Pixie dust comes in many forms. A dessert on the house at Be Our Guest. A magical moment with Mickey. A bus pulling up right as you reach the bus stop. A strong alcoholic beverage, to help enhance the magic of course. I wonder if the song writers were thinking of a Dole Whip with rum when they told us to “reach out and find your happily ever after.” Here we’ll talk about the many options for enhancing the magic, also known as drinking, in Walt Disney World at the various bars and lounges throughout the parks.
Now, I’m not saying alcohol is a necessity to have fun. I’m just saying it sure makes the most magical place on Earth even more magical. And it helps calm the nerves when your expected low crowds turn into high crowds, your pixie dust comes in the form of rain and after you’ve been not-so-gently nudged in the ankle by your sixth stroller of the day.
Magic Kingdom Bars and Lounges
Be Our Guest
Let’s talk Magic Kingdom, shall we? This magical kingdom, surprisingly enough, offers very little in the form of alcoholic pixie dust. Be Our Guest was the first location in the Magic Kingdom to serve alcohol when it opened in 2012 and it’s offered only at dinner. They have a pretty decent list of champagnes and wines and a surprisingly good beer selection (but actual good beer, no Bud Light to be found here… sorry, Dad). Touring Plans has the beverage menu available on their website. Joe and I shared a couple beers here right before Joe proposed! Gotta calm those nerves somehow, right?
Skipper Canteen
The only other location in Magic Kingdom to offer alcoholic pixie dust is Skipper Canteen. Skipper Canteen has less options than Be Our Guest but you can still get your drink on with five-ish wines, a couple beers and sangria. Not recommended in one sitting.
Hollywood Studios Bars and Lounges
Brown Derby Lounge
Onward to Hollywood Studios. Here you’ll find the Brown Derby Lounge located at, you guessed it, the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant. You’ll find a full service bar and some tasty appetizers to help soak up some of the magic (aka booze). The lounge is located outside of the restaurant so you can sneak in some prime people-watching here too.
The Tune-In Lounge
The Tune-In Lounge is located inside of 50s Prime Time Cafe and is a nostalgic and cozy place to grab a drink before your meal at the restaurant or if you just need a break from the magical crowds. The restaurant and lounge have a retro/1950s feel so you’ll naturally find some couches to relax on and old-school TVs to watch some nostalgic show clips. You can even order a meal from the full 50s Prime Time menu at the lounge. Keep in mind that the lounge area can get congested with people waiting on their restaurant reservations.
Baseline Tap House
And last but definitely not least in Hollywood Studios is my favorite new lounge, Baseline Tap House. This might be one of my favorite places to indulge in alcoholic pixie dust in all of Disney. The interior is mostly made up of the bar and a few tables. There’s also a separate room to the right of the bar where you can grab some popcorn to snack on and the best part? It’s FREE. The popcorn, not the booze – we all know Mickey wouldn’t go that far. There’s a small menu available that includes a Bavarian pretzel, spiced almonds and a charcuterie board. I was impressed with the selection of beer at Baseline. Depending on your taste, it may be a good or bad thing that you can’t get your Budlight or Miller Lite here. To me, that is a very good thing. Baseline Tap House also has an outdoor patio area to enjoy your beverage! I highly recommend this lounge.
Animal Kingdom Bars and Lounges
Nomad Lounge
Shall we head to Animal Kingdom? Animal Kingdom is probably my second favorite park to enjoy a beverage in. I’ll start with my favorite lounge in Animal Kingdom if not all of Disney – Nomad Lounge. Nomad Lounge is located inside of the Tiffins restaurant right outside of Pandora. You can enjoy a drink here before your Tiffins meal or just as a way to escape the craziness for a bit. Nomad Lounge has seating both indoors and outdoors. I definitely prefer the outdoor seating which is located on the water. It’s quiet and very comfortable with cozy couches and armchairs. The menu includes small plates and plenty of unique cocktails all themed to different regions (i.e. Lamu Libation in Africa, the Annapurna Zing in Indonesia or the Tempting Tigress in Indonesia).
Dawa Bar
The Dawa Bar actually translates to Medicine Bar which couldn’t be a more accurate representation of alcohol in my opinion. It’s located in Harambe Village next to Tusker House restaurant and has a full menu of wines, sangria, beer and specialty cocktails. Dawa Bar is all outdoors but is located in a covered area. This is one of my favorite ways to escape the madness of the parks and I would definitely include Dawa Bar on your boozy Disney journey.
Pongu Pongu
Lastly, Pongu Pongu in Pandora offers some unique Na’vi-themed beverages. Pongu Pongu translates to Party Party and you can accomplish just that here with a Frozen Nectar (a frozen limeade layered with apple and pear flavors and topped with mango boba balls), a Screaming Banshee Margarita or a green beer called Hawkes’ Grog Ale. You can also grab a highly recommended treat called a Pongu Lumpia here which is a pineapple cream cheese spring roll. There’s no set seating area at Pongu Pongu but there’s plenty of seating surrounding including both the outdoor pavilion and indoor seating area of Satu’li Canteen.
Epcot Bars and Lounges
And last but certainly not least, the creme de la creme of drinking in Disney – Epcot. I’ll do a whole separate post that will outline how to best drink around the world since that’s its own separate (and awesome) activity. If you’re not familiar with drinking around the world, it’s a way to make the World Showcase a bit more interesting and involves drinking a beverage in every county. A margarita in Mexico, a beer in Germany, a glass of wine in Italy… you can see how this can get out of hand fast. But alas, I will save that for a future post. Let’s talk lounges in Epcot.
La Cava del Tequila
We’ll start with my favorite and also the most popular and busiest – La Cava del Tequila. La Cava is located inside the Mexico pavilion and can get quite busy. If you want to avoid a wait, arrive near opening which is 11am (hey, it’s vacation). We arrived around 12:30 with a group of seven during a “slow” time of year and waited about 30 minutes for a table. La Cava offers a huge menu of creative margaritas (jalapeño or avocado margarita, anyone?) and over 100 tequilas. You can also grab some chips and salsa, guacamole and queso. The atmosphere is intimate and dimly lit like a cellar. Of tequila.
Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar
The Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar located inside of, you guessed it, the Tutto Gusto restaurant in the Italy pavilion is another one of my favorite spots to get your classy drink on. The atmosphere is cozy and intimate and it might come as a surprise to you that the Wine Cellar In Italy has an extensive selection of Italian wine. There’s also a great selection of appetizers to enjoy with your Pinot Noir including fried risotto balls, cheese plates, paninis, meatball sliders and more. Top it all off with the Wine Cellar’s dessert selections including cannoli, panna cotta and tiramisu.
Rose and Crown Pub
The Rose and Crown Pub in the United Kingdom is located right inside the Rose and Crown restaurant and offers lively entertainment and tasty British-inspired drinks. Grab a seat at the bar and have your pick of whisky, lagers, stouts, cocktails, wines and sangria. Make sure to grab some fish and chips or a scotch egg to enjoy with your Guinness!
The fun certainly doesn’t stop at the parks though. In fact, some of my favorite lounges in the World are located outside of the parks. I’ll review some of these in a future post. I’ll also make sure to outline my all-time favorite Disney past-time – Drinking around the World (Showcase). Because it deserves a dedicated post.
So make sure to reach out and find your happily ever after (also known as a margarita in La Cava) at these awesome Disney lounges on your next trip!
What are your favorite places in the parks to indulge in boozy pixie dust?