Disney Springs at Walt Disney World will debut its newest restaurant later this month, and for those of you who have felt that some of the recent openings have priced you out, this one might just be for you.
Chicken Guy! is the brain-child of restauranteur Robert Earl and Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri. Their partnership began with Guy bringing some of his flair to the menu at the Planet Hollywood Observatory, and with a successful partnership there, the two began to work on a more substantial project together, and Chicken Guy! was born.
Located just across from the Coca Cola Store at the side of Planet Hollywood Observatory, the restaurant is ideally placed, especially when coming from the Orange Parking garage.
The fast-casual restaurant is very much aimed at the Disney guest who is looking for an affordable option, but at a high-quality with good variety. You'll be hard pushed to find anything over $10 on the menu, with the vast majority of the dishes coming in at under $7.
Your first decision will be fried crispy chicken, or grilled chicken, and from there, in a sandwich, on a salad, or as tenders. It is a limited menu, but the team insists that the idea here is consistent quality over a huge complicated menu line-up.
The chicken served is all natural, never frozen, antibiotic free, and hand pounded, and made using a special cooking process which the aim of delivering a crispy crunch on the outside, and a tender moist inside. There is some clever trickery with the preparation and brining of the meat, combined with the use of pressure fry systems.
When it comes to sauces, you can forget things like a basic range of ketchup or mayo, and instead you are faced with a selection of 22 custom house-made sauces. You can even make a sandwich, ‘The Sauce Boss,” with your own custom selection of sauce.
The ordering process is very similar to other recent Disney Springs fast-casual locations. Make your selection at the ordering point, pay, and receive a pager. Find a seat, and the food is magically brought to you via location tracking on the pager. It is a great system, especially for those with children, and will save parents from endless marches through the restaurant with trays of food.
The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating, with a capacity of around 90 on the inside and a similar number outside. It isn’t a large restaurant, so at busy times, expect seating to be a possible problem. Fortunately, everything is packaged well, and it wouldn’t be too hard to take-out.
The decor is definitely a step above what you might be expecting for a fast casual restaurant. It shares a lot of the Disney Springs design ethic, with lots of exposed brick, steel ceiling lining, and some really neat light fixtures.
In this promotional preview, we got to taste most of the dishes, and while we never fully review anything we haven’t paid for, we can give some brief opinions on the food we tasted.
Both the grilled chicken and crispy chicken are extremely tender. The careful preparation definitely shines through, with the fresh lemon juice, pickle brine and buttermilk elevating the meat beyond your typical quick-serve tenders.
The crispy fried chicken has a seasoned coating with a satisfying crunch, and the grilled chicken has none of the dryness that so often makes grilled chicken the very last resort at a restaurant.
The sandwiches were very well put-together, with an above average quantity of filling, which is especially good considering their relatively low price point of $6.49.
The fries are super crispy, and can be ordered as a very indulgent "Loaded" option.
Dessert options are limited to two, but both are likely to be very popular. A Triple Double Mint shake and a Cinnamon Apple shake, both priced at $4.99. We were a big fan of both, and it is one of the lowest priced shakes in Disney Springs.
The salads have Chipotle-style feel to them, which for us a good thing. Ingredients like charred corn, roasted peppers, black beans, grilled scallions and cumin lime mojo sauce certainly elevate this dish above your average fast-casual location.
Like Robert Earl’s other Disney Springs restaurant, The Earl of Sandwich, Chicken Guy! is making a bet on winning over a lot of guests with value and consistent quality, and given its location near to the exit of the Orange Garage and on the main thoroughfare to the Town Center, we reckon the bet will pay off.
From comments on our own WDWMAGIC Forums, we know that Disney Springs guests are always asking for more value options, and along with Blaze and Earl of Sandwich, those guests now have another great option. A combo at Chicken Guy! (any sandwich or 3 tenders, fries and a fountain drink) is just $11.49.
Chicken Guy! does not yet have an opening date, but expect it be ready for guests very soon. Discounts and Disney Dining Plan are still being determined, but Cast Member and Passholder discounts are likely.
We’ll be back with more details as they become available, and for a full review later, so check back for more from Chicken Guy! Until then, be sure to check out the photo gallery for more pictures from Chicken Guy!
Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox