REVIEW - Sebastian's Bistro at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

Oct 10, 2018 in "Sebastian's Bistro"

Sebastian's Bistro overview
Posted: Wednesday October 10, 2018 2:08pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Sebastian’s Bistro is now open at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, part of an extensive makeover at the center of the resort - Old Port Royale.

The previous table service offering at the resort, Shutters, was not very well received, so eyes are very much on the new Sebastian’s Bistro to see if it can succeed where its predecessor fell short.

Taking on the style of a beach-front home, Sebastian’s Bistro is located in in an all new building on the waterfront. The rear of the building faces the main poolside entrance to Old Port Royale, and the entrance to Sebastians is on the opposite side alongside the water.

Sharing the building is the all new Banana Cabana bar and lounge.

The place looks fantastic, full of some unique Caribbean styling, and it serves the full Sebstian’s Bistro menu alongside its own drink selections.

Although the restaurant is named after the Little Mermaid character, don’t expect to see much in the way of theming from the movie. Sebastian does make an appearance on the signage, the menu and in some artwork inside the restaurant, but that is where the Little Mermaid theming comes to an end.

Stepping inside, you find yourself in a small lobby and hallway with a check-in podium. The restaurant isn’t very big, and the space has definitely been used for the dining room with any waiting space kept to a minimum. The restaurant is unlikely to be very busy, with it being at a resort, so this shouldn’t prove to be an issue as it may be at other high traffic locations.

The interior is an L-shape, with two dining rooms. This helps to create a more intimate space, and it really does feel cozy.

The high vaulted ceilings and a large numbers of windows make the space feel very light and airy, even in the relatively small space.

The two dining areas are not significantly different, although some may prefer the look of one over the other. The first dining room offers some booths along with tables, and the second is tables only.

One of the first things we noticed was just how comfortable the dining room is. Plush comfy chairs, nicely set tables, and overall a very pleasant environment. Even when it became full, the noise level remained controlled, and it was very easy to have a conversation without shouting.

Having found the interior to be exceed expectations, it was onto the food - and this is really where the restaurant needed to shine - and we are happy to say, it did.

Menu items stay very true to the Caribbean - with things like Skirt steak “chimichurri” with crispy yuca, Citrus-stuffed sustainable whole fish with turmeric brown rice and cilantro-lime vinaigrette, Sautéed shrimp and tamales with roasted peppers and salsa verde, Arepa with slow-cooked pork and chili-mango barbecue sauce and Crispy avocado-and-bacon burger with chimichurri and pico de gallo.

There is a lot to choose from on the menu, and you could very easily just go with an assortment of appetizers and dessert, and skip the main dishes altogether.

We got started with the Caribbean Pull-apart Rolls - which were wonderful. The rolls are very buttery and flaky, and pull apart into about 8 strips of fine bread. They are served with Guava Butter, Mango Chutney, and Jamaican Jerk Oil - each of which you could easily just eat up with a spoon. It is a great dish for the table and highly recommended.

Next up was the Marauders Snack, which consists of Tostones, Arepas, and House-made Crackers with Black Bean Hummus, Guacamole, and Pico de Gallo.

Another good option for sharing, everything tasted great and seemed to have been prepared completely in-house.

Finally for the appetizers, we tried the Jamaican Meat Pies. You get two of these, so another good option for sharing. The pastry has a hint of curry to it, and the meat was very nicely seasoned. It comes with a Guajillo Chili Sauce - which really completes the dish.

Moving on to the main dishes, we tried the Grilled Skirt Steak “Chimichurri,” served with crispy Yuca. Again, it was very well prepared, cooked to a nice medium as requested. For beef lovers, this is a great option.

The dessert menu has some interesting options, with everything coming right from the region, and none of the typical brownie sundaes.

The Floating Island is a great option if you are looking for something light and refreshing. It comes with fresh Caribbean fruit and Meringue with guava and guanabana sorbet.

The Banoffee Tart was also an excellent choice with a Banana Custard, Chocolate Ganache, and Caramel Sauce.

Neither dessert was particularly large, and while could be shared, both would be fine as an individual dessert. Quality of quantity is the name of the game here.

A quick word on the kids menu, which is something that is often largely ignored by many restaurants. The options at Sebastian’s are excellent for kids. Create your own entrees includes a choice of Grilled Jerk Chicken, Slow-cooked Pork Shoulder, Beef and Mushroom Blended Burger, Grilled Shrimp Skewer. Then you get to pick two sections from items including Jerk-roasted Butternut Squash, Black Beans and Rice, Cauli-fries with Carrot Ketchup, Yellow Rice and Vanilla Gelato with Fruit and Chocolate Sauce.

The food is prepared to the same level as the adult menu, and that is something that is a definite plus at this restaurant.

Sebastian’s has some great cocktails, with Rum featuring heavily on the menu. The Jamaican Old Fashioned was one of our favorites.

And along with the alcoholic options, there are also some speciality non-alcoholic options.

Sebastian’s Bistro is in a different league to Shutters, and really stands out as a restaurant worthy of you trying, even if you are not staying at Caribbean Beach Resort.

The laid back casual atmosphere is a welcome break from the parks and some of the other busier restaurants, and the food is extremely well thought out and executed. Service was to a high level, as it should be at all Disney restaurants.

In terms of value, this is never something that you really get at a Disney restaurant, and the same is true here. Most appetizers are between $10 and $15, with the mains costing up to $30. Drinks and desserts are around the $10 to $15. So depending on what you drink, expect to pay at least $50 per head. It isn’t any better or worse value than other comparable restaurants at Walt Disney World, so value is largely a moot point.

Table Service restaurant have often struggled for business at moderate resorts, but with next year’s opening of the Riviera Resort within walking distance, and the addition of Disney Skyliner to the resort, Sebastian’s could prove to be a popular spot in the coming years.

Sebastian’s Bistro is open from lunch from 11am to 4pm, and dinner from 4pm to 10pm daily. Annual Passholders receive a 10% discount, and the Disney Dining Plan is accepted at 1 credit.

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TikibirdLandMar 09, 2022

Would be interesting to look at the value proposition between the two parks. But, it will be VERY subjective. After all, you can't put a price on Magic!

OG RunnerMar 09, 2022

Right. Did you see the article today noting Universal is increasing the parking fees for the parks? Didn't think so. Because only Disney is evil and Universal does everything right. (F&F) Stick your Boom!

GimpYancIentMar 09, 2022

Of course, there is always (that dark place Disney fans are forbidden to talk about) UNIVERSAL plus a few other options within the Orlando area or for that matter many more options all over the county. The kicker is a person does not have to pay Disney prices to have a great vacation. Boom!

TikibirdLandMar 09, 2022

What's the fun in that? I expect to leave my kids with all my bills when I kick the bucket. There's lots to see in the US. As Calvin says, "Let's go exploring!".

OG RunnerMar 09, 2022

Just stay home, wherever you are from, never go on vacation and put all of your money in a savings account and leave it to your kids when you die. You don't need a vacation. What is going to Florida going to add to your life? Then you don't need to whine about the cost of things or if a ride you want to ride is not open. Just stay home!

LittleMermanMar 09, 2022

My bf and I ate there a few weeks ago for the first time and loved it! The restaurant was really pretty, the food was great, we loved that it was family style, and our server was awesome! We really, really enjoyed it and would definitely go back. We also loved the music - it was the voice of Sebastien singing popular songs lol. So cute. The Little Mermaid is my favorite movie (obviously lol) so this was really, really fun! We walked around Caribbean Beach afterwards which I had never really explored before. We took the Skyliner to Riviera and then walked back. It was a great last dinner of our trip!

JoeCamelMar 09, 2022

Park at the convention center and take the public bus. Saves a bunch of parking and no temptation to go into DS and give the mouse more money

TikibirdLandMar 08, 2022

Nah, I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Express. Oh, and I park at DS and ride the bus to MK. I love saving money!

cranbizMar 08, 2022

No, it's not. Those who think it is have not been to a restaurant recently I guess. I just went to a local restaurant Friday night and paid just about that PP. This was not a fancy restaurant either. OK, we were able to pick our proteins but they were not anything special.

OG RunnerMar 08, 2022

I assume, and I hate to assume, but do you drive to Applebee's. If so, you are using gas, and are also paying a $15.00 a night parking fee at CBR. Yeah you are saving a ton. 😂

TikibirdLandMar 08, 2022

it is when we're at WDW. And, we don't spend anywhere near $30 pp when we go there either! It's Magical!

OG RunnerMar 08, 2022

I didn't know Applebee's was a Disney restaurant. :D

castlecake2.0Mar 08, 2022

I’m comparing Disney prices to Disney prices, seems like an accurate way to measure something? Even still, going to a chain restaurant off property to get a three course meal + non alcoholic beverage $29 still doesn’t seem that bad? To get a similar microwaved meal at Applebee’s down the road is $10 more.

mufasa0505Mar 08, 2022

We ate there in November and loved it. Our server noticed that the regular skillet was a bit too adventurous for my daughter and brought her chicken tenders with fries. It was prixe fix back then, too.