Think the only place you can truly “eat and drink around the world” is at EPCOT? Well, you’re WRONG. Maybe you’re thinking — “oh, okay, I can eat some Indian and African-inspired dishes at Animal Kingdom or Animal Kingdom Lodge. That’s what you’re talking about right?” NOPE. Once again, WRONG!

There’s actually a very underrated spot right in the heart of Disney World’s food and shopping mecca where you can taste some international eats without leaving your table. We’re talking a tequila tower and tapas for DAYS! Don’t know what we’re talking about? Lean in close, and get ready to learn some delicious secrets!

You’ve probably walked past Paradiso 37 in Disney Springs multiple times and maybe you’ve never even stopped to see what this spot has to offer. We get it, as you’re racing toward Homecomin’ or Gideon’s Bakehouse, Paradiso 37 might fall to the backburner. But, should it? Or should you make a special date to check out this unique spot? We visited for dinner and now we’d like to take you along to share ALL of our thoughts!

Atmosphere

Located in the heart of Disney Springs, Paradiso 37 gets its name from the fact that they are a celebration of 37 countries from North, Central, and South America! As such, you’ll notice a blend of different types of decor throughout the restaurant, as well as a blend of menu offerings. From passport stamps on the walls to vintage travel posters, you’ll see this international travel theme carried out throughout the restaurant.

They have a variety of food from Salsa and Queso to Brazilian Bread and Pulled Pork Sandwiches. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as an upper level of the restaurant for even more seating.

You’ll generally find live music available here from 5PM until close — making it a bit more of a party spot as the sun goes down.

Inside, you’ll notice bright and vibrant colors, as well as a lively, almost party-like atmosphere. They even feature a “tequila tower” stacked with 37 different varieties of tequila (each 100% agave)! Paradiso features an international rum bar too. Talk about some serious options for those who like to try different drinks!

Now let’s take a look at the menu and see how it blends together those 37 countries!

Menu

During our visit, we were given a traditional paper menu in order to peruse our various drink and food options.

Everything is on one sheet of paper — flip the menu over and you’ll see what drinks are available.

You can also take a look at the Paradiso 37 menu online, on Disney’s website. Note that some of these prices and offerings may have changed since our original visit and may change in the future as well. Be sure to see what’s available and what things are priced at during your trip!

When ordering, you can start off your evening with one of many appetizers, like their P37 Dipping Trio for $16 (which comes with guacamole, P37 salsa, and cheese queso) or their Big Smoke Poutine for $18 (poutine is everywhere it seems!).

For something on the lighter side, there are several salads available, as well as flatbreads you can share with the table (or keep all to yourself, we won’t judge! ).

Next, it’s time to choose your entree! Paradiso 37 offers a variety of options, including an All American Burger for $21, Baja Fish Tacos for $20, or Argentinian Skirt Steak for $38. There’s a dish here for everyone it seems — whether you want seafood, chicken, ribs, or a veggie-based item.

Your entree can be accompanied by one of their Side dishes. There are some veggies, Brazilian cheese bread (OF COURSE!), and other options. Kids have their own special menu to order from as well, which includes crispy chicken tenders (a kiddo MUST).

Of course, you can’t forget about Dessert! There are definitely some options on the tropical side, and are those churros we see?!

There are also several Non-Alcoholic Drinks to choose from.

For guests age 21 and over, there are plenty of Specialty Cocktails to try!

From Captain Skittles to Sangria and everything in between, the drinks menu keeps going and going!

If you prefer Wine…

…or Beer, there are selections for that available, too.

Alright, now that we explored the menu, let’s EAT (and drink)!

Food

We started the evening off with the Bahama Mama for $12. This cocktail is a mixture of P37 Premium Coconut Rum, Grenadine, and Orange and Pineapple Juice, and it is topped with a Dark Rum Floater.

It also comes with Orange and Lime slices as a garnish.

This is one of the better mixed drinks we’ve had in a while! We thought that the orange and pineapple juices mixed really well with the rum and grenadine. Think of it as a Piña Colada with a Florida/tropical twist!

The drink was light and fresh. One of those that makes you go “ahhhhh” after you take a sip! Our reporter who tried this noted that while they aren’t a huge drinker, they seriously enjoyed this drink! But be warned: even though you don’t really taste the alcohol, it was a rather strong drink, so you’ll want to pace yourself.

For our appetizer, we chose the P37 Dipping Trio for $16, which includes Guacamole, the P37 Salsa, and the Cheese Queso. We couldn’t decide on what dip to get, so why not get all 3?!

It also comes with two small bags of Tortilla Chips to use for dipping, but we all know the drill — the chips are merely a vessel for the dip to enter our mouths. C’mon, we ALL know this to be true!

We’ll start with the guacamole, which was LOVELY! It had some nice Pico de Gallo on top, which we enjoyed. But if you’re not a Pico fan, consider asking for that on the side. We picked up on a good tang from the lime, which added a nice brightness. The guac seemed to be decently mixed with no unusually large chunks of avocado (a GIANT piece of avocado can be a bit of a buzz kill if you prefer your guac to be smoother).

Next, we have the queso. Ahhhhhh, melted cheese! How we love thee wonderful melted goddess.The queso here tasted just like a typical queso with a nice smokey feel, and it was suuuuuper creamy!

The salsa, on the other hand, was a bit odd to us when we tried it. Since it’s their house salsa, there was a unique flavor added in that we couldn’t quite pinpoint. It also had a bit of an aftertaste that we can only really describe as an unripe tomato picked straight from the garden, but…not in a good way.

Remember that you can also order each of these dips individually, so if you’re thinking that the salsa won’t be for you, you can just skip that altogether and focus on the queso and guac instead.

Next up, we ordered the Honolulu Pulled Pork Sandwich ($18) as our entree, and we paired it with the Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread) for $9 and Truffle Fries for $6.

Note that some of the entrees specify that they come with a choice of side, while others do not. So you’ll want to keep that in mind and see where you might need to BUY a side in addition to your entree.

The Pork Sandwich itself is made with Slow-roasted Pulled Pork, Grilled Pineapple, Coleslaw, and a Whiskey BBQ Sauce. It was, in a word, delish! The pineapple was super juicy with only a slight tartness, so it wasn’t overpowering at all. The pulled pork itself was cooked well (not dry or overly chewy or anything like that) and it had a really nice smokiness to it.

The coleslaw added a much-needed crunch to the sandwich, and it was very fresh and not too “mayonnaise-y.” This seems like the kind of sandwich that could get super wet and moist (yes, we used the word) really fast, but that wasn’t the case here at all! Maybe that’s because we ate ours so fast. After all, it was delicious or maybe it’s due to good sandwich structure — regardless, we’ll count that as a win!

Next, we have our Brazilian Cheese Bread. You may recognize Pao de Queijo from having tried it at EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival. In the past, it has been one of our favorites from the Brazil Booth and it is typically a very popular item with other guests as well. So we were excited to give this dish a try at Paradiso 37. You can’t order the Pao de Queijo year-round at EPCOT…but you can get it here!

Unfortunately, we won’t exactly be shouting about these from the rooftops. Our little pieces of Brazilian Cheese Bread came out at room temperature, which wasn’t as good as having them nice and warm. They were also a bit smaller than EPCOT’s version, and they felt much harder in terms of texture, which wasn’t great. They did have that sharp cheddar cheese flavor (which was nice), but compared to what we know and love from EPCOT, these ones almost felt stale in comparison.

The Truffle Fries, on the other hand, were a total HIT for us! The French Fries themselves had that perfect squishy-to-crunchy ratio, so just by themselves, they would have been a pleasant side dish. But when you add the Truffle Seasoning with the Parmesan on top of the fries, you get an awesome cheesy kick with each bite. Truly, these were stellar!

Our tummies were full from all of our dishes, so we skipped dessert on this trip and ended our meal with those tasty fries. Truffle and parmesan counts as dessert right?! Overall, there were clearly some hits as well as a couple of misses with our meal. So, should you stop by Paradiso 37 the next time you’re in Disney Springs? Here are our thoughts.

Nosh or Not?

Party on over to Paradiso 37 if…

• You’re looking for a table service restaurant in Disney Springs that won’t break the bank. Don’t get us wrong — the prices here aren’t all quick service restaurant-cheap, but they aren’t quite as bad as some other table service spots. A pulled pork sandwich for $18 isn’t terrible. But note that there are some much more expensive items, like the Patagonian Seared Salmon for $33. Still, it’s cheaper than a meal at, say, Be Our Guest Restaurant or Cinderella’s Royal Table.
• You’re traveling with a larger group of people with a variety of appetites and preferences. The menu here is pretty diverse. Chips and dips, flatbreads, salads, tacos, burgers, seafood, sandwiches, steak — this spot has it ALL. If you’re looking for a spot that’ll satisfy a bunch of different food wants, this could be a good pick.
• You want to pull up to a bar to enjoy some great cocktails in a fun environment. There are quite a few drinks here, especially in because of the various types of tequilas and rums available. So if you’re looking for some fun drinks, this could be a good pick. Just note that some are fairly standard drinks — they’re not ridiculously unique drinks that’ll make your tongue go numb (like the special drink at Oga’s Cantina) and they’re not drinks made with astronaut ice cream like the ones you’ll find at Space 220.

Skip Paradiso 37 and find your paradise elsewhere if… 

• You want something a little more quiet and romantic. The atmosphere here is pretty lively and more party-like. If that’s your style, then you’ll enjoy it. But if you’re looking for a more fancy spot, consider some other locations.
• You’re visiting on a more busy night. We happened to visit on a busy evening and the staff, while lovely, seemed a bit overwhelmed. There were some points where we didn’t see our server for long stretches of time. So perhaps consider visiting during an emptier time for lunch or dinner.
• You’re dining with little kids. While there is a kids menu with some standard options, the kids we saw here looked a tiny bit bored. There aren’t any Disney characters, giant dinosaurs, huge aquariums, or anything fun like that to look at. And with a more heavy emphasis on cocktails, the atmosphere felt like it catered a bit more to adults.

Overall

Some of the table service restaurants in Disney Springs TRULY knock it out of the park each and every time, and are among the best of the best that Disney World has to offer — we’re looking at you, Wine Bar George and Morimoto Asia. So there’s some steep competition when it comes to where you should book that Advance Dining Reservation on your Disney Springs day.

Does Paradiso 37 offer the kind of ultimate and BEST dining experience in Disney World to the point where you should drop everything to go and experience? Not necessarily. But if you’re looking for a fun, lively atmosphere on your night off from the parks and you want to enjoy a couple of cocktails with your friends and some tasty food options, this is a pretty good pick!

This pretty much lines up with some of our previous experiences at this spot — REALLY tasty drinks and some solid food choices, though not necessarily a ton of things that have blown our minds. On this trip, we really liked the queso and the guac, our pulled pork sandwich was delish, those truffle fries were wonderful, and our drink was great. But the cheese bites fell flat for us and the salsa wasn’t a fav.

We have liked some of the other options here in the past. For example, their Crazy Corn is pretty EPIC, so that might be a great option if you want something seriously cheesy and tasty! It’s seriously one of our FAVORITE things in Disney World, like ever. But some of entrees in the past haven’t been all that great.

Our overall feel from the past has been to go to Paradiso 37 for the appetizers/tapas and the drinks, rather than the entrees. We did really like our Pulled Pork Sandwich this time though, so that advice won’t always apply. But we do think their appetizers and drinks are (typically) more of the stars of the show. What do you think? Would you make a stop here to try some of those appetizers and drinks?

We’ll be back with even more reviews of the restaurants and dining locations around the Disney World parks and resorts, as well as Disney Springs — be sure to follow along ahead of your upcoming vacation so you know where to plan your meals!

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Have you dined at Paradiso 37? Share your experience in the comments!

The post Review: A Menu That Represents 37 (!!!) Countries Can Be Found in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.