The Turf Club Bar and Grill at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort has some spectacular views and a few vegan options for dinner too. This hidden gem of a restaurant just reopened and we were there opening night to try out the all-new vegan menu options.
You can find this full service dining location in the Carriage House, which is the main check-in building at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, across the water from Disney Springs. The resort itself is located along the shores of Lake Buena Vista. This location actually has a ton of Disney history as it was part of the original Lake Buena Vista Village resort back in the 80’s, before it became the Disney Institute, and now Saratoga Springs.
The Turf Club offers spectacular views of the lake, Disney Springs and the beautifully landscaped Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.
The Turf Club Bar and Grill Vegan Options at Disney’s Saratoga Springs
The interior of the restaurant feels like a very intimate venue with dim lighting and wood paneled walls. It’s reminiscent of a Race Track Club House with equine tack adorning the walls.
Weather permitting you can choose to dine outside on the spacious covered patio.
The Turf Club Bar and Grill is currently only open for dinner service. The restaurant has a dedicated vegan as-is appetizer, entree and dessert. As you read below, you may think these are not the most photogenic food photos, but I assure you, looks can be deceiving and everything we tried was delicious.
First, we were given the gluten-free rolls since the bread service at Turf Club is not vegan as there is parmesan on top. However, we were still given the black volcano salt on top of some Earth Balance, which I love and appreciate when restaurants do that for us. As you know I’m not a huge fan of the gluten-free rolls at all, but when they are prepared properly (warmed in an oven and not a microwave), they aren’t bad at all, and I actually really enjoyed these.
The vegan appetizer is Grilled Artichokes ($12). These are served on a bed of roasted garlic tahini with both crispy baby artichokes and grilled artichoke hearts, mixed with pickled golden raisins and a sherry vinaigrette. I am not a huge artichoke fan, so I wasn’t really looking forward to this, but I absolutely loved it. The vinaigrette mixed with the tahini was such a delicious combination. My mouth is watering right now just writing about it. The raisins are a wonderful contrast to the acidic flavors in the dish. This was a win for me.
I would definitely book another night at Turf Club to enjoy this appetizer again.
If artichokes aren’t your thing, or you’d prefer a salad, the Chopped Salad ($10) is a modifiable option. Just remove the cheese and the salami, and it is vegan. The dressing has been confirmed vegan as well, in fact, it is the same sherry vinaigrette from the artichoke dish. The salad has fried chickpeas for a bit of crunch and pickled apricots for a lovely tart and sweet bite.
Your entree option will be Carrot Agnolotti ($23.50). The base of this dish is a mushroom reduction, where the chefs basically cook the liquid out of button mushrooms until they have “essence of mushroom.” Then there are Royal Trumpet mushrooms and Hen of the Woods mushrooms added with the carrot agnolotti, which are basically like half ravioli style pasta, filled with pureed carrot. Then a truffle-onion “cream” is added to finish off the dish. It is obviously very mushroom heavy, but I love mushrooms, so this dish was fantastic for me.
This entree was a real winner and a fantastic combination of flavors. For those who may not be mushroom fans, I did speak to a chef and was assured that because they have so many kitchens at their disposal they are definitely able to accommodate requests based on guest needs, so don’t be afraid to ask for something off-menu that meets your needs!
For dessert, Turf Club has created a vegan Mango-Passion Fruit Crème Brulee ($8.00). This dessert is very unique with a surprise underneath – chocolate!
This tropical treat has a hard sugar top that you crack open to enjoy the creamy mango passion fruit flavors. Then at the bottom is a pool of chocolate that goes really well with the fruit flavors. The garnish on top is raspberry beet gel and fresh raspberries (making a hidden Mickey on our dessert).
Overall I loved this new vegan menu at the Turf Club and since we’ve been having some colder days, the hearty mushroom flavors were a perfect choice. Let us know if you check out this hidden gem of a restaurant packed with Walt Disney World history. Be sure you’re subscribed to our VeganDisneyFood YouTube channel and have notifications turned on (click the bell!) for our video reviews! Here’s our Turf Club video review:
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