
• You want views of fireworks or character dining. Boatwright’s Dining Hall overlooks the Sassagoula River, but you won’t find a great fireworks view or the chance to meet characters here.

Overall

Boatwright’s Dining Hall has been an underrated restaurant in our opinion for quite a while, and with the new menu, we think this restaurant remains an underrated gem. The standouts for us were the Bacon and Cheddar Loaded Mashed Potatoes, the Spiced Smoked Gouda Potatoes, and the Peanut Butter Pie. We also have to give a shout-out to the Pimento Cheese Fritters. We didn’t grab this this time, but it is still a delicious option at this restaurant!

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!

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Have you eaten at this Disney World restaurant before? Tell us in the comments!