Three and a half months is a long time for a signature restaurant to go quiet. Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney's Yacht Club Resort closed on May 10 for refurbishment, and for most of the summer, guests staying around Crescent Lake were without one of the better dinner options in that corner of Walt Disney World. The area is rich with dining — between the BoardWalk, the Beach Club Resort, and the walk over to EPCOT's International Gateway — but Yachtsman fills a specific role that nothing else nearby quite matches. It is the steakhouse. It has been for a long time.
Known for aging its beef in-house and hand-cutting steaks in a dry-aging room that guests can actually see, Yachtsman is one of the more distinctive dining experiences on Disney property. As a Signature Dining location with a dress code, it tends to be the anniversary dinner, the celebration meal, or the one special night built into an otherwise casual trip. Its absence was felt — and its return matters.
Yachtsman Steakhouse reopened on Friday, August 28, and it came back with two new items on the menu.
The Two New Menu Items
Both additions sit at opposite ends of the menu, which makes for a smart pairing.
- 10-oz American Wagyu New York Strip Steak — served with a loaded baked potato and brandy-peppercorn sauce, $83 per serving.
- Black Garlic Fettuccine — house-made fettuccine with seared baby squash, heirloom cherry tomatoes, mushroom conserva, and creamy black garlic sauce, $38 per serving.
The Wagyu strip is the headline addition. Yachtsman already offers a 12-oz Prime New York Strip with peppercorn-brandy sauce, so this new option brings an American Wagyu cut in a smaller size at a higher price point. Rather than building an entirely new preparation around the Wagyu, the kitchen is letting the beef itself do the talking — a reasonable move for a steakhouse that markets its in-house aging and butchery. At $83, it lands firmly in special-occasion territory.
The Black Garlic Fettuccine is the quieter but arguably more useful addition. At $38, it is one of the more approachable entrées on a menu where most of the attention goes to beef, and it gives non-steak diners a genuine reason to be at the table rather than an afterthought. House-made pasta with mushroom conserva and a creamy black garlic sauce is also a more contemporary dish than Yachtsman typically serves — black garlic has been appearing across Walt Disney World's signature restaurants recently, and this is a straightforward, well-composed use of it.
What Changed Physically
The refurbishment appears to have been more of a refresh than a reinvention. Guests visiting after reopening noted that the accessible ramp has been carpeted — a small but meaningful improvement for guests using wheelchairs or scooters, and for anyone navigating a ramp in Florida rain. The familiar furniture has returned as well, including the blue benches and burgundy chairs that regulars will recognize.
The dining room's core identity remains intact. Yachtsman is still a New England-style steakhouse built around knotty-pine beams and nautical detailing, with the open kitchen and dry-aging room still central to the experience.
What to Know Before You Book
A few practical details worth keeping in mind before you make a reservation:
- Yachtsman Steakhouse is located at Disney's Yacht Club Resort in the EPCOT Resort Area.
- It serves dinner only, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Disney categorizes it as Signature Dining in the $35–$59.99 per adult range for dinner entrées — worth noting against the $83 Wagyu strip, which sits well above that listed average.
- There is a dress code: clothing should be clean, neat, and in good condition. Swimwear is not permitted — this is not the place to walk in straight from Stormalong Bay.
- Advance reservations are highly recommended. Same-day availability is limited, and a reopening weekend is not the time to count on walking up.
- Standard cancellation and modification policies apply, with a per-person fee charged for no-shows or late cancellations.
- If you're on the Disney Dining Plan, dinner here redeems two Table-Service meals per person — a real consideration when budgeting credits across a trip.
Why This Reopening Is Worth Noticing
Walt Disney World has been quietly working through a stretch of restaurant and resort refreshes, and Yachtsman is one of several projects moving around Crescent Lake. Its return comes as the BoardWalk fills long-vacant venues after years of empty space.
Getting a signature steakhouse back online with two new menu items — rather than a straight reopening — suggests the refurbishment was treated as an opportunity rather than just deferred maintenance. For guests staying at the Yacht Club, Beach Club, BoardWalk Inn, or anywhere within walking distance, the upshot is simple: the steakhouse is back, there's something new at both the high end and the middle of the menu, and reservations are going to be tight for the next few weeks.