BOATWRIGHT'S DINING HALL

Health grade
A · 100/100
Orange County rank
Among the cleanest
Diner rating
4.2 ★ · 912 reviews
Violations
None cited
Last inspected
Jun 2026

Its most recent inspection on June 10, 2026 came back clean. Diners give it 4.2 across 912 reviews. It's a American spot in Lake Buena Vista. Menus here flag options for vegetarian and organic diners.

A · 100/100 · among the cleanest kitchens in Orange County

Get directions Call (407) 939-5277

Restaurant details

Health grade
A (100/100)
Violations
None recorded
Address
1251 RIVERSIDE DR, Lake Buena Vista, FL
Cuisine
American
Categories
Cajun restaurant, American restaurant
Price
$$
Rating
4.2 stars (912 reviews)
Seats
208
Phone
(407) 939-5277
Website
Official website
Photo of BOATWRIGHT'S DINING HALL
Photo: Boatwright's Dining Hall

Community Rating

Reviews via Google
4.2 Community-sourced rating 912 reviews
Read all reviews on Google →

What diners say — our read

One subject runs through these 23 reviews more than any other: the staff. Reviews mentioning front-of-house average 3.7 stars, so it divides opinion rather than settling it.

The single most common rating left here is 5 stars (10 of 23). Of the 23 rated reviews, 12 sit at four stars or better and 6 at two or below. A third strand, value for money, appears in 17% of them at 3.0 stars.

Against that, the kitchen inspects well — an A (100/100), nothing cited at the most recent DBPR visit. The visit behind that grade was June 10, 2026. Its inspection trajectory is upward over the records we hold. Ranked against Orange County, it is safer than 100% of the restaurants we score. The inspector left without citing anything — worth noting, since most visits find something.

The honest summary is that the evidence is mixed on both sides. Full reviews follow below in the order they were left.

Our own analysis of 23 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →

  • June 22, 2026

    The food was good. Service was great!! If you're staying at this resort and want a better option than the fast pick up this is the place.

  • June 22, 2026

    We ate here twice in the last 2 months and this place is a hidden gem. We had multiple items on the menu and they were all great. The bourbon chocolate cake is great. Our favorite was the French Onion soup.

  • June 19, 2026

    What are you doing the food for the price? Was mediocre at best. Definitely, not the quality of what you pay for. It was thrown on the plate, so it looked unappetizing. Ordered the all you could eat barbecue. They never came back one time to. We'll see if you wanted anything else. So that was a waste of money when they did come back. It was to pay a bill after everybody had already eat. and the the old table was done, that's when they decided to ask if somebody wanted a another serving. No compensation was made or even attempted definitely, not what you would expect out of a Walt Disney. Establishment Would not recommend

  • June 17, 2026

    how do you go from having one of the best all you care to enjoy bbq platters on property less than a few months ago to unedible food and terrible service. only disney can pull that off. seriously from changing the bread to the food on the bbq platter and then making the food literally unedible takes special action. i thought cape may cafe was bad but boatwright just proved it would join the ranks of being another terrible hotel restaurant once again!!!

  • June 10, 2026

    Excellent full service sit down dinner.

  • June 9, 2026

    Food seems a little less quality as years past. No more cornbread for the table is a huge loss for customers. Overall, worth a try anytime.

  • June 8, 2026

    What the Boatwright happened to the food?!? $33 for a Hungry Man frozen meal and labeled all you can eat (microwave). Jambalaya was like a small soup in a small bowl. I wish I took a pic so I could post a side by side. We used to love this place, and it's been a few years. Onion soup is the only thing that's same. That's it. Cornbread is $5 per mini loaf but decent. My son who normally eats everything only ate the bread and fritters. Our server was very nice. I wouldn't come back and thankful our friend visiting town couldn't make it or id have been mortified.

  • June 7, 2026

    Amazing with food allergies

  • June 4, 2026

    Nice place for a great meal!

  • June 3, 2026

    This restaurant used to be one of my favorites. The complimentary cornbread, the amazing dishes but it has gone to heck in a handbasket. Went on Monday and it was terrible. Sat 20 mins late. Took forever for our waitress to come over. We had to ask her for my uncle's sprite 3x. The onion soup was tasty but only 2/3 full. The fantastic cornbread is replaced by some kind of white generic loaf. My husband and I split the chicken (I dont eat a lot) and it came out and was literally small and was drenched in salt. Inedible. We sent it back and the next replacement was small and had zero seasoning. God awful. SO bad that they took it off the bill. Restaurant is super noisy and had some kids who thought it was ok to scream. Sadly would not recommend nor will I visit again.

  • June 3, 2026

    The service was personable and the food was delicious and abundant. The atmosphere here is truly peaceful and transporting to an old, otherworldly America.

  • June 3, 2026

    Really enjoyed the blackened prime rib at boatwrights at Port Orleans Riverside. Overall all our meals were really good. The all you can eat platter was good with the ribs being the star. The French onion soup was some of the best we've had. Kids enjoyed the mac and cheese and spaghetti. Will definitely be back!

  • June 2, 2026

    Been here before and the food was good but we went back and they don’t serve corn bread, or corn on the cob anymore which were great before and the ribs were really nasty this time. Ribs were not cooked right and alot of fat. Hope they make a change cause this place used to be great.

  • June 2, 2026

    The food was so-so, the brisket might be good however the sauce they use on it is terrible. Also the butter for the bread is plain nasty. The chicken was good but only dark meat. The server was nice however you rarely saw him and when he came back and asked if anything was needed before the table could finish talking he was gone. The manager bounced all around but never stopped at our table to check on us.

  • June 2, 2026

    Very average at best. The loaded mashed potatoes are literally not loaded. A few crumbs of bacon sprinkled on top is not "loaded". The salmon was solid enough and jambalaya was ok but unless you're in a pinch it's a skip. There's no excuse for low quality for from a company that charges what Disney does.

  • June 1, 2026

    Boatwright's Dining Hall seemed like a solid choice based on the reviews, which is why I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, my experience didn't live up to the hype. I ordered the all-you-care-to-enjoy platter, and I was pretty disappointed. The food was very oily, overly wet, and just didn't seem to be prepared particularly well. The macaroni and cheese and the potatoes were the highlights of the meal, but most of the other items missed the mark for me. To be fair, the person I was dining with enjoyed their meal, so your experience may vary. The atmosphere and service were fine, but based on the food I received, I wouldn't rush back.

  • June 1, 2026

    Nice setting, good food and service

  • May 24, 2026

    Over priced and under staffed. An hour and a half delay at 5 pm when the restaurant was at about 30% capacity. I am looking at the restaurant as I type this and I see MAYBE 3 tables of three people on each section and people being told a 2 hour wait. The hostesses would whisper the name of a guest to be seated. Then they were annoyed when people came up asking about their reservations. The hostess station is around a 90 degree corner from the actual waiting area. Then they looked frustrated when no one answered. Also, thirteen dollars for a meatball the size of a golf ball and some penne pasta! It was nuts. Also, all the decor was horribly out of date considering how much it cost to eat there.

  • May 24, 2026

    Bring back the corn bread.

  • May 20, 2026

    A delightful experience for four of us with four different dishes. We all left happy. We ordered the prime rib, butcher's steak, blackened prime rib and the "Taste of the Bayou" platter. Our server, Christina, was helpful and fun to interact with.

  • May 20, 2026

    Great food and excellent service.

  • May 18, 2026

    We sat down at 5:20 on a Monday night. May was our server. She was AMAZING! She gave us wonderful advice on orders! She gave us amazing service and was able to joke and make sure that we all had fun and smiles on our faces the entire night! Would absolutely be back and would absolutely recommend!

  • May 18, 2026

    Come for the reasonably priced, absolutely delicious desserts but skip the super bland, typical Disney overpriced dinners. Mashed potatoes with absolutely no flavor, overcooked “char grilled” steak that actually had a good flavor but was cooked almost well done and a“blackened upon request” prime rib that was just them sprinkling some Cajun seasoning on the top of the meat. Plates were hot but the food was not. Just a big ol’ disappointment except for the desserts. Those were incredible and the desserts and the staff are why I gave this 3 stars instead of something lower. We went specifically for the peanut butter pie but I was also talked into getting the bananas foster cheesecake and both wildly exceeded our expectations.

Overall Score

72 / 100

  • Health inspection grade 40/40
    Grade A
  • Dietary transparency 7/20
    2 options listed
  • Community rating 17/20
    4.2★ average
  • Hidden-gem status 0/10
    Not flagged
  • Track record 8/10
    Improving, 50% clean

Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.

Opening hours

Monday
5 to 9 PM
Tuesday
5 to 9 PM
Wednesday
5 to 9 PM
Thursday
5 to 9 PM
Friday
5 to 9 PM
Saturday
5 to 9 PM
Sunday
5 to 9 PM

Inspection history

The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.

  1. June 10, 2026 · Routine - Food

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    0 high-priority · 0 intermediate · 0 basic

    No violations cited.

  2. December 3, 2025 · Routine - Food

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    0 high-priority · 0 intermediate · 2 basic

    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×2)

This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →

Data last updated: June 10, 2026