When you’re talking about drinking at the Walt Disney World Resort, the first thought is usually EPCOT.
Drinking your way around the World Showcase, where folks get an alcoholic beverage from each of the international pavilions, is a thing. It’s not my thing, but it’s a thing.
For me, drinking at theme parks is a side quest, not the main objective.
However, I can plan a drinking day at Disney Springs into the equation without having to pay a cover charge to get in.
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What is Disney Springs?
In my point of view, it’s the fifth Disney park in Orlando.
It offers many of the Disney pluses of a Disney theme park without having to buy a ticket. What’s missing? Rides and characters, mostly.
But theme shopping, dining and drinking? Yes, they have all of that.
Do they have bars at Disney Springs?
There are several themed bars and restaurants at Disney Springs.
Some are more traditional bars that offer snacks to go with their beers, cocktails and liqueurs while others are more restaurants that offer drinks with their dining options.
But, if I’m being honest, some of the best restaurants at Disney Springs are also the best bars. So, let’s rank them:
1. The Edison
Disney is about nostalgia, and The Edison offers nostalgia on steroids.
It’s an old-world power plant transformed into seven spaces, each with its own style of vintage flair. The themed spaces bring elements of gothic, industrial, art nouveau, art deco and expressionism to life. It’s billed as a place where spectacular nostalgia abounds in every detail.
Live entertainment includes cabaret singers, jazz bands and aerialists.
The food menu is famous for its two-handed burgers. The kids menu features tenders, grilled cheese or a burger.
Drink options include beer, wine, cocktails and spirits. Spirit options include Absinthe if the green fairy – and I don’t mean Tinkerbell – is something that interests you.
2. Wine Bar George
Wine Bar George may be the best restaurant in Disney Springs. Many think it is. But it also has a selection of more than 200 wines from which to choose.
The restaurant offers small plates, family-style options as well as a variety of charcuterie boards. The massive facility does have a first-floor bar for guests who aren’t looking for the sit-down restaurant experience.
The Wine Country Brunch, which is available on Saturdays and Sundays, is also a great option for a non-park day.
3. Raglan Road Irish Pub
This is the best of Ireland located in Central Florida. Raglan Road offers live music and dance every day as well as an award-winning menu.
The drink menu offers a wide variety of beers, whiskeys and cocktails. Raglan Road is more for beer drinkers, and Wine Bar George is more for wine drinkers.
Read Also: 34 Best Things To Do at Disney Springs
4. Enzo’s Hideaway Tunnel Bar
This is Disney. Therefore, you need a good theme.
Enzo’s Hideaway has a great one. Welcome to this prohibition-era speakeasy that offers Italian dining and drinks that are not made with bathtub gin.
I won’t bother saying this for most of the places because it’s Disney and it should be obvious, but Enzo’s Hideway is kid friendly and does have a kids menu.
5. Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar
If you’re going to base a bar on the archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones movies, why wouldn’t you pick Marion Ravenwood’s bar from the Himalayas?
That said, the folks behind Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar chose to base their place on the airplane hangar in which Jock Lindsey – the pilot who helps Jones escape the South American jungles in the first 10 minutes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and is never heard from again, at least in the movies.
According to the restaurant and bar itself, Indy and Jock made their way to Central Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth in 1938. They found Disney Springs instead, so Jock bought some land and settled down with his pet snake Reggie.
The menu is full of Indy puns but … choose wisely. While picking the wrong signature cocktails here won’t make you age rapidly into dust, it could set you back a pretty penny.
If you’re looking for a Disney-adjacent experience you can’t get anywhere else, this is your spot.
What’s the go-to option? Well, I think the Fountain of Youth is a pretty safe option. It’s St. Augustine Florida Cane Vodka, Bols Blue Curaçao, white cranberry juice and sweet and sour.
6. The Boathouse
This is an upscale, waterfront dining experience featuring steak and seafood – no Indiana Jones puns about Monkey Brains or Snake Sliders here.
The Boathouse offers three separate bars from which to choose and a menu that also includes a wide variety of beers, wines and cocktails.
7. Morimoto Asia
The brainchild of Chef Masaharu Morimoto, this restaurant, bar and lounge brings the flavors of Japanese, Chinese and Korean dishes to Disney Springs.
The drink menu includes a variety of bourbons, whiskeys and scotches from Asian, American and European distillers.
Prior to 2020, Morimoto had opened the Forbidden Lounge which was open until 2:30 am. But now, the bar and lounge close at 11 pm on weekdays and 11:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
A combination from the sushi menu – available at dinner only – and something from the Reserve List can make for a memorable night on the town at Disney.
Read Also: 42 Best Restaurants in Disney Springs, a Quick and Easy Guide
8. Dockside Margaritas
Here you can enjoy a little live music and a cocktail at this lounge inspired by a 1960s-era fruit stand.
Pick from a selection of margaritas and mixed drinks – like the Orange Grove Rum Runner – wines and beers. It’s nothing terribly complicated.
9. Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill
Though it is listed as a bar and grill, it’s more of a grill and bar. Still, the cocktail selection is fun and there’s a good choice of beers and wine.
Get something from the wood-fired grill and a Tamatoa’s Revenge – which has Lunazul tequila, passion fruit, orange juice and lime – and make a night of it.
10. Stargazers Bar
This bar has an outdoor patio that offers movie-inspired cocktails, local craft beers and live music. It’s located on the ground floor of Planet Hollywood. However, don’t expect to get a Planet Hollywood burger or anything.
Snack options include a foot-long hotdog or chili dog or a soft pretzel. The drink menu is more extensive, however.
11. House of Blues
I went to the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues some years ago, and while we waited to go in, one of the workers broke into the song from the Civil War movie “Glory” that the soldiers sing right before the climactic battle. “Oh my lord, lord, lord.”
I love that song, though I’ve never been able to find a recorded version of it. Harry Belafonte’s “Noah” has a few pieces of it but not the whole thing.
Anyway, that guy standing outside the venue was the most memorable part of the show. That’s not great, right? I don’t think he was part of the show and probably just worked there.
Still, part of the Disney life is dinner and a show and you could certainly do worse in Orlando than the House of Blues.
12. Lava Lounge at the Rainforest Cafe
Short of cracking open a bottle while riding Small World, I don’t know that I can think of a stranger place to get my drink on than amongst the animatronic animals at the Rainforest Cafe.
Then again, having had dinner here, maybe knocking back a couple of Mongoose Mai Tais while standing under a giant replica of the Papier Mache volcano I made for second-grade science class makes a lot of sense, after all.
Is it better to drink in Disney Springs or theme parks?
I think it’s Disney Springs. Look, shopping, dining and drinking all have their place in the theme parks, and you need to experience all of it. But it’s about budgeting.
For instance, let’s say you have a four-day park ticket. That’s about 12 hours per day of park time if you use up every minute.
That’s your time to tackle rides, see the parades, the fireworks show and the theme park shows. Every hour you spend in the park dining, shopping or drinking comes out of your limited-time budget.
Let’s say, however, you allocated a Disney Springs day or two into your vacation. That’s time saved.
Do you have to have a ticket to visit Disney Springs?
Nope. During our most recent Universal vacation, we wanted some Disney time but didn’t want to pay another $500 or so for theme park tickets for our family of five.
So, we had a nice meal at Paddlefish. Afterward, we enjoyed some shopping at the various Disney-related stores at Disney Springs, listened to some live music and relaxed. The total bill was less than it would have cost us just to get into a park for the day.
Is Disney Springs as good as a theme park? No. But it is a nice theme park supplement.
Do they have live entertainment at Disney Springs?
Several of the venues have live music – in addition to the live music that’s performed out the various outdoor venues at Disney Springs.
Do you enjoy the bars at Disney Springs? Do you have a favorite? If so, let us know in the comments!
