- Mar 13, 2024
- 8,635
- 36
It’s no secret that we’re all about food here at Disney Food Blog, but that love extends well beyond Disney World restaurants.
©Flatlands Bar & Grill
If it’s good food, we’re going to talk about it — and that’s exactly why we’re so excited about a new restaurant opening near Disney World soon. Flatlands Bar & Grill is the latest creation from Nick Valenti, owner of Simply Capri and partner in Vivoli Il Gelato’s U.S. locations, and is inspired by Florida’s flatlands. We recently got an exclusive first look at this new restaurant, and let’s just say we’re counting down the days until it officially opens.
Flatlands Bar & Grill is located directly across from Simply Capri at Flamingo Crossings — less than 10 minutes from Disney World — and will be serving up fresh fish, steaks, gelato, “the best burger in Florida,” and other dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. The inspiration behind the new concept is the flatlands of Florida and the different groups of people who have immigrated there.
©Flatlands Bar & Grill
You can expect to find food and drinks sourced from local breweries, along with produce and beef from quality providers throughout the United States — the restaurant is still in search of the “perfect tomatoes.”
©Flatlands Bar & Grill
Flatlands Bar & Grill is about 85-90% complete at this point, with the kitchen equipment being fully installed and tested. It’s a smaller concept — about the same size as Simply Capri — and will evoke a more intimate feeling inside, like you’re dining among friends.
Brand new kitchen
The bar is massive and features a library ladder to reach the top shelves, along with plenty of space for seating along the gorgeous wooden counter and for watching the bartenders in action.
Gorgeous wooden bar
A sweeping outdoor seating area will make you feel like you’re in someone’s backyard — with some more upscale vibes, of course. We imagine this will no doubt be a fantastic location to enjoy cocktails and food in an al fresco setting.
Outdoor seating area
The decor throughout the restaurant will feature murals pulled from the Florida lifestyle — think orange groves and citrus, which are featured heavily on the exterior brick walls.
Featured murals
Nick Valenti, owner of Flatlands Bar & Grill, told Disney Food Blog that he wants this restaurant to be an “everyday experience” with a touch of upscale offerings, so it can be a Friday night destination or a spot where people come to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.
Valenti shared that his goal is to make Flatlands a place where people come to celebrate, but it won’t be a “once-a-year” price point, allowing guests to come and dine for more casual affairs too, like dinner on a Tuesday when you don’t feel like cooking.
©Flatlands Bar & Grill
When Flatlands was first announced, Valenti, who splits his time between homes in Florida and the suburbs of New York City, told the Food Service Director, “I’m not going to do a lot of things, but I’m going to continue to do some business here and there, when an opportunity might arise.”
He has spent years in the restaurant business, and though he technically retired at one point, he couldn’t stay away for long.
Flatlands Bar & Grill
The former CEO of Patina Restaurant Group and Restaurant Associates, Valenti opened Simply Capri at Flamigo Crossings in 2023, after operating several other successful restaurants, including Mamma Leone’s, which was the nation’s highest-volume restaurant at one point. He also brought fine dining to sports and entertainment arenas across the U.S., like The Sea Grille at New York’s Rockefeller Center and the Lincoln Ristorante at Lincoln Center, among others.
Flatlands Bar & Grill
Eventually, that led to Valenti being one of three restaurant operators to open and run restaurants in Downtown Disney at Disneyland, and later, Disney World as well — a collaboration that we’re certainly thankful for.
We’re excited for Flatlands Bar & Grill to open later this year, and once an opening date is announced, you can bet that we’ll be the first to book a reservation. Stay tuned for our full review!
Flatlands is ready to serve gelato!
We’ll be on the lookout for more updates about Flatlands Bar & Grill and beyond. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!
Will you be checking out this new restaurant? Let us know in the comments below!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Flatlands Bar & Grill to attend a media preview of the new restaurant. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on Magical Guides to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
©Flatlands Bar & Grill
If it’s good food, we’re going to talk about it — and that’s exactly why we’re so excited about a new restaurant opening near Disney World soon. Flatlands Bar & Grill is the latest creation from Nick Valenti, owner of Simply Capri and partner in Vivoli Il Gelato’s U.S. locations, and is inspired by Florida’s flatlands. We recently got an exclusive first look at this new restaurant, and let’s just say we’re counting down the days until it officially opens.
Flatlands Bar & Grill is located directly across from Simply Capri at Flamingo Crossings — less than 10 minutes from Disney World — and will be serving up fresh fish, steaks, gelato, “the best burger in Florida,” and other dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. The inspiration behind the new concept is the flatlands of Florida and the different groups of people who have immigrated there.
©Flatlands Bar & Grill
You can expect to find food and drinks sourced from local breweries, along with produce and beef from quality providers throughout the United States — the restaurant is still in search of the “perfect tomatoes.”
©Flatlands Bar & Grill
Flatlands Bar & Grill is about 85-90% complete at this point, with the kitchen equipment being fully installed and tested. It’s a smaller concept — about the same size as Simply Capri — and will evoke a more intimate feeling inside, like you’re dining among friends.
Brand new kitchen
The bar is massive and features a library ladder to reach the top shelves, along with plenty of space for seating along the gorgeous wooden counter and for watching the bartenders in action.
Gorgeous wooden bar
A sweeping outdoor seating area will make you feel like you’re in someone’s backyard — with some more upscale vibes, of course. We imagine this will no doubt be a fantastic location to enjoy cocktails and food in an al fresco setting.
Outdoor seating area
The decor throughout the restaurant will feature murals pulled from the Florida lifestyle — think orange groves and citrus, which are featured heavily on the exterior brick walls.
Featured murals
Nick Valenti, owner of Flatlands Bar & Grill, told Disney Food Blog that he wants this restaurant to be an “everyday experience” with a touch of upscale offerings, so it can be a Friday night destination or a spot where people come to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.
Valenti shared that his goal is to make Flatlands a place where people come to celebrate, but it won’t be a “once-a-year” price point, allowing guests to come and dine for more casual affairs too, like dinner on a Tuesday when you don’t feel like cooking.
©Flatlands Bar & Grill
When Flatlands was first announced, Valenti, who splits his time between homes in Florida and the suburbs of New York City, told the Food Service Director, “I’m not going to do a lot of things, but I’m going to continue to do some business here and there, when an opportunity might arise.”
He has spent years in the restaurant business, and though he technically retired at one point, he couldn’t stay away for long.
Flatlands Bar & Grill
The former CEO of Patina Restaurant Group and Restaurant Associates, Valenti opened Simply Capri at Flamigo Crossings in 2023, after operating several other successful restaurants, including Mamma Leone’s, which was the nation’s highest-volume restaurant at one point. He also brought fine dining to sports and entertainment arenas across the U.S., like The Sea Grille at New York’s Rockefeller Center and the Lincoln Ristorante at Lincoln Center, among others.
Flatlands Bar & Grill
Eventually, that led to Valenti being one of three restaurant operators to open and run restaurants in Downtown Disney at Disneyland, and later, Disney World as well — a collaboration that we’re certainly thankful for.
We’re excited for Flatlands Bar & Grill to open later this year, and once an opening date is announced, you can bet that we’ll be the first to book a reservation. Stay tuned for our full review!
Flatlands is ready to serve gelato!
We’ll be on the lookout for more updates about Flatlands Bar & Grill and beyond. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!
Check out more Disney World updates at the links below!
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Will you be checking out this new restaurant? Let us know in the comments below!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Flatlands Bar & Grill to attend a media preview of the new restaurant. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on Magical Guides to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
