The Polite Pig — Restaurant in Lake Buena Vista

We are long-time fans of the establishment, and I’d argue they have the best beer and bourbon available at Disney Springs and the absolute best fried chicken sandwich I’ve ever had. The quality of the food and drinks is absolutely superb. However, after our recent experience, I don’t think my family and I will be dining again, unless it is at the outside walkup bar just to grab a quick beer and cocktail for my wife and I and then leave. We were recently at Disney Springs during what was a pretty substantial rainstorm. I waited in line with my wife until we were almost up to the front. My mother was ahead of us, ordering alone, and had already ordered and gotten her buzzer (who was also joining us). She was at the drink station filling up her drink and getting condiments. I decided to split from my wife, and go to the restroom. I came back and decided to grab a seat while waiting for my older mother to finish up at the condiments station, and waiting on my wife to finish up her order. There were plenty of tables outside and inside, and I grabbed one that was on the very outskirts, almost touching where it was raining. Within about a minute and a half of sitting down, I was approached by a server who was extremely kind and asked if I had already placed an order. I had told her that my wife was currently placing hers, and my mother had hers and her buzzer and was joining us shortly as well. She told me no worries at all and walked off. I found it very strange, as at Disney or an adjacent theme park (Universal) establishment, I had never had something like that happen. However, she was extremely kind and so I moved on. A moment later, someone who I am assuming was a manager came out and asked me the same question, who I told my mom was joining and my wife was finishing her order, and the manager accused me of lying and that my wife “had not finished her order” and “because of me she was going to stop the line”. I am not a person who likes to argue, and was exhausted, so I just said “okay that is fine” to which she said “Okay, so I’m going to go stop the line, you’re okay with that?” and I replied “yes that’s fine, I’m waiting on my mother and wife”. She left, angrily, and my mother within 20 seconds of the interaction came to the table. She did not stop the line, more than likely because she realized there were plenty of tables open. My wife followed within about a minute after that. I would say I was sitting at the table no more than 4-5 minutes in total (if even that). By the time we left, I went through to refill and saw that people who had placed an order were in-fact waiting on tables, and was pleased I was able to get one to eat and not have to stand with my older mother and wife to wait on a table, with food in hand (the food comes out quick, which is also a huge plus on top of being fantastic). I had absolutely no desire for any of the employees, including the manager, to get in trouble, and so I did not get anyone’s name, and I still have that desire. This is absolutely not their fault, it is a policy issue. I researched this establishment on google and realized that they have many low rated reviews specifically for this reason. The table policy does not make any sense with how the other establishments around Disney Springs operates, and we have never had that happen at any place including Earl of Sandwich, Blaze Pizza, Pizza Ponte, Deluxe Burger, etc. At Universal’s newest establishments, they do not even allow you to place an order unless you have a table, ensuring the customers comfort comes first before they decide to spend money (and do not have to stand waiting for a table after ordering food. They have excellent beer, cocktails, and drinks, and the staff has always been kind, but I don’t think we will be returning to get food anytime soon, due to the table policy. If this ever changed, or there was signage added to indicate how the tables are we would...

I came to the Polite Pig after seven years of being away. Last time I gave it four stars, because it was good. This time, it was actually great, so I'm upgrading it to five stars. I'm not acting like I'm going to save the business by doing that or anything. But I just want you to know that this place had really found its groove, it's actually been mentioned in the Orlando Michelin Guide, and it's one of the most quality places to eat at Disney Springs right now.

As for the indoor ambiance, I'm not sure, because the hostess gave us a baller seat outdoors, where we could effectively people watch all the people at the Springs that evening. We came one evening after MegaCon, so you can imagine the cosplayers that wandered by from time to time. Loved the outdoor seating.

Service was perfect. It must have been tough coming in and out of the restaurant, across the busy traffic of the walkway, over and over again, so I am very appreciative of what our guy did for us, and I tipped accordingly, as we should do.

As for the food, well, we were four people total, and we're all heavy eaters, so we went a little overboard. We ordered the Butcher Board For Two (for 2, sliced or pulled pork, smoked chicken, prime brisket & Jalapeño cheddar sausage with slaw, pickles, 2 cornbread and a choice of 2 market sides), the Wings, and an order of the 3 Sides option, because we just love sides.

I won't go too in detail, because you don't want to read that, but I will say, The meats were much better than they were right after this place just opened. Even the chicken was moist and juicy. Was really a huge fan of the meats this time. If I had to pick just one, get the brisket. It's probably the best brisket you'll get down there in the tourist corner of Orlando.

Cornbread was a-ok, and the slaw was really nothing to write home about. But the other sides were actually solid. Loved the breadcrumbs on top of the mac, to add some crunch. Sweet potato fries were good. Corn on the cob was good. I just love how there's a little bit of sprinkled something over all the sides. The details are important.

The A+ sides that I want you to get, though, are the Whiskey-Caramel Brussel Sprouts and the Burnt Ends Chili (burnt ends, sausage, beans, aioli). These sides are unique and quality and will set your meal off right. I promise.

Wings were good. If you're prioritizing tummy space, you can skip them, but if you're a wing lover, you won't be disappointed.

Overall, I'm glad I came back to the Pig. It was a lovely little meal with my lovely friends, and after my five year statute of limitations passes in 2029, I will be more than happy to...

On the Butcher Board for 2, the Jalapeño Cheese Sausage (wasn’t spicy) and Chicken were very good. The Pulled Pork was good, but the Sliced Brisket was dry.

The sides stole the show; all of them were good! The Brussel Sprouts were yummy but just a bit too sweet. I’m not big on Mac and Cheese but liked this one a lot. I never like Sauerkraut but this one was very good. It was like a tangy, sweet, refreshing mayo salad. The Cornbread was just OK, but not good enough to waste room on. Wife loved the Au Gratin Potatoes, but I thought they were just OK. Street Corn was good enough but too much mayo and no spice. Best for me by far was the Burnt Ends Chili. It was a bit spicy (just right for me) with a generous amount of meat.

I loved that all the food came out hot, a pet peeve at too many restaurants!

The kids were very hungry but didn’t eat much of anything besides the Mac and Cheese. I was surprised but liked that each person had a different favorite item.

Everyone we interacted with was very friendly, but the service is minimal and not worth a traditional 18+% tip. They brought our food, offered to fill the first round of our waters after we asked where to get them, and took our trays when done. You are offered the tip amount at time of ordering in line, then you go find your own table. 18% is the lowest defaulted tip amount, and the cashier sold us on a full tip the way she explained we’ll have a server assigned once we choose a table.

I understand Disney Springs is always busy, but it was a very cold January evening and the ceiling fans were on and all the doors still open air. This made for an uncomfortably cold dining environment that also cooled our food down very quickly. I doubt there’d be any open tables during busy season, and I don’t think they take reservations. All the tables have a Reserved tag on them so we were initially confused trying to pick one of the few open tables. Turns out it’s reserved for you; you just need a buzzer, meaning you already ordered.

I’ll probably return to order the chili and try the rest of the sides. I’m glad I found an affordable winner with quick service for when I’m not in the mood to spend more on a traditional...