Narcoossee’s has reopened at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa with a revamped interior and menu. The restaurant has been closed for refurbishment since June 2022.
Narcoossee’s is right on the water. Though the exterior appears the same, it was refurbished.
Narcoossee’s Revamped Interior
Narcoosee’s is a Disney Signature Dining experience, which offers fine dining with a magical flair. Please be advised that there is a dress code for this restaurant. According to Disney’s website, “Guests are expected to dress accordingly in attire that respects the restaurant’s sophisticated and upscale aesthetic. Clothing should be clean, neat, and in good condition. Please no swimwear.”
Due to the popularity of this restaurant, advance reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made up to 60 days in advance using your myDisney Experience app or by visiting their website. Reservations for Narcoossee’s will be unavailable on select days in May and June to add some “finishing touches.”
Disney’s Grand Floridian is currently undergoing refurbishment. Guests will hear or see construction during daytime hours. Most of the Resort’s amenities will remain available. Due to this ongoing construction, Disney has recommended that guests allow for additional travel time to avoid missing or being late for a reservation.
The updated space features a “land and sea” concept, which also inspired the new menu.
The new booths and seats are lined with blue velvet — which looks like waves from the ocean. The tables and chairs have light wood finishes, and the tables all have green stands — presumably to represent the land.
The newly redesigned restaurant features white-paneled walls and have blue-gray shutters and molding throughout.
The patio of Narcoossee’s is one of the restaurants on Walt Disney World property that offers a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks.
Narcoossee’s Menu
Artisan Boule of Sourdough
The sourdough was developed by Pastry Chef Kristine Farmer just for Narcoossee’s. The bread was amazing. It was warm and fragrant, with a nice crunch.
Appetizers
Shrimp and Grits – $19
Local Gulf Shrimp, Peach Barbecue Sauce, Low Country Grits, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Chow-chow
This appetizer was amazing. The peach BBQ sauce sounded odd at first, but it pairs well with the spicy shrimp.
The grits are well prepared, and the shrimp were perfectly cooked with a bit of crispiness. This is a winner overall.
Ocean-inspired Charcuterie Board – $28
Ahi Tuna Pastrami, Charred Octopus, Lobster Sausage
This was the most interesting thing on the menu. Being a seafood restaurant, they did an “ocean-inspired” take on a traditional charcuterie offering.
The lobster sausage is a very soft, spongy, cylinder that is grilled like a sausage. It‘s like a soft puffy chicken sausage. The taste was great. It had a nice lobster flavor with a bit of spice and a nice seared exterior.
The tuna was thinly sliced ahi tuna, which was dried to a leathery consistency, though it was not chewy at all.
A drizzle of mustard paired well with the fish “pastrami.” Though it was a bit of a weird concept, we liked it a lot.
The octopus was fantastic, possibly the best octopus we’ve had anywhere. It was tender and not chewy like octopus is wont to be. The char-grilled exterior gave it a perfect, slightly smoky flavor.
Overall the charcuterie board is a bit pricey, but if you’re looking for something a bit outside of the box, this is it.
Soups & Salads
Lobster Bisque – $18
Butter-poached Lobster, Vanilla, Coral
This is great and different from other lobster bisque we’ve had from Disney. This is less buttery, thicker, and more intensely spiced than the variants at Yachtsman Steakhouse or Flying Fish.
It’s good but we prefer the buttery type.
Entrées
Yuzu-Ginger Salmon – $46
Sambal White Asparagus, Coconut Jade Rice, Lemon Grass-Thai Basil Emulsion
The salmon was lusciously soft, almost like butter. It was perfectly cooked, with the citrus-ginger glaze giving it the slightest bit of sweetness.
The coconut rice was also spectacular and was a perfect accompaniment platform, both flavorful and functional.
We highly recommended this dish for any salmon aficionados.
Blackened Redfish – $48
Chorizo-Sunchoke Hash, Hominy, Florida Sweet Corn, Red Pepper Rouille
This is not anywhere near as spicy as you’d expect a “blackened” fish to be, but that makes this accessible to a wider audience while still giving a nice blackened flavor. The sauce does add a bit of the missing heat if that’s your thing. Overall a well-cooked fish, supported on a bed of hash that was a flavor mashup of chorizo, sunchoke, and corn that nicely offset the flaky fish. If you want a fish entree but don’t like salmon, this is for you.
12-oz Prime New York Strip Steak – $59
Potato Mash, Roasted Rainbow Vegetables, Red Wine Demi-Glace
This was the disappointment of the day. It’s an acceptable steak for the non-pescatarians in your party, but nowhere near as satisfying from a fine dining point of view.
Although we didn’t try the surf and turf or the pork chop on this visit, the mediocrity of the strip steak left us wishing we had opted for one of those instead.
Enhancements
Plancha-Seared Scallops & Parisian Gnocchi – $52
English Peas, Tasso Ham, Truffled Meyer Lemon Cream
These were quite possibly the best scallops we’ve ever had. They were fantastically prepared, with a nice crisp sear on the outside while still amazingly tender and soft on the inside.
The gnocchi was soft and pillowy, and the truffled lemon cream was delicious, although not very lemony. The peas and pea greens gave a fresh kick of flavor to the heavy starch and cream combination of the gnocchi.
Sides
Sweet-and-Sour Brussels Sprouts – $11
Applewood-smoked Bacon, Sorghum-Malt Gastrique
The Brussels sprouts were good, but nothing to write home about. They’re satisfying if you are seeking a green side, but the variants at Le Cellier Steakhouse and Maya Grill are better than these.
Wild Mushroom Risotto – $12
Fontina, Espellette Pepper
As mushroom risotto fans, we had high hopes for this. Disney does a life-changing mushroom risotto at Palo on Disney Cruise Line, and while the Narcoossee’s version is very good, with more whole mushrooms on top, it just wasn’t up to snuff compared to Palo. Don’t get us wrong, it was nice, and we liked it, but we’ve had better from Disney.
“Loaded” Mashed Potatoes – $14
Garlic-glazed Pork Belly, Smoked Cheddar, Crème Fraîche
These were a welcome surprise. The candied pork belly was a sweet and crunchy accompaniment to the savory cheesy potatoes.
Desserts
Almond-crusted Cheesecake – $16
Lambert Cherry Sauce, Chantilly
The signature dessert of Narcoossee’s pre-closing is back in basically the same form. It’s an almond-flavored cheesecake with sliced almonds instead of graham cracker crumbs as the crust. Fans of this will be happy that it’s essentially the same. It has a great almond flavor and added crunch from the almond crust. The cherries add a tartness to balance the sweet cheesecake. This is the best dessert of the lot.
Hazelnut-Chocolate Bar – $14
Chocolate Sponge, Cassis, Ganache (Plant-based)
This is vegan, which means the chocolate isn’t milk chocolate and is therefore not the creamy smooth Hershey’s favorite.
The hazelnut interior also features a bit of raspberry to add a nice fruity flavor. The ganache on top is smooth and chocolatey. Overall not our favorite dessert but not too bad for a vegan offering.
Berry Pavlova – $14
Yuzu Cremeux, Anglaise
This is a good option for someone who wants a light fruity option instead of a heavy cheesecake or chocolate.
The berries are fresh and flavorful and sit atop a solid crunchy, whipped meringue. The yuzu cream is tangy and offsets the rich sweet vanilla anglaise.
Pineapple Bavarois – $15
Shortbread, Blackberry-Buttermilk Ice Cream
This was the weirdest dessert. It’s a pineapple shortcake with a raspberry center and whipped cream. It’s covered with a sort of pineapple glaze.
There was a square of raspberry ice cream on top of a square of pineapple fruit leather on the side, which frankly felt unnecessary. This was extremely good, if a bit odd, but if you like pineapple, you’ll love it.
Drinks
A carafe of water sits on the table.
The Grand Margarita – $17.50
Don Julio Añejo Tequila, Grand Marnier Liqueur, Cointreau Liqueur, Lime and Agave
This doesn’t have a strong tequila taste. It’s pretty mediocre, but none of the other drinks appealed to us.
What are you most looking forward to trying at Narcoossee’s? Let us know in the comments.
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