Frontera Cocina Review at Disney Springs

Frontera Cocina is a restaurant offering Mexican cuisine at Disney Springs. If you enjoy authentic Mexican, you’ll want to consider this venue. The food is sublime and probably not what you expect at an average Mexican restaurant. It is composed of high quality ingredients, and the owner, Chef Rick Bayless, is a seven-time winner of the James Beard Foundation Reward. He is also a well-known celebrity chef who owns several popular restaurants nationwide. This review will discuss dining at Frontera Cocina and preview some of its menu items.

Frontera Cocina sits in the center of the Town Center section of Disney Springs. It’s directly behind the Disney Springs Welcome Center and Guest Relations. If you’re coming from the resort bus stop, you’ll stay straight when you enter Town Center. It will be ahead on the left before you reach the bridge. Sprinkles Cupcakes sits across the sidewalk from it.

Frontera Cocina is also close to the Lime parking garage for those driving to Disney Springs. When you exit the garage, you’ll take a left and then a right when you reach the Welcome Center. Those unfamiliar with the venue might want to review our Disney Springs transportation guide. It includes tips for getting to, from, and around the area.

Once you arrive, you’ll check-in with at the host stand. If you have a seating preference, you’ll want to let them know. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating. The patio overlooks the springs. If the weather is nice, we prefer to dine outside. But if it’s hot, you’ll want to stay indoors.

Frontera Cocina features authentic Mexican flavors. From steaks to salads, the menu offers something for everyone. You can expect traditional Mexican menu items like tacos and enchiladas. But they also have specialty items like pork belly carnitas among other things.

From time to time, Frontera Cocina offers an additional menu featuring seasonal items. For instance, a “Taste of Baja” menu was available on one visit. You can preview the restaurant’s current menu with prices here their website.

Frontera Cocina has a warm and casual vibe. It feels classy yet fun and inviting. However, it’s not a restaurant that will make anyone feel out of place. The open kitchen is located on the front side of the house.

A feature wall is painted bright yellow with a display of art offering a pop of color. An open bar is available toward the back of the restaurant, which also offers the full menu. We have done a few walk-ups in the past where we were sat at the bar. An accessible bar is also available.

Overall, the restaurant offers a nice ambiance. Most tables are banquets with bench seating on one side and chairs on the opposite.

We’ll start with one of my go-to’s, the Taqueria Salad. It is described as Arcadian lettuce, poblano rajas, crunchy tortilla strips, Cotija cheese, and avocado-lime vinaigrette.

This salad is reasonably priced. For an additional fee, we added the Creekstone Natural carne asada. It is one of my favorite meals at Frontera Cocina. The price for the salad is a no-brainer if you are on a budget. You can also add grilled chicken breast or Mojo garlic grilled shrimp. It is a filling meal, and the poblano rajas add just the right amount of spice.

Next, we have the pork belly tacos, which I tried on another visit. The pork came out falling apart with a smoky-sweet flavor. They were served with warm corn tortillas. The menu describes the pork belly tacos as crispy pork belly, smoky bacon, grilled knob onions, black beans with queso fresco, guacamole, red onion, cilantro, and three chile-agave salsa.

Our third dish is the carne asada tacos. This dish consists of grilled steak, poblano rajas, black bean refritos with queso fresco, salsa verde, and guacamole.

We’ve ordered this steak taco dish many times. It’s a good option if you want something more straightforward. If you don’t care for black beans, you can substitute them for rice. This dish is served with fresh corn tortillas. The server will continue to bring fresh tortillas during the meal as needed. It is a good amount of food, and the picture probably doesn’t do it justice to the actual portion size.

This next meal was prepared for food allergies. Walt Disney World has an excellent reputation for handling food allergies. If you have read our other Disney restaurant reviews, you may recall that my son suffers from severe food allergies. He is allergic to dairy, fish, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and tomatoes.

We consider Frontera Cocina to be one of the best places to eat with food allergies. Even the regular menu mentions common allergens. The servers are also trained to handle guests with food allergies. My son always orders the carne asada tacos. They leave off the dairy and tomato items. He also prefers rice instead of beans. They also note that his food will be prepared in separate cooking pans to avoid cross-contamination. His tortillas are brought out separately to avoid cross-contamination at the table.

If you are planning to dine at Frontera Cocina, you might be privy to a few discounts or special offers:

• Walt Disney World Annual Passholders receive a 10% discount for food and non-alcoholic beverages at lunch and dinner.

• Disney Springs Cast Member Discount: Cast Members receive 20% off food and non-alcoholic beverage purchases.

• Frontera Cocina participates in the Disney Dining Plan.

Additionally, several specials are offered throughout the week. For example, guests can enjoy Margarita Mondays, where Margarita clasicas are offered at a discounted price. Additional drink specials are offered for Tequila Tuesdays and Wild Wednesdays. You can preview special here on Frontera’s website.

Frontera Cocina has an Express Window on the side of the building. This is common with many of the restaurants at Disney Springs. For example, Morimoto Asia has a separate street food window, and Homecomin’ has the Shine Bar.

Overall, Frontera Cocina is a longtime favorite for my family. We can’t recommend it enough. With all the restaurants at Disney Springs, there aren’t too many places we return to often. But Frontera Cocina is one of them.

For more of our favorites, you might enjoy our list of the Best Disney Springs Restaurants Ranked. We also have the following individual reviews:

• Morimoto Asia Review
• The Polite Pig Review
• D-Luxe Burger Review
• Thigh-High Chicken Biscuits at Homecomin’
• Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Review
• Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill Review

For everything else, try our Disney World Dining Guide.

In the Comments

What do you think of Frontera Cocina? Have you had the opportunity to dine here? Did you enjoy this review? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear your take or experiences. Or, even better, let us know what you had!