Kalimera! (ka-lee-MEH-ra) is “Good Morning” in Greek, and that was how I was greeted Saturday morning when I walked into Cat Cora’s new restaurant Kouzzina at Disney’s BoardWalk. This was their first morning open to the public — their grand soft opening — and I was looking forward to trying an Iron-Chef-sanctioned breakfast.
Kouzzina’s hours of operations for breakfast is 7:30am-11:00am.
I arrived before they opened just to get settled and was fortunate to have the lobby all to myself for a few minutes. I took the opportunity to take some pictures:
When you walk in, you see the check-in counter with the wall behind it featuring some Greek artwork, bottles of wines, and a couple of Cat Cora’s cookbooks.
To the right, you’ll find on the wall some framed, vintage photos of people. Also, you’ll find an entrance to the adjacent Seashore Sweets store.
On the wall opposite of the picture frames, there’s an Old World map of the Mediterranean Sea region.
Beside the map is an olive press (written on it were the words “Olio di Oliva”, or “Olive Oil” in Italian). Behind it in the picture are the doors to the dining area…
…and a hidden Mickey.
And just for good measure and perspective, here’s a picture facing the doors back to the BoardWalk.
On the Disney World website for Kouzzina [http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/board-walk-inn/dining/kouzzina/], the breakfast is labeled “American” though the menu does has a number of Greek-inspired offerings, including the Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Scrambled Eggs, as well as what I ordered: the Turkey-Sweet Potato Hash.
The dinner menu is more-evidently “Mediterranean” with lamb and seafood selections. Both menus can also be found on AllEars.Net — breakfast (/menu/menu_kouzb.htm), dinner(/menu/menu_kouzd.htm).
Note: as they’re in soft opening, prices and menu offerings are subject to change.
With the Turkey-Sweet Potato Hash, I had a choice of toast and how I wanted my eggs to be prepare — I went with wheat and scrambled, respectively.
The lead manager Kouzzina, Tom, stopped by my table to inform me that I was Kouzzina’s first customer and that they’d take care of my breakfast! Woo!
It didn’t take long at all for the food to arrive, and it wasn’t very long after that for me to get my picture taken with it.
Here are 2 pictures of my meal:
The Turkey-Sweet Potato Hash was very flavorful. Nice was how the eggs were sandwiched between the savory turkey-sweet potato hash and the arugula’s gentle peppery taste. I thought that all of the dish’s flavors and textures worked.
I talked with my server, Morgan, about the dinner menu and asked her for recommendations. She suggested the Slow-cooked Lamb Shank and the Fisherman’s Stew; she also said that their Char-grilled Lamb Burger was very delicious. I will definitely get a group together and come back another time for a dinner service.
The servers and managers were all very attentive to any feedback their guests had. Tom mentioned that they had completed a couple days of soft openings just for Cast Members, and that they’re excited to have this time to get all the details worked out before their official grand opening next month (scheduled for September 17, 2009).
Overall, my experience at Kouzzina was pretty great, and I believe that it’s a very good option for breakfast before visiting the parks — Epcot’s just a short walk away. I know that I’ll be back for another round, but by then the restaurant will have had a lot more services under its belt, and we’ll see if this Iron Chef’s cuisine reigns supreme. 🙂
Morgan and me:
Kouzzina as seen from the Epcot Resorts:
Great photos and thanks for the review! I remember when Spoodles had that great Mediterranean breakfast but then they Americanized it and it went downhill. Looks like Kouzzinas will be a great replacement.
Spoodles was a favorite for us, sad to see it go. Does anyone know if they still serve that wonderful sangria? And, can you still get it by the cup at the take out window? It was so great to grab a cup and relax on the boardwalk after a busy day at the parks.
We ate at the new Cat Cora resturant, and we were not impressed at all. We were 2 adults and 2 children. My husband and I both had the greek salad, which was good. I ordered the Lamb burger and it was soooo spicy I had to send it back. Even the waiter said he had tried it back in the kitchen and thought it was too spicy for any human consumption. It did not mention any where on the menu about it being hot. I ended up just having another salad, but the experience was not good, and I doubt we will eat there again.
We went to Kouzzina last week for dinner, less than a week after it opened. The general boardwalk environment puts everyone in a good mood and the wait staff was super nice and eager to please.
The food was really yummy, especially if you order anything to do with seafood. The seafood stew was amazing and my daugther loved her fish dish too. My husband’s steak was way too salty though. Dessert was nothing special.
The main dish took a very long time to come. But appetizers and dessert was fast. This tells me that the kitchen is still getting used to their menu. Dinner took 1.5 hours.
Overall, it was a great experience.
We ate breakfast and dinner there and both were terrific. I was excited to find out about the “soft opening” when we checked in the BWV on Aug. 16th.
Lots of good choices for kids too. I highly recommend the fish stew for dinner. Service at both breakfast and dinner was very good. There was a small problem with my husband’s meal (it was lukewarm) and they bent over backwards to fix it.
Had dinner there twice last week. Loved it both times. Very authentic Greek food. Saganaki and spanikopita were delicious. A can’t miss place to eat.
We were there on Friday night to review the restaurant for Celebrations Magazine and LOVED it. Was hard for me since I was a huge Spoodles fan, but the service was excellent and the food was some of the best food I have enjoyed on Disney World property. Highly recommend it!!!!
I also have reservations there on September 5 and was told that when using the dining plan it only counts for one table service meal. Can’t wait eat there!
The Pizza Window is still open, It’s a separate entity from Kouzzina.
And, yes, you can use the dining plan and it counts as regular table service, NOT signature dining.
Had dinner there on the 17th. Decent authentic Greek food.
NOTE: Lamb burger is very spicy but the menu fails to mention this detail.
TERRIFIC RESTAURANT. ATER THERE TWICE 8/17 AND 8/20. THE SAGANAKI WAS THE BEST.GREAT PLACE ON BOARDWALK
To answer previous question about dining plan-
We have reso for dinner on 9/23 using the dining plan and we were told it counts as a regular table service. Cant wait to try it!!!
Can anyone tell me if Kouzzina is part of the “Magic Your Way Dining Plan” and if so, is it a regular or a singature table service choice.
Can anyone tell me if they still have the pizza stand outside of this new restaurant like they did at Spoodles?
Thank you to everyone for their comments. I wanted to try Spoodles before they closed but just never got around to doing so. And thank you Gary for the vintage information and for the lamb and calamari recommendations. Any food pics? I’m sure that Deb would enjoy some from a dinner service 🙂
Please post your reviews to: http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showcat.php?cat=41
Hi Cedric, nice pictures and report about Kouzzina. We had dinner on Sunday evening (the 16th) and it was incredible. We had the lamb and the baked Yellow Snapper (whole). We had the Fried Calamari for appetizer and it was unreal (even some deep fried wedges of lemons).
The flavors are out of this world, and the prices are very reasonable compared to other Disney restaurants (in particular Flying Fish).
Wanted to let you know about the vintage pictures on the wall adjacent to the Seashore Sweets store. Our waiter informed us that those pictures are of Cat Cora’s family..
Thanks for the report.
Sheila:
The kiddie’s fish is pan seared and garnished with a lemon slice on top. Very Yummy!
Sam:
I think the sign is actually smaller than the Spoodle one was… And a lot less brighter too… LOL
Thanks for the review. The menus look interesting and will be fun to try.
There is one thing that really, really stands out! The “Kouzzina” sign out front is too huge! Your picture from the Epcot resorts shows that the size of this sign really takes away from the charm of the Boardwalk. They should tone down the size of the sign to reflect the size of the other signs on the adjacent shops and restaurants. If the food proves to be good people will come.
I am glad to see the kids menu offers a choice to eat more than mac and cheese. My girls should love the fish!
Looks like this restaurant will require several visits….how sad! Thanks for the report, we are anxious to eat there, but we have to wait until April. Hopefully there will be lots of postive reviews!!
cannot wait to try it have reservation Sept. 24th for dinner!!!!
Hello!! To the person who asked about the children’s menu… Kouzzina offers 4 dishes for the kiddies. Turkey marinara pasta, Kids fish on a bed of orzo, A grilled chicken breast with sweet potato fries and kid cheese pizza… Any other questions you may have I’ll be checking regularly.. Have a great day!
Thanks for the review, Cedric! Looks great.
Wonderful review & thank you for posting the photos! I’m very excited to try Kouzzina during my December trip!
We are coming to Orlando in September/October. My 50th birthday; and I will be going to celebrate it there. Can’t wait!!! Love Cat Cora and can’t wait to try their food.
Thanks for the great reviw. I can’t seem to find a children’s menu anywhere yet. Will this be a place we will be able to take our children?
DEB: We have the kid’s menus and they should be up later today.
Seems like the interior is very similar (or the same) as it was when it was my beloved Spoodles.
Looking forward to reading a dinner review.
Kalimera!! I’m thrilled to find a Greek restaurant at Disney. I read through the menu and many items especially dinner are authentic Greek fair. I can’t wait to try it and compare to my own Greek cooking, don’t miss the desserts, Baklava and Galaktibouriko is simply heaven.
Nice shot of the hidden mickey made of platters on the wall near the shelves.
Yassou!
Can’t wait to try it, as I am going there next week and I thought I would have to wait until my next visit. I hope they have some items for children on the menu too.
Thanks so much for the review! We are going on september 14th and can’t wait!
We loved Spoodles and were sad to see it change before we got back down but we’re looking forward to breakfast at Kouzzina. They told us they weren’t serving breakfast only lunch and dinner. We’re going down this week so they booked our breakfast at the Beach Club. I’m wondering if I can change it to Kouzzina’s?
Hello Cedric!
I was so glad you chose the Turkey Sweet Potato Hash to try because that is the one I hope to try soon! I am VERY glad you enjoyed it and the pictures are making my mouth water! Thanks for sharing your experience there with us!
Baines Family
WOw, this looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it on my next trip