Disney Dining Review ESPN Club – Boardwalk Resort Area

With the start of football season coming up in just a few weeks, we decided to go hang out at ESPN Club at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort to catch a few preseason games. With nearly 100 televisions in house that can show up to 30 programs and a 90 square foot screen in the bar and a 108 square foot screen in the main dining room, a true sports fan will certainly be in paradise in this lively, exciting restaurant! At a very large 13,000 square feet, there are plenty of tables, but game days draw a very large crowd. For $50 per adult and $25 per child, you can reserve premium seats for the entirety of any sports game. As you eat and drink, your cost for the reserved seat will be put towards your tab, which might be a nice incentive for the true fan. Complete with sports memorabilia, a broadcast facility where ESPN personalities sometimes report from and the large numbers of athletes and celebrities that have visited, you will have a great time being part of the action.

On a crowded Friday night, we waited only about 20 minutes for a table. We did have to wait outside, as the lobby area is pretty nonexistent and the line starts at the front door. In the heat of a Florida August, this was the worst part of our experience and I was not very happy as we took our seat. I would have made advanced seating arrangements, but you can’t! So, make sure that you plan accordingly. Our server approached us right away and started discussing some very interesting “adult” beverages. With a full bar complete with some tasty offerings, you can find something to your liking. Hubby decided on a margarita, but I decided to cool off with some water! Our server was happy to make sure that the screens we could view from our table had games on them we wanted to see and even put one of the games on a closer screen! After we settled in, we were happy to satisfy our appetites! We started with Tuna Tartare (Pickled Ginger, Cucumber Salad, Soy Sauce, Wasabi Cream, Sriracha, and Warmed Mini Pitas – $11.99) and it was absolutely delicious. The tuna was sushi grade, extremely fresh and it was exciting to have our sauces served in little pipettes making us feel like we were on an episode of Iron Chef America!

If I wasn’t so overheated, I would have enjoyed choices like Pub Nachos (Corn Tortillas, Barbecue Pulled Pork, Chili, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Sour Cream, Jalapeños, Pico de Gallo, and Cheddar – $14.49) which many other tables were indulging in. We have also heard really great reviews on the ESPN Wings (Custom Sauce Selections: ESPN House Specialty, Medium, Hot, Flame, Southern-style Barbecue, Mango- Pomegranate Barbecue, Thai Chili, Sweet Chili, or Garlic and Herb – $12.49) and I will return to have the wings for lunch one day! Another dish that caught my eye was the “Boo-Yah!” Chili (Tender chunks of Sirloin, Ground Beef, Sweet Peppers, and Tomatoes – $6.99) mainly because nothing beats a good cup of chili!

We followed up our appetizer with a decision that all 4 of us would choose a different burger because the selections were so different and awesome! So, when the burgers arrived, we split into quarters and all enjoyed ourselves and the different tastes! We enjoyed the California Burger (Chili, Avocado, Cheddar, Pico de Gallo, Fried Egg, Cilantro Cream, and Lettuce – $16.49), Caprese Burger (Fresh Mozzarella, Vine- ripened Tomatoes, Arugula, Basil Aïoli, and Balsamic Reduction on Rosemary Focaccia – $16.49), PB & J Burger ( Smoked Bacon, creamy Peanut Butter, and Jelly on a Toasted Butter Bun – $14.99) and the Char-crusted Ahi Tuna Burger (Teriyaki-Ginger Spiced Tuna, Watercress, Garlic Aïoli, Cucumber-Mango Salsa, Sweet Hawaiian Roll with Sea Salt Chips – $17.49) We all agreed that the California burger was our favorite and the cilantro cream is actually a really cool flavor! Really, you can’t go wrong with any of the burgers and though I have shared 4 of them with you, there are 4 other choices that might intrigue you.

We were also impressed that the temperature on the burgers was cooked to our perfect medium rare asking! Other entrees include, Slow-roasted Top Round Sandwich ( Garden Slaw, Jardinière Vegetables, and Beef Jus on a Kimmelweck Roll served with choice of Cucumber Salad or French Fries – $14.99), Grilled Vegetable Hoagie ( Zucchini, Onions, Eggplant, Oven-dried Tomatoes, Fennel, Arugula, Goat Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic Spread on a Kimmelweck Roll served with choice of Cucumber Salad or French Fries – $12.99), Chicken and Waffles ( Jalapeño-Cornmeal Waffles, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Angry Maple Chicken Gravy – $14.99) and Center-Cut Top Sirloin (House-made Mac & Cheese, Chipotle-Lime Butter, and Market Vegetables – $20.99) Looking around the restaurant, I could not take my eyes off the Chicken and Waffles. It’s a good thing that ESPN Club is open year round because I now have 3 items I want to go back and try!

For those of you that stay for overtime, the dessert selections are pretty fantastic! Choose from Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (Warm Cake served with a Brown Sugar-poached Pineapple Ring, Vanilla-Pineapple reduction, and chilled Vanilla Cream – $5.99), The Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Indulgence (Layers of rich Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Fudge Butter Cream with a Raspberry Sauce and fresh Berries – $5.99), Vanilla-Sour Cream Cheesecake and Graham Cracker Crust (with a Salted Caramel – $5.49) or the Warm Bourbon-Pecan Brownie (Gooey Bourbon Pecan Brownie topped with Caramel and Vanilla Sauce and Candied Nueske’s Bacon – $7.99) After an appetizer and quarters of 4 burgers, we did not indulge in dessert as we usually do, but I now have 4 items to try as I come back to cheer on the Miami Dolphins, I will not pass up that cheesecake next time!

We really enjoyed our dinner at ESPN Club. With all of the sports games on, the lively atmosphere, delicious food and televisions literally everywhere (go into the bathroom for a good laugh!) you’ll want to return to ESPN Club again and again…even without the sports draw, this is a great place to be!

4 ½ out of 5 stars: Let’s figure out how to not have people wait in the heat for a table, Disney. There has to be some sort of a solution!

FAST REVIEW

Food: You are about to experience food that seems like sports bar grub, but is actually more sophisticated. With several choices of gourmet burgers, nice appetizer choices and a couple of items that you would not expect at a sports bar, you are definitely going to enjoy the fare. The server even told us to try a burger that we weren’t completely sold on and that he promised we’d like it or he’d get us a different choice!

Atmosphere: Sports are the name of the game at ESPN Club and watching the games are going to be the focus of the entertainment. With about 100 television screens, even in the bathroom, the atmosphere is exciting, fun and sometimes even loud! Get into the fun and cheer on your favorite team!

Service: Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and quick to offer delicious selections. He was also very knowledgeable about sports which really entertained the men at the table! He even razzed me a bit about being a Dolphins fan. We had a great experience with our service. There were a lot of servers working and we did not see many unhappy guests, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves!

Tips: Accepts Disney Dining Plan as one table service credit. ESPN Club does not accept advanced reservations, so management suggested getting to the restaurant about 45 minutes before game time, if you are going to watch a game. Wear your favorite jersey and be prepared to have some fun! Reserved seats are available on game days for an extra fee. Check out when your favorite sports and ESPN personalities will be around; there can even be live radio broadcasts on select days!

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