The best night at Disney World never enters a park.
20 places · One neighbourhood
The District
Here is the local's secret: the best night at Disney World never enters a park. Disney Springs grew around real springs and a working waterfront: four neighborhoods of chef-driven restaurants, serious bars and live music, all free to walk into.
01 · Bakery
Half-Pound Cookies, Serious Line
Steve Lewis started in his kitchen and ended with the hardest line in Disney Springs: nearly half-pound handmade cookies taking over 24 hours, inside a candlelit, gargoyle-guarded bakehouse with serious cold brew. Go early, go hungry, skip nothing.
See the venue →The Local Test
“Here is the local’s secret: the best night at Disney World never enters a park.”
The Short List
Three names to open with: every other Disney Springs place is in the full list below.
1Disney SpringsRestaurant · $$$→ 2Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'Restaurant · $$$→ 3Bakery 1908Bakery · $$→Go Deep · Restaurants
Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' brings a homey Florida farmhouse feel to Disney Springs, generous and welcoming from the first plate.
Disney SpringsYou don't need a park ticket to feel the Disney magic on an evening here.
JaleoOf all the big-league chef outposts that have landed in Orlando, this is the one worth a pilgrimage.
Morimoto AsiaIron Chef in the flesh, and the grand opening set the tone: Morimoto himself cracked a sacred sake cask and turned a 100-pound tuna into a 60-foot…
02 · The Finale
Waterfront, Then Into The Lake
The Boathouse owns Disney Springs' best waterfront: raw bar, steaks, a deck that slows your table down at golden hour. The move is the captain-guided Amphicar, a vintage 1960s amphibious car splashing off the dock and carrying you around the lake.
See the venue →Run It Like a Local
Beat the Gideon's line early, browse while springs are glass, then dinner at Jaleo or the Paddlefish rooftop. Finish following the music: Raglan Road dancers, House of Blues, water lit the walk home.
Flashback · Orlando History
Because it's had five names. It debuted March 22, 1975 as the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, became Walt Disney World Village in 1977, Disney Village Marketplace in 1989, Downtown Disney in 1997, and finally Disney Springs in 2015.
The current theming, a Florida waterfront town built around natural springs, was invented from scratch for the 2015 rebrand.
Local note: if you remember "Downtown Disney," congratulations, you're dating yourself.
Every district has a past, all 50 stories live in the Flashbacks anthology → For the deeper lesson: how Disney Springs got its name, and which parts of its past were invented → Or read it as one long story: the Disney Springs district story, told in full →
The Full List
All 20 Disney Springs places from the guide, A-Z. Tap any name to open its card: directions, details and booking live there, not in the story.
Second location of the Asian bakery whose original sits on East Colonial, this one on South Apopka Vineland Road in Orlando.
Homey Florida farmhouse cooking at Disney Springs, generous and welcoming from the first plate.
Disney's open-air waterfront promenade, no park ticket and no turnstile, just an evening on the water.
Local PickDate night
At Disney Springs, Disney animation blends with Cirque du Soleil acrobatics in a nostalgic production.
Date night
A dark, gothic, candlelit bakehouse at Disney Springs where guests line up for massive, rich cookies.
Local eats
At Disney Springs, a Southern-leaning restaurant pairs with a music hall wrapped in folk art.
A festive Spanish tapas room at Disney Springs that guests describe as a non-stop party of flavors.
At Disney Springs, the former NBA Experience building now holds life-sized challenge rooms for games and puzzles, tracked by wristband.
At Disney Springs, this sleek, theatrical dining room is one guests call a diamond.
Seafood aboard a steamboat setting at Disney Springs, with waterfront views and a rooftop deck, picturesque and relaxed.
A lively Irish pub at Disney Springs where live music and Irish dancers keep the room energetic.
At The Landing in Disney Springs, the savory companion to Gideon's serves Coffyns, hand pies in house-baked yeast rolls with storybook names.
Local eats
At Disney Springs, a chic steakhouse paired with club-like lounge energy, summed up by guests as vibe dining.
A lively, classic waterfront room at Disney Springs where guests sit by the water for steaks, a raw bar, filet sliders and lobster bisque.
Jewel-box chocolate shop at Disney Springs, with an open show kitchen where you can watch ganache squares and chocolate piñatas being made.
Modern barbecue done fast-casual at Disney Springs, lively and chill with counter service that keeps things moving.
Hot pot becomes an interactive game here, with plates circling past on a revolving conveyor for your broth.
A calm escape from the Disney Springs crowds, cozy and welcoming, with knowledgeable guidance at the table.
Date night
