We’ve been busy gettin’ our grub on since Disney Springs re-opened! So far, we’ve re-visited old favorites like Homecomin’, Planet Hollywood, and Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar. Now, we’re BACK exploring one of Disney Springs’ newest restaurants, City Works Eatery & Pour House.

The sports bar is located right next to The NBA Experience on the Westside of Disney Springs. While the NBA Experience hasn’t re-opened quite yet, the dinner we had at City Works was nearly a SLAM DUNK.

City Works is known for the 3 B’s: beer, ball games, and big-screen televisions. When we talk about gourmet food, it’s not the first Disney restaurant that comes to mind. (Although, the Peanut Butter Snickers Pie is pretty dang good.) We’ve enjoyed the food we’ve had at City Works in the past, but it always had more of a mass-chain style flavor and presentation to the grub here.

Venturing back, we were pleasantly surprised to find a meal that went beyond our expectations and even made us break a sweat (but more on that later!).

Atmosphere

Inside, there’s a HUGE bar, big-screen TVs lining the walls, and plenty of plushy booths. It’s loud. It’s fun. It’s got a lot of beer. Due to the social distancing guidelines, some bar stools have been removed or separated to keep space between parties.

Some tables are unavailable to allow for space between guests as well.

Outside, there’s plenty of seating and a new outdoor bar for to-go drinks. They are currently building an awning that will help shield outdoor tables from the sun and rain. 

We’ll be checking out an outdoor brunch under their awning as soon as we can!

Click here to learn more about the To-Go window at City Works!

Eats

Like most Disney Springs restaurants, City Works is providing limited menus while they ramp up again. Some restaurants are allowing you to scan a QR code that pulls up the menu online while others are sticking with disposable paper menus.

Unfortunately, City Works’ popular Happy Hour hasn’t returned yet.

But at least the Rock N’ Roll Brunch is back! They are hoping Happy Hour comes back real soon too!

They still have ALL their beers on tap and some cocktails. We went ahead and tried the Beermosa.

This summery mixed drink costs $13 and is made with Bottlenectar beer, Tanqueray, and orange juice. The  Bottlenectar beer is brewed just for City Works! This drink was really refreshing! It was almost like a boozier version of a shandy. We could sip this on the outdoor patio on a hot day for sure!

City Works is known for turning up the heat in some of their popular dishes like the Kung Pao Cauliflower or layin’ it on thick with the Bacon Cheeseburger made with house-smoked candied thick-cut bacon. We’re big fans of spicy, so we went with the flamin’ hot Scorpion Burger.

The burger costs $18 and comes topped with habanero pepper jack, jalapeños, five pepper jam, arugula, vine-ripened tomato, scorpion pepper aioli. Oh, and a side of crispy seasoned fries.

We asked for the burger medium-rare and were pleasantly surprised when the burger actually came out medium-rare. (We stan a made-to-order burger.) The sweetness from five pepper jam balanced nicely with the jalapenos and peppers. The patty was good quality and it was served on a buttery brioche bun.

So, was this burger actually hot??

Another pleasant surprise — this dish had a good kick to it! This is a REALLY rare occurrence when it comes to Disney food. For those of you who like a dose of spice, this is a good choice. We wouldn’t recommend it to those of you who are heat averse. We definitely found ourselves going back to that Beermosa to cool down a few times with this one! 

Next up, we went with the hearty Tex Mex Mac N’ Cheese. The dish costs $16 and combines spicy chorizo with roasted jalapeno, pepper jack cheese sauce, crispy tortilla strips, cilantro, and cavatappi pasta.

The sauce was nice and creamy and the spiral noodles were a great choice for this dish — they caught all that yummy CHEESE! We liked the crunch from the tortilla strips and the portion is HUGE. We found this mac was a bit too salty for our taste. We decided that the chorizo meat was the culprit the more we ate. It’s possible we just got some extra salty meat in our batch, so you may have better luck!

Again, the heat was definitely present in this dish. There’s a good spice comin’ from the roasted jalapenos, but it’s definitely not as aggressive as the burger. If you would prefer VERY little heat maybe go for the Smoked Cheddar Mac N’ Cheese instead. 

Nosh or Not

Who should visit City Works?

• Sports Fans — We found the food to be FAR better quality than the other sports bar on Disney property, ESPN Club.
• Beer Drinkers — the drink menu boasts a whopping 70+ beers! You’re bound to find something you like here.
• Happy Hour Fanatics — We know, we know. We’re rubbin’ it in your face since this isn’t happening (yet!). But stay tuned! We will definitely let you know when City Works’ Happy Hour comes back! Locals, in particular, will enjoy this spot due to the lower-than-normal prices for a Disney Springs restaurant.

Who shouldn’t visit City Works?

• Fancy Eaters — If you’re looking for a nice dinner, this isn’t your place. Try The Boathouse for an excellent meal and a romantic night out.
• Adventurous Eaters — Barring the spice factor, City Works is known for cheeseburgers and cheese curds (and lots of other bar food!). Try Morimoto Asia for something a little more unique!

Overall

While it’s not our first choice when eating at Disney Springs, it’s certainly high up on the list for good beer and a solid Happy Hour. City Works is a great place to meet up with friends for $2 wells and good brews. 

Yo, City Works! Let us know when the patio is open and Happy Hour is in full swing. ‘Cuz you know we’ll be the first in line for those $7 cheese curds! 

Wanna know what we think is the BEST time to visit City Works? Check out the details about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Brunch!

Are you brave enough to try the Scorpion Burger? Let us know in the comments if it’s thumbs up or thumbs down for spice!