Steakhouse 71 is a table-service restaurant in Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort. Located on the ground floor, the restaurant serves American fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Steakhouse 71 does offer an annual pass discount and is a part of the Disney Dining Plan. In this post, we’ll review the restaurant’s food, atmosphere and value.

After dining at Steakhouse 71 for breakfast and lunch, and coming away impressed, we thought it was time to complete the trifecta and head over there for dinner. We were spurred on by being on the Disney Dining Plan during that portion of the trip. While the restaurant isn’t a good DDP value for the other 2 meals, dinner is a strong value and one of the few steakhouses that you can find for 1 table-service credit.

That isn’t to dissuade anyone from going here for breakfast or lunch. Those were both exceptional meals that offer a good bang for your buck if paying out of pocket. They just don’t have the same pull (value wise) for those on the Disney Dining Plan as all entrees are under $28 at lunch and $22 at breakfast. Meanwhile, dinner entrees are in the high 30 or low 40 dollar range. That’s one of the higher price ranges we’ve seen for 1 credit on the plan, especially at a restaurant we enjoy.

Part of what pulls us back to Steakhouse 71 is the relaxed atmosphere. The 71 in the restaurant’s name pays homage to the year that Walt Disney World opened. There are black and white photos that line the entrance hallway to give a bit of history. There’s also a nice lounge area, with a Tomorrowland retro-future look, to wait before your table is ready.

Once seated, the thematic touches are a little less successful. A few fun paintings and historic photos are around but there’s significantly less of them. It’s a fairly crowded seating area and can be on the louder side.

Despite those downsides, I still enjoy Steakhouse 71’s atmosphere. The carpet and chevron wall paneling tie the room together and I like the wood ceiling. Granted, the Disney Parks history idea is way up my alley (I do have a theme park website and all) so your mileage may vary.

The restaurant pulls off a relaxing setting even with the crowded seating. There is nothing stuffy about Steakhouse 71 but the atmosphere is nice enough to feel special. The tucked away location inside of the Contemporary certainly helps the cause.

Moving on to the food, here’s a look at the menu. Unsurprisingly, the options center around steak. There are a few different entrees if steak isn’t your thing but going here without wanting beef would be a strange choice.

I don’t generally bring up cocktails in reviews, as tastes are so different that I find it difficult to know what to recommend. I’ll break that self-imposed rule here as the Cocoa Boulevardier was one of my favorite cocktails I’ve had on Disney property. Be warned, it’s also one of the strongest. Consisting of Knob Creek Disney Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon, Campari Liqueur, Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth and Chocolate Bitters, the drink was similar to a negroni except substituting bourbon for gin and adding chocolate. This is a drink Ron Swanson would fully endorse and one I’ll be back for.

After the drink, I had high expectations for the steak. Unfortunately, we didn’t think either option we tried lived up to those expectations. Above is the New York Strip which was cooked well enough, tender and juicy. But the cut of meat wasn’t as good as others we’ve had in Walt Disney World. The seasoning on the steak did not stand out and the meat was on the fattier side. I liked the sauce fine (the Signature Steakhouse 71 Sauce) but wasn’t blown away. On the bright side, the Au Gratin Potatoes were cheesy and delicious. At $38, this was a pretty average steak.

This is the 8 oz Beef Tenderloin Medallions. I liked them more than the New York Strip (usually my preference is opposite). The meat was tender but, again, we were underwhelmed by the seasoning and flavor. I did enjoy the Bearnaise Sauce served with this one, adding a punch of butter and vinegar taste. We ordered the Mashed Potatoes as the side and they were so buttery and smooth, absolutely delicious. The Beef Medallions were $42.

For dessert, I ordered the Steakhouse 71 Signature Chocolate Cake consisting of 15 Layers of Jack Daniels-infused Decadent Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Mousse and Raspberries. As I’ve entered my mid-30’s I’ve all of a sudden formed a love of chocolate cake. Honestly, it’s poor timing. Naturally, I loved this! The cake was really rich and moist. The Chocolate Mousse in between the layers added a creaminess and the raspberry added a pop of tartness. The dessert is $13 and excessive in size but after a light meal of a large steak and strong cocktail, you might as well add a 15 layer cake!

We also tried the Sea Salt Turtle Crème Brûlée ($11) made up of Chocolate Malt Crème Brûlée, Salted Caramel Sauce, and Pecan Brittle. This was good but not great Crème Brûlée. The Salted Caramel Sauce was a highlight and the brittle added a nice crunch but the creme inside wasn’t anything special. I’d stick to the chocolate cake here.

While my review of the food is middling, I should point out that these steaks are at a lower price point than most in WDW. Yes, they’re still expensive but it’s hard to find Filet Mignon for $41 at the resort. On top of that, this is a nice enough meal to treat yourself without completely blowing the budget.

On the other hand, dinner at Steakhouse 71 is worse than two other spots with similar out-of-pocket prices or that cost 1 table-service on the Disney Dining Plan. The first of those is a pretty easy comp and that’s Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood in Coronado Springs Resort. This is one of the best restaurants at Disney World at the moment and still is only 1 credit on the DDP. The steak, atmosphere and value are all better than Steakhouse 71.

A more out of left field comparison is Chefs de France in Epcot. I far preferred their steak option to Steakhouse 71 and it falls at a similar price. If you’re looking for a beefy meal then I’d check out those two options first before coming here. That said, this is a fun a meal with a decent value both on the DDP and not. We do think breakfast and lunch are slightly better in terms of bang for your buck and quality. Having said that, Steakhouse 71 helps add to a nice collection of steak restaurants at Walt Disney World.

Overall Rating – 8/10

Have you dined at Steakhouse 71? Let us know your thoughts or any questions you might have in the comments below. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. Looking for discount tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!