Fulton’s Crab House was the first restaurant my family ever ate at on a Disney trip. I was young, but I remember thinking that the atmosphere (you’re on a giant river boat guys!) was perfect. The only problem with Fulton’s, is that is was plagued with bad food, bad reviews, and the whole place reeked of fish.
We were thrilled when we found out that part of the Disney Spring’s re-do, would include an overhaul of Fulton’s Crab House, turning it into a new restaurant called Paddlefish. There’s a chance that I did an actual happy dance – it might have looked something like the Carlton from Fresh Prince.
Paddlefish features the same river boat that Fulton’s was on, but it’s been updated, making the exterior look sleek and modern, instead of dated and kitschy. We headed to the rooftop bar, where we were meeting some friends, and were greeted by one of our new favorite sites at Disney. The patio sits high atop the boat, covered in twinkle lights, with sweeping views of Disney Springs and Saratoga.
We ordered cocktails and food for the table. The restaurant features an off-menu rum punch, served in a crystal pitcher, that has drinks for four people. The other cocktails on the menu were fantastic as well. We ordered the crab fries (french fries topped with crab meat and thousand island dressing – NO WORDS), lobster corn dogs (corn dogs for the top 2%), calamari, and fried green tomatoes. Everything was PHENOMENAL.
Paddlefish is pricey – a little bit overpriced, in our personal opinions, but it’s our new favorite place to go with friends, for some shared drinks and appetizers. It’s not an everyday spot, but if you’re looking for a fancier late night hang, or a date night pick, Paddlefish wins our vote.