REVIEW - The Edison at Disney Springs

Jan 04, 2018 in "The Edison"

Opening day at The Edison
Posted: Thursday January 4, 2018 9:14am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

Announced back in June 2015, The Edison has been one of the most anticipated additions to Disney Springs, promising to bring back old world-style sophistication and romance in a lavish industrial gothic style.

The wait is now over, as last night saw The Edison open its doors to guests of Disney Springs.

Located in The Landing district, the story goes that The Edison can be found in what was the former power plant for Disney Springs, adjacent to the air terminal. With the closure of the 1920’s era power plant, it was converted into an “Industrial Gothic”– style restaurant, bar and nighttime destination.

The impressive exterior looks every bit the part. From the towering power-plant chimney, to the imposing iron-work entranceway. On the outside you'll find a small amount of patio seating, but this is one restaurant where being inside is a must.

Stepping inside you find yourself in the lobby area, where you immediately get the sense of the industrial styling that is found throughout the restaurant.

A huge working mechanical clock is the centerpiece, which can be viewed from both sides.

The entrance to The Edison from the streets of The Landing is actually on the upper level. The restaurant operate on two floors, with the upper level being almost like a circular catwalk around the main area on the lower level.

The upper level offers some great views of the areas below, and allows for one extremely high ceiling, adding the the feeling of grandeur.

The Edison has three bars, two on the lower level - The Boiler Bar and Breaker Bar, and a third on the upper level cat walk.

A central performance area will offer live entertainment seven days a week, including aerial acts, musicians and DJs. During they daytime, the performance area will be used as restaurant seating.

Heading down the impressive central staircase puts you onto the lower level, which is where the majority of the seating can be found.

The restaurant is full of little nooks and crannies, which offers a great variety of seating styles, and creates more intimate areas that are great for larger groups. The high-quality of the materials throughout should be noted.

The ambiance is exactly as it should be for a place like The Edison.

It isn't quiet, with the old-time music dominating the sound-space. Thankfully the venue does not suffer from poor acoustics, and its a pleasant place to be. You can hold a conversation with others at your table, but likewise, it is noisy enough that you probably wouldn't hear much of a tired toddler on the table across from yours.

The restaurant opens for lunch at 11:30am, and during the daytime its an ideal family venue. The kids will love the decor and style as much as the parents. In the evening, around 10pm, The Edison becomes 21 years + only, and there is expected to be a cover charge. The central performance area is then home to a live band, aerial acts and dancers.

The Edison Food and Drink

The menu, otherwise known as the 'Catalog of Parts', consists of contemporary American fare such as Crispy Fried Chicken with cast iron buttermilk biscuits and its signature The Edison Burger, a juicy combination of house-ground sirloin, shortrib and brisket, topped with Cabot cloth-bound cheddar, onion rings, smoked bacon, house pickles, lettuce, tomato, special sauce and served with hand-cut fries.

It isn't one of the most exotic menus that you'll find at Disney Springs, but it is very well executed, and everything we tried exceeded expectations. Sometimes simple things done well works, and this is one of those cases.

Take for example the salmon. It uses one of the best pieces of salmon that you can find, Scottish. And it is beautifully seared with a light crispy skin - served skin side up. Probably the best salmon we have had anywhere at Walt Disney World.

The Electri-Fries, takes the concept of loaded fries to a far more elevated experience. Packed with flavor, and twice fried, the dish is a far cry from what you would be expecting. So good that we would make a visit just for the Electri-Fries.

Several of the menus items are served in very creative way. The DB Clothesline Candied bacon is served just how it says, on a clothesline complete with clothes pegs.

The Cake Pop Tree is a great dessert to share amongst the table, and is cleverly presented.

The Edison’s beverage program places a huge focus on artfully crafted cocktails, interesting beer and wines and house-made punches, made to serve from two to 10 guests.

The drink menu is extensive, and everything we tried was very good. Most cocktails are around $14 each, so certainly on the more expensive side. But you will find some really unique creations, and they aren't the weak, mostly juice based drinks that you will find in many of the Disney operated resort restaurants.

Pricing is similar to other Disney Springs restaurants such as Paddlefish, The Boathouse, Morimoto Asia and Homecomin'. With alcohol and tip, expect to be paying around $100 per person.

Summary

We keep thinking that Disney Springs covers all the bases when it comes to restaurants, and yet with each new opening they manage to carve out a new niche and offer something different. This is once again the case with The Edison. We said in a previous post that The Edison is that restaurant in the Hollywood Tower Hotel that never was. If you want to dine in a place that resembles the boiler room of the Hollywood Tower Hotel, or something akin to the Tip Top Club, this is that place.

The food is way better than we had expected, and the extensive and well crafted drink line-up is a sure fire hit. We think that The Edison is one of the all-round strongest restaurants at Disney Springs, and should definitely be on your list of must-do's on your next visit to Walt Disney World.

Reservations can be made via OpenTable for dates beginning January 15 2018, with talk-ups available until then. Operating hours are Monday - Thursday 11:30am to 1am, Friday, Sunday 11:30am to 2am.

Details on discounts and Tables in Wonderland participation were not yet available at the time of review.

Click the gallery for more pictures from The Edison at Disney Springs.

This review was paid in full by the reviewers and was not part of any promotional tasting or media dine.

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Jon81ukJul 12, 2018

But adding more and more restaurants away from the resorts won't always draw people away. They need to add enough capacity so people staying in a resort can eat in their own resort!

Jon81ukJul 12, 2018

Basically Trade Sam's fits the bill in this case, or the old Adventurers Club or the comedy warehouse. Adults only can still be Disney!!

HoraceHorizonsJul 11, 2018

It kinda bothers me that the word "adult" is used so often as the black to white opposite of the word "family." Im saying - Adult entertainment doesn't have to be R-rated or even anti-G-rated. That's my point. I think it could be of interest to "Adults only" without involving strippers and puking college kids. A Vaudeville show, PBS Experimental, Progressive cartoons, or in this case, a jazzy Speakeasy is the perfect example of that, I think. Im saying that black and white idea between adult entertainment and family entertainment is largely inflated and not always real. I think, in the effort to strike the balance between the two, sometimes Disney loses the very thing that made the concept great to begin with. Side note: I love the old B&W cartoons on the TV's at THE EDISON.

HoraceHorizonsJul 11, 2018

Im not disagreeing with you, per se but I dont think this is 100% accurate. For instance, I dont think transitioning the central concept of Pleasure Island and THE EDISON with Neverland Tunnels, to more of a restaurant style, was part of the plan or had anything to do with capacity and getting families meals. So many of the restaurants within a stones throw are struggling, and constantly tweaking menus, price-points and the like to generate crowds. Even places as popular as The Boathouse are easy reservations to snag. Changing a hip speakeasy into an Italian Restaurant/Speakeasy combo wreaks of exactly what it is IMO - too little commitment/faith in a good, exciting idea.

FullSailDanJul 10, 2018

The 600 restaurants at DS is to build capacity. No, you can’t try them all, not are you meant to. WDW has a problem with resort and park restaurants being at capacity and guests being unable to get breakfast or dinner anywhere (see yacht and beach club) except for a pizza counter or salad bar. The hope is, you’ll go there for dinner and do a little shopping.

surfsupdonJul 06, 2018

Remember BoardWalk Inn has two 21+ places that are fun. I’m hoping with the Skyliner that more Guests from other Resorts can get easy access to the BoardWalk clubs and bars and make them more crowded and fun later into the night. Like I said earlier tho, I much enjoyed The Edison for late night fun.

RSoxNo1Jun 26, 2018

You're thinking of burlesque.

I am TimmyJun 26, 2018

I miss the comedy you could take your kids to at Pleasure Island - my boys LOVED it. It didn't get raunchy until late, they always kept it PG early when kids would be there. My boys miss the Adventurer's Club, as do we all. And Improv and popcorn just go together. What family doesn't love to laugh?

martymcflyy85Jun 26, 2018

You make a valid point. Thanks for making it in a nice way. :)

MisterPenguinJun 26, 2018

If it wasn't for all the adults-without-children-in-tow going to WDW, the park would only be open when schools weren't in session. Adult-only guests keep WDW alive.

trainplane3Jun 26, 2018

You do realize Pleasure Island was a thing that was mainly for the 21+ crowd? I don't think it's much to ask at all to have a single place to hang out that isn't for the kids. And even then, it doesn't go "club-ish" till 10pm unless that changed.

flynnibusJun 26, 2018

Uhh... because adults like to be adults on family trips too?

martymcflyy85Jun 25, 2018

If you are looking for an adult scene, then why are you trying to get it at Disney World?

MisterPenguinJun 24, 2018

But kids love cabaret!!