Considering T-REX at Disney Springs? We’re sharing our review of the restaurant and whether it’s worth the cost for the immersive experience.

Disney Springs is a foodie paradise. Everywhere you look at Disney’s massive shopping complex, you’ll find restaurants — highly immersive restaurants to boot. Between the 1-oz pours of wine at Wine Bar George, the delicious steaks and seafood at Paddlefish, and the authentic Irish dancing at Raglan Road, it can be hard to agree on just one restaurant that will make everyone happy. But T-REX at Disney Springs certainly deserves your attention if you’ve got a lot of kids.

In our in-depth review of T-REX Cafe at Disney Springs, we’ll explore the theming, the food, and the drinks — and determine whether it’s a restaurant worth exploring or one whose loud atmosphere and giant dinosaur animatronics is more of a pain in the asteroid.

T-REX at Disney Springs: Review

Let’s get this out of the way: T-REX is a place to go if you’ve got kids in your group. If your party is only adults, I’d skip this one (even if you’re really into dinosaurs). It’s loud, and the food caters to a kid’s palate. The theming is fun, of course, but you’ll find better food all over Disney Springs. But if you have kids? They will absolutely love it at T-REX. It might be one of the most magical places in all of Walt Disney World.

Adults on your own, stop reading now and check out one of our other restaurant reviews (may we recommend “Anyone Can Eat,” our special foodie issue of WDW Magazine?). But parents with hungry kids, check out our full T-REX review below.

Theming

The theming inside T-REX is why you come here. Everywhere you look, there’s something new for the eye to see. Massive dinosaur animatronics (plus some other prehistoric creatures, like the giant octopus and the wooly mammoth) are hidden among the faux trees or dangling from the tall ceiling above.

The walls are designed like rockwork, with glowing amethyst and old fossils aplenty. Lights throughout the restaurant dim and change colors (look for the glowing bar!), and you’ll even spot fire dancing in one room and giant aquariums in another.

Different seating areas have different themes. When I visited last, we ate in the fish-themed Coral Reef room, but you might get a table in the Ice Age area, the Fern Forest, or one of the many other themed sections of the restaurant.

The visual effects are just the start; above the din of hungry guests’ conversation and scraping forks, you’ll hear pterodactyl screeches, dino roars, and other prehistoric grunts and groans.

Food

For elevated palates, the food at T-REX is disappointing. Kids, though, will be thrilled with the food here. The menu is full of familiar staples, even for picky eaters. T-REX does offer some more high-brow dishes, including pasta and seafood, but they mostly miss the mark.

On our most recent trip, we tried the Roasted Chicken Alfredo Flatbread to start, ordered the Beyond Burger and the Paleozoic Chicken Sandwich as our mains, and split the Cosmic Key Lime Pie for dessert. The Roasted Chicken Alfredo Flatbread was the surprise winner; it was creamy and flavorful — and quite filling.

It was the two sandwiches that left us wanting more. I’d admittedly recently had a chicken sandwich at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, and the two restaurants just can’t compare in terms of the food. The fries that accompanied both sandwiches were forgettable (honestly, I forget what they looked and tasted like!), but I know kids would be more than happy with them. Just ask for some ketchup.

Another surprise, though, was the Cosmic Key Lime Pie at T-REX. The pie was on par with key lime pies you might order in the actual Florida Keys.

Drinks

Another win for T-REX is its cocktails. These aren’t elevated cocktails — you won’t find bourbon flights, a nice scotch after a long day, or a well-thought-out margarita with innovative ingredients. No, these are fun, colorful, playful cocktails with cotton candy, toy sharks, and milkshake flavors.

We actually quite enjoyed the Lava Flow cocktail, a strawberry twist on a frozen pina colada. The Shark Water mocktail was overpriced for what simply tasted like a pineapple Sprite (because that’s all it was).

But the Megalodon was the star of the cocktail offerings. This delicious drink came with a souvenir shark holding a vial of blood (grenadine) that you get to pour inside the blue beverage — creating the illusion of a bloody shark attack.

The toy shark is a great keepsake, but you can also order other drinks with souvenir glasses or shakers.

Is T-REX Cafe Worth the Cost?

This is a loaded question. For parents with hungry children, T-REX is absolutely worth the cost. There are lots of appealing foods on the menu for picky eaters, and there’s so much going on in the restaurant that their attention should be held for the entire meal without any toddler meltdowns.

But for adults on their own? I’d say skip T-REX. I’m a major fan of dinosaurs (I read non-fiction books about dinos for fun and have a favorite paleontologist — and no, it’s not Ross Geller), but even I didn’t find the theming to be enough to make up for the sub-par meal.

T-REX Frequently Asked Questions

Where is T-REX Restaurant in Disney Springs?

T-REX Cafe is located in the Marketplace section of Disney Springs. Just look for the massive sauropod, made of reassembled dino bones, towering over the entrance.

Does T-REX Restaurant Take Reservations?

Yes, T-REX takes reservations, and we highly recommend making them in advance. On busy Disney Springs nights, families pour into T-REX trying to score a table.