Hello and welcome back to yet another trip report! We’re ending this trip report on a high note with a triple tale of successful Disney restaurant walk ups. Find all the entries in this report here. Onward!
No, seriously, this really is the final entry in this trip report, I swear! In it, I would like to talk to you about walk ups.
I made zero restaurant reservations for my 2024 WDW Marathon Weekend trip. This was partially due to some uncertainty about the precise nature of our park plan, and partially thanks to my new and exciting paranoia.
By consequence, most of our meals were of the counter service variety, but we were able to walk up to a couple bars without trouble. In addition to food reviews, I’ve included time stamps below, to give you an idea of when we were able to do this easy wandering in.
WALKING UP AT WINE BAR GEORGE
Wine Bar George in Disney Springs was our first stop on Sunday after the marathon, and we rocked up to the host stand just after 4:30pm. The bar was by no means deserted but there were plenty of seats for us.
In addition to some glasses of wine/champagne, we ordered the hummus plate to snack on. Believe it or not, this was superlative! You wouldn’t think there’d be a whole heckuva lot you can do to impress with hummus, but you’d be wrong. It’s house-made and comes with soft, fresh naan and crisp cucumber. The flavor and texture were exemplary, with the drizzle of olive oil plus spice providing the savory icing on this (absolutely not a) cake. If you are vegetarian or just prefer a lighter appetizer, I can’t recommend this one enough.
WALKING UP AT JOCK LINDSEY’S HANGAR BAR
From Wine Bar George we trotted right across the way to Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, where there’s no host stand; instead a sign encourages you to seat yourself. Of course, one can only seat oneself when there is a seat. Yet, at 5:30pm, there were still a solid handful of tables available. I guess all the locals had to get to work early? I was surprised.
Anyway, in addition to my all-time favorite Anything Goes cocktail,* I indulged myself in the “Chicken on the Egg” appetizer: deviled eggs topped with fried chicken and hot honey. It arrives on a wooden biplane!
Normally this would definitely be something you’d want to share, but having run 39.3 miles in the previous 24 hours I was ready to tackle it alone. There’s nothing fancy or elevated about this dish, but no surprises or letdowns either: you get deviled eggs, fried chicken nuggets (but, like, really ones, not grocery freezer-style), and a hot honey topper. If you like these things, you will like this, as all the components are well prepared. If you do not, this rendition will not sway you. Also, I will happily take yours off your hands.
* Which appears to be missing from the current menu?! But when I ordered it I was met with zero resistance. Maybe just one of those weird Disney discrepancies.
WALKING UP AT TOPOLINO’S TERRACE
I rocked up to one more restaurant unannounced, and that was none other than the coveted Topolino’s Terrace at the top of Disney’s Riviera Resort. I was mildly concerned about this one – while it was a Monday night, it was also just about 8pm… and the Epcot fireworks would start around 9pm. As a single person I figured my odds were good; I just wasn’t sure what kind of crowd I’d be contending with.
As it turned out? None. The host stand waved me straight through the bar, currently held down by one guy. Then he left. I was there for around 90 minutes and the population never rose above 50% bar capacity, if it even got there. I’m not saying it’s always like this, but I am saying you’ve got a much better chance at admission here than the lounge at California Grill, ya know?
While I was there, I got two drinks: first, my usual French Rose, which I have reviewed before, and then I went for the wild card with the Marseille Spritz. The menu describes it thusly: G’Vine Floraison Gin, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Mediterranean Tonic, Lemon.
Ummmmmmm… new favorite?! I’m not against gin but sometimes I find it overpowering; not so in the Marseille Spritz. The liqueur, tonic, and lemon come together for a just barely sweet, very lightly tart, totally balanced refresher of a drink. I adored it. Heck, I wish I had one right now. Topolino’s watching the fireworks while sipping a Marseille Spritz: that’s the dream.
By the way – although I didn’t need it after my Regal Eagle dinner, the full menu was available at the bar.
And there you have it! Three walkups, no waiting. A triple tale of success. I’d absolutely encourage the more flexible WDW vacationers among you to try keeping your restaurant plans loosey-goosey some time. It’s strangely freeing.
GOODBYE, SWEET WALT DISNEY WORLD…
… for now. My January trip report is at an end. But what’s that I see on the horizon? Holy smokes, is that the Princess Half Marathon…?!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!
Bar hopping at Disney Springs was what I did post-Disney challenge, and Old Key West was a great location for that with the boat!! Just saying if we need ideas for next year 😉 I need to spend more time at Jock Lindsay’s.
That is definitely on my short list for post-marathon activities in 2025!