PHOTOS - José's Way - The best way to do Jaleo at Disney Springs

Apr 17, 2019 in "Jaleo"

Chef's tasting menu - José's Way
Posted: Wednesday April 17, 2019 2:30pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Jaleo by Chef José Andrés made a big splash with its Disney Springs opening last month, bringing the best of Spanish cuisine to Walt Disney World.

Head over to our in-depth Jaleo review to read our impressions of the restaurant, but in brief, Jaleo jumps right to the top of the list when it comes to top quality food at Walt Disney World. If you enjoy the concept of small plates, family sharing and some food that might surprise you, this is a restaurant for you.

Jaleo hosted us at a recent event to try out José's Way - a fixed price Chef's Tasting menu priced at $110. This may sound a lot, but when you see the amount of food on offer (and how good it is), it quickly becomes clear that José's Way may just be the way to eat at Jaleo.

Your server can tell you exactly what will be included in José's Way on the day you visit, but this is a selection of the dishes that may be on offer. It is worth noting that if ordered individually, the cost would be significantly higher.

Every trip to Jaleo should start with the Pan de cristal con tomato - it is addictive, so be warned.

These are 'Ferran Adrià' liquid olives and gordal olives stuffed with piquillo pepper and anchovy. They are served on a spoon, and they just burst in your mouth on contact with your tongue - Molecular gastronomy at its finest. The flavor is really something else, and it might even convert anyone who wouldn't normally choose olive dishes.

Caviar at Walt Disney World? At Jaleo yes.

Jaleo's ham is something special, and the tasting menu serves it in a couple of ways.

At other Jaleo restaurants, the fritters are served in a shoe - but at Walt Disney World, they come on a pillow fit for royalty.

You don't see Octopus everyday on a Disney menu, but it is here at Jaleo, and the paprika & oil gives it a wonderful smokey flavor.

This Skirt Steak comes all the way from Spain, and it is unlike any pork you've had before.

Spain is famous for its paella, and Jaleo serves five different kinds, made in the on-stage paella kitchen. This is the vegetable paella which contains no less than 9 different vegetables.

Jaleo's desserts are among the very best at Disney Springs. Each is unique, and with José's Way you get to try more than one. 

The cheesecake is unlike any you have tried before - the chef told us this is the 'real' way to do it, and we think he's right.

José's Way tasting menu certainly isn't something that should be rushed, so plan for at least an hour and a half, but the experience could certainly be longer if you wanted it to be, especially if you venture into the excellent cocktail menu. The Ultimate Gin and Tonic should be on the top of your list, and no visit to a Spanish restaurant is complete without a Sangria.

So to sum up, the José's Way tasting menu is a great way to take the stress out of ordering, and letting the restaurant's creator take you on a tour of some of his best dishes, at a price that represents real value. It can become a bit cliché, but Jaleo is one of those restaurants where every dish just works, and if you go in prepared to try anything, you'll be rewarded with a truly unique dining experience at Disney World.

You can make reservations at Jaleo Disney Springs on OpenTable for both lunch and dinner. If you would rather see the full menu and be in charge of your own ordering, see the full Jaleo menu here.

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nicb88Apr 18, 2019

You can now make reservations for Jaleo through the Disney website, too. I’m pretty sure that’s very recent.

Ariel1986Apr 18, 2019

This looks great. I wonder if any Dining Plan would cover it. I know that you can have 2 tapas/1 plated dish/paella for two and a dessert on the regular plan.

rezzykApr 01, 2019

My wife and I went there with some friends last week. No wait at 7pm on a Monday night (at least not yet!) We ended up staying there until after 10. For 5 people we spent $300, and $70 of that was alcohol! So $230 for 5 people wasn't too bad, and we got 4 quesos, 1 paella, 10 small dishes, and 3 desserts. We had a great time and the food was good. I do think this so somewhere you should go as a group, as the small plates make it more of a sharing experience, where you just order a lot of different things and everyone tries it out. My wife and I talked after and we both agreed we would have been lost and ended up not ordering things we enjoyed if it was just the two of us.

Ariel1986Mar 27, 2019

Anyone seen any updates yet on how the dining plan will work- how many dishes you can have etc.?

Andrew CMar 27, 2019

Lol. DW and I literally just watched this.

MisterPenguinMar 27, 2019

the.dreamfinderMar 26, 2019

Like a spice indicator system? Then no. I LOVE spicy foods and didn’t think anything was particularly spicy. The orange cheese, whose name escapes me, and it’s accompanied jam had an intense flavor, but not necessarily spicy. The wait staff know the menu very well and will offer comments and suggestions if asked.

MisterPenguinMar 26, 2019

I don't like spicy-hot foods. Are the spicy and mild menu items clearly labeled. Is everything hot. Are there items you wouldn't think would be spicy but in actuality are?

the.dreamfinderMar 25, 2019

I went to Jaleo last week, AMA. Not pictured:Tortilla de patatas clássica

wdwmagicMar 22, 2019

Yeah Jaleo has 3 onstage kitchens where most of it is done, but there must be some backstage prep kitchens. Pepe has a kitchen visible, but it may well share some of the Jaleo prep areas, I’m not sure about that.

MisterPenguinMar 22, 2019

Oh, thanks for the clarification. I thought Pepe's was just their counter service. I stand corrected!