One of my favorite restaurants in Disney Springs is T-REX. This is such a fun restaurant, that is praised more for its theming than the actual quality of food. While the food is good and the menu has a lot of variety, there is much more to be said about the ambiance. It is an interactive restaurant with the theme of the pre-historic world. It feels like a restaurant that would be in Disney World and is much more fun to go on your Disney vacation than just a "normal" restaurant.
Immediately upon entering the restaurant, you feel like you are walking into a different world. You are greeted by a giant T-Rex figure at the hostess stand and as you look around the restaurant, it is as though you have stepped into a fully immersive dinosaur world. There are differently themed rooms that you can dine in, each themed after a different time in pre-historic history.
The bar is surrounded by an "under the sea" section, featuring all of the pre-historic creatures that lived in the ocean. There is even a giant octopus animatronic hanging on the ceiling that periodically moves its tentacles around. The restaurant also utilizes colored lighting in each "room" to add to the theming. In the bar area, everythink is blue and bioluminescent. This is actually a pretty neat area, but we never eat at the bar so we have never actually sat here.
There is another area based on the meteor strike. I personally think this is the worst section of the restaurant, because the only theming used is red lighting and the fire of the kitchens in the background. There are no dinosaur animatronics in this area, so I would recommend asking to be moved if the hostess tries to seat you here.
Next up is the ice cave. While the dark lighting makes it hard to see in the section, it is actually kind of cool in this literal cave. There are fossilized dinosaur bones in the walls and the ceiling resembles icicles. Throughout your dining experience, the walls of the ice cave will change colors, which could be fun if you have kids with you.
The final section, and the best in my personal opinion, is the main dining room. The majority of the restaurant's seating is in this section, but that does not guarantee that you will be seated there. For some reason, everytime we have gone to T-REX, the staff has been hesitant to seat us in this area. Out of all the times we've gone to T-REX, I believe I have only sat in the "main dining room" twice.
This area has all of the dinosaur animatronics. It also feels as though you are truly in the Jurassic, with trees surrounding you and moss and branches hanging overhead. In this area, you get to take in the full theming of the restaurant and feel as though you are dining among dinosaurs.
The best part about the theming, is that every 15 minutes, there is a "show" throughout the restaurant. It is meant to be a prehistoric meteor shower. The dinosaur animatronics move and make sounds, and there are flashing lights and rumblings around you. It is pretty neat, though the darkening of the restaurant's lighting does make it hard to eat while it is going on. As I said, the main dining room really is the best section to appreciate all of this. It is so fun to sit next to an animatronic dinosaur as you eat your meal. If you are in one of the side rooms mentioned above, you cannot see the majority of what is taking place, and are limited to your immediate surroundings. Definitely a let down.
Now on to the food! The menu has quite a bit of variety to choose from. There is everything from sandwiches, to burgers, to pasta, to steak, to roasted chicken, to meatloaf. There really is something for everyone. The food is the quality that you could expect from Rainforest Cafe, or an Applebees. The prices are also comparable to Rainforest Cafe, with most entrees ranging from $20-$30 a plate. While the taste of the food is nothing to rave about, like we've heard about other Disney Springs spots like Boathouse and Homecomin', it is still pretty delicious and doesn't stop us from continuing to go back to T-REX almost every visit to Disney World.
For an appetizer, we always order the "Colosso Beef Nachos." The menu claims it is for 2 people, but I think it could very easily feed 4-5 people. It is very large, but is also very good and I very much recommend it! It is usually just the two of us, but we order it anyways because we like it so much. For entrees, I have ordered a wide range of items, and have never gotten something I hated. My least favorite item would probably have to be the meatloaf, just because it has way too many onions in it. However, for an onion lover, it still has delicious flavor. All in all, you can't go wrong with most items on the menu. Just be warned that the portion sizes are big!
T-REX also offers a lot of their specialty drinks in souvenier cups that you get to take home with you after your meal. I cannot tell you have many T-REX souvenier cups we have. It's gotten to be too many. But this is a nice perk if you have never been and really want a momento from your experience!
I would regret it if I didn't leave a shout out for my absolute favorite drink offered at this restaurant- the Shark Water. It is non-alcoholic and is sprite with coconut flavoring, blue caracao, and a splash of blue coconut. It really is delicious, and with free refills along with the souvenier cups, it's a great deal!
Due to the impressive theming of the restaurant, it is incredibly difficult to get a dining reservation at T-REX. It is one of the restaurants where the good times go fast, so make sure this is one of the reservations that you book first on your dining reservation day. The closer you get to your date, don't be surprised if all that is left is early lunch times or late night dinner times. We have also been pleasantly surprised that as a walk-up of just two, without a reservation, we have been seated pretty quickly. However, you may not want to try that tactic with a larger group, or if trying to eat at a popular time like 6pm.
Overall, in my opinion, T-REX is one of the top restaurants in Disney Springs. The theming is very Disney-esque and it is a fun place to dine. It's also in a great location, right next to World of Disney, the largest souvenir shop in Disney Springs. They are great at circulating guests in and out of the restaurant, so you don't have to worry about slow service or a meal that will take up too much time. We have been to this restaurant many times and it never gets old. I definitely recommend checking T-REX out the next time you are in Disney Springs!
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