easyWDW

Right Side Utility Bar
  • Home
  • Forums/Questions
  • Animal Kingdom
    • Attractions
    • Quick Service
    • Restaurants
    • Theme Park Touring
  • Epcot
    • Attractions
    • Flower and Garden
    • Food and Wine Festival
    • Quick Service
    • Restaurants
    • Theme Park Touring
  • Hollywood Studios
    • Attractions
    • Quick Service
    • Restaurants
    • Theme Park Touring
    • Wait Times
  • Magic Kingdom
    • Attractions
    • Quick Service
    • Restaurants
    • Theme Park Touring
  • Resorts
    • Deluxe
    • Moderate
    • Value
    • Villas
You are here: Home / Blog / Raglan Road Dinner Review, House of Blues Redux, and Portabello

Raglan Road Dinner Review, House of Blues Redux, and Portabello

February 18, 2013 ~ 11 minutes read29 Comments

We’ll grab dinner at Raglan Road, the incredibly popular Irish restaurant in Downtown Disney.  It’s popular for a few reasons – the live entertainment, reasonably priced food, and the whole people love everything Irish thing.  There’s also the fact that the head chef, Kevin Dundon, is among the most charming men in the world.

You might imagine I spend a lot of time here, but I really don’t – it’s often crowded and I’m not paying $10 for a bottle of beer.  Although looking at the menu, I’ve never had an Innis & Gunn before.  The Maduro Brown Ale would also be a good choice.  It’s brewed down in Tampa by the excellent Cigar City Brewery.  I’m not positive, but I don’t think they distribute much further than Florida.

Several of the wines from Splitsville reappear here at cheaper prices.

At the Hole in the Wall bar outside, you can get $2 off draft beer from 3pm – 7pm.  As I’ve mentioned before, Orange Blossom Pilsner is a nice choice down here in Florida.

I love scotch.  Scotchy, scotch, scotch.  I neglected to take a picture of the dinner menu – here it is at AllEars.  But I did get pictures of the good stuff.

The meal begins with Irish soda bread served alongside a Guinness reduction dip.

It’s artsy because it’s tilted.

And blurry.  Mr. Dundon shows you how to make it here: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/07/how-to-make-irish-soda-bread-at-downtown-disney/.  Anyway, the bread is quite good and the Guinness reduction is fabulous – sweet and unique.

We’re accompanied again by Darcie, Tim, and family, who were nice enough to invite me out to dinner.  Darcie started with the “One for the Road – A blend of Ciroc Vodka and Midori Melon with the juices of oranges and pineapples – $9.50.”  It looked to be refreshing and is larger than the drinks we sampled over at Splitsville for less money.

Tim with his Guinness.  You can actually get certified in the Guinness pour at the Guinness Storehouse in Ireland.  This looks to be proficient.

Arrogant Bastard Ale may be one of the better values on the menu, even at $18.  It’s a 22oz bottle that would ordinarily run you $5 in the store.  It’s a personal favorite and not just because I have a colossal ego that pairs nicely with the name.  Just about everything Stone brews is amazing – their IPA is another favorite.  In Florida, a six-pack of Rogue Dead Guy Ale is $13 – $15.  So that’s about a 500% markup.  Back in Washington, Costco often carried 24 packs of Dead Guy Ale in the fall for $29.99.  Heaven.

I ordered An Irish Red Eye – Absolut Pepper, Spicy Bloody Mary Mix, and a Float of Guinness – $9.50.  I think this is the most disgusting thing that I’ve ever consumed.  I would guess some people must like it, but it was not at all to my taste.  The spiciness from the vodka on top of the spicy mix seemed to be overwhelming.  It was a struggle to get it down.

We started with the Appetiser D’Lirrah for Two – our Dalkey Duo, Scallop Forest, Heaven on Earth, and Drunk Chicken Skewers $27.

I never know what’s what.  And there are three different sauces that are probably meant to pair with one of the choices.  And I never pay enough attention to know which is which.

For the money, it also doesn’t seem to be a ton of food.  Granted it’s earmarked for two to share and we normally share with four or five.  But at 14 pieces for $27, it doesn’t strike me as being a compelling value.  I’d probably order two full size appetizers – I like the Dalkey Duo – Dalkey-battered cocktail sausages with a Dalkey mustard dipping sauce – $11.  That ships with six pieces on the forks and a bowl of six more instead of the three and three served up with the platter.

I ordered the “It’s Not Bleedin’ Chowder – Freshest cuts of seafood and potatoes in a white wine infused cream broth – $26.  It was mostly salmon in a creamy broth.  I thought the portion was on the light side of things, though it looks to be a heaping pile of seafood in the picture.  Most of it is greens hidden underneath one of the three mussels.  I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t a particularly filling meal.

The large shrimp were probably the best part – they sucked up the flavor of the broth better than the salmon. Since there’s really no explanation of what the dish is, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

Tim ordered the Mighty Mixed Grill – Lamb chop, Guinness banger, sirloin steak, black pudding, chicken drumstick & bacon – $29

He thought the food quality was the reverse of what he was expecting – the steak was tough.  It looks to be a lot of meat for the money and a nice way to try a variety of Raglan Road’s featured items.  Their ham is supposed to be particularly good I think.

Darcie ordered the not particularly bloggable Fish & Chips – Our famous beer battered fish & chips served with our fresh tartar sauce – $19.  There’s a single piece of fish snuck in between the fries.

I’d probably stick to the Cookes of Dublin version, which is $10.95.  Cookes is the quick service arm of Raglan Road that operates right next door.  They serve a number of the same items, including several of the appetizers.  This may not appear to be a large piece of fish, but this was actually more food than I could eat and I was quite hungry at the time.  That almost never happens.

I was going to chat up the Cookes’ Fisherman’s Pie, but it is apparently off the menu! The Chicken/Mushroom and Beef/Lamb versions look to remain though.  The Fisherman’s Pie was so good.

The Kids’ Fish & Chips, for nine bucks, was “literally” the exact same amount of food as the adult portion.  The batter is light and flaky with more flavor from the fish than you’d usually find from the deep fried variety.

Dessert to share!

The Fluffy Lemon Clouds – Intense Lemon Curd Tart Topped with Fluffy Meringue – $8.50.

My initial reaction was that the presentation is on the sad side of things.  I only had a small bite, but it didn’t seem to be anything particularly special.

Ger’s Bread and Butter Pudding – $8.50.

I consumed more of this one and thought it was quite good, particularly with the natural sweetness of the raisins.

The entertainment begins at 6pm nightly and runs through midnight.  Sunday is typically the day where you’ll find the least entertainment offered.

If you’d like to be seated near the stage, request it when you check in.  The last two times I’ve eaten at Raglan, we’ve been put in the back room where you don’t see much of the stage.

But the dancers did come back for a short gig.

Each danced for a minute at most.

And then packed up and went outside.

Service was okay.  I’ve never really had stellar service at Raglan Road, so my expectations have been diminished somewhat.  I don’t think the server stopped by to see how anything was and water glasses were often empty.  Considering how hot Florida is and how seldom the servers make the rounds, you’d think their water glasses would be much larger.  But they’re maybe 12 ounces at most.  But food came out quickly enough and we didn’t experience a wait of more than two minutes to be seated.  I had made the 5pm reservation earlier that morning for six.  It was the only time available on Disney’s site.  Only part of their inventory is available directly through Disney.  If nothing is available, try Open Table: http://www.opentable.com/orlando-restaurants?mn=64 and search for Raglan Road.

With fairly inexpensive entrees and a fun atmosphere, Raglan Road is a good choice for lunch or dinner.  Unlike a lot of Disney restaurants these days, they also have a dedicated lunch menu served through 3pm with less expensive options.  Most/all of the dinner entrees are also available, so you might consider a 2:30pm reservation to save a few dollars.

A shoddy picture of the temporary bar setup outside the restaurant.  I don’t think they do this every night, but it was a busy holiday weekend Saturday.

We’ll take a brief interlude at one of my favorite haunts, House of Blues.

For Happy Hour.

The usual $3.75 House Margarita.

And a Long Island Iced Tea.  I’ve had a few pour quality “issues” here the last couple of times I’ve visited.  The white haired gentleman that calls you “brother” and the guy that looks like he’s as high as a kite pour much stronger drinks than two of the younger female bartenders.

If the drink tastes mostly of sour mix, you can always switch to a beer.  Thinking back, I don’t think I’ve ever had a Corona before.  It’s just not something I’d buy.

And an Amstel Light, which at 3.5% ABV, is basically water.  It’s about as inoffensive as beers get.

Otherwise, House of Blues gets two thumbs up from me, even with a couple of questionable drinks mixed in.  They also offer happy hour at their outdoor bar, where music starts at 4pm.

Earlier in the day, Steve and I popped into Portobello for a quick lunch.

You may remember me raving about their meatball sliders, which are 3 for $5 at the bar.  I don’t think there’s a better way to spend five dollars on property.  They’re also available individually for $1.95.  They’re $7.95 when ordered somewhere that isn’t the bar.

One thing I like about Portobello is that when you arrive at the bar, you’re greeted with a smile and a glass of water.

You may or may not be offered bread, garlic, and oil.  I would imagine if it isn’t offered that you could request some.  They have it.  The garlic is a little different than your typical butter.  We deemed the foccacia better than the standard dinner roll.

Their beer selection is rather mundane.  The Birra Moretti La Rossa would be a wise choice.  I like the Orlando Brewing beers pretty well and you’re not going to find them outside of the general Orlando area, so I’d be looking in that direction.

The Red Ale is kind of pedestrian as far as amber ales are concerned.  It’s not particularly hoppy, but the light carbonation makes it easy to drink with food.

The Olde Pelican EPA is my favorite of the bunch.  This is a summer-y Czech Pilsner that is absolutely delicious in the summer.  Pilsner Urquel and Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest are two of the more well-known Czechs.

I should have taken a picture of the menu since it appears like what I ordered isn’t on any of the menus online.  There it is. It’s the $11.95 SALSICCIA E CIPOLLE – Italian sausage, shaved red onion, mozzarella.

At the time, I was mentally comparing it to Wolfgang Puck Express and I think it holds up well.  It’s a similar amount of food for a couple dollars less.  It was served hot and had full cheese coverage.  The toppings were a little centralized for my liking, but that seems like a minor quibble.  The pizzas remain the same price at dinner – $10 – $12 and would be one of the least expensive ways to experience a sit-down meal at Downtown Disney.

The pasta entrees are much less expensive for lunch than dinner.  This is the lunch portion of the Black Linguine with Florida Rock Shrimp – garlic, tomatoes, asparagus – $15.95.  For dinner, the same entree is $24.95.  I have admittedly never ordered the same item for lunch and dinner, but I can’t see the portion being any larger for dinner.

A pretty nominally priced meal.

This picture should look familiar.  We’ll be unexpectedly returning to Portobello for dinner.  Without a dinner reservation on Saturday February 9th, things were kind of hopeless.  You’d be looking at a 60 minute wait for basically any restaurant.  Cookes of Dublin was long out of tables.  Portobello quoted 60 minutes for a table inside or 15 for a table outside.  It was a chilly evening, but outdoor seating was about the only option.  Looking back, popping into Splitsville may have been wiser.

We started with the SICILIAN EGGPLANT FRIES – Tomato basil sauce.  At $7.95, the portion was large enough to share.  The fries were lightly battered and fried and tasted heavenly dipped into the tomato basil sauce.  I’d eat these anytime and they’d be a nice appetizer in the bar to pair with a drink.

I ordered the Rigatoni Calabrese – Italian sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, escarole $21.95 – I think.  Or $12.95 for lunch.

The pasta was cooked a little too “al dente” for me.  Like my broccoli, I tend to cook pasta thoroughly.  The Italian sausage had a nice strong flavor, but the sauce otherwise seemed forgettable.  I’d definitely visit Portobello for a less expensive lunch, but I think you can do better for $20+ for dinner.

Peggy ordered the Chicken Farfalle- snow peas, asparagus, tomatoes, parmigiano cream sauce – $12.95 for lunch or $21.95 for dinner.  She was less impressed with hers, noting the sauce had basically dried on the pasta – indicative of something that’s been sitting under a heat lamp for a while.

The Penne Bolognese – slow cooked beef and pork meat sauce $18.95 for dinner or $12.95 for lunch.  Steve may have to interject on this one, but he seemed to enjoy his dish more than Peggy.

My recommendation would be to visit Portobello during the lunch hour, when the same food is less expensive.  But I realize that isn’t possible in most situations where you’re only visiting Disney for a week.  Downtown Disney isn’t usually on people’s radars until Friday evening when they’ve visited the major theme parks and Magic Kingdom closes at 8pm.

Portobello was otherwise a pleasant meal, though it was a bit chilly out on the patio.  I’m not sure what it is about Levy’s Restaurant servers that makes them so chatty, but they are a chatty bunch.  Our server was busy chat chat chatting away with another table while all we wanted to do was eat eat eat.

The September 2013 operating schedule is still unavailable.  Extra Magic Hours could be axed as soon as September, which may be the reason for the delay.  But we’ll see.

Last modified: August 27, 2014 Filed Under: Blog

Comments

  1. Kerry says

    February 18, 2013 at 9:27 pm

    Hi Josh,

    Just curious about your comment above that Extra Magic Hours could be axed–why is that? Something to do with the new FP+? Do you have any idea when Sept. might come out? I have to make my dining reservations soon and I have twin daughters that would like to eat in the castle and at Be Our Guest, so I will need to get on that as soon as I can. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  2. josh says

    February 18, 2013 at 10:03 pm

    A Disney World theme park is (obviously) very expensive to operate and the Walt Disney Company is one that considers a penny saved to be a dime earned. While Extra Magic Hours have historically driven on-site occupancy higher, the fact is that very few people are willing to wake up in time to get to a theme park at 8am for the morning extra magic hour. And with Disney’s bread and butter being families with young children, you don’t see many staying out until 11pm, 12am, 1am, 2am, or 3am for evening extra magic hours. That’s the reason why evening extra magic hours were reduced from three to two hours this year. Extra Magic Hours are a thing of the past – the question is how soon they’ll be eliminated.

    Reply
  3. Ali says

    February 19, 2013 at 1:54 am

    Loving your artsy pics ! and I like the little handled glasses at Raglan road too. I pointed out the arrogant b*****d ale to my husband hee hee 😉

    Reply
  4. Amanda says

    February 19, 2013 at 4:39 am

    Raglan Road is one of my favorites but I’ll have to agree with the service. We never get outstanding service, however I’ll come here any day of the week for that Bread and Butter bread pudding!!

    Reply
  5. anon says

    February 19, 2013 at 5:54 am

    Extra Magic Hours gone? Really?! Hmm, will they be replacing them with anything as an on-site perk? Or is it all FastPass plus, all the time?

    Reply
  6. Greg says

    February 19, 2013 at 6:31 am

    I prefer to pay 14 cents an ounce for my Rogue Dead Guy Ale here in the midwest. Disney’s 83 cents and ounce is beyond ridiculous.

    Reply
  7. tanya says

    February 19, 2013 at 6:48 am

    That bread pudding is outstanding, isn’t it? I couldn’t finish it so we took it back to the condo for breakfast. Not quite as good, but still tasty. I’ve got to get to HOB for that Happy Hour – what a deal!

    Reply
  8. Patty57 says

    February 19, 2013 at 6:52 am

    I really hate hearing this about evening EMH. My kids and I used to love riding Splash Mountain over and over again late at night, although I think they already took Splash out of the EMH rotation anyway.

    Reply
  9. RebeccaMcK says

    February 19, 2013 at 7:15 am

    Maybe they’d just do EMH evenings once a week. Not sure how often they’re offered now, but I really liked being able to stay late at MK on the Sunday I arrived a few Novembers ago. Stayed until 1:30ish and still made it to rope drop the next morning (solo trip, easy).

    Reply
  10. Liz says

    February 19, 2013 at 7:17 am

    We really enjoyed our meal at Raglan Road. I had the Chicken Curry and thought it was quite good. We were on the DDP and although we could have ordered dessert, my husband was the only one who could eat it. The kids and I were way too full. The server offered us cookies to go instead. But those went uneaten all week. There really is so much food on the DDP.

    Reply
  11. Carolyn says

    February 19, 2013 at 7:20 am

    Sad about EMH. It was great to be an onsite guest and either get up early and take advantage of uncrowded parks, or go to another park that would likely be less crowded than the EMH park and take advantage of that. Oh well.

    Josh, with EMH gone, I would imagine that there will be less variation in the crowds at each park on a day to day basis. Or am I way off here?

    Reply
  12. stevenmilz says

    February 19, 2013 at 7:23 am

    “Steve may have to interject on this one”… the Penne Bolognese was good, but nothing to rave about. Having had the Gnocchetti at Tutto Italia back in October, I would deem the latter to be better. I am surprised that I haven’t received more flak from Peggy about our rather cold al fresco dining experience. Having seen your recent Splitsville write-up, I agree that would have been a better option. There’s always next time…

    Reply
  13. Jimmy (formerly James) N says

    February 19, 2013 at 8:58 am

    You must be up to at least 900 pounds by now. And broke.

    Reply
  14. Just Some Dude says

    February 19, 2013 at 9:47 am

    Too bad about EMH being eliminated. As an offsite guest, that always helped draw enough people to one park to make sure to avoid. Now the best parks/worst park distinction will be more blurred.

    Reply
  15. Websteroni says

    February 19, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    I guess I’m in the minority when it comes to Raglan Road. I wasn’t impressed with it at all. Mediocre food and spotty service. It always gets great reviews on the DISboards but so does Narcoossee’s and I don’t like that one either.

    Reply
  16. Beth says

    February 19, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    Just noticed that you went ahead and added the drink to your not-mickey-hand. Very nice! This one suits you more than something served in a pineapple I imagine.

    Reply
  17. Gabrielle says

    February 19, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    Alright, enough with the fancy camera work. The pictures of the in-focus Appetiser D’Lirrah for Two literally made me dizzy. Cut it out.

    Reply
  18. twopearls says

    February 19, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    We really enjoyed our first visit to Raglan Road in October…we had lunch. Loved the garlic shrimp appetizer (maybe called Kissing Shrimp, or something like that?), as well as the burgers with the tomato chutney. The kids enjoyed it too! We’ll definitely go back. Actually, DH did return two weeks ago with his co-workers. You know, while I was buried under 30 inches of snow here in New England.

    Reply
  19. Hoosll says

    February 19, 2013 at 1:58 pm

    We had a terrible lunch at Raglan Road in early December. Our guest tried the gluten-free fish and chips and sent it back. The other meals were just okay. There are other places I would rather spend money.

    Reply
  20. JenniferS says

    February 19, 2013 at 4:33 pm

    Until our last visit in November, I would have agreed with you about Raglan Road.
    Our last visit, however, was definitely sub par.
    I think the servers count on alcohol to pad the bill (and therefore the tip), but as 4 non-drinking ladies (2 of age, 1 underage in the US, and a child) on the DDP, we were largely ignored. The fish and chips were cold and soggy, the shepherd’s pie was meh, although the pork chop was quite fine.
    Our drinks were never refilled, and the waitress never checked in with us – otherwise the fish and chips would have been sent back.
    Dessert was also hit and miss. We also had the lemon curd tart. It was okay. The trifle was deliciously sinful, and the Gher’s bread pudding was ghastly. It was raw – top to bottom, and absolutely inedible. Again, no server to send it back for a cooked one.
    I’m hoping this was a one off night.
    We left a 10% tip, which was about 9% too much, and left, tremendously disappointed. Nobody asked how our meal was. The place was packed, so maybe they just didn’t care. Being on the DDP, indicated we probably were not local, so not likely to return for a year or two; if ever. I can’t imagine they have too many nights like this one, lest the locals would not flock there every night.
    Cooke’s of Dublin, next door, a couple days later was outstanding.

    Reply
  21. magic1106 says

    February 19, 2013 at 7:41 pm

    Did the dessert menu really come that dirty? If that is what the menus look like, I’d be afraid to see their kitchen.

    Reply
  22. Luvamoose says

    February 20, 2013 at 1:01 pm

    I have to say we truly loved Raglan Road. I know some of you may have gotten it on an off night, or with a poor server. Likewise, I realize all the stars may have aligned for our visit and we had an amazing server. No DDP, only one of us drinking and he practically sat at the table with us and the place was packed. Great view of the dancers, got my girls’ picture with Danielle. My bowl of Not Bleedin Chowder was stuffed with seafood–yes, lots of salmon– but plenty of scallops, shrimp and mussels. I couldn’t quite finish it. But I do agree, it was smaller than I expected. Guiness Brown Bread and the Guiness reduction were amazing. Maybe just get drinks and loads of that stuff next time? The Nom Nom wings were great, so was the Calamari City, but I agree, both portions weren’t really “for sharing”. Overall, we were awed. I hope when we go back, it is just as amazing.

    Eliminating EMH?? Whatever would we do? We like to sleep in and so we often head to the parks with Evening EMH to take advantage of short lines. We can often fit everything in just one EMH at MK. The crowds are lower and we feel just a bit special. And tired. I just feel as if the little changes are gradually making it just a bit less special for us. We’ll have to see when we return to the FP with actual return timed (not so bad in January, I can handle that) as well as no EMH.

    Reply
  23. Psac says

    February 20, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    @JenniferS – The menu did say the Bread Pudding was like no other. “Inedible” is like no other. 🙂

    Reply
  24. Meghan says

    February 20, 2013 at 4:53 pm

    That’s upsetting about EMH. that’s when us “big kids” get most of our touring done!

    Reply
  25. Clover says

    February 20, 2013 at 5:20 pm

    I am a big fan of Raglan Road. We were there last week. We just sat at the bar for an hour listening to the band and watching the dancers. I had heard great things about the bread pudding but forgot to order it.

    Reply
  26. Andrea says

    February 20, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    For God’s sake Josh, do yourself a favour and try an Innis & Gunn.

    Reply
  27. Josh (No, not that one) says

    February 20, 2013 at 10:56 pm

    We love Ragland Road, it’s as close as you are going to come to an authentic anything at DTD.

    Reply
  28. StillTryingToThinkOfAGoodName says

    February 21, 2013 at 8:32 am

    Three days and counting…. I need a new post. And I need to know what is up with September hours. I don’y want them to cancel EMH but if they are going to I don’t know what is taking them so long to make the announcement.

    Reply
  29. mike says

    May 20, 2013 at 7:25 am

    I guess it will be off site hotels for me

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Forums

Recent Posts

  • A Sad Message To easywdw.com Readers From Josh’s Family
  • Touring Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Genie+ Part One of Forty
  • Tuscany Italy EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Review
  • Bavaria Germany EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Review
  • Refreshment Outpost EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Review

Copyright © 2022 ·eleven40 Pro Themee · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in

  • Home
  • Site Map