Paddlefish is one of the most iconic and most recognisable restaurants at Disney Springs and one that we couldn’t wait to experience during our time at Walt Disney World.
We were so excited to be able to get a reservation here, it’s not everyday that you get to dine on a giant paddle steamer anchored on Lake Buena Vista. The girls thought it was so cool to be dining onboard a boat and I loved the classic yacht style theming on board, which had an elegant and modern ambience to it.
First impressions were impressive, it was such a really beautiful restaurant inside and out, I was hoping that the food would match the stunning interiors.
Our table was on the first floor of the restaurant with beautiful views of the water and the Rainforest Cafe volcano, much to the delight of the girls. Once onboard you realise just how big this restaurant is, it’s huge, spread across 3 floors with both indoor and outdoor dining options.
I was a little apprehensive after making the reservation as it specialised in seafood and would it be child friendly but I needn’t have worried. It was fabulous with one of the best children’s menu to choose from, plus the staff were so welcoming and friendly toward the children.
Although Paddlefish is primarily a seafood restaurant they also have land based options such as chicken ,pork and steak available on the menu, much to the delight of my husband.
Our server was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable suggesting some of the most popular items on the menu as there were so many delicious items to choose from. Whilst we were browsing the menu, out server brought out complimentary homemade bread which was a really nice touch before our starters arrived.
There were so many cool drinks to choose from on their menu, from local beers to their signature drinks – my favourite was the Strawberry Basil Lemonade mocktail.
We had the fried green tomatoes to start, this is something that we have always wanted to try in America and they were as good as I had hoped. I’d also recommend their famous crab cake which was so beautifully cooked that even my husband enjoyed tasting it and he is not a big seafood fan.
Moving onto mains, I couldn’t resist the Crispy Shrimp which was Flash-fried and came with, skin-on Fries and my husband chose the 16 ounce ribeye with herb roasted potatoes and house-made steak sauce.
The children’s menu offered a good range of dishes even for the fussiest of eaters and the girls selected the Marinara Linguine and the cheeseburger served in a brioche bun with a side of French fries.
We had heard that the desserts were impressive and after dining here I can see why – they were fantastic. I chose the Key Lime Pie with graham cracker crust and torched meringue and my husband had New the York-style Cheesecake. The girls chose the Warm chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.
After our meal we made our way to the top decks of Paddlefish which have the best 360 degree panoramic views of Disney Springs. It was so peaceful up here and the perfect way to end our evening, we managed to catch the most beautiful sunset and if you are lucky you can even see the fireworks from the Disney parks.
Overall
I loved the peaceful waterside location of this restaurant, it was such a unique experience with great food and service to match. The restaurants in Disney Springs keep on surprising me, I really didn’t expect that there would be so many great places to eat when in Disney and this is one of my favourites.
It’s worth checking out the Paddlefish website as they frequently run special offers, for example in October they are offering Kids eat Free (with the purchase of an adult entrée, Monday-Friday, for kids aged 12/under) which I thought was really good value.
Like most of the signature restaurants at Disney Springs, I would recommend making a reservation in advance on the DisneyWorld website.