Last Minute Dinner Plans
After a long day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with my good friends Taylor, Phillip, and Kelly, we were eager to grab a bite to eat. We logged into our My Disney Experience app to check available dinner reservations and Ale & Compass was one of the first to pop up. After a peek at the menu, we decided to give this hidden gem a shot!
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is located right next to Disney’s Beach Club Resort, across from Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. My favorite part about these three hotels is that they are connected to one another by a walkway surrounding a beautiful body of water. It’s a great place to take a stroll, ride a bike or go out for ice cream. The atmosphere is laid-back, with the vibes of a real beach-front hotel. Each resort has fantastic dining options, but Ale & Compass is located within the nautical Yacht Club.
Ale & Compass
Upon walking into the restaurant, I already knew I was going to enjoy my meal. The calming lighting and the open kitchen displaying lines of fresh, delicious food gleaming under warming lights let me know I was somewhere special. The wait staff was incredible from the moment we walked through the door until we walked back out. Attentive, great to chat with and accommodating, we couldn’t have asked for anything better. The service was impeccable.
Three’s a Party
Three dipping options that is! For our appetizer, we all decided to split the Parker House Rolls and Spreads. To be 100% honest, $12 seemed pricey to me for rolls, but our lovely waiter really talked them up and everyone else was on board so we gave them a shot and WOW! Am I glad we did! Buttery, airy and baked to perfection, I loved every bite.
As mentioned above, three different spreads accompanied these rolls: bacon jam, citrus butter, and pub cheese. They were all fantastic! The pub cheese didn’t have a fake cheese taste at all, which was much appreciated. My favorite, the bacon jam, had a perfect umami profile with sweet, salty and smoky flavors. The citrus butter was fresh, decadent and unique.
A Meal Fit for a King (or Queen)
Lobster is my personal favorite food, although, I always feel guilty eating it. Did you know that lobsters are highly intelligent, mate for life and can live up to 100 years? I did and it makes me sad because I also know how delicious they are. For dinner, Phillip and I split the coastal clambake. A whole, one pound, butterflied lobster, clams, corn, and potatoes come out steaming in a gleaming metal bowl. Everything was cooked to perfection and to my surprise, I loved the broth it came in. We even asked for extra rolls to dip, yum! Phillip is basically my eating buddy now.
Feeling Clam-y
For her entrée, Kayla selected one of the hearth oven flatbreads. This pizza was a flavorful white clam pie, piled high with the shelled seafood! Kayla said this pizza was a little spicier than she had expected, from red pepper flakes, but overall it was filling, had an awesome flavor, and plenty of seafood!
Chicken and Waffles
Taylor decided to go with a southern staple for her dinner- chicken and waffles! The portion on this plate was huge! Everything from the waffle to the pickles to the orange-chili honey sauce was scratch made and delicious. The chicken was juicy and tender on the inside and had the perfect flavor-packed, crunchy crust on the outside. For $18, I think this meal is a steal and could easily feed two!
Dining Score
10/10
I swear, my dining scores are always 10/10, but I will be honest with you if something is not amazing! From the atmosphere to the service to the FOOD, I could not give Ale & Compass anything less than 10/10.
Until the Next Adventure!
Josie
P.S. Want more dish on Disney dining? Here’s my review of The Plaza Restaurant!
