We stayed at Saratoga Springs on our last trip and left our evenings free to enjoy Disney Springs on our last visit! It has come such a long way since the old Downtown Disney days, with a virtual reinvention of its aesthetic, dining, shopping and entertainment options.
Now, knowing that new dining locations have been opening every time I turn around, I made a total rookie mistake of thinking we could just stroll over and grab a bite to eat. Without a reservation. That would be a big fat no! To complicate matters, Honey wanted to watch some of the Falcon’s game on tv so we were also trying to find a place that could accommodate that request. After walking around aimlessly and being greeted by 2 hour after 2 hour wait (even the quick serve options had lines of about 1 hour each), we finally got on the app and decided to take the next available dining reservation, no matter where it was. HA! This was the one and only reason that we ate at Bongos Cuban Cafe and, much to our surprise and delight, we had a wonderful experience!
The staff was extremely friendly and readily available. When we checked in Honey spied a tv with the game on in the bar. He inquired about a seat where we could watch and the best they could do was give us one facing the tv but an entire room away. After they had seated us – but before we ordered – a table opened up in the bar and they insisted on moving us for the best view of the game. He was so surprised and excited! This also put us close to the entertainment, which Whit and I appreciated. (Especially when he got to experience a live rendition of his favorite song “ever” … Despacito.)
We started with a pitcher of mojitos and they were quite tasty! We also did the black bean hummus, mojo garlic sauce and plantain chips and liked those as well.
For our meals we went very basic and ordered a favorite from an old Cuban restaruant near our old house – black beans, rice and plantains . It was really yummy, especially with the mojo sauce!
If you go… Bongos Cuban Cafe is located at Disney Springs West Side. The restaurant takes one credit on the Disney Dining Plan and Deluxe Disney Dining Plan. Reservations can be made 180 days in advance and are recommended.
Overall, we had a really wonderful experience! Would we go back? Honestly, there are so many other places we have yet to try that it isn’t at top of my list. However, if we were in a pinch or last minute I would not hesitate to dine here. The band and dancers definitely took the night from just dinner to a dining experience!
Bongos Cuban Cafe | Everything Disney Springs
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