In our latest DIS Unlimited Happy Hour, Ryno and I stopped into AbracadaBAR at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn. This magician-themed bar and lounge is nestled between Trattoria Al Forno and Flying Fish.
AbracadaBAR is open 4PM-12AM daily, and serves food beginning at 5PM. The beverage menu is full of cleverly named drinks themed to magic tricks… but, is it all really an illusion? Is it worth experiencing?
Stepping inside feels like you’re stepping back in time a bit. A place where magicians, their assistants, and illusionists once occupied; like a little piece of the Magic Castle in Los Angeles.
Onto the ordering!
For drinks, Ryno went with the Collin’s Double (Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, House-made Sweet & Sour, topped with Soda Water $16) and I ordered the Pepper’s Ghost (SKYY Pineapple Vodka & Habanero Lime, $16). I had ordered this before on my quick first-time visit last year and enjoyed it, so I had to grab it again! I love a good spicy margarita or martini, and this does just the trick. Ryno was not impressed with his choice, especially with it arriving to the table in a completely basic glass. No bells, no whistles. We were expecting a little somethin’-somethin’ at a magician-themed bar, and considering the price for a typical beverage offering.
For $15, we ordered the Charcuterie Plate which included a variety of meats and cheeses: Calabrese Salami, Prosciutto di Parma with Brilliant Savarin, Reypenaér V.S.O.P. Gouda, Beehive Teahive, Purple Haze, and Caveman Blue cheeses. This was fun to munch on, and there were some really rich, tasty cheeses here (special shout-out to that Beehive Teahive, who knew black tea-infused cheese is exactly what I needed?). I always wish the cheese portions were larger on a charcuterie board, but for $15 this was a good sampling of some fine frommage and their accompaniments.
Finally, at $21 we tried the Tuna Tataki – Seared Tuna with Marinated Rice Noodles, Chili Oil, Ponzu, and Petite Cilantro. This honestly was nothing special, and lacked flavor. We were left wishing we tried another bar snack or two instead for the price.
While we were seated, I looked into the venue’s lengthy backstory; in short, a group of magicians would compete in magic tricks at a “secret lounge” that suddenly went missing, only for the AbracadaBAR to mysteriously reappear decades later (in reality, this was the Boardwalk’s old sweet shop, Seashore Sweets). AbracadaBAR opened at the Boardwalk in 2016. While the decor and Easter eggs sprinkled around the bar play into the overall theme, the backstory isn’t that apparent, and wasn’t hinted at by our waitstaff at any point. I don’t know, I was sort of expecting something like Trader Sam’s when it came to this little speakeasy destination, but it didn’t deliver anything beyond the unique setting and a typical alcoholic beverage menu you can find elsewhere on WDW property. Those drinks were under the disguise of some clever names!
This is a cool little space to stop into if you’re staying at the Boardwalk or surrounding resorts, but we can’t honestly recommend anyone to go out of their way for the beverages or food served here. Call us disillusioned.
Watch our full AbracadaBAR review here:
