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You are here: Home / Blog / Downtown Disney Drinking in Depth – Bongos Cuban Cafe and Laffer’s Cantina

Downtown Disney Drinking in Depth – Bongos Cuban Cafe and Laffer’s Cantina

July 17, 2012 ~ 3 minutes read23 Comments

Persevering after House of Blues and Wolfgang Puck Cafe.

Archival footage of Bongos since I neglected to photograph the building at the time.  I was too busy cussing out children and pushing over tourists to be bothered.  It won’t happen again.  I would guess a commenter named “Doesn’t Swear At Children Josh” will show up next.

I haven’t actually eaten at Bongos in forever and was explaining to Sara that we would have to return.  She seems to tolerate me so long as:

  1. I’m paying.
  2. There are drinks there.

Bongos has approximately three bars.  I may have been seeing double.  Let’s put it at 2.7 bars.

Just kidding, I’m pretty sure there are three bars.  This one is located further inside the restaurant in an alcove of sorts.

With some private looking tables, unless, you know, there’s a big name Disney blogger around.

Otherwise, the restaurant is open on both levels.

Heading upstairs.  Well, thinking about heading upstairs.

They have live Latin music on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.  I don’t usually like music that I can’t turn off.

Upstairs.

And the third bar.

Bigger: https://www.easywdw.com/reports4/itsbongos.jpg.  I have not a single clue how you would decide what you wanted.  It’s so vast.

Main drink menu. Bigger: https://www.easywdw.com/reports4/stillbongos.jpg.

Inappropriate Sara.

That’s better.

A few more vessel options:



Unfortunately, we weren’t originally offered this menu, so we won’t be able to consume a 45 ounce mojito.  Or, a 21 ounce one at least.  It would be nice to have pricing on those! But you’d have to go to a more fully featured website for that sort of thing.

Is it appropriate to say the word, “Winning,” yet?

Turning up the contrast.

The $10 Bongos Cuban Original Mojito.  Sara momentarily forgot her lesson on bloggability and has ordered a glass of some sort of wine.  I haven’t spoken to her since.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, but I’m thinking that my reviews from here on out are going to be less than reliable.  This struck me as being more worthwhile than the Wolfgang Puck Cafe martinis/mixed drinks.  I think I would have preferred to sit at the bar in front of the restaurant.  Bongos decided it would be a good idea to play the news, which is always a depressing way to get drunk.  We were a bit secluded in the back and it was kind of depressing sitting in the dark.  It reminded me of drinking at home.  I’d definitely return for another drink along with something off of that mammoth menu.  It’s important to note that they have cheap sandwiches available from 11am – 4pm, which would be a nice, cheap way to get off your feet comfortably in the afternoon.  Those same sandwiches are offered outside all day at the “Bongos Sandwich Window.”

You may recall that I liked the sandwich there quite a bit and it’s huge.

The purveyor of the restaurant is Gloria Estefan.  Did you know that she and her husband are worth over 700 million dollars?  Yeah.  They own seven restaurants, two hotels, and a piece of the Miami Dolphins.

Showing off.

Outside Bongos is a small bar area.

They’re ready for you.

In other news, this is happening.

We’ll try to give Planet Hollywood a shot, knowing full well that it’s going to be terrible.

But it resembled the Polynesian Resort in a tropical storm.

Those $15 vouchers you get with a Disney package seem to be working.  There are a total of four domestic locations still operating.  42 closed domestic locations.

This is Pleasure Island entertainment.

We’ll stop by Laffer’s Cantina on the way to Paradiso 37.  The name would make more sense if Comedy Warehouse was open.

Amusingly, this is the only place where they don’t have prices and neglected to give us a receipt.  The drinks are around $8-$10.

The Golden Margarita and Ultimate Long Island Iced Tea.  Speaking of forgetting things, Sara intermittently forgets that she doesn’t like tequila.  Good for me, because I’ll get to drink most of both.  Even after already consuming 9,000 cocktails, these drinks were still extremely strong.  Surprisingly strong.  I don’t know if the bartenders just thought we were cute or they pour the whole bottle in the cup for everyone, but I think I can point to this moment specifically as when things started to go downhill.  Anyway, I was happy with these drinks, but our iterations were at least very boozy.  Good if you’re me, but potentially not if you’re looking for something fruitier.  There’s always the French Flirtini.  My guess is the Grey Goose Le Citron Slush is the same as what’s served in the France Pavilion at Epcot?

Last modified: August 27, 2014 Filed Under: Blog

Comments

  1. Doesn't Swear At Children Josh says

    July 17, 2012 at 3:19 pm

    Suppppppp.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    July 17, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    Speaking of tequila…….why is it that a Disney long island iced tea does not include tequila?

    Reply
  3. miami says

    July 17, 2012 at 4:56 pm

    Is Alice crying because she has boobs on her belly?

    Reply
  4. ronnie2hotty says

    July 17, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    Josh, I think it should be mandatory that every 4th post be done when you’re drunk!

    Reply
  5. Claire says

    July 17, 2012 at 5:28 pm

    Sooooo lmao at first comment and miami because I am thinking I couldn’t have come up with more suitable humor….

    Thank you for doing this- appropriate timing. Love me some J 😉

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    July 17, 2012 at 5:42 pm

    Love the Bat-Belt in the second photo!

    Reply
  7. Bunny says

    July 17, 2012 at 5:48 pm

    I had to pause and recover breathing through my nose once I happened upon the “Inapproriate Sara” photo, as I choked on a mouthful of wine. Time to finish reading…

    Reply
  8. Bunny says

    July 17, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    Nope. Don’t like the red guy Pleasure Island “entertainment”.

    Reply
  9. Christie says

    July 17, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    I’d like to see more Inappropriate Sara in your posts.

    Reply
  10. Sean says

    July 17, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    I sometimes forget how ridiculously overpriced Disney food/drinks are. Thanks for reminding me. $6 for Corona? Really? When I’m AT Disney World it seems reasonable, from afar it seems like highway robbery.

    Reply
  11. Dennis says

    July 17, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    This sojourn is getting more humorous as we go along. Despite the bud lite and wine, I’m starting to like “inappropriate” Sara more and more. Winning!

    Reply
  12. patriot14 says

    July 17, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    Kept reading thinking “Sara” was likely a new 55mm, f/1.7, fish-eye lens; especially seeing the photographer wearing a long-sleeved flannel in what had to be 140F degree temps in Orlando. Even the “Inappropriate” picture could be explained as perhaps a repulsed by-standard asked to “pose” for some pics by a now inebriated “artist” drinking for two. But then there it was….a rookie internet mistake exposing one of the Disney Blog groupies in full bloom!! Gloria’s hand appears to be touching her on the head as if to say “the rhythm is gonna get you”. Please provide a bigger MB reflection pic of the fair maiden, Sara….

    Reply
  13. RebeccaMcK says

    July 17, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    Alice’s boobs are on her belly…..LOL this post and the comments crack me up tonight, thank you. Inappropriate Sara and everything else. And Bongo’s looks pretty good.

    Reply
  14. marlaine says

    July 17, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    I would love to have those Bongo barstools at home! Awesome!

    Reply
  15. tanya says

    July 17, 2012 at 7:34 pm

    I, too, don’t like music I can’t turn off.

    Reply
  16. cupcake says

    July 17, 2012 at 7:42 pm

    Those bongo barstools are not at all recommended if you’ve actually had a drink or four.

    The boobs on the belly comments are killing me!

    Reply
  17. Cindi says

    July 18, 2012 at 1:35 am

    Loving the bongo drums for barstools! So cute. The crying Alice? Probably saw the new ticket prices that Disney has raised yet again.

    Reply
  18. Amanda says

    July 18, 2012 at 5:25 am

    @Cindi- The drums are attached to the floor and don’t move, making it challenging to be comfy at the bar 🙁 They sure look cool though.

    My mini review of Bongo’s. The drinks are good, the food not so much. It’s very loud there, so loud you can’t hear yourself think when the band is there. The mojito is quite tasty. The seafood paella is overpriced (we got the one with the whole lobster- which was tasty but everything else was just ok), Bahama Breeze has a better paella.

    Reply
  19. Glenn says

    July 18, 2012 at 8:15 am

    Um…possibly the best blog post & comments so far! Just sayin’. More Inappropriate Sara & Boozy Josh posts, please.

    Love the 1st comment up there from “Doesn’t Swear at Children Josh” and miami’s comments about Alice 🙂

    And I’ll second what ronnie2hotty, Bunny, & marlaine said!!

    Reply
  20. Desiree says

    July 18, 2012 at 8:35 am

    I love Bongos, but I think is because I’m latin and it feels like home. The food is very good and the live music is amazing. We had spent a whole night dancing and is nice to have a place like that at Disney.

    Reply
  21. Ralph says

    July 18, 2012 at 9:41 am

    Maybe Alice is crying because she misses that other .3 of a bar.

    Reply
  22. Ivy says

    July 19, 2012 at 4:56 am

    Gloria is the proprietor of the restaurant; she’s a purveyor of food and drink. : )

    Reply
  23. Sarah says

    July 22, 2012 at 10:19 am

    My kids wandered by and saw the picture of Alice and my 3yo implored, “Why is the baby crying?” The more I tried to explain it, the more I realized I had no idea what I was looking at.

    Reply

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