REVIEW: Two Reasons You Need to LEAVE Magic Kingdom for Lunch!

Sometimes the best meals can be found OUTSIDE of the Disney World theme parks.

Going to Disney Springs or the Disney Resorts for your meals (especially when it comes to table service) is a really great tip for snagging some truly underrated and delicious dining experiences during your vacation. And one of our favorite places to grab lunch is located just steps from Magic Kingdom…Steakhouse 71!

Background

Steakhouse 71 opened in 2021 for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, replacing The Wave at the Contemporary Resort. This restaurant is a more affordable version of a steakhouse, so it has quickly become a fan favorite.

They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner here, each with slightly different menu options. Lunch is a truly hidden gem, and it’s a great way to take a break in the middle of your Magic Kingdom day.

Reservations are recommended, but the vibes here are both casual enough to wear your park clothes or fancy enough to dress nicely for a special dinner. Do it however you’d like!

Atmosphere

You enter through the lobby of the Contemporary Resort, and you’ll spot the sign for the restaurant in the corner. Walking down the entry hallway, you’ll be surrounded by Disney history. We love stopping and looking at these old photographs.

The host’s stand is at the end of the hall with a small seating area. Behind that stand, they have a Steakhouse 71 lounge where you can grab a drink or order some menu items without a reservation.

The dining room is open and spacious with both booths and standalone tables.

Let’s dive into our meal!

Food & Drinks

For our appetizer, we started the meal with the Sea Salt-dusted Potato Brioche for $12. It’s served with butter and a roasted garlic-tomato spread. This was some of the fluffiest bread we have had! It was light, fluffy, and moist, and we are definitely adding it to our list of favorite breads in Disney World.

The bread itself is lightly sweetened, and it has a bit of flaky salt dusted on top. It comes with two different options to spread on the bread. The butter is smooth and creamy, and very rich. The tomato spread has the tomato jam on top and the garlic paste on the bottom, so make sure you dig down a bit to get both. Maybe give it a good stir to help! The tomato jam is bright and fresh, and we loved the pairing with the strong garlic flavor from the garlic paste.

We got two entrees to try. First was the Gourmet Grilled Cheese for $17. It’s toasted brioche with Gruyère, smoked Gouda, shredded pork belly, arugula, and caramelized onion jam, served with your choice of petite Caesar salad, steak fries, or pasta salad.

The grilled cheese is full of cheesy goodness with a bit of bitterness and earthiness from the arugula, and meaty, savory flavors from the pork belly. There is also a sweet onion jam spread on the grilled cheese. We thought all the flavors melded well together, and that this was a very filling and satisfying dish!

The other we chose lands more on the steakhouse side of things — the Steak “Frites” for $28. It’s made with hangar steak and served with steak fries and a truffle aioli. We ordered our steak medium, and we felt like it was undercooked and likely cooked on too high of heat, as the outside is very brown and crispy.

Inside the steak was juicy, although the outside of the steak was tough. It does come with three sauces: ketchup, garlic aioli, and the signature Steakhouse 71 sauce. While we weren’t huge fans of the steak, the fries were delicious! They were crispy on the outside and wonderfully light and fluffy on the inside. They are also dusted with some seasoned salt.

For dessert, we got the massive Steakhouse 71 Signature Chocolate Cake for $13. It’s 15 layers of Jack Daniel’s-infused chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and raspberries. We were very impressed with this chocolate cake! We are ranking this up high on our favorite chocolate desserts in Disney World!

The cake is light and fluffy, with a light mousse in between. The cake tastes decadent and rich, while still having a light texture. The cake was a smidge on the dry side, but with the mousse and frosting, we barely even noticed. This dessert has a lot of fudgy chocolate flavor paired with a tart raspberry flavor. It is definitely shareable, and oh so delicious!

Magic or Tragic?

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You want to have a tasty meal near Magic Kingdom, but not in the park. You can hop on the monorail or take a short walk to get to this restaurant. It will give you a bit of a break from the crowds in Magic Kingdom, while not taking loads of precious time out of your day.
• You want a more elevated dining experience without breaking the bank. While you can show up in theme park clothes, this restaurant does offer a slightly more elevated experience. You can also find items on the menu, like the Grilled Cheese for $17, that are more reasonably priced. There are more expensive options, too.
• You are looking for fluffy bread or chocolatey cake! We were so impressed by the brioche and chocolate cake here. If you have a craving for either of those, Steakhouse 71 will be a must-visit.

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You are on a time crunch at Magic Kingdom. We think this is a great option for a wonderful meal during your Magic Kingdom day, but it will take you a bit to get to and from. If you are jam-packed for your Magic Kingdom day, you may not want to take the time to get here and back.
• You are looking for a cheap meal option. While you can select cheaper options, this restaurant may not be the best option if you are sticking to a small budget.
• You want a unique dining experience. While we enjoyed our meal, there wasn’t anything super unique about Steakhouse 71. Characters won’t be coming to your table, and there won’t be any live entertainment (unless you count people watching).  It will feel like a traditional steakhouse experience, which is great, but if you want something more unique, try a character dining experience or a restaurant that offers live entertainment.

Overall, we had a wonderful meal at Steakhouse 71. The Steak “Frites” let us down, but the Sea Salt-dusted Potato Brioche and Steakhouse 71 Signature Chocolate Cake are definitely some of our favorite eats at Disney World. Plus, the Gourmet Grilled Cheese was a hit! We think this restaurant is a great option if you are looking to take a break from Magic Kingdom or just want a great meal while you are at Disney World.

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news and more!

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Have you eaten at this Disney World restaurant before? Tell us in the comments.

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