Enzo’s Hideaway officially opened at Disney Springs this past Friday, January 12th. The highly-anticipated bar was expected to open with the Edison complex, and it finally did a few days later. Originally announced as a bar, the idea transformed over time into a full-fledged restaurant. Entry is below the bridge, erm… ponte, and the restaurant is situated literally underneath the main walkway through The Landing. It’s a really cool dining room that represents the prohibition era with graffiti and markings on the walls.

For it being such a really neat location, it’s unfortunate that we ran into multiple issues during our visit.

Drinks

A myriad of drinks, labeled as Giggle Water on the menu, are available. There’s also a listing of four Family Style drinks that serve 2-4 people. We tried the Sangria and the Arethusa off of the Family Style menu as well as a bunch of the single serving drinks.

The pitcher of sangria is labeled as $22 alongside the single glass being $12 on the front of the menu. On the back, however, it’s labeled as $36 along with the other Family Style drink options. The single glass was perfectly fine, but the pitcher was overloaded with ice and the sangria was extremely watered down by the time we enjoyed our first glass. We don’t know what the actual price of the sangria was because it was removed from our check after the management heard our concerns about the way the pitcher was assembled. The Arethusa was fine, it tasted like a rum punch and that’s just good with us.

Other than that, here’s what we tried from the single-serving drink menu. Each of them are $14. The drinks were served to us without their names being said, so we all ended up with the incorrect drinks in front of us. This lead to some confusion between what drink was actually what. We also had a large issue with the Strawberry Fields drink, more on that below.

Luciano Spritz – Volerno Blood Orange, Aperol, Blood Orange Juice, Villa Sandi Processo

A pretty good cocktail that was heavy on the citrus and blood orange flavor.

The Scottish Connection – Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch, Antica Formula, Angostura, Luxardo Maraschino

A very strong drink that fans of a good scotch will enjoy.

Limoncello Gimlet – Nolet’s Gin, Caravella Limoncello, Simple Syrup, Roasted Thyme

Expect a very lemony, mildly sour, refreshing drink. We really enjoy limoncello and this drink wasn’t lacking on this unique spin.

Rye, Rye Rickey – Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey, Fresh Lime Juice, Pomegranate, Sparkling Water, Lime

Make sure you stir this one. It’s a really solid drink that just needs a good mixing before it can be enjoyed to its full potential.

Strawberry Fields – Bulleit Bourbon, Fernet Branca, Strawberry Syrup, Lemon, Ginger, Cucumber

We had a large group during our dining experience, and two people ended up ordering this drink. One of them came out before the other and was really fantastic, the best one we had all evening. It hit on the cucumber flavor, the strawberry flavor and was perfectly balanced. The second drink came out in a different glass with different garnish and a different color. It didn’t taste like the first one we got at all, so we let the server know and they happily replaced with another beverage. This one came out in yet another glass and again a new flavor. At this point a manager intervened and made the drink herself, which was closer to the original but not accurate, however we stopped attempting after that and assumed the original beverage was the incorrect one. Which is even worse, because that was the best of the bunch. Consistency is key in the restaurant industry and when two specialty drinks don’t come out the same way, it’s alarming.

Drinks were a rough start, appetizers were up next.

Appetizers

Suppli alla Romana – Meat Ragu Inside of Arborio Rice Cone – $14.00

It’s literally the same Arancini from Maria & Enzo’s, but with a totally different name and description. Same idea though: Good arancini, a little overpriced, lack of actual meat and the advertised ‘cone’.

Cesare – Chopped Lettuces, Hard Cooked Egg, Crisp Prosciutto – $15.00

A relatively bland dish that didn’t live-up to the Americanized version of a Caesar Salad. There’s potential here for something, but all of the ingredients came together to form something that just didn’t work.

Fagioli, Pane e Verdure – Fresh Farm Beans and Vegetable Soup and Country Bread – $9.00

Bland and just not good. For being labeled as a soup you should be expecting, you know… a soup. This was a heaping pile of beans and vegetables with a little bit of broth below with zero flavor. It tasted like wet cardboard. Don’t waste your time trying to make heads or tails of it, just don’t order.

Salumi e Formaggi – Prosciutto cured 24 months, salami piccante, finocchinoa, aged 24 months regginao-parmigiano, pecorino Romano, Fontina Val d’Aosta, Caponata (assorted roasted vegetables), Giardiniera (pickled vegetables), Olives, Grissini (bread sticks) – $17 per person, two person minimum.

The meats and cheeses were really really good. Surprisingly good, like ‘would order again’ good. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen if and when we return. Both of our tables ordered this, one for two people and the other for three people, and they were both presented extremely differently. Both plates were brought out on a wooden slabs, whereas one table the wooden slab was left with the meats and cheese left on it….. the other table had a much different experience. The butcher paper was slid off of the wooden slab and pushed onto the table where the meats and cheeses fell off of the butcher paper and right onto the table. We typically don’t review items that are setup on tables, but this is a special case. We inquired to the server if the sanitizer used on the table was safe to consume due to a portion of the food sliding onto the table. We spoke with the server, a first manager, and then the assistant GM of the location before we had a solid answer that ended up being ‘we use disposable sanitizing wipes for each table’. When we expressed further concerns, he shared with us these were issues during their test period as well. Further, he added, that the chef had specific ways he wants food presented that hold to a “traditional Italian way”. Again, there was no consistency across dishes. Nobody was able to provide a good explanation why both were served by the same runners and one was left with the wooden slab and the other wasn’t.

 

Entrees

Mezzi Rigatoni all’ Amatriciana – Crisp Guanciale, Onion, Tomato, Peperoncino – $25.00

Unfortunate, really. The pasta was overcooked in this dish, the exact opposite issue of the rigatoni, and the sauce fell flat. Very much overpriced for the portion size and lack of meat. It’s a continuous trend across these Italian dishes where there’s just not much meat for the cost and portion size.

Nonna’s Paccheri – Large Pasta Tubes, Braised Shortrib, Meatballs and Sausage in Tomato Gravy Topped with Nonna’s Fonduta (Cream and Cheese Sauce) – $28.00

The pasta was cooked to an al dente, which is really impressive when you take into consideration the huge kitchen operations needed to run a restaurant at Disney Springs. The sauce wasn’t anything special, and the bits of meat in the sauce were few and far between. The dish keeps the bottom portion of the pasta warm where the top gets cold, quick. We feel it’s a bit overpriced for the portion, but it’s still one of the better items.

*NOTE: After speaking with others who have gone to the restaurant, it appears mix-ups between the Rigatoni and the Paccheri happen frequently. The dishes are extremely similar, if not exactly the same, so we’re even unsure which was what dish after dining there and writing this review. We still are absolutely unsure which dish is which.

Bucatini alla Carbonara – Eggs, Pecorino, Pancetta, Black Pepper – $26.00

Overpriced, bland, forgettable, definitely not worth the price for something you could likely make better at home.

Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe – Pecorino Cheese and Black Pepper – $23.00

We’re not sure what we expected, but we received a small pile of warm noodles with cheese and pepper on them. Quite possibly the worst $23.00 to spend at Walt Disney World, it’s a boring and immediately forgettable entree. This needs to be under $20 at least.

Lasagna – Layered Pasta, Meat Ragu, Bechamel, Mozzarella – $24.00

It’s lasagna. Similar to the version served at Maria & Enzo’s, minus the zucchini. The first few bites were lacking any noodle whatsoever, it was later found at the bottom of the dish in three layers of cheese and noodles. It’s a safe option compared to a few of the other items on the menu, but we think you will have better luck with frozen lasagna at home.

Branzino – Artichokes, Olives, Lemon, Extra Virgin Olive Oil – $30.00

Branzino is a European bass, so we expected a very Italian restaurant to perfect such a rustic dish. Unfortunately the fish came out in slices that resembled a previously frozen tilapia filet. It just wasn’t good, a bit mushy overall and a distinct lack of any flavor whatsoever.

Saltimbocca – Veal Scaloppine, Prosciutto, Sage, Parmigiano Potato – $32.00

One of the most anticipated dishes, considering how amazing the veal was at Maria & Enzo’s, we were really excited to try this one. Unfortunately, the veal was thinly sliced and cooked to a fine rubber consistency. However, that was difficult to notice over the sauce that overpowered the entire dish. The same potatoes are available at Maria & Enzo’s, and they’re fine. Don’t even bother ordering this.

Salmone – Salsa Verde and Fennel Salad – $28.00

The salmon was a healthy piece and it was perfectly done. The issue we had with this dish was the labeled ‘salsa verde’. Salsa Verde is typically a green sauce, mostly known for the Mexican version which is relatively spicy. Thinking about an Italian salsa verde, we’re not sure what we originally anticipated, but we were greeted with a pesto. Typically this isn’t a huge issue, but the way the item was described on the menu lead to a lot of confusion. Unfortunately, the person in our group who ordered this really doesn’t enjoy pesto. When we explained this to our server, he played defense for the restaurant instead of working to rectify the issue. The other concern was that there was far too much of the pesto, including on the crispy exterior of the salmon that was ruined by the excessive amount on the bottom. The sauce was explained as the chef’s version of a salsa verde, however it did include elements of a pesto. The chef’s point of view seems to be a trend across all items on the menu, whereas none are actually explained in the written text.

Bistecca Pizzaiola – Grilled Sirloin Steak topped with Tomato, Capers, Oregano, Chile, Rosemary Potatoes, Fried Zucchini – $37.00

The mandatory steak option on any Disney menu… this time with half the garden on top. Once we dug below the toppings we found a steak. Nothing ultimately special, it’s difficult to recommend this steak when there’s many other better options available literally within walking distance (Boathouse, and heck even STK).

 

Overall

It’s a shame that such a great concept fell flat. We had numerous concerns which our server attempted to educate us about the restaurant instead of attempting the legendary Disney Guest Service we’ve become accustomed to.  We’re aware that the restaurant isn’t run by Disney, rather a third party, however we’ve experienced amazing Disney Guest Service at numerous other Disney Springs restaurants that aren’t ran by Disney either. In fact, we enjoyed The Edison and Maria & Enzo’s, which are both in the same complex and also operated by the Patina Restaurant Group.

It shouldn’t be neigh impossible for this location to pick-up on simple Guest Service aspects. We were told that they’ve had numerous test meals before the opening night where food was complimentary, but alcohol wasn’t, resulting in the bartenders not getting as much a workout as the kitchen. Understandably a first real night for fresh bartenders can be a bit rough, but that’s no excuse for not being able to replicate a drink from their specialty menu. That, combined with disappointing food, we cannot recommend Enzo’s Hideaway… but we will recommend Maria & Enzo’s. Don’t waste your time going to the tunnels.

 

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Topher Wallace