REVIEW: Lunch from BoardWalk Deli Gives Great Portion Sizes But Disappointing Flavors

Katie Francis

REVIEW: Lunch from BoardWalk Deli Gives Great Portion Sizes But Disappointing Flavors

We tried breakfast and cocktails from the new BoardWalk Deli today, and now it’s time for lunch. The cocktails and bakery offerings are available all day. Check out our breakfast review of BoardWalk Deli from earlier!

Entrées

Warm Pastrami Reuben – $12.99

Sauerkraut, Swiss, and Thousand Island Dressing on Marble Rye served with choice of Side

BoardWalk Deli Lunch

This sandwich was fairly basic for a Reuben, but on the oily side. It’s the heaviest option we tried today and weighs down the stomach (especially when we have so much to taste!)

BoardWalk Deli Lunch

However, the meat was cooked to tender perfection, and the sauerkraut was exactly how much you’d want.

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If we were to order this again, we would ask for an extra slice of Swiss cheese since we lost that flavor in the mix. Overall, we would pass on this option for our next visit.

Italian Sub – $11.49

Capicola, Soppressata, Pepperoni, Provolone, Arugula, Tomato, Arugula Pesto, and Mayonnaise on Ciabatta served with choice of Side

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We enjoyed this option and would order it again. The deli meats complimented the pesto and mayo without one flavor being too overpowering.

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The only complaint we had with this sandwich was the bread; it was very tough, almost as if you needed to peel it off and stack some meats and veggies to get all the flavors without biting in to it. It was messy to eat because some of the innards would slide away bite by bite.

Chicken Salad Wrap – $10.99

Rotisserie Chicken, Grapes, Walnuts, and Mayonnaise in a Spinach Wrap served with choice of Side

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This is really light and refreshing. The mayonnaise is not overpowering and there’s a good amount of chicken in here. We wish there were more grapes to give it a little bit more sweetness, and the walnuts provide a really nice crunch.

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This is an awesome sandwich option if you if you want something to go that’s not going be too heavy. Even if you’re not a chicken salad lover, this wrap would still be tasty.

Roasted Chicken Sandwich – $10.49

Cheddar, Lettuce, Tomato, and Roasted Garlic Aïoli on Ciabatta served with choice of Side

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We thought this is the most plain option. The bread was the same as the Italian sandwich, which was our least favorite part of that.

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The chicken looks flavorful and seasoned, but we were deceived. It was lackluster, and we will pass on this next time.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Tomato-Basil Soup – $9.99

Provolone and Cheddar on Multigrain served with Tomato-Basil Soup

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The grilled cheese was our least favorite menu item today. We didn’t even pick up any cheese flavors, only oil and butter.

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However this one is served with the tomato-basil soup (in Sides below) and that was one of our top choices! We recommend skipping the other sides so you don’t miss out on that delicious tomato-basil soup if you order lunch at BoardWalk Deli.

Veggie Crunch Muffuletta (Plant-based) – $10.49

Cured and Pickled Root Vegetables, “Cheese”, and Olive-Vegetable Tapenade on Focaccia served with choice of Side

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If you’re looking for a plant-based option at BoardWalk Deli, we would suggest coming for breakfast rather than lunch. The Veggie Crunch Muffuletta isn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. The consistency of the pickled root vegetables reminded us of sliced ginger that’s served with sushi.

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The “cheese” tasted similar to pepper jack and we couldn’t tell the difference between standard cheese and the plant-based, dairy free option on this sandwich.

Sides

Tomato-Basil Soup – $4.99

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As we mentioned above, this was our favorite side dish. The soup is creamy, not watery or oily. There’s perfect ratio of tomato to basil and it’s well-seasoned. This can be used as a dip for the grilled cheese or eaten on its own (which is what we preferred), and we highly recommend it.

Coleslaw (plant-based) – $3.49

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On the other hand, this was only okay. The slaw was slightly crunchy but somehow tasted a little soggy at the same time. We got a lot of sweetness in this, which was also strange. It really tasted almost like there were watermelon pieces inside, but it might have just been a bit of sugar. The colw slaw was nothing special and we prefer the soup or the chips over the side

Potato Chips (plant-based) – $4.49

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Dessert (Lunch/Dinner only)

Key Lime Pie – $4.99

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The Key Lime Pie was our favorite of the dessert options! It has a light graham cracker crust that adds texture to the pie filling.

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The filling is tart, but in a well-balanced key lime pie way, and balanced with sweet chocolate toppings and a raspberry and dollop of whipped cream to bring it all together.

Cannoli – $4.19

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While this cannoli photographs the cutest of the bunch, the lemon zest inside left a bitter taste in our mouths. The chocolate chips helped to balance it a little and the shell had a nice crunch, but we couldn’t get past the lemon zest overpowering the other flavors.

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All in all, this is far from the best choice at Walt Disney World for lunch, but we certainly weren’t revolted either. Dining at BoardWalk Deli won’t be life-changing, but you’ll generally walk away with a full stomach and no memory of what you ate. What do you think of the menu? Let us know in the comments below!

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