Paddlefish at Disney Springs
Today I am looking at another Disney Springs restaurant that has opened in the past year. Paddlefish is an upscale seafood restaurant that is designed to resemble a riverboat. The minute I saw the concept art, I was dying to hang out on that rooftop patio on the top of the boat, sipping a drink and eating some of the delicious sounding lobster guacamole. Unfortunately, this is Florida and every time I have been to Disney Springs lately it rains and I am forced to snack and drink inside! My family decided to go for dinner one night anyways and we sat in the upstairs dining room.
We started with some cocktails. They have many different signature options, and everyone found theirs to be enjoyable. I switched to beer on my second drink and was charmed by this Olde Pelican Ale. Then we got some apps and of course had to try the lobster guacamole along with a tower of chilled seafood for the table.
The lobster guacamole was prepared table side with lots of showmanship. We were able to tell the server how spicy and citrusy we wanted it and it was made accordingly. Despite the elegant presentation of it, I was disappointed. The amount of lobster in the guacamole is not nearly enough to justify the $36 price. It was delicious guacamole but it really did not seem worth it. I have heard better things about the lobster corn dogs and plan to try them another time.
The tower was also presented so beautifully with the king crab legs, oysters, shrimp, ceviche and poke. I really did not love this appetizer either though. For one it was on an actual tower so it was really hard to pass around the table. This only works with a very small party I think. I also was really excited for the crab legs but I have never had Dutch Harbor ones and found I dislike them compared to others! The legs are so pointy, it hurt my hand to try and crack them. And after all the work of getting these very hard, painful things open there was barely any crab meat. I will take Snow Crab Legs over these any day! The ceviche and the poke were both served in little jars and were delicious! I wished we had more of this, as they were both so flavorful. You can order the ceviche, poke, 4 oysters and jumbo shrimp all for $63 which is still less than the $70 tower. Obviously the crab legs were worth more then $7 so if you wanted all of this it would be worth it, but I definitely think it is smarter to just get a couple appetizers.
Between the appetizers and the bread they serve, I was already getting full so I decided to get the scallops thinking they would be a lighter entree. Now this entree may look small, but the scallops were gigantic! I couldn’t even finish all four of them. I did really enjoy it though, as the cauliflower purée was creamy and decadent and went will with the brown butter scallops and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Everyone else liked their entrees a lot too. I regretted not getting the catfish again like my Dad got, which was cooked with a delicious cornmeal crust and aside a bacon succotash. Andrew loved the Crab Cake BLT which was very meaty and came with crispy fries. My sister got the shrimp and grits, and enjoyed them, but did not think they stood out from the many other shrimp and grit dishes on property. We also got sides of green beans, brussel sprouts and street corn and found them good, but completely unnecessary. The street corn was the best side by far but it seems to unfortunately be off the menu now.
In the end, it was a very tasty meal, but I found myself missing the Boathouse. If you are choosing between the two, I would always recommend the Boathouse over Paddlefish. I really prefer the atmosphere there much more and think the food is a better value. The rooftop at Paddlefish is amazing, but if you have to eat inside the Boathouse has a much more fun interior with just a touch of class. I found the appetizers to be better at the Boathouse and there is a bigger selection of dishes as well. If you want a fancy seafood meal, the Paddlefish is a great option, as our entrees were very satisfying. But if you want to feel like it’s summer vacation and you just spent the day boating, the Boathouse is the place to go for just as delicious food. I still need to check out the rooftop lounge at Paddlefish, but until then, the Boathouse easily beats it.
For more tips on where to eat at Disney Springs, check out my best restaurants guide here!