2. The Boathouse

Image: DisneyOne of the oddities about the Disney Springs area is that the upscale restaurants are hit or miss. Fulton’s Crab House was so frustrating that Disney killed it, ultimately replacing it with Paddlefish. And Paddlefish’s reviews are middling at best. Trip Advisor currently rates it outside the top 500 restaurants in Orlando. Similarly, STK Steakhouse is notoriously inconsistent, which is inexcusable for such a pricey eatery. And The Dining Room at Wolfgang Puck Grand Café is somehow inferior to the cheaper Puck-run Quick Service restaurant downstairs.

With so many disappointing fine dining restaurants, the great one stands out that much more. The Boathouse isn’t a cheap meal, although it’s less expensive that the original menu indicated. The entrepreneurs behind the establishment quickly adapted to the fact that the $100+ entrees on the menu weren’t selling and moved to, well, it’s not peasant food by any stretch, but the offerings today are satisfactorily patrician in flavor and price.

Image: DisneyThe Boathouse obviously prioritizes seafood, as the theme here is all nautical, all the time. The restaurant famously offers amphicar rides (albeit for a stiff fee of $125) and has an outdoor seating area that overlooks Disney Springs and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa across the way. It’s a serene watery backdrop for fishy foods, but the steaks and other offerings are, if anything, better. I’m actively obsessed with the complimentary bread here, too. It’s my second favorite at Walt Disney World after Kona Café.

The Boathouse costs two Table Service entitlements on the Disney Dining Plan. If you’re paying out of pocket, you’ll be hard-pressed to pay less than $80 for a couple. So, it’s too expensive to claim the title of best restaurant at Disney Springs, at least in terms of bang for the buck, the criteria I’m using here. It may, however, have the best overall food quality, though.

1. Chef Art Smith's Homecoming

Image: DisneyWhen people talk about southern comfort food, what they’re really discussing is the way that certain flavors remind them of home. Southern culture includes so many Sunday dinners and other family and church-related get-togethers that potato salad becomes a way of life for kids. An evil, disgustingly flavored way of life.

Perhaps I’m saying too much about my childhood.

The point is that southern cooking goes hand in hand with family in the minds of southerners. We remember our parents, grandparents, and friends feeding us comfort foods like chicken and biscuits. No, it wasn’t the healthiest food we could have eaten, but it was the tastiest.

Art Smith, formerly the personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, has an amazing resume. He’s competed on Top Chef Masters, he’s written three books that were bestsellers AND award winners, and is a frequent television personality. Art Smith got his start as a chef back when he was in college at Florida State University. He earned a cooking fellowship…with Walt Disney World.

Image: DisneyIn 2016, the celebrity chef returned to his roots when he opened Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming, a Disney Springs restaurant that offers the type of southern cuisine your granny used to make. Dishes like Fried Chicken and Doughnuts are the headline-grabbing items, but you should sample everything from the menu at some point. Southern staples like deviled eggs, hushpuppies, and fried green tomatoes are all worthy of your attention. And no matter what you do, don’t leave the restaurant until you’ve tried the hummingbird cake. It will make you feel like you’re flying.

Everything listed here has the potential to give you the greatest meal of your life…but Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming is still head and shoulders above the rest. For this lifelong southerner, it’s like a Cracker Barrel recipe cooked by a James Beard Award-winning chef. The combination is simply unbeatable.