Sebastian’s Bistro at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, just opened tonight and Eric and I went to check it out for dinner. This was our first time ever visiting this particular resort, so we were excited to see what it was all about.
We thought the hotel’s theme was pretty cohesive, with lots of tropical vegetation all around, however, there was A TON of construction evident all over. Most noteworthy, was the newly constructed multi-story hotel that has been constructed near the lake. We were able to take in the sights of the new hotel as we walked along the boardwalk to dinner. The gondola system was also very noticeable throughout the property. It’ll be interesting to see how all of these new projects flow together once they are all complete.
Inside of Sebastians Bistro, the dining room is spacious and large with subtle caribbean touches in the decor. Teal and jade hues covered the walls and adorned the chairs. The bistro is named after Sebastian (from The Little Mermaid), however, the only oticeable nod to the character I found was on the cover of the menu. We were seated at a table in the center of the back dining room. It was a large table, and despite being in the middle of the room, we felt it was more intimate than some of the other seating options. We thought the restaurant would have been busier for it being the grand opening, however, maybe they kept patrons to a minimum BECAUSE it was opening day and that way the castmembers could get a feel for everything?
The menu is very latin/caribbean inspired with dishes consisting of rice, plantains, and meats rubbed in tropical spices. We started things off with a couple of the specialty cocktails. I ordered the Hoist the Colors (mango and guava rums, blue curacao, lemonade, and pomegranate juice). This drink was very good… and not too sweet.
Eric Ordered the Caribbean Smuggler (spiced rum, coconut rum, cranberry and pineapple juice). His was super tasty and very tropical. I’m not a HUGE fan of coconut rum, so I prefered my beverage =)
For dinner I went with the Jerk Chicken, which came with cilantro rice, black beans and ribboned veggies. This dish was extremely good. The chicken had a semi-sweet glaze and was grilled to near perfection! The cilantro rice was very tasty and flavorful. The black beans and veggies were decent accompaniments.
Eric ordered the pork shoulder, which came with tortillas, cilantro rice, mojo sauce and black beans. The idea was for you to take the tortillas and add some of the pulled pork, rice, mojo and beans and then fold it over and eat. Eric really enjoyed his dish. I tried the pork and it was really good!
So, overall the food and ambiance of Sebastian’s Bistro were all top-notch! However, the only thing we noticed that could improve ever so-slightly, was the service. Our waiter was not the chattiest and really did not offer us any sort grand opening commentary nor did he explain the menu or offer suggestions, which we would have LOVED! Also, the food seemed to take a really long time to come. But it was opening day, so obviously there are lots of kinks and things to work out.
We definitely would recommend Sebastian’s Bistro for dinner. I know I definitely want to go back again soon to try the lunch menu!
