Today we set sail for Ale & Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. This resort is full of New England feel and the lobby is filled with nautical themes. I’ve never been to Ale & Compass so I’m glad to see the result of this experience.
This is how Disney describes the dining venue.
Savor New England comfort food and classic seafood dishes in a coastal-inspired restaurant reminiscent of a cozy lighthouse.
Disney World website
Appetizers
There were three of us at the table and we each ordered different starters. Before I jump into these, I just wanted to say how allergy friendly they are. They gave me an allergy menu for my dairy allergy, and the waiter also took note of it and immediately told the chef. Everything I ordered had a nice allergy stick that informed me it was safe to eat. Now let’s move on to food.
Pete ordered the Parker House Rolls and Spreads for his appetizer. Although the spreads are good, this appetizer should have been a regular bread service for the restaurant. It would have added a nice touch if done that way. These rolls were $13 and we concluded that if the price was going to be that way, the appetizer should have come with more bread.
Patreon members helped Craig choose his meal (Patreon is a fun place and a great way to continue supporting our content), so for his entree he got the lobster and corn chowder. He mentioned that it wasn’t heavy in shellfish flavor to the point that you couldn’t even tell it was made with lobster, but at least it was creamy. He wasn’t impressed with the crackers, but Craig said he would order it again. He mentioned that the soup had a bit of a “zip” and had that Old Bay seasoning flavor. The soup is priced at $13, as are the rolls. Craig also said the soup was perfect, but wished the potatoes in the soup were a little softer.
I had the roasted cauliflower “a la Buffalo”. I liked my dish so much. I love Buffalo sauce; it’s the perfect amount of spice, in my opinion, and I love cauliflower. If my five-year-old daughter heard me say that, she would be shocked. I advise that if you are sensitive to spicy food, don’t order it for obvious reasons. If you like spicy food, take this and eat the cauliflower at the bottom, these pieces are soaked with buffalo sauce. This appetizer was $9 which I didn’t think was terrible as it came with lots of cauliflower, definitely enough to share with someone.
Starters
Pete ordered the grilled cheese sandwich and the tomato soup was his entree. The grilled cheese is made with artisan country bread, aged white cheddar, gruyère and fontina with truffle butter. You can also add bacon or country ham for an extra charge. He added bacon to his grilled cheese, bringing the price to $17. It was a decent grilled cheese, but nothing out of the ordinary. When I saw the soup across the table, I thought they had accidentally given him red pasta sauce, but no, it was tomato soup. He said the soup was like an unseasoned red sauce because it lacked flavor and wasn’t creamy.
As I mentioned earlier, our lovely Patreon followers voted for Craigs Meal, and the highest votes came between the Bacon and Vermont Cheddar Burger and the Sustainable Blackened Fish Tacos. Craig went with the burger and I chose the tacos. The burger came out perfectly staged which was nice to see. After opening it, Craig said it was cooked to perfection, which is surprising given the history of Disney burgers. The burger itself, he said, was unseasoned, causing it to lack flavor. This Bacon and Vermont Cheddar Burger had the potential to be one of the best burgers on the property, but it needs some work. The sandwich is $21. Now the fries that came with the burger were well received by diners. Didn’t try them, but you could tell they were perfectly cooked and salted to perfection.
As I mentioned above, I had the fish tacos. It was love at first bite. The Mahi-Mahi was cooked to perfection and seasoned beautifully. The tacos are made with chilled cucumber salad, avocado, chipotle remoulade, and flour tortillas. It may have been love at first sight, but some things could have been better. This refrigerated coleslaw was far from refrigerated. I could tell he was sitting under a heat lamp because the lime that came with the dish was hot. I would love to try this dish with the coleslaw at the right temperature as I think it would add vibrancy to the food. I can say it added texture, which I appreciated. The chipotle remoulade was delicious, I spread it on each taco, and it added that perfect kick to the dish. These tacos are $17 which I don’t think was bad for three fish tacos. I rate these tacos an 8 out of 10, but I think if the coleslaw had been refrigerated it would have been a 10 out of 10 for me.
Overall the meal was good. Can’t say it was the best food I’ve had on Disney property, but it wasn’t the worst. I could see myself putting this restaurant in my top 10 but not in my top 5. The service was correct, but the pace of the meal was slightly off. It took an abnormally long time for the appetizers to come out. Of course, this affected the flow of entries coming out. The interior of the restaurant was dark, and instead of making us feel comfortable, it made us want to take a nap. My biggest criticism of the design is that there needs to be more light entering the area. Will I return to Ale & Compass? Yes I will, but am I going to fight tooth and nail for a reservation? No.
Have you ever dined at Ale & Compass? If so, what do you think of this restaurant with table service? Let us know in the comments.
Hello, my name is Erica and I write about all things Disney. Before working for DIS, I was a theme park performer at SeaWorld, but I also performed at Disney. I have such a huge love for theme parks that I studied them in college.
