Steakhouse 71 at Disney's Contemporary Resort: Lunch Review
If you've been following along, you already know I snuck in a lunch reservation at Steakhouse 71 in the middle of my 4 Park Challenge day. Yes, I sat down for a full table service meal in the middle of an all-day sprint through Walt Disney World. No regrets.
This was my second visit to Steakhouse 71. The first time I pulled up to the bar for a cocktail or two and some appetizers — a very good way to spend an afternoon at the Contemporary, for the record. This time I was in the dining room, and I had opinions about everything. As one does.
The Entrance and the Decor
Before you even get to your table, you walk through a hallway lined with photographs of Walt Disney and early images of Walt Disney World. As someone who is genuinely a fan of both the man and the parks — if you haven't read Walt Disney: An American Original, put it on your list — I really appreciate that detail. It sets a tone. It's thoughtful.
Then you walk into the dining room and the vibe shifts.
Steakhouse 71 leans into Mid-Century Modern design, which can be stunning when it's executed with warmth. Here it reads a little cold. Simple white marble tabletops, standard chairs, nothing that makes you stop and think wow, they really nailed this room. It's clean. It's inoffensive. It just doesn't have a lot of personality for a Disney restaurant, where you're usually surrounded by details fighting for your attention.
Fine. The food matters more. Let's get to that.
The Cocktail (And the Rant I'll Keep Brief)
Our server mentioned they had a Knob Creek Disney-selected Single Barrel. I have a Certified Bourbon Professional credential and zero ability to say no to that sentence.
I ordered it as an Old Fashioned. The bourbon itself was excellent — great spice forward quality, real depth and character, not overly sweet. Knob Creek does single barrels well, and a Disney-selected barrel is always worth trying if you catch one.
Then the bill came.
$15.50 for the bourbon. Genuinely solid pricing for a quality single barrel pour. But $7.75 on top of that to make it an Old Fashioned? The mixers in an Old Fashioned are sugar, bitters, and a garnish. I understand Disney pricing. I have accepted Disney pricing as a fact of life. But that modifier charge felt unnecessary, and I'm noting it for the record.
Rant over. Truly.
Next visit I'm going straight to the specialty cocktail menu, where the pricing is built in and you know what you're getting.
The Steak Frites — $34.00
I was at a steakhouse. I got a steak. Specifically the Steak Frites: New York Strip, steak fries, and truffle aioli on the side.
The strip was a good size, fat trimmed clean, cooked to a perfect medium-rare. That part they got right. Quality of the meat was solid — you can tell the difference between a steak that's been sourced well and one that hasn't, and this one was fine. My one note: it needed more seasoning. Not dramatically — just a little more salt and crust on that exterior and this steak goes from good to genuinely great. It was almost there.
The fries? Perfectly cooked and well seasoned. Actually better seasoned than the steak, which is a strange thing to type.
Now, the truffle aioli. I want to be careful here because truffle is one of those things that can go very wrong very fast — one drop too many and it bulldozes everything on the plate. This one was right. The truffle flavor was present, distinct, and not remotely overpowering. It was genuinely excellent, and it elevated the steak in a way that made me keep reaching for it.
Here's the thing though: a steak should be able to stand on its own. If you need the aioli to make the steak sing, the seasoning on the steak isn't where it needs to be. The aioli is great. The steak needed just a little more to not require it.
No room for dessert. Fully committed to getting there next time.
The Service
Our server was technically in training. I say "technically" because this person had been working at the resort for years across multiple restaurants and knew exactly what they were doing. Knowledgeable about the menu, attentive without hovering, and genuinely funny. Great sense of humor. The training badge was doing some misleading work.
Disney table service can be hit or miss on the service side depending on the day — this was a very solid hit.
The Verdict
Steakhouse 71 is a good restaurant. Not a perfect one, but a good one, and for a Disney table service lunch at $34 for a New York Strip with fries and aioli, the value holds up well.
Would I go back? Yes — I'd love to see the dinner menu, and I think this is a strong choice for a date night or a special occasion meal on property. The atmosphere is a little flat, but the food quality and the service make up for it.
Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you're specifically craving a steak. Just ask for extra seasoning on the steak if you want it to stand on its own — and skip the Old Fashioned. Get something from the specialty cocktail menu instead.
Steakhouse 71 is located inside Disney's Contemporary Resort, a short walk from Magic Kingdom. Lunch reservations can be made through the My Disney Experience app.
Planning a Disney trip and want help building a dining itinerary that actually fits how you eat and what you enjoy? I love this part of trip planning.
Adventure Made Easy.