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REVIEW: Everyone Forgets About This Disney World Hotel Lounge — Is This Why?


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Table service restaurants in Disney World can be great, but sometimes they’re hard to grab reservations for.

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Whispering Canyon Cafe

Thankfully, some of these restaurants have lounges attached to them, and while those sometimes have walk-up waitlists that can take some time to get on, it’s often way easier than getting a table service reservation. Even better, sometimes these lounges share kitchens with main table service restaurants, so you can get very similar offerings! We stopped by Territory Lounge at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge to see if this tucked-away spot is worth the trip over, and BOY do we have some thoughts!

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Atmosphere

This lounge is just outside of Storybook Dining at Artist Point which can get quite loud, so we do recommend sitting at the bar or selecting a table toward the back of the lounge to cut down on noise from the hallway.

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Territory Lounge

However, the rustic decor and dark woods of territory lounge match the overall feel of Wilderness Lodge. This is a cozy space with leather chairs and wall decor including wildlife and western scenes that Lewis and Clark could have seen on their expedition, which totally matches with the exploration vibe. The ceiling even includes a large explorers’ map!

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Territory Lounge

But what can you snack on while you’re here? Let’s take a look!

Menu

The menu here is relatively small. One menu shows you the Featured Cocktails available (at the time of writing there are seven of them) and the Shareable Bites (at the time of writing there are seven of them as well).

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Menu

There’s also a menu available to show you what Beer and Wine options are available.

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Beer and Wine Menu

Some of these options won’t be for everyone, but if this menu looks to be of interest to you, then let’s dig in!

Drinks

We were sad to find that this lounge didn’t have any mocktail options, but we did grab the The Northwoods for $16, which is made with Bulleit Rye Whiskey, Citrus Juices, house-made rosemary syrup.

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The Northwoods

This was a really well balanced cocktail, as far as Disney lounges go! We were afraid the rosemary was going to be overpowering, but it wasn’t at all. It provides an herb-y flavor that balances the other citrus and acid flavors, and overall it’s not so strong that it could be off-putting. It had a great sweetness as well as acidity thanks to the citrus, so we were impressed!

Food

To dine on, we grabbed the Territory Popcorn Sampler for $12.75 which includes Spicy, Caramel, Sea Salt, Truffle, and barbecue flavored popcorn.

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Territory Popcorn Sampler

Here’s the thing: This is SO overpriced. These flavors are fun and the idea is great, but you’re getting what amounts to about 3 handfuls of popcorn of each flavor and that’s just not worth it for the price. We would recommend this if it were $7-$9, but $12.75 is just far too much.

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Not a lot of popcorn per mix

The popcorn was delicious, though! We enjoyed each flavor individually, with the truffle and caramel being our favorites. It was also fun to combine different flavors — we especially liked the combo of sea salt and caramel. All of these flavors are made in-house, including the caramel. One warning here — the spicy popcorn is actually spicy. Sometimes, when Disney calls things spicy, it means there is a hint of mild spice, but the spicy popcorn here is HOT.

We also grabbed the Bacon on a Wire which is candied bacon, deviled eggs, and bourbon drizzle for $25. These deviled eggs have toppings — one has fried shrimp, one has salmon, and one has beef jerky. The problem here is that the toppings are not listed on the menu, so if you have food allergies, it could be an issue. Our server was fantastic in explaining this and offered modifications though, which we appreciated.

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Bacon on a Wire

The candied bacon is thick cut and very high quality with a sweet glaze that we loved. The deviled eggs were standard, but were a great creamy foil to the chewy bacon. We were a little unsure what we were supposed to do with the bourbon glaze though — it was thin, not thick like a reduction. It had a nice sweetness to it, but when we poured it over the deviled eggs it just slid off to the bottom of the dish and didn’t add much. Overall though, if you’re a fan of bacon and deviled eggs, this is certainly a choice you might enjoy!

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Deviled Eggs

Finally we got the Spicy Macaroni and “Cheese” for $18, which is a plant-based meal! This is chorizo-style “sausage”, pepper jack “cheese”, whistle pig 10-year straight rye whiskey, pickled chiles, spiced gremolata.

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Spicy Macaroni and “Cheese”

Now, we did have two reporters here — one that is a plant-based eater, and one that isn’t, so we have both reviews for you! The non plant-based eater really enjoyed the dish! It’s labeled as spicy, but unlike the spicy popcorn, it’s pretty mild. There are pickled chiles on top that will spice it up, but if you don’t want spicy, it’s easy to eat around them. The sauce here is creamier than expected, and our reporter would not have been able to guess that the sauce is non-dairy. The sausage had  a lot of flavor, and while it’s shareable, if you’re very hungry, one person could eat it as a meal.

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A closer look

Our plant-based eater said that this is not going to give you that creamy gooey mac & cheese of your wildest dreams, but the pasta was perfectly al dente and coated in seasoning. However, this is a drier macaroni than what you will find with other non-vegan options elsewhere on property. They said it doesn’t even taste cheesy necessarily — it’s more like a pasta dish with really delicious vegan sausage, fried onions, and pickled chilies which are a spicy but delicious treat (but not so spicy they overpower the whole dish). If you are vegan, we think you will absolutely love this dish and if you are not, and are expecting some kind of traditional mac & cheese dish, then we think you will be disappointed.

Now it’s time for dessert, which is a secret menu item at this lounge! Since the lounge is connected to Whispering Canyon Cafe, you can get the Flourless Chocolate Cake for $15 if you ask politely and it’s available.

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Flourless Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is served with two scoops of ice cream and the cake itself was slightly warm when it arrived. We liked that the ice cream was served in a separate dish so it wasn’t melting more quickly! This is a dark, rich, dense sponge cake with some ganache on top. It’s a great sweet treat to end the evening, but since it’s so rich, you’ll likely want to share!

Nosh or Not

This lounge won’t be for everyone, but we think you’ll really enjoy this spot if:

  • You’re staying at Wilderness Lodge and don’t want to grab a dining reservation
  • You, or someone in your party, is a plant-based eater
  • You’re looking for a more relaxed area to grab a drink
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Wilderness Lodge Signage

However, we don’t think it’ll be the best fit if:

  • You have pickier eaters in your party
  • You’re not already staying at Wilderness Lodge
  • You’re looking for a meal that’s on the more budget-friendly side

Be sure to stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney World news!

REVIEW: This Underrated Hotel Lounge Has a SECRET View of Disney World (and Some AMAZING Food, Too!)

What’s your favorite lounge in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!

The post REVIEW: Everyone Forgets About This Disney World Hotel Lounge -- Is This Why? first appeared on the disney food blog.

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