Visitors to Disney Springs have a love/hate relationship with the Rainforest Café. They have reasons to love it. Still, they have reasons to dislike it. No matter your opinion, this place offers solid theming and draws a crowd.

During a recent Disney Springs day, I enjoyed a burger at STK and a doughnut or two from Everglazed. Then, I needed to decide about my evening meal before going back to the B Resort to write theme park articles. Since I wanted to save my per diem budget for a trip to Gideon’s Bakehouse for the next day, I decided to use a Landry’s gift card.

Based on that, I decided to check out the Lava Lounge connected to the Rainforest Café. To my surprise, even without having to use my Landry’s Club Card, I was given a seat at the bar quickly. I did this at 5:45pm on a weekday. Of note, the host functioned in a disjointed fashion, adding to my surprise. In contrast to the behavior of the host, the bar staff provided great service.

I had no predetermined plan of items to order. I examined the menu. Afterwards, I decided to order the Creole Mac and Cheese. This dish costs $20.99.

The menu describes this pasta as including shrimp, andouille sausage, peppers, red onion, cheese sauce, and chili butter breadcrumbs. The item also comes with some bread. I ordered a Coke Zero to drink especially since STK did not have that type of soda to fulfill my diet soda addiction. The wait staff did a great job providing refills.

After some time, I ordered my food. I then sat back checking my notes for the day. There blew a wonderful breeze through the lounge area. While dining here, guests get a great view of Saratoga Springs and Paddlefish. Every so often, an “amphicar” from The Boathouse floated by. Overall, I found the dining setting to be a positive experience.

After a reasonable amount of time, my food arrived. The presentation of this basic style dish rates as above average. I started off tasting very little cheese with the pasta though. If you call it mac and cheese then you should taste cheese, right? However, the pasta tasted well prepared. The peppers and onions varied widely in terms of quality and taste. The vegetables were buried underneath the pasta. The Creole style seasoning lacked a clear distinct flavor expected in a dish like this.

The cheese clearly lacked a traditional cheddar type flavor. In fairness, the cheese never intended to taste that way. Once I ate deeper into the dish, the cheese flavor shines elevating this pasta dish. So, the cheese lived up to fulfilling its duties as part of mac and cheese.

Also of note, the bread tasted different than I expected. Like the cheese, the flavor paired well with the rest of the mac and cheese, however.

Rainforest Café food items continue to fall below other similar restaurants in Disney Springs area. This pasta dish offered a solid taste. However, I doubt this being worth $21. The portion size seemed reasonable, but it lacks flavors expected for a “Creole” type dish. However, if looking for a non-traditional “safe” choice for dining here, this makes a better choice than one of their burgers. As always, eat like you mean it!