Disney Dining Reviews - Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney - Pleasure Island

Paradiso 37

This establishment is somewhat new to Downtown Disney and it is not Disney owned. It is actually located in the Pleasure Island section where some of the store fronts were once located. For those not familar, Pleasure Island's night clubs and shops closed to make way for a major renovation of new restaurants and new shops.

We took the DTD boat from the Saratoga Springs resort for a 7:30 dinner reservaton. There is plenty of outdoor seating here. Some of it overlooks the lake area which is very nice especially on a comfortable night. On the particular night we dined here it was somewhat warm and humid out so we decided to dine inside. I had called the restaurant a week or 2 before our trip to make a reservation. It was just my daughter and I. When we arrived there was plenty of seating available. We arrived at 7:15 and sat right away.

The decor is has an art deco yet fun theme with an open-air feel. Their specialty is their 37 kinds of tequila, so you can only imagine the variety of margaritas they have. I tried the Caradora Margarita which was good of course;-) They have quite an extensive drink menu as you can imagine.

The one complaint we did have is that the music was extremely loud when we first sat. We could barely hear each other because it was so loud. It had looked like there was a guy outside doing some live entertainment but he was on a break.

The lighting is also funky here. I thought it was kind of cool though as the lights change colors. The menu has a nice variety and many choices. It has a Mexican with a South American twist to it. But, also offers American cuisine. There are a lot of nice choices. By the time we ordered our appetizer the restaurant was already filling up.

The bar area is quite impressive with a huge display of tequila bottles lit up in a variety of colors.

We started with the Mexican Dipping Trio - which included Chunky Guacamole, Chili con Carne & Spinach Queso Dips. It was served with corn tortilla chips in a cute paper bag. I loved the guacamole as it tasted very fresh and home made. The Chili Con carne was also very good with just the right amount of seasoning. The spinach and artichoke dip is delicious, very smooth and rich. We love this trio combination and order it everytime we go there.

Around the time we were served our appetizer the music seemed to simmer down to a more audible level (or maybe we just got used to shouting at each other;) Actually the live entertainment started back up. It was a one man band and he played some Jimmy Buffet type music. Perfectly themed for this restaurant.

For dinner my daughter ordered the Chicken Quesadillas which were flour tortillas stuffed with Chicken and cheese topped with cheeses and served with sour cream and pico de gallo. They were delicious. We enjoyed every bite. Tastey, crispy yet soft and very fresh.

I ordered the Skewered Shrimp & Jicama Orange Salad. This was a combination of grilled VERY Jumbo skewered shrimp with mixed greens tossed with orange segments, jicama, dried apricots, raisins, toasted almond and pumpkin seeds with a prickly pear vinaigrette that I had them put on the side. This was a very unique and wonderful salad. You can order it with or without shrimp. There were only 3 shrimp as you can see, but they were huge and they were good. I expected them to be tough because they were so big but they were just the perfect texture with just the right spice.

We chose not to order dessert since we figured we'd hit Ghiradelli on the way back to the boat dock. Service was fairly quick so we had time to walk around afterwards and do just that.

This was a very affordable meal in comparison to the many restaurants on Disney property. Last I checked they now take the Disney Dining Plan and they just started to take the Tables in Wonderland card which I was thrilled to find out since we our members:-)

I look forward to returning here on our next visit and hope that it's just as good. I'd also love a "grown-up" night to just hang out at one of the outside tables by the water and sip some really good margaritas:-)

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