Jake Lundley’s Hangar Bar Review – Disney Springs 9/22/15

We’ll pop into Jaques Lapointe’s Hangar (that’s hangar with an ‘a’) Bar, grab dinner at THe BoAtHOUse, stare at pictures of walls, and try to remember that all of Disney Springs will be constructed in less time than it took to build the Mine Train ride.

Jamison Lister’s Hangar Bar opened on September 22nd, 2k15.

It’s located in what is now referred to as “The Landing” in between the boathouse on the right and Paradiso 37 on the left. It faces Raglan Road and what will be Morimoto Asia opening on September 30th.

While the bar looks sizable from the outside, the interior is shockingly small, seating what I’m assuming is fewer than 75 people in the main area.

That’s in the vicinity of Trader Sam’s at the Polynesian Village Resort. And obviously Disney Springs sees a lot more foot traffic than the resort…although there’s obviously a lot more choices at Disney Springs.

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Like Disney’s latest offerings, the bar is extensively themed and full of details and Easter eggs that will be lost on the majority of guests.

While you may not have known a year ago who Jock Lindsey is, you’ve undoubtedly read it in the 314,000 other reviews of the bar. He’s Indiana Jones’ pilot. Reggie is his pet snake. You’ll notice his cage up there…is empty. But then I’m not sure what you expect to happen when you put a snake inside of a cage so impractically high. Not that the height off the ground of a snake makes it more likely that he or she will escape…I’m just saying that it’s probably not where I would put the guy. Anyway, there is some nonsense about how Jock purchased property here back in 1938 and started a seaplane piloting business and his hangar became a popular hangout spot for world travelers and now it’s a bar full of artifacts and mementos from his and his friends’ travels. In reality, I think we can agree that if any of this were true that one of Disney’s fake shell companies would have bought him out long ago for pennies on the dollar and this would now be a Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt in The Landing instead of a Bar Themed to a Minor Character from Indiana Jones in The Landing.

The neatest seating area is inside the diver bell here straight across, I think. On the other hand, if you were inside you wouldn’t be able to enjoy most of the bar’s other decorations.

For those that enjoy a lake view, outdoor seating is available.

Seating is available at the bar.

At a variety of tables.

And inside the boat hanging off the side.

Like Trader Sam’s, the main draw is the interior space. Outdoors offers a nice view and is very pleasant out on the water, but it’s not nearly as unique as inside. The good news at Joe’s is that unlike Trader Sam’s, the inside isn’t anywhere near as annoying. Despite being small, it’s nowhere near as loud and there aren’t any distracting, repetitive, forced shenanigans at play. You have an opportunity to enjoy the ambiance for what it is rather than feeling like you’re on somebody else’s stage.

The menu offers a nice variety of appetizer-style/sharable food options, from sliders to tacos to pretzels to a calamari flatbread.

The menu continues the theme.

The menu itself is kind of difficult to get through. There is seemingly no rhyme or reason to where items are listed. This is the first page after the food options and it includes a couple alcoholic drinks, a single non-alcoholic drink, followed by beer and sake options.

Other pages have just a single drink. Exactly four of the beverages (have the option to) arrive with souvenir cups. The Hovito Mojito being one. The “Anything Goes” being another. None of these cups are available yet and staff indicated they’re at least a month off.

I was lying when I said there’s no rhyme or reason to the menu – it’s actually organized by region. These are all South American in origin.

The souvenir drinks have dedicated pages.

Florida. More:

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Amusingly perhaps, one of my favorite things about Jack’s was the price list in the back. You may remember that Trader Sam’s doesn’t include any drink prices, which may end up leading to some shocking realizations when the bill arrives and the cost of two drinks is upwards of $90. Souvenir prices don’t yet seem to be available, but I would expect them to add $6-$10 to the drink. I was looking forward to taking home (and putting on eBay of course) one of those monkey brain drinks. Otherwise, prices are in line with what you would pay at other Disney-operated restaurants. I was considering ordering a Hail Marty (Colonel E.H. Single Barrel with an ice ball), until I looked it up and it cost $21. Maybe that’s why they don’t usually list the prices.

Lisa ordered the $10.25 Reggie’s Revenge: Florida Cane ‘Orlando Orange’ Vodka, Midori Melon Liqueur, White Cranberry Juice, and fresh Lime Juice. Ordinarily, you want to avoid just about anything originating in Florida, perhaps with the exception of this week’s episode of Cops, but Florida Cane does a good job with their vodkas.

Perhaps with the exception of the $21 whiskey pour, Jacob’s drinks are virtually liquor-less. Reggie’s Revenge is too sweet with no presence of alcohol. It also suffers from that phenomenon when you drink too much lemonade from one of those frozen lemonade cylinders from the grocery store, assuming that company from my childhood is still in business? It’s not a “bad” drink per se, just don’t expect it to give you the stumbles.

I ordered The Scottish Professor: Monkey Shoulder Blended malt Scotch Whiskey, Hendrick’s Gin, Pear Nectar, Simple Syrup, and fresh Lemon Juice, which comes in at $12. Again, if there’s any scotch in this, it’s from a string that they dipped inside the bottle and then into the drink. I would bet the website’s all-time ad revenue that there isn’t any gin in it, unless it can telepathically transfer from the closed bottle to the glass.

I think every review I’ve read has mentioned the weak cocktails. And this is a group of people that take a sip of apple juice and say, “Wow, that’s strong. I don’t know if I can finish it”

I ordered the “Squid! Why’d it have to be Squid?”: Fried Calamari Flatbread with Harissa Spread – $14.99.

While it might sound pretty out there, the flavors work well together if you like calamari with a zesty cocktail sauce, which is basically what this tastes like. The flatbread is standard Disney issue, but it was properly baked with just a little bit of chew. Overall, I enjoyed it and it was quite filling for just about $4 more than you’d pay for a pepperoni pizza at a resort quick service, making it a good value.

Lisa ordered the Good Dates: Goat Cheese-stuffed Dates served with Marcona Almonds and Pickled Vegetables – $8.99.

It’s artsy because it’s tilted. For lack of a better description, the dates tasted like Christmas, sweet and savory with a chewy exterior. The pickled vegetables reminded me of a lot of slaws Disney offers property-wide and most recently on the ribs at Harambe Market. Most people will probably push them off to the side, but they do offer a crunchy, acidic accompaniment to the sweetness of the fruit.

I also tried the $12 Air Pirate’s Mule: Knob Creek Disney Select Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon and fresh Lime Juice topped with Fever-Tree Ginger Beer. Moscow Mules are a standard drink on Disney’s lounge menu, though those are made with vodka. Like the other drinks, this was a waste of time, tasting of little more than ginger beer.

Lisa ordered a glass of Conundrum, which is not at all bloggable, but is probably the wisest decision anyone made in the bar over the course of the day. I won’t waste your time with a rundown of every beer on the menu. Connoisseurs may want to take a hard look at one of the three Florida beers as they aren’t typically available far outside of the area. Cigar City’s Maduro Brown is world-class, but it’s available all over the Resort. The Devil’s Triangle isn’t great, but returns from the Food and Wine Festival from a couple of years ago and is relatively unique. The I-4 IPA is also available at Harambe Market at Animal Kingdom on draft and is pretty good. Otherwise, my suggestion is the Paulaner on draft.

Overall, James Lautner’s raises the bar of what a themed environment can achieve. I think my only complaint is that many of the details are so subtle that they’re going to be lost on the majority of guests that will find a table, consume their food and beverage, and head out, instead of giving the various props their due. Unlike an attraction’s pre-show area or something, where you might see similar details and have an opportunity to look around, the bar/restaurant atmosphere is a little more prohibitive.

By all accounts, the food is very good here with prices that aren’t outlandish compared to what you’d pay elsewhere. The calamari flatbread is probably $2 overpriced, but the serving size on the sausages is surprising. It arrives with five for $8.49. While initially impressive, there’s something to be desired on the execution of most of the drinks. I’m not sure if the recipes officially leave out the alcohol or there were so many bosses around on day one that nobody behind the bar wanted to be accused of over-pouring. Trust me when I say those concerns were unfounded. Like Epcot, you may want to order a beer or a double on the rocks.

Jock’s is open Sunday-Thursday from 11:30am-12am and on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30am-1am. Kids are always welcome. No reservations are accepted. Moving forward, it’s hard to say how popular the bar will be. Staff quoted waits of 30 to 60 minutes on day one and as much as 45 minutes on day two. A cast member outside the bar will collect your cell phone number and text you when your table is ready so you don’t necessarily have to hang around. The bar’s location basically in the center of Disney Springs should make it convenient to get your name in before heading off somewhere else to grab a drink or shop. World of Disney is four or five minutes away. It’s also located immediately next to The Landing’s boat dock for guests arriving via watercraft.

I’ll have a separate review of another BOATHOUSE dinner and a fresh look at construction walls.