One of the newest food and beverage spots to open at Disney World is located at the Wilderness Lodge, one of the Magic Kingdom resort hotels. Geyser Point Bar & Grill is set near the resort’s pool, right at the edge of Bay Lake where one can grab a drink and bite to eat at the bar or the quick service window.
We stopped by on a Friday night and when we arrived, the soundtrack for the Wishes nighttime show at the Magic Kingdom was piped in. After a short while, Bay Lake came alive with the Electrical Water Pageant – a nightly parade of lit floats accompanied by music – a water version of the Main Street Electrical Parade. The sound from this was also piped in. Many people gathered around to watch and grabbed a seat in Geyser Point’s many lounge chairs scattered around the bar and deck.
First impressions? It’s beautifully themed to match the resort’s rustic look with cedar beams and natural stone with plenty of space at the bar and deck area. We didn’t have the opportunity to see it during daylight, but can only assume it’s even nicer in the light of day.
We grabbed two seats at the bar and our bartender gave us menus and took our drink order. Geyser Point has a full-service bar with specialty cocktails and craft beer. We were given two menus, one featuring the items offered exclusively at the bar and another which was the menu from the nearby quick service window.
The bar menu had fried oysters, a BBQ brisket cheese dip, salmon rillettes, edamame, shrimp and a charcuterie board. We went with the Shrimp on a Wire (miso-lime vinaigrette, Togarashi, shishito peppers, and chili-aïoli – $13). Four large, chilled shrimp were presented on a wire grid placed on top of a wooden block, hence the “on a wire” monicker. Pretty simple item, no complaints.
Since there really wasn’t any dinner fare on the bar menu, we ordered from the quick service menu which was also pretty limited. Burgers, a lump crab cake sandwich, and salads were the only offerings.
One of the burgers was a Bison Cheeseburger, which I expressed interest in, but the bartender told us it was “gamey” so I steered (no pun intended) away. Instead, we ordered the Classic Bacon Cheeseburger that was accompanied by waffle fries – $13.
I asked for my burger to be “well done, burnt, crispy.” Unfortunately, it came out slightly pink. The burger itself was pretty much your standard Disney quick service burger. There was nothing spectacular or noteworthy about it at all, which was disappointing. The burger patty wasn’t seasoned, was more than likely frozen, wasn’t cooked to the temperature I asked for, and, well…. I’ll stop there. The waffle fries tho, they are the same ones served over in Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom and they are quite addicting.
Let’s talk about drinks. Wine and mixed drinks are served in clear, PVC glasses as this is considered a pool bar and no glass is allowed. Beer comes in plastic cups. Our martinis were served in these glasses and only filled up about a quarter of the glass. I estimated it would be about half a martini glass if I poured it into one of those. Both rounds of martinis I felt were short poured. They were more the volume of a shot instead of a martini.
Overall, while the location is stunning, I felt there needs to be a bit more variety in the food offerings in order to make this a go-to spot for a meal. A snack or lunch may be fine, and that’s what we may be back for… oh, and for a drink with a great view too.