Gasparilla Island Grill’s Mac & Cheese at Disney: Still One of the Best?
Gasparilla Island Grill at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa offers a well-regarded mac and cheese. Is it the best at Walt Disney World?
For those looking for mac and cheese, Walt Disney World makes a great place to explore. One of the traditionally highly regarded mac and cheese options at Walt Disney World comes from Gasparilla Island Grill at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. We visited Gasparilla Island Grill to try the House-Made Macaroni & Cheese to find out if it still lives up to the hype.
Mac & Cheese can be a very personal experience. We want to apologize to those who need to live a dairy-free diet. This blog is not directed at you. We are working on some resources for those specific diets in the future.
People look for different things in their classic United States of America comfort food. Still, some standards need to be maintained to be included in the discussion for the best mac and cheese at Walt Disney World.
Mac and Cheese
Mac and Cheese should provide guests with the yummy goodness of cheese. The pasta should also be reasonably well prepared. Most fans of mac and cheese also expect it to be creamy.
Sure, the types of cheese used can be debated. Everyone has their favorite kind of cheese, so an evaluation of the best mac and cheese should avoid personal preferences. Based on that, we entered a day of trying several different mac and cheese options across the Walt Disney World Resort.
Photo by Jeremy Stein
In previous blogs, we have written about some of the best mac and cheese at Walt Disney World Resort. For example, we love Mamma’s Mac and Cheese at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ at Disney Springs. Another popular mac and cheese entrée resides at The Boathouse also at Disney Springs.
Nevertheless, a popular quick service mac and cheese, is available at Gasparilla Island Grill. Not long ago, this location’s mac and cheese ranked as one of the best among Disney food experts. Still, people have noticed that the quality of this quick service location’s mac and cheese has changed in recent years. We went to try it again.
Service at Gasparilla Island Grill at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
As expected, the service from beginning to end ranks as excellent at this Disney Deluxe-level hotel dining location. Still, the ordering process for first-time visitors can be a little confusing. The menu displays are featured on the walls in the area, where guests can see some of the menu items and preparation spaces. Guests do not order in that area but at point-of-sale registers towards the center of the dining location.
Nonetheless, the ordering process flows nicely. The cast members were terrific during our last visit. After we ordered, we selected a place to sit in the dining area. We were given a number so the cast members would know where to deliver our mac and cheese. The cast members even cleaned up our trash while we typed away on our laptop computer after the meal was over.
House-Made Macaroni and Cheese – $9.29
So, how was this mac and cheese? The Gasparilla Island Grill House-Made Macaroni and Cheese comes as an entrée on the main menu. The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa quick service location also offers a side dish version of the mac and cheese for a lower price.
The main entrée comes with a side. The side options include fries, chips, and fruit. During our recent visit, we went with the fruit option. We received a small portion of grapes and melon with our mac and cheese. Fruit tends to taste better in Florida than in most other areas of the United States. As a result, we tend to select fruit as a side when given the choice. The fruit tasted fine, especially for a quick service restaurant.
Now, the hyped mac & cheese tasted as we remembered. The pasta preparation for a quick service location was very good. Sure, it could have been better, but it easily reached reasonable expectations. The cheese and pasta combination presented a decent flavor overall.
Flavor of Mac and Cheese
However, the entrée tasted a bit too salty for this type of dish. Also, the mac & cheese lacked a robust cheese flavor. We found this option to be “safe” for most guests. Still, it lacked a powerful signature flavor that would make it considered some of the best on Walt Disney World property.
Personally, we prefer a cheese pull with our mac and cheese. We like to see the cheese clearly as we enjoy our meal. This mac and cheese lacked the creamy factor of a higher-grade mac and cheese. Yet, in fairness, we experienced far more cheese flavor as we ate more of this entrée. Still, we found it lacking the cheese percentage expected in a really good mac and cheese.
Conclusion About Mac and Cheese at Gasparilla Island Grill
Would we define this as the best mac and cheese at Walt Disney World? As you may expect, we would not. Still, this makes a quality option for those just needing a bit of comfort food enjoyment. Guests should not go out of their way to visit Gasparilla Island Grill just for this mac & cheese. However, if you find yourself here, this makes a choice that most guests will be satisfied with.
As stated earlier, we suggest visiting Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ for the best mac and cheese at Walt Disney World. You can find a place at the indoor or outdoor bar there to order just a side of mac and cheese if desired. You can tell them we suggested it.
For more theme park-related news and reviews, please visit MSN News. As always, eat like you mean it!
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