During a recent Coronado Springs Resort stay, the DIS Unlimited team had lunch at El Mercado de Coronado and had a not-so-great experience. If you’re staying at Coronado, we have some tips on what you should and should not order here!
This has to be one of the largest resort quick-service restaurants at Walt Disney World! Like many other resorts, the restaurant is cafeteria-style, where you can order from different menu items and then pay together at centralized registers. There seemed to be plenty of seating, however, we could see it being pretty busy during peak times and the acoustics are pretty loud thanks to the tile and very tall ceilings.
We tried to order as many Tex-Mex items as possible but unfortunately, most of the menu is basics like pasta and burgers. We did spot a few items unique to Coronado, like the Mexican street corn! This side dish is made with white corn, lime-cilantro aioli, cotija cheese, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and fresh cilantro for $6. While not the best street corn we’ve had at Disney, we did enjoy this one. More aioli would have helped combine the ingredients better but we did like the crunch from the Cheetos!
We decided to order two of the Tex-Mex bowls. I chose the fire-roasted chicken for $16, and Craig chose the spicy plant-based chorizo bowl for $17. Both rice bowls are served atop a bed of cilantro-lime rice, black beans, and street corn sauce and topped with lettuce, pico de gallo, pickled red onion, shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro. These are made to order, so you can pick and choose what toppings you would like. We both opted for all the toppings and found they both lacked spice and much flavor. The one positive is they were pretty filling.
Ryno had the Impossible burger, which is topped with roasted red bell peppers, goat cheese, arugula, and chipotle aioli, served with French fries for $17. This was a pretty basic burger and did not have enough goat cheese or bell pepper which would have given it more flavor it desperately needed.
When I first saw the “nachos,” I was very disappointed. You can grab lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and lime from the cooler next to the grab-and-go area to make the dish your own. Once everything was mixed together, it was pretty solid for quick-service nachos. For $14, this isn’t too bad of a deal as it ends up being pretty filling. I still prefer the nachos served by the pool so my recommendation would be to skip this version!
One of the biggest perks of El Mercado is the large pastry counter with a wide array of treats perfect for a quick breakfast or dessert. We chose two desserts but honestly they all looked really good!
We decided on the Tres Leches Cake and the Dulce de Leche Cupcake both for $7.50. The tres leches cake had sort of a gritty texture that threw off the dessert and we were surprised when the dulce de leche cupcake was indeed a cheesecake. Probably even more concerning that the cheesecake was not refrigerated. Both desserts were just okay and not nearly as exciting as we thought they would be – they had the right flavor but not the right consistency.
While none of our dishes were bad, they weren’t great, and not a lot jumped out on the menu. We still love Three Bridges the most if you’re looking for casual dining at Coronado Springs! To watch our full review of El Mercado and learn more about Coronado Springs, be sure to check out our full overview here!
Hannah Anderson is a Dreams Unlimited Travel Agent, DIS Contributor, former Disney Cast Member, and Orlando local. Mostly importantly, she is a mom and loves spending time in the Disney Parks each week with her family.
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