This was the final table service meal of our trip and I had thought I was saving the best for last. Narcoossee’s had been one of my favorite signature restaurants in the past, however it had been 5 years since I’d dined here. So I decided that it was time to revisit Narcoossee’s to see if it still ranks among my best.
Don and I arrived on time for our 6:45 reservation but it took a bit to be seated. Looking around I noted all of the changes to the decor that had taken place in my 5 year absence.
While I believe they had hardwood floors before, this flooring seemed new or refinished. Also very noticeable was the lack of tablecloths. Although these changes provided a different, more modern look for this restaurant, it also made it very loud. I’m talking “Chef Mickey’s level” loud. At least when you go to a character meal with lots of excited kids, you do so expecting it to be loud. But when you go to a signature restaurant, with signature prices, you are expecting a more upscale dining experience. So this dinner was starting out on the wrong foot.
I also noticed that they had copied the silverware style of the Boardwalk’s signature restaurant, Flying Fish.
I remember thinking to myself at this point that if their food is as good as I remembered it being, I could forgive the noisy atmosphere…after all it is Disney World. So let’s move on to the food, which started well with their complimentary bread service…
This was a very good sourdough that was perfectly crusty on the outside but warm and soft on the inside. It was served with whipped butter topped with Himalayan salt.
I had originally intended to order the calamari for our appetizer, as I had always enjoyed it here previously. However I learned earlier in this trip that my husband doesn’t like calamari, even though I had seen him eat it many times over our 40+ years together. So no calamari appetizer and none of their other options sounded appealing at that time. Therefore we skipped the appetizers and went straight to the entrees.
For his entree Don chose the…
Korean BBQ Glazed Salmon served with Lemon Grass Sticky Rice – $49.00
He said this was fine, but nothing memorable or unusually good about it. Don gave his salmon an okay rating of 3.
I went with their shrimp and pasta dish…
Gulf Shrimp Bucatini – House-made Bucatini Pasta, Roasted Tomatoes, Spinach, Parsley, and Basil Pistou – $44.00
During my past visits to Narcoossee’s, a few times I had gotten whatever shrimp and pasta dish they had on their current menu and enjoyed it. So my hopes were high that that would be the case with this version. Sadly though, this time it let me down. While the pasta tasted freshly-made and was pretty good, the shrimp was not. Being that it was Gulf Shrimp being served in a Florida restaurant, I was expecting fresh shrimp straight from the Gulf of Mexico. Instead this tasted like frozen shrimp that had been cooked a day or two earlier and then reheated in the microwave. I would have given this entree a rating of only 2, however with the pasta being good I bumped it up to 2 1/2.
NOTE: I’m surprised to see that both of our entrees are still on Narcoossee’s current May ’26 menu. And I’m even more surprised that the prices stayed the same after more than one year.
But now for the highlight of this meal, and actually every meal I’ve had at Narcoossee’s over the last 13 years…
Almond-crusted Cheesecake with Lambert Cherry Sauce and Chantilly whipped cream – $17.00
While the presentation of this dessert was a bit different than the last time I had it in 2021, it was still delicious. I would have rated this a perfect 5, however due to its $17.00 price I knocked down the rating to 4 1/2. I will add here though that the price of this dessert remains at $17.00. So kudos to Narcoossee’s for not increasing their prices over the last year.
Overall this meal was a disappointment, especially since it was the last table service meal of our trip. Other than my beloved cheesecake, the only real positive I have regarding our dinner here was the service, which was very good. I don’t have plans to return to Narcoossee’s during our upcoming trip and it will likely be several years before I’m back there again. We will see how long it takes before I again succumb to my almond cheesecake craving.
Taste of Disney 