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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