My family of four dined at Shula’s Steak House for the first time.
Terri Peters
My family of four had dinner at Shula’s Steak House, a chain with a location at Disney World.The delicious filet mignon, key-lime pie, and crème brûlée were highlights of the meal.We enjoyed our $330 dinner, which included nonalcoholic drinks, appetizers, entrées, and desserts.
On a recent trip to Disney World, my family and I decided we’d try a new restaurant — Shula’s Steak House.
The small chain was named one of the 10 best high-end steak-house chains in America by the Daily Meal, and has seven locations in Florida, Chicago, Houston, and Richmond, Virginia.
The steak house, which is owned by Shula’s Restaurant Group, is named after former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula. The chain aims to carry on Shula’s legacy, so each location has a loose football theme.
Here’s what our experience at Shula’s Steak House was like.
Terri Peters
Shula’s Orlando location is inside the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel.
Our dinner reservation was at 7 p.m. on a Saturday, and Shula’s was busy and vibrant without being overly crowded. When we arrived, we checked in at the host stand a few minutes early.
The dining room featured lots of football memorabilia, like black-and-white photos of players and wall art outlining the history of Don Shula’s coaching career.
It felt like a traditional steak house, with white tablecloths and dark-wood walls, and reminded me of other places I’ve been to, like The Capital Grille.
Terri Peters
The complimentary bread service included a large loaf of sourdough and a plate of room-temperature butter, perfect for spreading.
In addition to the delicious, tangy sourdough, the meal started with an event that was a steak-house first for us: choosing our knives.
Our server instructed us each to select a utensil from a knife block, which was a fun start to the meal that set the restaurant apart from others we’ve visited.
Terri Peters
My husband and I are both cutting down on our alcohol consumption, so we stuck with nonalcoholic beverages. My husband and daughter drank water, and my son ordered a soda ($4.50).
I asked our server if the bar could make the restaurant’s watermelon-mint mule without alcohol, and the staff accommodated my request. My $5 virgin mule was refreshing, with hints of ginger, watermelon, and mint.
Terri Peters
To start the meal, we ordered Shula’s $16 wedge salad, which was made with iceberg lettuce, bacon jam, tomatoes, and a blue-cheese dressing.
We loved the spicy bacon jam, which added an interesting flavor to the salad.
Terri Peters
Our server suggested we try the Nueske’s bacon, so we ordered this dish as another appetizer. It was made with thick-cut bacon from the Nueske’s Meats company.
The $22 appetizer was served on cheddar grits and came with a bourbon-honey glaze, cabbage-and-fennel slaw, and tomato jam.
The thick cuts of bacon were fall-apart tender and tasted like roasted pork belly. It paired well with the cheesy grits and crisp slaw and made for an impressive start to our meal.
Terri Peters
My daughter ordered French onion soup ($15) and a baked potato ($13) for her meal. However, by the time it arrived, she’d filled up on too many appetizers to try both dishes.
The baked potato came with butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, and bacon pieces for topping. It looked like it had been cooked perfectly, and she was eager to have it for lunch the next day.
My daughter loved her French onion soup, which came with melted Gruyere and provolone cheese on top.
Terri Peters
I ordered a 10-ounce filet mignon ($69) cooked to a medium-rare temperature.
The filet arrived warm and red in the center, with tasty, charred grill marks. I also ordered an au poivre sauce, which was an $8 upcharge. However, I didn’t notice this extra charge on our final bill.
The sauce was creamy, peppery, and delicious when eaten with a bite of filet mignon.
Terri Peters
My husband ordered the 22-ounce cowboy ribeye ($76) and added two scallops to the dish for an additional $16.
At our server’s suggestion, he ordered his ribeye cooked to a medium temperature to allow the fat in the steak to soften and caramelize. He liked his meal and felt adding the buttery scallops was worth it.
Terri Peters
My son orders cheeseburgers nearly everywhere we go, so he asked to see the kid’s menu.
Because he had a healthy appetite, he ordered two kid’s patties ($9 each) stacked into a double cheeseburger.
He enjoyed the burger so much that he gobbled it down before I could snap a photo.
Terri Peters
We also ordered the crispy potato wedges ($14), which we found to be perfectly cooked.
The real stars of this side were the delicious sauces — we received a garlic aioli and bravas sauce (made with tomato paste and paprika).
Terri Peters
The creamed spinach ($15), which had notes of Parmesan, garlic, and nutmeg, was pretty tasty.
The creamy side dish was the perfect balance of salty and cheesy and was made with savory spinach that tasted fresh.
Terri Peters
Our server recommended we try Shula’s key-lime pie, so we decided to see if it lived up to his hype.
The $15 dessert was incredible — tart, sweet, and so good. We couldn’t stop taking bites of it, even though we were full.
Terri Peters
I never shy away from crème brûlée, so I had to order my favorite dessert.
The $14 dessert had a crackable sugar crust on top and tasty vanilla and cream flavors.
Terri Peters
With tax, our dinner cost $330. It included nonalcoholic drinks, appetizers, entrées, side dishes, and desserts, which we felt was a good value.
Our meal was outstanding, and the atmosphere was relaxing yet elegant. Based on our experience at the Orlando Shula’s, we’d return when visiting the park or head to another location if we were nearby.
