REVIEW: We Tried the NEW Menu at Disney World's HORSE Restaurant. Here's Why You Should Skip It.

There are a LOT of restaurants in Disney World (we’re talking hundreds, you guys!), and they can’t all be winners.

Unfortunately, some of Disney World’s restaurants aren’t exactly beloved, whether due to their menus, their atmosphere, or their pricing. One of those spots that tend to get a bad rap is located at Saratoga Springs Resort, and we stopped by recently to see if a new menu would earn it a higher spot on our list!

Background

That’s right, we’re going to Turf Club Bar & Grill in Saratoga Springs! This restaurant is located in the back of the resort’s main building, down a very long hallway.

Before you enter the restaurant space, you’ll come to the bar, which has a laid-back feel. There are several tables and TVs so you can watch the news or the latest sports while you enjoy a drink.

But for our meal, we’re heading into the dining room to sit down! Reservations are recommended but not always super necessary as this spot isn’t too popular.

Let’s head inside!

Atmosphere

The dining room, like the rest of this resort, has an equestrian theme. You’ll see jockey uniforms, memorabilia, and artwork themed to the sport all around Turf Club.

This is one of Disney World’s darker restaurants, and the furniture is all darker wood as well, so it feels a bit gloomy at times. Thankfully, we were able to get a seat by a table for some natural light.

There’s also an outdoor seating area if you’d like to dine on the patio. This would be lovely on a nice day!

If you’d like to dine here, you should know that the menu has a wide variety of eats. Appetizers include options like soup, salad, or seafood, while the entree list has everything from prime rib to scallop pasta to burgers.

The dessert menu has a combination of classics like chocolate cake and New York-style cheesecake but is also home to a Salted Caramel Creme Brulee. Now that sounds interesting!

We’re getting pretty hungry, so let’s order!

Food & Drinks

To start, they brought out a complimentary bread service, which came with classic dinner rolls and butter with black salt.

The rolls were really fluffy and light with a tiny bit of crust on the top and edges, and the salt really took the butter to the next level. This was a pretty standard bread service, but it was done well.

For our appetizer, we got the Golden-Fried Calamari for $18. It’s served with classic aïoli, Roma tomato sauce, pepperoncini peppers, and lemon. It was fried to a crisp and not too greasy.

The peppers made it just a little bit spicy and the sauce was like a spicy cocktail sauce, so there was a smidge of heat to this overall. The lemon adds some freshness and ultimately this was super delicious. It’s like a top-tier version of a calamari appetizer, and we would definitely order it again!

We picked out two popular options for our entrees, and the first was the Buttermilk-fried Herb Chicken for $28. It’s served with mashed potatoes, gravy, and seasonal veggies. The chicken itself was spectacular — very juicy but had a nice crispy/crunchy breading with a decent amount of salt.

The potatoes were very creamy and a little garlicky. They still had skins on and there were some chunks throughout, and you could definitely taste the butter — honestly ELITE.

However, the place where this dish went terribly wrong was with the vegetables. There was a corn succotash on the side and there must’ve been an accident in the kitchen where it got double-salted or something because it was SO strong that we couldn’t even finish our bite. It was a big damper on an otherwise awesome entree.

For our other entree, we got the Pappardelle Scallop Pasta for $35. This was served with caramelized scallops, asparagus, and truffle sauce, and the portion was a little bit small for the price.

The scallops were meaty and tender with a nice sear on the top, and sweet from the caramelization. However, the pasta itself was the disappointment. It was cooked until soft and the noodles all stuck together, which made it difficult to eat. There was also not a lot of sauce overall, so the dish mostly just tasted buttery and oily.

But we’re not stopping there! We finished our meal with the Salted Caramel Creme Brulee for $11. This was phenomenal!

It was very creamy and smooth and had a strong caramel flavor with a hint of salt. The raspberry on top was tart and fresh, and the biscotti was crunchy and dry with a hint of chocolate. It all made for an excellent wrap-up.

So where do we stand with this restaurant?

Should You Go?

Honestly, we think we ordered pretty well with some of these items. Our appetizers and desserts were definitely the standout items, but we wouldn’t necessarily tell you to go out of your way for either of them.

The chicken entree would’ve been better if it hadn’t been for the vegetable disaster, but the pasta was underwhelming and a bit overpriced. Ultimately, this would be a fine spot to dine if you’re staying at Saratoga Springs, but we won’t tell you to make the trek over here because it’s a “must-try.”