Sometimes, the trick to a perfect meal at Disney World is stepping outside of the theme parks and heading to a Disney Resort. While it might feel out of the way, there are lots of resorts only a few steps away from the parks, waiting to offer you what could be your new favorite restaurant.

Just a short walk from EPCOT, you’ll find Ale & Compass, located in Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. We’re bringing you a full lunch review to see if it’s worth the stop on your next Disney World vacation.

Atmosphere

Welcome, sailors! Ale & Compass is a coastal-inspired restaurant designed to evoke the ambiance of a cozy lighthouse. With darker lighting and nautical elements, the restaurant continues the Yacht Club theme throughout, featuring comfortable booths, chairs, and tables. Dining reservations are highly recommended, which can be made through the My Disney Experience app; however, walk-up reservations may also be available.

We love this restaurant as an oasis away from the chaos of the theme parks. It’s filled with air conditioning and features darker lighting, which isn’t so dark that you can’t see, making it a great spot to take a break from EPCOT.

There’s also bar seating at Ale & Compass Lounge if you’re looking for a more casual dining experience.

Now that we’re here, what’s on the menu?

Menu

Ale & Compass offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offering New England comfort food, classic seafood dishes, and favorite American meals. We went for lunch, which runs from 11:45 AM to 2 PM and has starters, salads, flatbreads, and main plates.

There are also cocktails, beers, and wines, along with a kids’ menu with a variety of familiar favorites. The lunch menu is smaller than their dinner menu, but it is a perfect combination of breakfast and dinner offerings.

The menu looks delicious, so let’s eat!

Eats

We started with the Parker House Rolls and Spreads for $14. These rolls are served with Bacon Jam, Pub Cheese, and Citrus Butter.

Every time we eat at Ale & Compass, we get these rolls because they’re just that good. They’re crispy on the outside but so fluffy on the inside. The spreads stick easily to the bread, and the top has flakes of salt on it, so you get a little salt with every bite. They’re easy to share, and you get a great amount of spread to bread ratio.

The citrus butter was bright and acidic, reminding us of summer. It wasn’t overwhelmingly acidic but had an outstanding balance and was topped with salt for a little bit more texture and flavor. If you’re a traditional bread-and-butter type of person, this is going to be your go-to.

The pub cheese is similar to pimento cheese but without the larger chunks. It was so smooth and had chives on top to add some freshness and a bite to it. You can find this spread on other menu items, and it was our favorite of the three.

For those who love savory flavors, you’re going to be obsessed with the bacon jam. It was very meaty, but the texture was smoother than you would expect because of how finely chopped the bacon was. It still spread easily on the bread and balanced out the cheese and the butter.

Then we had the Seasonal Market Vegetable Flatbread for $17. This flatbread is Market-inspired by the Season, and during July, we were served French Onion Soup Flatbread, which was changed every few months.

It had shreds of beef on top that were salty and easy to bite through. The cheese was melted on top, keeping everything in place, and the actual flatbread had crispy bubbles of crust on the sides. The flatbread had a bit of chew and wasn’t too crispy, and it really brought in the flavors of the soup without having to eat soup in the middle of summer in Florida. It was salty and savory and was a decent size to easily share amongst the table.

For our main plates, we had the Cheddar Burger for $25. This burger features Applewood-smoked Bacon, Tomato, Pickled Avocados, Sunny-Side-up Egg, and Herbed Mayonnaise, all on a House-made Bun.

We’ve tried different versions of this burger in the past, but the new version focused on the cheddar. The first thing we noticed was the size! It’s a huge burger and topped with that beautiful sunny-side-up egg, and as soon as you smash that top bun on and slice through, it’s going to get messy. With all of the different toppings, this burger got messy fast, and the bottom bun struggled to keep everything together. The patty was juicy and thick, and we asked for ours to be served medium. The bacon was chewy and thick, and the cheese helped keep the toppings on the patty (but in the bun is a different story!).

While we were excited for the pickled avocados, we didn’t think they tasted any different than regular avocados. The whole burger was a delicious, classic burger that was savory and packed with all the toppings you could ever want. It’s not the most exciting burger in the world, but it’s a solid option to choose when you want traditional flavors. The fries were also crispy, and we enjoyed dipping them in all the sauce that fell off the burger.

We also had the Fish & Chips for $20. The Fish and Chips are served with House-made Vinegar Chips and Lemon-Caper Tartar Sauce.

Another big serving! The fish was crispy and flaky, and we loved how it wasn’t greasy. The fries had a great salt and vinegar bite to them that took the traditional fry but made them a little bit more fun. The tarter sauce was also a standout with the briny flavor of the lemon and capers that enhanced the taste of the fish. Like the burger, this isn’t the craziest fish and chips we’ve ever had, but it’s of excellent quality and a solid option when you want something you know you’re going to enjoy.

If you know Disney Food Blog, you know we aren’t leaving without dessert! We got the Seasonal Cobbler for $9. Right now, it’s fresh fruit with vanilla gelato.

Our cobbler was filled with different types of berries. It wasn’t too sweet or tart or sour, but had a really lovely balance. We thought it reminded us more of a compote with a crumb layer on top instead of a traditional cobbler. The top tasted a bit on the raw side, and while we personally don’t mind the taste of raw dough, it might not be everyone’s favorite. The ice cream on top was super icy and had that classic vanilla flavor that melted beautifully on top of the cobbler.

Drinks

For drinks, we had the New England Cherry Swirl, priced at $17.50. This drink is a mix of Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Lemon Juice, Pure Maple Syrup, and a float of Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon.

This drink was a hit! The bourbon was from one of our reporter’s favorite distilleries and reminded us of a drink we had at GEO-82, the adults-only lounge inside Spaceship Earth, for about half the price. You’ll want to give this drink a good swirl because the wine stays on top while the bourbon sits below. Despite being a Cherry Swirl, this drink is not overly sweet but has the flavors of lemon juice with a bit of maple syrup on the back of the sip. We’ll definitely be ordering this one again.

We also enjoyed the Seaworthy Breeze for $15.50, made with Yacht Club Vodka, featuring juices of Grapefruit and Cranberry.

The Seaworthy Breeze was definitely on the stronger side! It tasted mostly of vodka, while the grapefruit and cranberry were more subtle flavors in the back of each bite. Vodka cranberries are typically a great introductory drink for those trying to get into different drinks, but be warned that this version is very strong and might not be everyone’s favorite.

Nosh or Not

Ale & Compass needs to be on your list if…

• You are looking for a nicer dinner nearby to the parks that is easy to get reservations for
• You prefer traditional dishes that you know you’re going to enjoy
• You love a relaxing atmosphere and a longer dinner

You might want to skip this restaurant if…

• You are looking for more unique dishes or options
• You want a quicker and more affordable meal
• You don’t want to travel outside of the parks or to a different resort

Overall

Ale & Compass is always a favorite! They have consistent food and menu items we know we’re going to like. We won’t visit without having the Parker House Rolls, and we love how shareable the appetizers and entrees are. It’s a relaxing spot where we can escape the chaos of the parks, and it’s usually easy to snag a reservation. You might overlook this random restaurant, but it’s truly a fan favorite that we always keep in our back pocket when we need it.

We’re still dreaming about our lunch at Ale & Compass, and while we book another reservation to get our hands on more Parker House Rolls, make sure you’re following Disney Food Blog for all the best food reviews you need for Disney World.

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Have you ever eaten at Ale & Compass? Tell us about your experience in the comments!