Our hotel was an easy 8 minute walk to Disney Springs, so the first night we went exploring. The temps were on the chilly side but most places with outdoor seating had heaters set up.
After wandering around window shopping (and quietly exclaiming at the overpriced Disney items), we grabbed a glass of wine each at Terralina’s Happy Hour on-the-go bar (Brut rose for me and Eric got the Riesling) for $6 each – a good deal for Disney!
Before settling on a dinner spot we tried to get into Gideon’s Bakehouse to see what the fuss was about, but it was a four (4!!!) hour wait at 6pm so we decided to try again the next day. Wound up at City Works for dinner as the menu looked good and they had an outside table available right away. Their beer list is huge, including sours for Eric. (Beers: Rainbow Sherbet for E; Babycakes Oatmeal Stout for me). Eric got the Cuban sandwich special and I went for the Scorpion burger which was cooked perfectly (med-rare) and not too spicy. We even liked the cover band that was playing on the stage next door.
Instead of more walking and drinks we decided to chill out for the rest of the evening back at the room.
The next morning we headed back to Disney Springs to get breakfast at the Earl of Sandwich. Overall the sandwiches were more bread than filling and the ordering process was overly complicated which led to me getting the wrong sandwich. At 9:15am it was relatively uncrowded but the lines were starting to pick up when we left. We did some shopping at Uniqlo (Eric found a shirt) and explored the grounds a bit more. The queue for Gideon’s bakery was already crazy!
For dinner on Saturday, Wine Bar George was a great option for us and I am so glad I made reservations a week prior because it is very popular on a Saturday night. We were seated on the balcony in the corner which gave us a great view of the pedestrian square as well as sunset and the lake. We ordered a bottle of cava and the cheese board and enjoyed both. We weren’t quite done, so we followed that with a round of meatballs and polenta and another glass of wine each. The service and general atmosphere was really chill.
Prior to dinner we had signed up for the Gideon’s Bakehouse virtual queue and we were finally contacted around 9pm. We still had to wait about 15 minutes in line before going in and then snaked our way to the registers while admiring the creepy interior. We opted for three cookies: The Eternal Flame (dark chocolate cherry with ancho and cayenne), original chocolate chip, and dark coffee cake. I also couldn’t pass up a peanut butter oat milk cold brew which I got without ice and put in the hotel fridge for consumption the following morning (it was delicious).
Disney Springs in general was an ‘experience’ – on Disney property but basically all shops and restaurants, the people watching was interesting but the crowds were tiring after two days.