Ultimate Geyser Point Lunch Review
Since it opened, I’ve been having a love affair with Geyser Point Bar and Grill at Wilderness Lodge. On the fateful day of our meet cute, the restaurant and I have entered into a pretty serious relationship and I make sure to visit for dinner as often as I can. Read on for my Geyser Point lunch review!
On my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, I feared our relationship was getting stale: how many times can you visit for dinner and order the same cocktails before one of us gets bored? Instead of letting things fizzle out, I decided to shake the relationship up and visit….for lunch! So, how does a restaurant that’s primarily a bar hold up during lunch? You’re about to find out.
The Wait
My party of two arrived for lunch an (admittedly very late) lunch to find a full but not crowded patio. If you’re unfamiliar with the set-up of Geyser Point, here’s a little insight: the gorgeous stone pillar bearing the restaurant’s name serves as a foundation point for the open-air space. The entire restaurant is outdoors, providing unparalleled views of the very calm and tranquil section of Bay Lake you don’t often get to see.
We didn’t have a reservation, and the few empty tables around the restaurant proved we didn’t need one….or did we? Although the hostess told us our wait would be very brief, we waited for nearly FORTY FIVE minutes for a table that had been available, bussed, and set since we had arrived. I kid you not. When the ‘very brief’ wait crept closer to 30 minutes, we jested that this very available table would be the one we’d get. Sometimes, you just have to laugh.
The Drinks
By this point, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t starving. After that crazy-long wait, we were finally sitting, and since we had so darn long to look at the menu, we knew exactly what we wanted! First though, we placed an order for two specialty drinks: a cucumber mojito and a Banana Cabana.
Since the autumn day felt more like mid-August, I opted for the always-refreshing mojito. I like cucumber, but I didn’t expect the usually minty drink to be so overpoweringly ‘cucumber’. It was all I tasted, and at first didn’t mind it…but when too much of one flavor hits your taste buds time and time again, it can get old quick.
I’m allergic to bananas and sadly wasn’t able to try my friends’ Banana Cabana. When I asked him how it tasted, he took the straw from his mouth long enough to eek out ‘really good’ before he continued on with sipping. From his word, the Banana Cabana is the way to go!
The Food
So far, we had an unnecessary 45 minute wait for a table, and my overly-cucumber flavored drink wasn’t my favorite…and I began to question my longstanding relationship with Geyser Point. All of a sudden, panic overtook me; is this restaurant suffering the ‘Be Our Guest fate’? Often times, Disney restaurants will open with great quality ingredients and expertly-prepared dishes, only to have the quality drop dramatically as time passes. The food was the final test, and I didn’t have much confidence that it would pass…
Until I took a bite of the bacon cheeseburger. I’ll admit; when the waiter set it down on the table, it didn’t look too appetizing. I judged before I tasted, and already had a notion in my mind of what it would taste like…and my whole world was rocked after that first bite. The burger was perfectly cooked, the bacon was just the right amount of crispy, the bun was pillow-y and balanced. It was, hands-down, the best burger I’ve had in quite some time. Maybe my fears were misplaced…
And then I took a bite of the salmon, and all the reasons I fell in love with Geyser Point came flooding back. Salmon is often greasy, and fresh mixed greens aren’t always as ‘fresh’ as they’re advertised. This salmon was, again, perfectly cooked. I didn’t even have to pick up a knife to break the hot, pink, flaky fish. The greens that came served with the salmon were a fantastic contrast both in texture and flavor to the savory salmon. The crunch of the greens paired nicely with the soft fish, and the light and tangy dressing added a lemony zip on the end.
The Verdict?
Did the 45 minute wait for a table that had been available the entire time frustrate me? Yes. Did the super charged cucumber mojito disappoint me a little? Yes. Did the perfect weather, gorgeous view, fast service, delicious food, and great company make up for the early frustrations? Absolutely!
Geyser Point still receives my wholehearted endorsement for mealtime, and now I can speak from experience and say that lunch is just as tasty as dinner! Although they serve a full menu, Geyser Point is technically one of the Disney Lounges, and it is my humble opinion that it is by far the best! The menu is accessible for every palette and the atmosphere…oh that amazing atmosphere is the stuff that post-Disney vacation dreams are made of.
Have you grabbed a drink at Geyser Point? Have you stopped in for lunch or dinner? If you have, let me know if you agree with my review, or what your experience was like!
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