Paradiso 37 Is Open

When it was announced last summer that the comedy and dance clubs on Pleasure Island were going to be shuttered, Disney officials announced just ONE new venue coming to the island: a Central and South American restaurant and bar. After many delays, Paradiso 37 finally opened this past Thursday. It is impressive and it was close to capacity this past Saturday evening when I visited the island. There is a lot of outdoor seating both on the east side adjacent the water taxi landing and in front across from 8TRAX. Tables also face Village Lake itself. The indoor and outdoor bars are very cool.

Extensive renovations were done to the waterside building which formerly housed the Missing Link Sausage Company, DTV and other shops. And it turns out "Street Foods of the Americas" is really just a nickname for the theme of the restaurant rather than a separate food court as originally speculated. And the "37" in the name apparently comes from the number of countries in North, Central and South America. (I'll have to do my own count sometime.)

This is an outsourced restaurant operated by e-Brands. But this is it folks. Unless there are new announcements, nothing else is coming to Pleasure Island.

Wednesday Update: Got to try out the restaurant this evening. Menu is pretty extensive and the items are themed to represent some of the 37 countries in the Americas. For instance, beef skewers are called "Bolivian Beef Skewers". Not sure how Bolivian they really are. Average tab is probably around $15/person including a soft drink so I didn't feel prices were as high as MouseSteps was insinuating. There are some more expensive items; alcohol will run up the tab too. I noticed a lot of people were ordering multiple tapas and making a meal of them. A lot of the food items are presented on unique plates, bowls and glasswear. I give Paradiso a thumbs-up.