Narcoossee’s Grand Reopening Review
Narcoossee’s has been undergoing a BIG refurbishment and just reopened April 1st, 2023. We were one of the first to dine there and we were not disappointed! This restaurant has a new theme, new menu, and lots of fantastic detail to make this an excellent addition to the overall Grand Floridian Overhaul.
Narcoossee’s overlooks 7 Seas Lagoon with views of Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary. You’ll find this right next to the ferry dock at Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The new theme and vibe of this restaurant is ‘land and sea’ and is featured both in the decor and food.
The Decor
When you first walk in, you will see some earthy greens in the cushioned lobby chairs. The bathroom (I know…. weird to talk about bathrooms at a restaurant) but the the details in the bathroom are equally as beautiful!
Then as you walk into the restaurant itself, you are greeted by a lovely and serene mural of some sandy beaches with the water lapping the shore and sprigs of grasses spotting the shoreline. This is the transition from land to sea. (And I’m the worst and forgot to take a picture…)
You can see even more from the restaurant and our dining experience in our Video!
Then in the main dining room you have the main focal point of the bar. Gorgeous teal tile and nautical decor lines the shelves. This restaurant originally was meant to be an oyster bar, so they’ve even inlaid the bar top with oyster shells as a nod to Narcoossee’s origins.
The entire restaurant is lined with windows for more gorgeous views of the lagoon. This gives a lightness to the restaurant which is a refreshing facelift from it’s original dark colors.
The table settings are simplistic, but beautiful. We LOVE these cups that seem to be in many of the restaurants around property! The seaglass candle vase is an elegant touch!
The Drinks
The cocktail menu is almost entirely new and many of the drinks were designed just for this restuarant. The star of the show was created by the manager himself and is called the Smoked Dark & Stormy. This was a light and refreshing cocktail that wasn’t too sweet, but doesn’t hit you in the face with a strong alcohol taste either. The ginger beer gave a bubbly lightness and it’s also the first cocktail on property to feature a full length ice cube. Basically it’s a long rectangle ice cube that fills the length of the glass.
The Old Fashioned was also a knockout! If you like strong and smooth, this is an excellent option! The blend of flavors gives this a high end taste and the sprig of rosemary leaves you with a slightly savory take on this classic cocktail.
For our second round of drinks, we tried the Paper Airplane which was honestly a very weird mix of flavors. This is a bourbon drink and the initial taste reminded me of peanut butter whiskey and then you get a strong taste of citrus and lime to finish it off. It’s pretty sweet, but I don’t think this is one we would get again.
A fantastic dessert option was the Key Lime Martini. I kid you not when I say this tastes EXACTLY like key lime pie in a drink. It was sweet, tart, and creamy, and exactly what you would want from this drink!
Appetizers & Starters
There were lots of options to choose from, but we opted for the Brisket & Ricotta Tortelloni. This was a smaller portion, so I wouldn’t share this with more than two people, but it was delicious! The flavors were creamy and strong and the Parsnip puree gave this dish a sweet addition of flavor.
The bread service is included with your meal and features a perfectly baked loaf of sourdough. It was warm and soft on the inside and the perfect amount of crispy and crunchy on the outside. The butter is a whipped unsalted butter with Smoked Hawaiian Salt on top. It was very tasty, but the butter could have been a little softer.
Entrees
This restaurant is known for their seafood, but we were feeling more ‘land’ this time. The Pork Chop was an excellent portion and what of the less expensive options on the menu! This was cooked perfectly and the onion jam on top was the perfect mix of flavors in this dish.
The Strip Steak was also excellent! It could have used a tiny more peak for my taste, but the char was excellent and the fat added alot of flavor and literally melted in my mouth! The carrot and vegetables were perfectly cooked and you can’t go wrong with mashed potatoes! This was also a large portion that left me with enough leftovers for lunch the next day!
You also have the option to add enhancements like lobster or shrimp, or a specialty side. We opted for the ‘Loaded’ Mashed Potatoes with Pork Belly. This was delicious! The pork belly was so tender and the potatoes were cheesy and gooey!
Dessert
We opted for a fruity sweet treat to end our meal! The Pineapple Bavarois is a pineapple mousse with creamy vanilla flavors and a blackberry buttermilk ice cream. The flavors of this were all there and super delish, but the texture of the mousse was slightly too gelatin-like and could have been creamier. Overall, I would recommend it!
Fireworks
The windows and views of this restaurant make it a great place to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks! There is a private balcony over the water that you can view from or from your table inside. They do pipe in the music to the restaurant and the balcony, so you can get the full experience. If you are dining earlier in the evening and would like to come back for the show, just make sure to keep your receipt to show the hosts!
Overall this is a great option for something a little extra special like a celebration or simply fancy dinner out! Make sure you make your dining reservations 60 days in advance as this one does fill up! The bar has limited walk up seating if you are unable to grab a reservation, but I definitely recommend trying to get a reservation if you can!
