Sadly, many of us could not be at the grand opening of Disney World back in 1971, simply because we weren’t even a thought in our parents’ minds yet.
The gates were opened and history was made. We’re incredibly grateful it was because it has become the Most Magical Place on Earth and one of our favorite places on Earth. Fortunately, Disney has done several things to preserve the memory of this impactful moment in history. One of those things is a steakhouse named for the year the first Disney World park opened — Steakhouse 71. We recently made a stop at this restaurant to try out the lounge once again, and boy, were we pleasantly surprised (to say the least)!
Background
Steakhouse 71 can be found on the bottom level of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, right past the front desk counters. As you pass under the sign and down the walkway into the restaurant and lounge, you’ll find lots of history and memories preserved along the walls.
Atmosphere
When you walk up to the check-in desk for the restaurant, you’ve basically already entered the lounge. It’s an open concept with a square bar with seating around it as well as two rooms with more comfortable chairs and couches. You can wait at these couches, tables, and bar for your reservation if you’re planning to dine at the actual restaurant. Otherwise, if you can snag a seat in the lounge, you’re welcome to grab a bite here, as well.
The atmosphere here is pretty cozy. You’ll instantly get 70’s vibes with the bright colors like reds, whites, blues, and oranges, and spiky chandeliers.
Food & Drinks
If you choose to dine in the Lounge, you won’t need a reservation, but you may need a bit of luck grabbing a spot. The Lounge does not offer the full menu from the restaurant, but there are some pretty amazing items on it nonetheless. You’ll find items like Lump Crab Cakes, the Stack Burger, Loaded Macaroni & Cheese, Bacon & Eggs, and more on the Lounge Bites menu.
They also offer a cocktail, beer, and wine menu. There are several cocktails here that go with the theme of the decade. There are also mocktail or non-alcoholic options for anyone who doesn’t drink.
The website doesn’t list a dessert menu for Steakhouse 71 Lounge, but if you ask for one, the servers generally have no problem letting you get something off it.
We decided that we wanted to try three items off the Lounge menu. The Stack Burger is an oldie, but a goodie, and we couldn’t pass it up. It is a signature blend of beef, pork belly, American cheese, lemon aïoli, red onion, and house-made pickles served on an allergy-friendly bun. You can get it with a choice of a petite Caesar salad, parmesan fries, or pasta salad. You can see we went for the fries! You can get this meal for $23.
This burger is typically one of our favorites out of any at Disney World. However, this time, it felt a bit lacking. It was still good, it just didn’t live up to our memories of it. The burger seemed a bit dry and simply not as flavorful as we remember. The fries were fine, but nothing to rave about.
It’s very possible that the burger wasn’t as good as we remember because it was being overshadowed by our new favorite item here — the Bacon & Eggs. We didn’t have any expectations for the maple-lacquered pork belly, smoked cheese grits, and Perfect Egg, but boy, did they SHINE.
We couldn’t find a single thing wrong with this dish. I’m not typically overly fond of pork belly, but I would eat this pork belly every day if I could. It was not overly fatty, and it was incredibly flavorful. The grits might be the best grits I’ve ever had (and I’ve eaten a lot of grits in my life). They were deliciously cheesy and rich. There was almost a sweetness to them that was so good. And that Perfect Egg — yep, it was perfect. This fantastic meal is $15.
The last food item we tried was the Lump Crab Cakes. They’re accompanied by an Old Bay Rémoulade and a side of corn hash. The crab cakes themselves were good. If you like crab cakes, we’re sure you’ll like them. But the cakes were not the star of this plate for me — it was the veggies!
I’m typically the person who will avoid the vegetables on my plate and only eat the main food and starches (long live potatoes), but this meal had me second-guessing my discontent with peppers and onions. The corn hash was SO good. They were flavorful beyond my expectations and even better when mixed with the sauce. I would have been perfectly happy with the veggies on the crackers with the sauce. The Crab Cakes and Corn Hash are $16.
We tried two cocktails, both of which are named for the year Magic Kingdom opened. First, the French 71 is made with Courvoisier VS Cognac, Prosecco, pear nectar, agave syrup, and lemon juice. A glass is $15.
We noticed that the pear flavor really stood out! It was a sweet, but not too sweet drink. Very flavorful, yet refreshing. The Prosecco was noticeable, but not overpowering. Overall, it was well-balanced and not dry or tart.
The second drink we grabbed was enough for multiple people! The 1971 Sunset is $28 and can serve two to four drinkers easily. It is made with Herradura Reposado Tequila, POG Juice, rosemary simple syrup, and house-made grenadine. Luckily, you can ask for a single serving of this drink if you’re hoping to have it by yourself!
It is fruity, but the tequila flavor is certainly there! It was delicious. We love POG juice, so this drink is a great option for us. It’s a giant, glorified, and fruitier tequila sunset, and we loved it.
We were lucky enough that they let us take what we had left to go, so that may be an option if you find you can’t finish this large drink in one sitting.
Should You Go?
Overall, we were very impressed with this meal. The Bacon & Eggs will live on in our memories forever. Hopefully, our Stack Burger this time was just a fluke, because it is typically one of our go-to’s.
We would say that if you’re looking for a quick and delicious meal without needing a reservation, give this lounge a try! It opens at 12 PM, so you could even have those Bacon & Eggs as a brunch.
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Have you been to Steakhouse 71? Tell us your favorite menu item in the comments below!
The Bacon and Eggs were phenomenal. The Prime Rib sandwich is brst dipped in their good but not best on property French Onion Soup. We had an enjoyable albeit pricey lunch.