Dinner at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant

Standing as strong as its brick exterior throughout the massive construction project bringing Disney Springs to life, Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant has been a rock solid centerpiece of the area now known as "The Landing" since May 2005. The large multi-room establishment offers both indoor an outdoor seating constructed to transport guests to a bit of Dublin, including four authentic bars that were "shipped lock, stock and beer barrel from Ireland" to Walt Disney World. My family stopped by one evening for dinner on our last trip to soak up the energetic atmosphere and get a taste of the modern Celtic cuisine.


Chef Kevin Dundon's Raglan Road


After a lovely evening walk through Disney Springs we arrived at Raglan Road about 15 minutes early for our reservation. Being in the middle of the dinner rush, it was crowded and there were many people milling about waiting for their tables. We were handed a buzzer by the hostess and I headed outside while my girls took the opportunity to do a little shopping in the restaurant's own trinket and souvenir store called Shop for Ireland. After discussing the pros and cons of several different styles they picked out a nice Raglan Road tee shirt for our friend at home, who had recommended the restaurant.

Outside my husband and I stood in the courtyard and listened to a live band that was playing on the courtyard stage. Many other guests had stopped at the bar and grabbed a pint while they waited to be seated. Our wait was about a half an hour, but the steady stream of people both coming and going from the restaurant let us know that they were moving things right along. As food was delivered to the guests sitting out on the patio delicious smells filled the air and we were excited for what was in store.


Be Sure To Check Out The Raglan Road Gift Shop


Finally it was our turn and we were lead inside to the main room, a large octagonal space with beautiful old wood bar spaces, I would learn that some of the original interiors that were shipped over from Ireland were over 130 years old. We passed a couple of small dance stages with perky Irish dancers giving it all to their performance.

We were seated on the far side of the room near the main stage, every table was filled, and the sounds echoed around the room. It made it a bit difficult to enjoy conversation with the rest of my family, but luckily just shortly after the dancers finished a live band began to play some of my favorite Irish folk songs. I sang along, my kids looked at me like I was nuts.

A friendly waitress came to take our drink order, but sadly they were out of many of the beers that my husband wanted to try that evening. We all ended up sticking with tea and soda while we perused the menu.


The Indoor Entertainment Included Music and Dance


Raglan Road is the state-side domain of Chef Kevin Dundon, an Irish celebrity chef, television personality and author who is known for his modern takes on traditional Irish cuisine. A Master Chef, Kevin was made Ireland's Chef of the Year in 2009. His creative menus and attention to detail have made Raglan Road one of the more popular and stable establishments in the entertainment district.

I was excited to try one of the signature appetizers, and the first thing that we ordered was the Dalkey Duo. It was my favorite thing of the night. These little bite size cocktail sausages are battered ad fried up to a snappy crunch, and served with Dalkey mustard dipping sauce. They were so good. Our server also brought is a basket of warm brown bread for the table and a guinness reduction and olive oil dipping sauce that was tasty.


The Dalkey Duo Battered Sausages Are Delicious


I ordered Kevin's Heavenly Ham, which is considered one of the classics on the menu. This Irish mist glazed loin of bacon comes with with savory cabbage, colcannon potatoes, parsley cream sauce and a surprisingly good raisin cider jus. The two sauces blended into a beautiful combination of flavor, and the colcannon was spot on for me.

My husband ordered the special for the night (not currently on the menu) which was a mixed grill. He got to taste a bit of each of the Raglan Road specialty meats, steak, pork, lamb, sausage, and a blood sausage. It was a bold selection for the culinarily curious. From the mixed grill his favorite was absolutely the lamb, which can still be found on the menu as Lambo, a lamb shank braised in rosemary jus with mash, leeks, shiitake mushrooms and baby carrots.


Kevin's Heavenly Ham
Raglan Road Mixed Grill


My kids, even though they are older, are not particularly adventurous eaters, and they had no problem finding something to enjoy on the Raglan Road dinner menu. My son Kirk enjoyed the Burger 'R' Way which is a typical bacon cheeseburger that has been punched up in flavor with bacon, tomato chutney and Dubliner cheddar. My daughters ordered the Hail Caesar, a mix of romaine and kale with pancetta crisps, grape tomatoes, croutons and shaved pecorino. They both chose to add chicken to their salad, be warned though, since this is considered an a la carte option if you're on the Disney Dining Plan it has an additional charge.


Choices For Less Adventurous Eaters


Overall my family all thought that we would certainly give Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant repeat visit during future vacations. For us the noise and bustling atmosphere that went along with dinner were a little much, but we'd really like to try the weekend Brunch.

If Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant piques your interest, head on over to read more reviews from multiple services from our friends over at the Disney Food Blog. Raglan Road accepts both the Disney Dining Plan (1 Table Service Credit) and Tables In Wonderland.

Have you been to Raglan Road? Is it one of your Disney Springs favorites? Leave a comment below and share your story.