Narcoosee's is back at Disney's Grand Floridan Resort after an 8-month closure to reimagine the restaurant with a refreshed interior and updated menu.
Nestled on the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon, Narcoosee's has established itself over the years as one of Walt Disney World's top signature restaurants, offering a land and sea-based menu, with panoramic views of Magic Kingdom and its nightly firework shows.
Serving guests since 1988, Narcoosee's was overdue for a refresh, and Disney took this opportunity to carry out a near-complete rebuild of the restaurant.
Alongside a new roof and a complete gutting of the interior, the split-level dining room was eliminated in favor of a new single-level design, punctuated by a central bar.
Stepping inside Narcoosee's, you are struck by an impressive sense of height. The tall ceilings give the interior a feeling of luxury. The new bar commands the space and draws attention to the shelves of nicknacks, a nod to the restaurant's origins as an oyster bar.
The color scheme adopts a modern trend of greys and blues, with wood flooring and ceiling. Shutters hang over the windows at varying angles, adding visual interest and shape to the room.
Despite its view of the Magic Kingdom, designers resisted the temptation to add outdoor terrace seating and instead positioned tables and booths to view the park from the inside. Given Florida's varying weather, this was a good choice. While the views are lovely, we would not suggest making a reservation here purely for the view. Depending on exactly where you are seated, you may not see the castle, and it is a similar view that you routinely see from the ferry boat, monorail, or just walking around the grounds of the hotel.
Although a signature restaurant at Disney's most luxurious hotel, Narcoosee's offers a very relaxed atmosphere. There is a dress code, but over the years, this has become more of a suggestion. The current wording says, "Guests are expected to dress accordingly in attire that respects the restaurant's sophisticated and upscale aesthetic. Clothing should be clean, neat and in good condition. Please no swimwear."
Narcoosee's is an excellent choice for more upscale dining if you are visiting with children. The casual atmosphere is forgiving, and as long as your children can stay in a seat, they shouldn't have any problems here. The kids' menu is also well done, offering upscale choices such as Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Fried Calamari and seasonal fish. There are of course standard options including chicken breast or strips.
Taking its cues from sea and land, the new Narcoosee's menu has something for everyone, but with a slight bias towards seafood.
New dishes created by Chef Noah Estabrook and the team include:
Ocean-Inspired Charcuterie Board, consisting of ahi tuna pastrami, charred octopus and house-made sausage from the sea.
Beef and Ricotta Tortelloni: The rich combination of beef and creamy ricotta cheese is complemented by brown butter, silky parsnip puree and sultana raisins.
Roasted Vegetable Paella: Featuring market vegetables, cannellini beans, preserved artichoke and charred Meyer lemon.
Blackened Redfish: Chef Noah's signature dish, a filet of redfish is rubbed with Narcoossee's secret blackening blend and served atop a crispy chorizo-sunchoke hash with hominy and Florida sweet corn before it's finished with a drizzle of red pepper rouille.
Returning dishes include the Bisque, Plancha-Seared Scallops with Parisian Gnocchi, and a Twelve-ounce Prime New York Strip Steak.
Being a signature restaurant, you expect excellent presentation, and Narcoosee's culinary team delivers. Everything we ordered was prepared to near perfection. The dishes are bursting with color, delicate touches, and attention to detail.
Each dinner begins with an included freshly-baked bread service.
We ordered several of the new dishes and were impressed with everything we tasted. The flavors are well designed and put together and should appeal to a wide range of pallets.
The new blackened redfish dish was a standout. The seasoning adds interest but isn't overpowering and spicey. The hash looks beautiful and tastes equally as good.
We sampled all of the desserts on offer and preferred the Almond-crusted Cheesecake. The desserts are reasonably light and sized well for enjoying as part of a large meal. You can't go wrong with any of the choices, and our recommendation would be to order a couple and share.
Disney has paid particular attention to the beverage program at Narcoosee's, focusing on more of a craft cocktail experience and moving away from the more traditional syrup-heavy drinks you often find at Disney's restaurants. The company says the drinks are Victorian-inspired, taking inspiration from tipples popular during the late nineteenth century.
You'll find a Gimlet, Manhatten, an Old-Fashioned, a Dark and Stormy, Martini's, and more. We tried several of the featured cocktails, and they were all excellent. Most notably, they were very well balanced, not overly spirit forward, but equally not sweet and sugary. Expect to pay for the quality of the drinks, though; cocktails range from $16 to $22. Keeping with recent trends, there are also a couple of mocktails and a wine and beer list.
Being a Disney signature restaurant, you should budget around $100 per head and more if there are multiple rounds of drinks. While there are very few Disney restaurants that we would say offer value for money, Narcoosee's is in line with what you pay elsewhere at Disney, and if you go in knowing what you will pay, there will be no surprises.
The Narcoosee's refresh has brought the restaurant up to date with its interior design and its menu. Fans of Narcoosee's will find many of its former menu items still available, but with new dishes and drinks to discover. The easy-going, laid-back atmosphere is welcome and very accessible for families.
While there are better options if you are looking for that special occasion dinner (Victoria & Alberts, the nearby Capa at Four Seasons, or Bull & Bear at Waldorf Astoria), Narcoosee's is a solid choice for upscale dining at Walt Disney World.
Narcoosee's operating hours are 5pm to 9:30pm daily. View the full Narcoosee's menu.
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