I had the opportunity to dine at Paddlefish Disney Springs as their guest. All opinions are my own.
I had eaten at Paddlefish in the past but had not visited since the pandemic changed things up for restaurants so I was eager to see how they were handling things.
Social distancing is in full swing with limited capacity and table spacing. Paper bags are provided for your mask storage while you dine.
The menu is much smaller than pre-pandemic but still has lots to offer. I was slightly disappointed in the allergy offerings now. The last time I visited the allergy and gluten free options were outstanding. My daughter has a wheat allergy so must eat gluten free. After speaking to the chef, we learned they are not running individual fryers right now so there was a cross-contamination issue with many of the items on the menu for her. As a severe allergy sufferer, her choices were limited.
The chef did prepare some crunchy items for her to use with the Crab Guacamole since he could not prepare any gluten free chips for her to eat.
The Crab Guacamole was definitely a great appetizer to start our meal.
The Lobster Corn Dogs with Sweet Chili Aïoli were also outstanding. I am a bit confused by the name – “corn dogs” since the item is chunks of lobster in a tempura batter.
The Kid’s Menu offers quite a few options for the little ones. Kids are also treated to an activity set that keeps them entertained while waiting – much better than those crayons you get everywhere else!
Even though the restaurant is offering a limited menu at this time, there were still more than enough items to choose from.
Shrimp Pasta: Linguine, Florida Rock Shrimp, Asparagus, Tomato, Crab Broth.
Crispy Shrimp – Flash-fried, Cocktail Sauce, Skin-on Fries.
Full lobster with potatoes.
Overview – Paddlefish Disney Springs
The last time I had eaten at Paddlefish (over a year ago: pre-pandemic) I loved it.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t as impressed this time. Although I understand it is difficult for restaurants during this time, the fact that allergies could not be handled better was upsetting. Half of what my daughter thought she could eat, she couldn’t because of cross contamination and no dedicated allergy fryer at this time.
I was really a little confused as to why a dedicated allergy fryer was something that was eliminated during this pandemic period.
The food was good, but none of what we ordered, except for the Crab Guacamole, was outstanding. For the price, the portions were small, making the meals over-priced.
The service was mediocre which was disappointing. When we arrived there were several people (at least 4) working at the hostess station. Each provided different and conflicting information to us.
The server for our table was inattentive. I’m sure they are short servers at this time so we all try to be a bit more understanding but it can be annoying. Since we were a party of 6, the gratuity of 18% was automatically added to the bill. To be honest, if I were tipping myself I most likely would have given the server less due to her inattentive service.
Because this was such a different experience from the last time I dined at Paddlefish, I am hoping it is because of the pandemic limitations and it will go back to normal at some point.
I will be happy to give it another chance at some point but sadly feel I wouldn’t visit again right now.
I had dined at Terralina Crafted Italian at Disney Springs a few days prior to dining at Paddlefish. Both restaurants are owned by the same restaurant group. My experience at Terralina Crafted Italian was outstanding – great food and great service. My experience at Paddlefish was mediocre.
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