Disney4me Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 The construction walls are down at long last, and Food Truck Park is open in Downtown Disney’s West Side!Learn About:Downtown Disney Food TrucksDowntown DisneyDisney World RestaurantsNestled between Bongos Cuban Cafe and the West Side Starbucks, Food Truck Park provides a home base for the four Disney Food Trucks.The cuisine of each food truck reflects that of a Disney Park, with Superstar Catering representing Hollywood Studios, and Namaste Cafe for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. World Showcase of Flavors bring tastes from Epcot’s annual International Food & Wine Festival to Disney guests year round, while Fantasy Fare features dishes from “Magic Kingdoms Around the World,” most notably the Hand-dipped Corn Dogs in honor of Disneyland.Originally slated to open this past summer, Food Truck Park is open at last!Entrance to Food Truck ParkAtmosphereThe actuality of Food Truck Park differs somewhat from the original artistic renderings.Food Truck Park concept artThe elevated structure that serves as a de facto entrance to the area was anticipated to provide raised seating that guests would reach via a glass elevator.Elevated structureWhat has come to pass (at least, at this point in time) is a bit more low-key, but still an attractive and open space providing nice waterfront views nonetheless.Food Truck ParkFood Truck ParkFood Truck ParkWaterfront viewsView of Characters in Flight BalloonStanding tables abound, along with more traditional tables and chairs for those wishing to linger and relax awhile.Standing tablesStanding tableTables with seatingThere are two cool bonuses, I think, that come along with this dedicated space for the food trucks. First, let’s say you were hoping to try the Dipping Safari at Namaste Cafe. Instead of searching high and low all over Downtown Disney for Namaste Cafe, your chance of locating it easily in a specific spot just got a lot higher.Superstar Catering and Namaste CafeOf course, there is caveat to that statement: the trucks are mobile ;), and therefore still have the potential to be used in other areas — not only in Downtown Disney, but across Disney World. (For instance, while All Star Music’s Intermission Food Court has been undergoing a refurbishment, the Food Trucks have been used at that resort as an additional resource for meal options, including breakfast.) Even so, chances for finding a specific truck or dish have been raised significantly. For a reminder of the offerings, here are the current menus for the trucks:Disney Food Truck Menus — click to enlargeSecond, it furthers the opportunity for Disney to partner with some local food trucks. On the day of my visit, I was happy to see that the fun Yum Yum Cupcake Truck was operating alongside three of the four Disney Food Trucks. (You may have come across Yum Yum at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex on occasion as well).The Yum Yum Cupcake TruckThe Yum Yum Cupcake TruckThis past June, Downtown Disney hosted the “Trucks on the Town†event, featuring not only the four Disney Trucks, but also ten local truck eateries. It will definitely be interesting to see if other local trucks are hosted here in the future, since it’s a pretty cool opportunity for partnership.As was the case with the trucks previously, the operating hours of Food Truck Park will vary based on anticipated crowd levels at Downtown Disney, opening at either 1 pm or 4 pm most days. Closing time will remain consistent at 11 pm. The Disney Food Trucks accept the Disney Dining Plan.EatsNow, I couldn’t be surrounded by four food trucks and just walk away without a bite ;). I hadn’t had a chance to sample the current Superstar Catering menu, which was revamped earlier this summer from it’s original meatball sandwich variety concept.Superstar Catering is the truck which represents eats from Hollywood Studios, and I think the current menu is in better keeping with the park, featuring a Margherita Flatbread and Turkey Sausage Meatball Sub (nods to Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano), and the dish I chose: the Slow-cooked Pot Roast Sandwich (in honor of all the comfort food goodness at 50s Prime Time Cafe).Superstar Catering menuThe Slow-cooked Pot Roast Sandwich is a generous (and I do mean generous — be sure to grab a fork!) serving of pot roast topped with caramelized onions and two slices of provolone cheese on a roll, served with a side of house made potato chips.Slow-cooked Pot Roast SandwichSlow-cooked Pot Roast SandwichFirst things first: the pot roast — it was great. Super tender and the good kind of stringy, with just enough gravy to provide an extra burst of beefy flavor without turning the sandwich into a sloppy mess.Pot Roast inside sandwichThe provolone cheese and caramelized onions provided a philly-cheesteak twist on this comfort food classic, with the melted cheese serving as a great, gooey companion to the pot roast.Pot Roast and melted ProvoloneThe roll, which I thought might be crusty and crumbly, was surprisingly soft. But the truth is that this sandwich was so huge that it was a bit hard to tackle, so I ended up eating the pot roast mostly on its own, and enjoying much of the gravy-infused bread after, like a dinner roll.I really enjoyed it, but due to the heartiness of the pot roast in combination with the rich cheese, I would opt to share this one in the future.OverallThe Disney Food Trucks made their debut almost exactly one year ago, and in that time they’ve showcased some tasty meals that provide hot food options in a grab-and-go fashion. Being scattered across Downtown Disney, though, they didn’t have much of a “place†— while that can certainly be taken in a literal sense , I mean it more in terms of establishing a developed identity in the Disney dining scene.Food Truck Park seems to have to the potential to provide some of that, while still offering the flexibility of sending the trucks out to other locations and also the chance to work with some local businesses. In any case, it’s great to see some of the construction walls come down at last as one of the first steps towards Downtown Disney’s ultimate transition into Disney Springs!Will you be visiting Food Truck Park in a future visit to Downtown Disney? Please let us know with a comment!Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com!Also, come on over and: Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on TwitterBecome a Facebook FanRelated posts:“Trucks on the Town” Food Truck Event Coming to Disney World’s Downtown Disney on June 21st!News! “Food Truck Park” Coming to Disney World’s Downtown Disney in Summer 2014News and Photo Tour! Starbucks at Downtown Disney’s West Side Is Now OpenView the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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