For many Disney Vacation Club Members, leaving the Walt Disney World bubble for dinner can be a tough sell. When you have dozens of restaurants at the resorts, theme parks, and Disney Springs, getting in the car to eat somewhere else needs to come with a pretty compelling reason.
Flatlands Bar & Grill at Flamingo Crossings might just be one of those reasons.
The new restaurant officially opened on September 21st, 2026, just minutes from Walt Disney World. While Flatlands isn’t a Disney restaurant, there is quite a bit of Disney DNA behind it, including a former Patina Restaurant Group CEO and a chef whose résumé includes Cítricos and Topolino’s Terrace.
After being invited to experience Flatlands for dinner, we came away pleasantly surprised by just how much we enjoyed it. From some excellent steaks to a cauliflower appetizer I am still thinking about and what might be my new favorite cocktail near Disney World, Flatlands feels like a restaurant Disney fans should have on their radar.
Full disclosure: Flatlands Bar & Grill invited us to dinner and covered the cost of our meal. As always, the opinions in this review are our own, and we’ll tell you what we liked, what surprised us, and what we’d order again with our own money.
Flamingo Crossings Is More Than Disney College Program Housing
Disney fans probably know the name Flamingo Crossings, but there’s a good chance you haven’t spent much time exploring it.
The area is closely associated with the Disney College Program because Flamingo Crossings Village is where most program participants live. Disney describes the housing community as approximately one mile west of Walt Disney World, with Flamingo Crossings Town Center just a short walk or bus ride away.
But Flamingo Crossings Town Center has quietly grown into something much more interesting than a convenient place for College Program participants to grab groceries. There are hotels, shops, and an increasingly diverse collection of restaurants, all conveniently located near the western side of Walt Disney World. Flatlands Bar & Grill is one of the newest additions, and it’s also one of the most ambitious. For Disney fans, however, the people behind the restaurant may be even more interesting than the location.
Flatlands Has Some Serious Disney Dining Connections
Flatlands was created by restaurateur Nick Valenti, former CEO of Patina Restaurant Group and Restaurant Associates. Disney fans may not immediately recognize Patina’s corporate name, but they’ll certainly recognize restaurants associated with the group. Patina’s Disney presence has included restaurants such as Via Napoli, Space 220, Morimoto Asia and The Edison at Disney Springs, along with other major Disney dining projects. Valenti is also behind Simply Capri, located across the street from Flatlands at Flamingo Crossings, and is a partner in Vivoli il Gelato’s U.S. locations.
Then there’s the chef. Executive Chef Dominique Filoni previously served as Chef de Cuisine at Cítricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and also worked at Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort.
For DVC Members, that résumé should immediately get your attention. Topolino’s and Cítricos are two restaurants that have set a fairly high bar for resort dining at Walt Disney World. So while Flatlands isn’t trying to recreate either restaurant, knowing who’s in the kitchen provides some context for the level of food they’re aiming for. And after our meal, that experience showed.
The Atmosphere at Flatlands Bar & Grill
Flatlands takes its inspiration from Central Florida before Central Florida became synonymous with theme parks.
The restaurant’s story looks back to the area’s citrus groves, rail depots, agricultural buildings, and small towns, along with the different cultures and traditions that helped shape Florida’s food. The concept translates that history into a modern American restaurant focused on steaks cooked over open flame, Gulf seafood, seasonal ingredients, and plenty of Florida citrus. The restaurant has a handsome industrial-chic design that feels contemporary while still giving a subtle nod to the agricultural buildings that inspired it.
The indoor dining room isn’t enormous, but it doesn’t feel cramped. There’s ample lighting, a large bar, comfortable booths, and traditional table seating. Outside is a surprisingly large covered patio with both tables and booths. As Floridians, we’re realistic about outdoor dining. There are several months of the year when air conditioning is less of an amenity and more of a basic human right. But from late fall through early spring, I could absolutely see that patio becoming one of the best places to sit.
Service during our visit was also spectacular. Our server, Emilee, was fantastic, as was Davide, the general manager, who spent time talking with us about the restaurant. Obviously, we need to acknowledge that Flatlands knew we were there for a hosted media dinner. That’s always something we take into consideration. But the restaurant felt polished and well-staffed, especially considering how recently it opened. I’d recommend making a reservation in advance, at least while Flatlands is still the new restaurant everyone wants to try. Reservations are available through Resy on the Flatlands Bar & Grill website.
Don’t Skip the Cocktails at Flatlands
I don’t usually rave about cocktails. Most of the time, I’m perfectly happy to try one and move along. Flatlands was different. We sampled several cocktails around the table, and there wasn’t a dud among them.
Jeff ordered the Cherry Sour ($16), made with Disaronno, Aperol, Old Forester 86 Bourbon, fresh lemon juice, and house-made cherry syrup. I say this as someone who is decidedly not a bourbon drinker: this might be the best bourbon cocktail I’ve ever tasted. The cherry and citrus softened the bourbon without making the drink overly sweet. Jeff, who is far more qualified than I am to judge something containing bourbon, enjoyed it quite a bit too.
I also tried the East-Side Martini ($18), made with cucumber-infused vodka, cucumber-mint tincture, and sour mix. Here’s the problem: I generally don’t like cucumber in cocktails. It’s a drink. It’s not a salad. And yet…I liked this. Rather than smacking you in the face with cucumber, it added a subtle freshness to the drink. It was light, refreshing, and much better balanced than I expected.
Paul went more traditional with the Flatlands Old Fashioned ($18), featuring Wild Turkey, demerara syrup, Amaro Montenegro, and house bitters. Paul likes an Old Fashioned and thoroughly enjoyed this one. I do not like Old Fashioneds, so I’m taking his word that it’s good. This is why we bring Paul.
But the best drink of the night, at least according to the completely unbiased person who ordered it, was my Orange Blossom Collins ($18). Made with Gunpowder Irish Citrus Gin, dry curaçao, orange blossom and honey syrup, and grapefruit soda, it was bright, citrus-forward, and just sweet enough without crossing into sugary territory. It’s also dangerously easy to drink. This is the kind of cocktail where you could finish one, order another, and suddenly discover you’ve become much more enthusiastic about Flamingo Crossings than you intended. I’d stop at Flatlands just to sit at the bar and order this again.
The Appetizers Were Some of the Biggest Surprises
We started with the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail ($30). Thirty dollars for shrimp cocktail certainly gets your attention, but these weren’t your average shrimp. They were enormous and served with traditional cocktail sauce as well as spicy mayo. As someone who doesn’t particularly like cocktail sauce, the spicy mayo was the winner for me. There was also enough shrimp here that we had no problem sharing the appetizer around the table.
But the next two appetizers were the dishes I’d specifically tell people to order.
The Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower ($19) features fried tri-colored cauliflower with red chile peppers and onion powder. This was outstanding.
Several people at our table compared the flavor to orange chicken, which is actually a pretty good description. It had that sweet, savory, slightly spicy combination, but the heat never overwhelmed the dish. And I say that as someone who is particularly sensitive to spicy food. If all cauliflower tasted like this, I could give up meat forever. Well, maybe let’s not get carried away.
We also ordered the Heirloom Tomato and Burrata ($18) with fresh tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, aged balsamic, and extra virgin olive oil. We love a good burrata, and this one didn’t disappoint. After the richer cauliflower, this was a nice change of pace. The tomatoes tasted fresh, the burrata was creamy, and the balsamic and olive oil complemented everything rather than overpowering it. It’s a relatively simple dish, which means there’s nowhere for mediocre ingredients to hide. Flatlands didn’t need them to.
The Steaks Might Be Flatlands’ Biggest Selling Point
When we started talking steaks with the manager, we learned something none of us expected to learn over dinner: Flatlands works with its own meat broker. Apparently, meat brokers are a thing.
Upon doing my own research I’ve learned that a broker can help a restaurant source consistently quality meats while keeping menu prices lower. It also gives restaurants access to rare or speciality cuts and adds heightened food traceability and safety.
In order of the photos below, Amy ordered the 10-ounce Filet ($64) with maître d’hôtel butter. Paul went big with the 22-ounce Ribeye ($68), also with maître d’hôtel butter. Jeff chose the 14-ounce New York Strip ($56) with Bordelaise, essentially Flatlands’ red wine sauce. Each steak included a potato choice and house sauce.
All three steaks were cooked perfectly and had excellent flavor. I sampled Paul’s ribeye and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is one of the best steaks I’ve had dining out in a long time. Although, 22 ounces is an almost comical amount of steak. He ended up taking about half of it home. Among the steaks we’ve tried around Walt Disney World, these were genuinely some of the better ones.
And then we started looking at the prices.
How Flatlands Steak Prices Compare With Bourbon Steak
Disney fans who remember Shula’s Steak House at the Walt Disney World Dolphin may find this comparison particularly interesting.
Shula’s has since been replaced by Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak, which opened at the Dolphin in 2025. Bourbon Steak is a considerably more upscale steakhouse experience, so this isn’t intended as a perfectly apples-to-apples comparison. But if we’re talking strictly about steak and value, the numbers are hard to ignore. At Flatlands during our visit:
| Steak | Flatlands | Bourbon Steak |
|---|---|---|
| 10 oz. Filet | $64 | $76 |
| 14 oz. New York Strip | $56 | $73 |
| 22 oz. Ribeye* | $68 | $115 |
*Bourbon Steak’s $115 offering is specifically a 22-ounce dry-aged cowboy ribeye, so the cuts and preparations aren’t identical.
There’s another important difference.
Our Flatlands steaks included a potato side and house sauce. At Bourbon Steak, sides are ordered separately, generally in the $15-$18 range, while sauces and accompaniments carry an additional charge. Again, Bourbon Steak is positioned as a luxury signature steakhouse, and you’re paying for more than the piece of beef on your plate. But for someone staying at Walt Disney World who primarily wants a really good steak, Flatlands suddenly becomes a very interesting alternative. Especially when it’s only a short drive away.
You Don’t Have to Order Steak
I wasn’t really in the mood for steak, despite stealing enough bites of Paul’s ribeye to make that statement somewhat questionable.
Instead, I ordered the Mini Lobster Rolls ($24). The order came with three rolls filled with Maine lobster, spicy mayo, and arugula on toasted brioche. These were excellent. The brioche was soft, there was a respectable amount of lobster, and I preferred the spicy mayo to the heavier mayonnaise-based dressing you sometimes find in lobster rolls. The arugula also gave the dish a little more character than standard lettuce would have. For $24, I thought these were a particularly good value. I’d easily order them again.
I added the Creamed Corn ($12) as a side, made with sweet corn, roasted poblano, Parmesan, and citrus cream. This was a substantial, shareable portion. The poblano gave it a small kick, but there was plenty of sweetness from the corn to balance it out. Everyone at the table tried it, everyone enjoyed it, and I still had enough left to bring some home.
Save Dessert for a Few Doors Down
We ultimately skipped dessert at Flatlands, but that doesn’t mean we skipped dessert. We’re not monsters. Instead, we walked a few doors down to the new Vivoli il Gelato at Flamingo Crossings. Disney fans should recognize that name immediately. Vivoli has three locations at Disney Springs, and its gelato is also served from the cart at Disney’s Riviera Resort. The Flamingo Crossings operation is connected with Valenti’s restaurants and supplies gelato to both Simply Capri and Flatlands. Ending dinner with gelato turned out to be a pretty perfect way to finish the evening. It also reinforced something I’d been thinking about throughout the meal: Disney fans might want to start paying a little more attention to Flamingo Crossings.
Is Flatlands Bar & Grill Worth Leaving Disney World For?
After this dinner, I think Flatlands Bar & Grill deserves consideration for a night when you’re willing to venture beyond Walt Disney World property. That’s especially true for DVC Members who visit frequently. When you’ve eaten at many of the same Disney restaurants trip after trip, finding something new just outside the bubble can be part of the fun.
Flatlands also occupies an interesting middle ground. The restaurant is polished enough for a nice dinner out, but it doesn’t feel overly formal. The steak quality impressed us, portions were generous, and compared with some of the higher-end steakhouse pricing around Walt Disney World, there is a value proposition here that’s difficult to overlook.
We were invited to this meal by Flatlands, and they covered our dinner, so that’s important context when reading our experience. But a complimentary dinner doesn’t make cauliflower delicious, cook three steaks perfectly, or somehow convince me that cucumber belongs in a cocktail.
Flatlands managed all three. Flamingo Crossings may always be closely associated with the Disney College Program, but the Town Center is becoming a destination worth exploring on its own. Flatlands Bar & Grill gives Disney Vacation Club Members another very good reason to make the short drive beyond the gates.
And if you see me at the bar with an Orange Blossom Collins, mind your business. I’m conducting research.
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