INTRODUCTION
Boatwright’s Dining Hall is a Southern-inspired eatery inside the main building of Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside. This is the only Table Service restaurant at the Port Orleans resorts (plenty of Quick Service, though!). Before the year 2000, there was another Table Service restaurant on property called Bonfamillie’s Cafe, but that has since closed.
Boatwright’s stopped serving breakfast in 2009 and is open from 5pm-10pm. The several times we have walked by the restaurant, including the entire July 2017 trip, we have never seen it more than half-full.
ATMOSPHERE
The restaurant is themed after an 1820’s ship building yard and even includes an authentic replication of an 1820’s “New Orleans Lugger” that would have navigated the mighty Mississippi. The rest of the theming is what you would expect from a home-style restaurant with ties to New Orleans. There are bright greens and purples that offer a stark contrast to the brown hues from the ship building artifacts.
The dining rooms are split into several parts which makes this relatively large restaurant seem small, cozy, and intimate. This intimate feeling is increased by the fact that the lighting is intentionally kept low. Even though there were several very large groups around us, we were not bothered by the amount of noise. I think the staff do a good job of spacing the tables so you do not need to hear the entire life story of the party next to you.
FOOD
Now to the important stuff! How’s the food? Overall, I think it is a bit of a mixed bag. First there is the cornbread and honey butter, which is unbelievable. Sarah and I could have just stayed in the dining room and eaten that all day. The bread was warm and sweet and the butter was even sweeter. Thankfully for our arteries, we needed to also get a full meal.
I ordered the Boatwright’s Jambalaya and I thought it was good. It was a bit spicy, but nothing that would make me want to avoid it again. I thought the flavors were well developed and had depth with sweety, smoky, and spicy.
Sarah was overwhelmed by the amount of excellent-sounding choices, we both love Southern home-style food, so she asked our server. Our server was excellent so Sarah ordered what she suggested, Jackson Square Etouffee. Sarah was less impressed by this dish. It did not have the layers of flavor that mine did. Basically, it was just bland until the spice punched you in the mouth. The crawfish were nice, but the whole dish was just overwhelmed by the spices. I would not recommend this.
COST
According to the Disney World website, Boatwright’s is classified with “$$” which means adults should expect to pay roughly $15-35, per person. For the Disney Dining Plan users, this restaurant requires one Table Service credit per person. Depending on how badly you want steak, this can be an excellent use of a credit. But, it is an average value for anything other than steak. For the Tables in Wonderland users, Boatwright’s is also applicable. Sarah and I visited during a special promotion in July 2017 which got us 30% off. These deals can make this eatery an excellent value.
Who Should Eat Here?
I think the main group of people who should eat here are people staying in the Riverside resort. The proximity to your room and lack of crowds means that you could eat here with little fuss during your trip. I would not recommend going out of your way to eat at Boatwright’s. Even though I love soulful Southern food, I would say that it is not worth a trip outside of your resort/ the parks. Lastly, if you cannot live without cornbread, this is your place! The cornbread is endless so if you want to spend an afternoon slipping into cornbread Nirvana, Boatwright’s is the place for you!
