REVIEW: The Disney World Restaurant We Bet You Haven’t Eaten At…But You Should!

When it comes to good eating, a LOT can be found in Disney Springs and you don’t even NEED a park ticket to enjoy all the great food there.

We often mention our favorite Disney Springs restaurants, like Homecomin‘ and eet by Maneet Chauhan, both of which are owned by celebrity chefs. But there’s another celebrity chef-owned restaurant in Disney Springs we just recently visited during a media event, Pepe by José Andrés. So let’s check out some of the menu items available there.

Background

Pepe by José Andrés is a counter service dining location in Disney Springs patterned after José Andrés’ first food truck, also called Pepe, in Washington, D.C. This is the first brick-and-mortar location of the food truck.

Chef Andrés also owns the table service restaurant Jaleo in Disney Springs. Read our recent review below!

REVIEW: We Will Never Look at a Strawberry the Same After Dining at This Disney World Restaurant!

Atmosphere

As this is a counter-service restaurant, you’ll order your food at a counter.

Inside, you’ll find seating, including a bar with high-top seats, as well as tables and chairs. There’s a cool Spanish-style mural on one wall.

A new outdoor seating area is also available with tables and chairs.

You can also sit near the Jaleo bar until 5 PM if you need additional seating.

This seating area is closed to Pepe visitors, though, after 5 PM.

Food and Drinks

The menu at Pepe features hot and cold Spanish-style (sandwiches) served on pan de cristal bread, as well as gazpacho, salads, desserts, wine, beer, and sangrias.

We started with a drink, the Red Sangria, which is $9 per glass. You can also get this frozen. This drink is so smooth, juicy, and fruity. It works really well with the food, too. It’s sweet, but not TOO sweet. We tasted mostly orange and cranberry, but we also got hints of other fruit flavors, too.

Then it was time for some food. The Txuleburguer, made with Brasstown beef, 100% grass-fed ribeye burger, American cheese, and a secret sauce is $18 (although you can make it a double for an additional $8). You can also make it a combo by choosing Patatas Bravas, Gazpacho, Fritters, or Green Salad and Soda, Water, and Apple Juice for an additional $7. We got a combo with the Patatas Bravas.

The burger is juicy and full of cheese. It’s also cooked well with no red. The bun is also delicious: it’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We also liked the sauce on the burger. It’s tangy like a Thousand Island dressing, but it has a more complex flavor.

The Patatas Bravas have aioli and brava sauce. The potatoes are super soft with a slight crispiness on their exterior. The sauces are tasty. The brava sauce has a chipotle flavor, along with a tanginess, with a hint of tomato. The aioli adds a nice light creaminess.

We also got to try José’s Chips, which is a bag of Bag of José Andrés Potato Chips made with Spanish Olive Oil ($4). The chips are thin and crispy. The olive oil adds a nice flavor, along with the salt (and they’re salted perfectly). It’s a solidly good potato chip.

We also got to try some pastries. We were told that the pastries rotate, so you never know what you’re going to get. We tried the Xuixo, which is a pastry from Spain. It’s a deep-fried, coated in sugar, and filled with crema catalana. We thought it was delicious. The pastry was flaky, and the filling was flavorful with just a hint of lemon. The dusting of sugar on the outside was just the proverbial icing (or, in this case, sugar) on top.

The other pastry we tried was the Torta de Catalana, another Spanish dessert that’s similar to crème brûlée. The filling is velvety smooth and light. The thickness is somewhere between a cheesecake and a mousse that has a hint of vanilla flavor.

It also had a nice burnt caramel flavor on top. The crust is thin and flaky.

Magic or Tragic?

Honestly, we loved everything we ate here, and we think this is one Disney World counter service location that is SERIOUSLY underrated. So we’re saying that Pepe by José Andrés is magic, and it’s magic that a lot of people aren’t super aware of. So we’re telling you if you’re looking for a quick meal in Disney Springs that isn’t the usual fare, this is a good stop to make for lunch or dinner.

Check back with AllEars again soon for more.

REVIEW: The $10.99 Lunch I Keep Coming Back to in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Have you ever eaten at Pepe by José Andrés? What’s your take? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: We were invited by Pepe by José Andrés to attend as media showcasing food at this restaurant. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

Post a Comment