Dining Review: Shula’s Steak House at Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort Refreshes Menu, Dining Room and More

Hi everyone!

I was invited to Shula’s Steak House at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort to sample new items from their menu. And by new items, the menu we were given had 17 items that we were told were new or modified – a lot! And not only has this flagship Shula’s Steak House revamped its menu, but the restaurant itself has been refreshed and soon the other seven Shula’s Steak House locations around the country (and by around the country, five of the eight restaurants are in Florida) will follow suit. There is a new executive management team to lead the future of the restaurant that was founded by Don Shula, and Don Shula’s incredible career is noted around the hallway and in the restaurant.

Here is a look at my experience.

 

The Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort is off the Walt Disney World Boardwalk, just a 10 minute or so walk from Epcot.

There is parking on the other side of the resort or guests can walk in this way. For those who have been to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic, this is the causeway that includes a wonderful array of food and beverages (Shula’s is one of the restaurants that participates each year).

The signage to Shula’s Steak House is different. I am not here enough to notice everything that has changed, but it has a more upscale feel to it yet still is a traditional steakhouse.

Don Shula isn’t forgotten, his career is noted throughout.

We were first invited to try a house specialty drink that I’ve not tried before, a Blueberry Martini. The bar and lounge space here has been expanded and now offers a three-sided, wraparound bar. This will be really good for conventions especially, which the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts specialize in.

The drink includes Stoli Blueberry, splash of cranberry juice, sour and fresh muddled blueberries.

It is a pretty and delicious drink and went down really easily on a hot day.

Shula’s bread is one of my favorites, and we were offered wine to go with it before beginning our meal.

This is the menu of what we sampled. I don’t eat seafood (I didn’t try the appetizers at all) but almost everything else I did take at least a couple of bites of.

Up first was the Maryland-style Crab Cake with Jumbo Lump, Mustard, and Old Bay Seasoning with Rémoulade Sauce. This is much more up Jeff’s alley, he LOVES seafood and Maryland crab cakes.

There was also a Tuna Tartare and a Steak Tartare served. They were both popular with the group.

The New Orleans-style Shrimp with Cajun-spiced Shrimp, Lemon, Garlic Butter, and Toasted Crostini was next. I brought two of these back for Jeff and he enjoyed the flavor. Even though the appetizers themselves I didn’t try, everything I have ever ordered at Shula’s through the years has been excellent.

Up next are two salads. First is the The Wedge Salad with Iceberg Lettuce, Tomatoes, Bacon Jam, and Blue Cheese Dressing. Generally, if a wedge salad is offered on a menu, I will order it. I like a wedge, and this one was great. I don’t usually like blue cheese dressing, but it had a milder taste than others.

The other salad we tried was the Tuscan Kale Salad, with Thinly-chopped Tuscan Kale, Craisins, Marcona Almonds, and Black Pepper-Honey Dressing. Kale is often just so-so for me, but there were a lot of nice flavors going on in here.

Above all, Shula’s is a steakhouse and that is what I come here for. The 22-oz Cowboy Ribeye includes their Premium Black Angus Beef and is just fantastic. I’ve ordered and tried a variety of steaks through the years at Shula’s and I believe this is a new rub on some of the steaks. 

The meat was cut for us to sample a couple of pieces – if you liked Shula’s before, there is no reason you should not like it now. The beef is terrific.

Next up are Pan-seared Sea Scallops Served over Creamed Corn and Fennel finished with Saffron-Corn Crema (I didn’t try them).

Roasted Brick Chicken with Spinach, Mashed Potatoes, and Sherry Jus. The chicken is juicy, and this is a really decent entree if you are looking for a chicken dish.

The Fresh Jumbo Asparagus Spears with Grilled with Meyer Lemon or Steamed with Hollandaise Sauce was a solid side option. We also had Truffled Cream Corn, Green Beans and Sautéed Mushrooms. When we go in August on our own, I would go with my favorite side of baked potato, and add in the cream corn and mushrooms.

We sampled 4 different desserts (about half the dessert menu). This was my favorite, the Molten Chocolate Lava Cake. I just think you can’t ever go wrong with a good lava cake.

The Chocolate Soufflé was on the more average side for me – still good, but not lava cake good. The cake was a little dry, even with everything that accompanied it.

 The Apple Crisp is a nice choice for something different.

And the Key Lime Pie is fairly standard, not out of the ordinary.

If you are still looking to extend your evening, the Walt Disney World Dolphin was pretty recently remodeled and the lobby is gorgeous with a bar. It can be a nice area to spend time in if not too crowded.

Shula’s Steakhouse has always been a terrific choice at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin for a meal, and that hasn’t changed with the newer menu items – if you are looking for a big steak and potato meal, it is here and delicious. I was told that about half the menu had some revisions (new items or changes) but that also means that half has not.

Shula’s did invite me out this time, but all views are mine. We will continue to visit on our own because we enjoy the food and experience!

Thank you to Shula’s for the invitation.