Dear reader, I hope I’m not the only one confused here. Unofficially, this restaurant is called Three Bridges Bar and Grill. However, the building it’s located in is called Villa del Lago. Officially, though, the name is: Three Bridges Bar and Grill at Villa del Lago. If you’re confused, imagine the average guest who joins the walk-up waitlist and wanders to this location wondering if they’re at the correct restaurant. From what I gather while talking to the servers here, this is a regular occurrence. Confusion aside, we’re here for dinner!
Three Bridges Bar and Grill at Villa del Lago (that’s a lot to say) is located at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. It is located in the middle of the lake and connected by, you guessed it, three bridges. This makes it accessible to everyone staying at the resort regardless of which section of the resort you’re in. I guess it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say this is the only restaurant at Coronado Springs to be “centrally located.”
If you’re familiar with Geyser Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Three Bridges has a very similar vibe and atmosphere. Being in the middle of a lake, with it’s open-air design, it can get a little breezy and chilly at night, so you may want to bring a light jacket along.
Let’s get started with an appetizer:
Browsing through the appetizer menu, one item jumped out at me because I didn’t know how to pronounce it. Warm Manchego and Oaxaca Cheese Dip ($14) served with Chorizo, Roasted Red Peppers, and Tortilla Chips. I politely pointed to it on the menu hoping my server would say it aloud so I would know how to pronounce ‘Oaxaca’. Unfortunately he didn’t know how to say it either. If you do, leave a comment please.
To put it simply: it’s a warm cheese dip. It’s a very good warm cheese dip, if I’m being honest. Like most cheese dips, what once was warm will eventually become cold, and once this cheese dip starts to cool off, you’ll be breaking your tortilla chips left and right, so get it while it’s warm and gooey and easy to scoop! That’s my pro-tip.
Next up, the main course:
The obvious choice that jumped out at me was the Three Bridges Signature Burger ($20). It’s a signature item, so naturally I had to try it. Crispy Potato, Manchego Cheese, Roasted Garlic-Lemon Aïoli, Arugula, and Tomato served with Smoked Paprika Fries. This is a tall burger. The beef patty is a decent size, and the top bun is a bit lofty, so it’s definitely a handful. It is a very good burger overall and with the toppings, it had a good structural integrity while eating. Nothing fell apart and nothing fell off.
The paprika fries themselves were also very good. They are served with two sauces: ketchup (of course), and when I asked about the other sauce, I was told it is a “tomato-based aioli”. I guess it’s a secret recipe. While I do love plain ketchup with french fries, the aioli was by far the superior dipping sauce for these fries. I couldn’t get enough of it!
Now let’s turn to desserts.
I was recommended the Warm Churros ($9) by my server. Simple churros with cinnamon sugar, served with a chocolate dipping sauce. I know many people love churros while at Disney parks, so this seemed like an obvious choice. Warm and crispy, these churros are a great ending to your meal. The chocolate sauce added a decadent touch to the extent that I felt guilty for being so indulgent.
To ease my guilt, I also chose a lighter option to balance everything out:
If you’re looking for a lighter dessert option, this is an excellent choice! This Fresh Fruit Sorbet ($9.25) is a mango-lime sorbet served with raspberries, blackberries, a little mango and mint. It was outstanding! I’ve had sorbet at other restaurants on property and it’s always been a very solid choice. The sorbet itself had great flavor, and the fresh fruit was, dare I say, delightful!
The discussion.
I want to talk a little about the menu here at Three Bridges. My choices for dinner were not only safe choices, they were also comfortable choices. In looking through their main courses, it’s clear this restaurant is not for everyone. Three of the main course options are poke bowls, and if that’s not your thing (I’ve only had it once), then your options start becoming limited. Not a fan of Indian food or lamb chops, then your options narrow down to only three choices.
While I had a good dinner, I’m not sure I would recommend this restaurant to my family. It doesn’t have wide appeal. Picky eaters will most likely have a difficult time finding something to their liking here. I don’t think they even have chicken tenders on the kid’s menu!
Basically what I’m saying is: look over the menu first before joining the walk-up waitlist. If you like trying new things or something you’ve never had before, give Three Bridges a try. If you’re not much of an adventurous eater, give this a pass.
Disney Rover 