Paddlefish, Seafood restaurant in Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista, US
Paddlefish is a seafood restaurant spread across three floors inside a floating building at Disney Springs in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Each floor has its own seating areas, and the top level opens onto a rooftop terrace with open-air views of the surrounding water.
The building first opened in 1977 as the Empress Lilly, a restaurant styled after the riverboats that traveled the Mississippi in the 1800s. Over the following decades it changed names and operators several times before reopening as Paddlefish in 2016.
The building is shaped like an old American paddlewheel steamboat, and that shape is easy to spot from the waterfront. Staff often refer to the different floors as decks, which adds to the on-board feeling guests notice as they move through the space.
The restaurant is located inside Disney Springs and can be reached on foot from the main parking areas and bus stops nearby. Booking ahead is a good idea, since the rooftop terrace tends to fill up fast, particularly in the evenings.
The building actually floats on the water rather than sitting on the shore, anchored in place like a moored vessel. Guests on the lower level can sometimes feel a slight movement underfoot when the water is rough.
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