Downtown Disney is a mere shadow of what it used to be. Pleasure Island is a mess, the entertainment within the downtown area is not that great, and CityWalk is continuously outperforming it. As a competitor, I would be quite ticked that Downtown still looks like a mess since they started its ugly downward spiral back in 2005 (When they eliminated the nightly “New Years” celebrations). That being said, there are still some nice little secrets in the area. These tiny little secrets keep the place afloat; whether it’s the underrated Art of Disney, the wonderful Team Disney, and the top under-the-radar restaurant in Downtown: Raglan Road. Raglan Road is an Irish restaurant full of life and vibrant energy---as well as good food.
Located right next to the massive steamboat/restaurant Fulton’s Crab House (Too expensive even for me) and the Italian restaurant (which seems to change names every month…I think), Raglan Road is part of the Irish restaurant corner alongside Cookes of Dublin. It has been around for over five years, yet remains one of the younger Downtown Disney restaurants. Every night they offer live entertainment, which includes Irish folk music and beautiful women dancing to it flawlessly. But of course, you will come here for the food (Unless you are aiming to find yerself’ a Irish dame—and you have to read this again with an Irish accent).
For the appetizer, I decided to try their Guinness wings, which consists of a sweet and sour glaze, beer, and comes with a side of herb butter. These wings attack your fingers better than your average wings, and by the end of it all your napkins will turn orange. That being said, the wings were fantastic, and mixed perfectly well with the ranch; it wasn’t too sweet or too spicy, it’s just right. However the outstanding part of the pre-meal is the bread/dip combination. The dip is actually made with a mix of olive oil, other ingredients, and beer (of course). I would never expect beer to be an essential ingredient to an awesome dip, but I was quite surprised.
Michael ordered the steak sanger, which is an open-faced sandwich served with a salad. The sandwich itself has basil grilled vegetables. The $15 steak sandwich was pretty good for its price, because of its inclusion of salad and the fact that you have a good-sized steak in an actual sandwich. I ordered the fish and chips, a classic European dish which has become a hit in both restaurants in the Irish corner (most popular item in Raglan Road, along with their Shepherd’s Pie). The $16 price tag is a bit heftier, since you get one massive cod instead of multiple pieces of fish along with Irish fries. The end result however was very good, as they are the best fish and chips not coming from Cookes of Dublin and Whiskey Joes. The fish was rich, and the fried part was not too overpowering in flavor (and calories). And then came dessert.
The bread and butter pudding is fantastic in every shape and form imaginable. It is easily, hands-down the greatest bread pudding I’ve ever had, and makes up for nearly all the potential shortcomings of the main course. It is something you must see to believe. This bread pudding is thick, very rich, and progressively gets better the deeper you dig into the dessert. Enhancing it more is the vanilla sauce and butterscotch sauce served in little cups that can be used to pour on the pudding. This is one of the better desserts I’ve had in a Florida restaurant, and is the top item of the entire restaurant. Seriously.
Bottom Line: Raglan Road is a delightful restaurant that has a vibrant nightlife with music, dancing, and a very happy-go-lucky bar scene. While the lunchtime lacks the entertainment, it still has the same quality food of the evening. Raglan Road is a great Irish restaurant, no matter what time it is. With most of the items drenched in good beer and good ingredients, you will not be receiving any knock-off Irish cuisine. This is the real stuff, and real good stuff at that.
Final Verdict: Recommend
Raglan Road
1640 East Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
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