We’re absolute suckers for a new restaurant in Disney World.
Any time we find out a new spot is coming to the parks or the resorts, we dive in with research, look out for the menus, and make sure to rush over there on opening day. That’s exactly what we did for the grand opening of EET by Maneet Chauhan in Disney Springs…and we’re here to share our full review with you!
Background
EET is a new counter service restaurant located in Disney Springs in The Marketplace section. It’s owned by celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan (you may know her from Chopped on The Food Network!). Here, they serve casual Indian cuisine!
It’s kind of tucked away in the back of Disney Springs, right next to the 12 Days of Christmas store, so it’s a little off the beaten path. However, if you’re coming in the back entrance of Disney Springs (like walking from Saratoga Springs or riding the boats down the Sassagoula), you’ll walk right past it as you enter.
Now, let’s head inside!
Atmosphere
Right when you walk into the restaurant, you’re greeted by a display of merchandise. You can peruse while you wait in line to order at the counter.
An employee will take your order at the counter, and a digital menu is on display above the registers. If you’d like a paper menu, they were handing them out while we waited in line.
Once you’ve placed your order, there’s a self-serve drink station off to the side. Like other Disney restaurants, they serve Coke products.
There are two parts to the dining room here. There’s a main dining room…
…as well as a sunroom area. In the sunroom, they can open the windows to let a breeze in. (But don’t worry — there are screens in the windows to keep critters out.)
There’s also an outdoor seating section if inside gets too busy.
You’ll be given a little marker for your table when you order. They deliver your food directly to you, and the service was great!
Now let’s talk about what we ordered!
Food & Drinks
The menu includes a variety of Indian food options — some traditional, some unique and inventive.
Since it was the grand opening, we decided to try out a little bit of everything. We had quite the spread!
Of course, we’ve got to start with talking about the bread service. The EET Bread Service with Pimento Whipped Paneer is $18 and comes with buttered naan, garlic naan, pimento whipped paneer cheese, masala vegetable sticks, Indian pickle, coriander honey, and various chutneys.
We had five different chutneys/dipping sauces in addition to the whipped paneer. Some were slightly spicy, but most had an earthy, spiced base. The green chutney was probably our favorite because it had bright notes from what was likely cilantro and/or lime.
The naan was soft and chewy, with great buttery and garlic flavors. If you’re heading to EET, the bread service is a really classic place to start! Our one complaint is that it’s a bit on the pricey side to only come with two pieces of naan.
Also on the starters menu is the DIY Pani Puri for $12. This is one of Maneet Chauhan’s favorite dishes, and you get to assemble it yourself. It comes with crispy semolina puffs, black garbanzo beans, potatoes, tamarind, date chutney, and mint cilantro water.
You put the chutney and the lentils in the puff and then pour the water on top. There’s a little bit of heat from the water, but the overall effect is fresh and fun. There are lots of textures that mix together in this dish and it’s very unique.
The last of the starters that we tried was the Tandoori Chicken Poutine for $14 It’s made with chaat masala fries, tandoori chicken, white cheddar curds, and a rich tomato butter sauce. THIS is what we were most looking forward to!
And let us tell you, this did NOT disappoint! The fries were well seasoned, there was a LOT of chicken and cheese, and the sauce really ties it all together in this delicious, herby way. We would go back and order this EVERY. single. time.
Moving on, we also got the Spicy Green Chili Naan for $6 which — all the employees warned us — was actually pretty hot. Once you get to the middle and hit more of those green chilis, the spice comes fast and lingers for a while.
It may look harmless, but it’s not for the faint of heart! If you can handle the heat though, it’s a good extra purchase to give you more naan for the bread service.
And of course, we can’t forget about dessert! We got both of the sweet treats on the menu, the first of which was the Chocolate and Strawberry Naan for $8. It’s made with chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, white chocolate, diced strawberries, and fresh mint.
We’ll be honest here — this was probably our least favorite thing we ate. The sauce is very messy and makes it hard to eat, which is exacerbated because the slices are massive. The fresh fruit and mint on top were nice, but the flavors from the sauces just weren’t as compelling as they could be.
However, the Gulab Jamun Cheesecake for $9 was a WINNER. This one is a NY-style cheesecake with gulab jamun, strawberries, saffron, and cardamon.
It’s incredibly creamy and the fruit was deliciously sweet. The flavors all blend really well together — it was definitely a highlight of our meal.
But that’s not all! We also ordered two beverages during our visit. The Yule Chai Greeting is a holiday special drink with EET signature chai, whipped cinnamon cream, toasted marshmallow, holiday sprinkles, and topped with a candy cane.
The flavor on this wasn’t particularly strong, but there was a nice chai spice underneath. We didn’t get much of the cinnamon or toasted marshmallow flavors.
If you want something to help cool down the spice, we suggest the Mango Yogurt Lassi for $5. It quite literally tastes like drinking mango yogurt.
So….what’s the verdict?
Should You Go?
If you’re heading to Disney Springs and looking for a fast casual meal, we would definitely recommend EET! We enjoyed most everything that we ate, and the service was phenomenal.
It’s also one of the few places in Disney World where you can get authentic Indian food. Some of our favorites from the menu were the poutine, the cheesecake, and the bread service.
If you’re not a fan of Indian food or you don’t have an adventurous palette, EET probably isn’t our #1 recommendation. It’s also a bit of a hike from the parking garages at Disney Springs, so those trying to get in and out of Disney Springs quickly might not want to march all the way back here.
We’ll keep you in the loop with any more new restaurants and dining reviews in Disney World, so stay tuned to AllEars!
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Would you go to EET? Tell us in the comments!