Summer House on the Lake Dinner Review
*This gluten free dining experiences took place in January 2024. It includes information about dairy free options, as well as fish/shellfish, peanut/tree nut, chicken/turkey & cabbage allergies.
Dinner at Summer House on the Lake
Summer House on the Lake is the newest restaurant to open in Disney Springs. This table service location is operated by the Lettuce Entertain You group of restaurants, which has restaurants primarily based in Illinois and Chicago, with a few locations in other states. Everyone was eagerly anticipating this restaurant, especially since it’s in area that has been long vacant since Bongo’s closed several years ago. Brandon and I dined here a few weeks after the restaurant opened and Brandon’s mom joined us too.
Atmosphere
The restaurant has the vibes of endless summer — with a bit of a retro theme along with bright colors and very open and airy seating areas, including ample outdoor seating both in the front and back of the restaurant.
Summer House on the Lake Entrance / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We love the beachy and almost Mid-Century vibes to the decor, which are highlighted from the moment you walk up to the restaurant.
Summer House on the Lake - Bar Seating / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Inside the restaurant are two bar areas — one in the main dining room area and one in the front near the cookie bar and host stand. We absolutely loved the theme here. It truly feels like you’re on the front porch or a breezy enclosed lanai. And, if you love wicker furniture, it’s everywhere at Summer House on the Lake!
Summer House on the Lake Sign / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
The restaurant has large signs that proudly proclaim, “yes to rose” wine and also tell you what to expect from the vibe of the Summer House on the Lake when you dine there. Who doesn’t want to be relaxing on a sunny day at a lake?!
Summer House on the Lake Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
The lighting in this restaurant were A+ too. All of us commented on how bright and open everything felt, and I am personally a sucker for anything that has a Mid-Century vibe to it.
Summer House on the Lake - Lighting / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
The main dining area had a lot of wicker lighting too, which lent itself well to the outdoor feel.
Summer House on the Lake - Seating Area / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We all liked how the restaurant had a good mix of that lake vibe along with beachy themes. It fit in well with Florida and what many people might expect coming to a summer themed restaurant here.
Mama Joy at Summer House on the Lake / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
And, you can see from this photo, Mama Joy was enjoyed herself immensely on this visit. Plus, you can see a bit more of the main dining area, which was very bright and open — and spacious.
Food & Drinks
Summer House on the Lake is not owned and operated by Disney, so they don’t have an allergy-friendly menu. But, based on our visit, we were pretty impressed with the protocols they have in place. We also love that their menu proudly notes that most items can be made GF.
Summer House on the Lake Menu / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
On our visit, our server asked after greeting us if anyone had special dietary needs. She then noted that they take special diets very seriously and that a manager was available to talk to us about options and protocols. The manager, Rich, was super helpful and talked through the many questions that we had included asking about dedicated fryers for GF guests, ingredients, and cross-contamination.
We learned that all special diets orders are cleared by the managers to ensure that meals are prepared safely for guests and orders also have allergy picks included. Rich also noted that they have three fryers - one strictly for the few gluten-filled items, one solely for French fries, and one for fried items like fish and chips. You’ll want to double-check when you dine at Summer House on the Lake, especially if you have any specific allergies or concerns with a potential shared fryer (like dairy). More on that later in this post.
In terms of GF options, the manager said almost everything can be made GF with the exception of a few items, like the meatballs and crispy wontons.
Summer House Rose / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We started our meal off with drinks while we were waiting for the manager and deciding what to order for our meals. I got the Summer House Rose 9 oz pour. This is their house rose. Overall, I liked the rose. It wasn’t my favorite rose that I’ve ever had, but it was crisp and refreshing — and not overly sweet. This would be the perfect type of wine to enjoy on a hot day, especially if you’re sitting outside.
If you’re not a rose fan, you might consider the other wines at Summer House on the Lake. Brandon’s mom really enjoyed the glass of chardonnay that she got.
Summer House on the Lake - Rose Wine Display / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Summer House on the Lake was definitely all about the rose. There were displays of various rose wines all over the restaurant.
Summer House on the Lake Rose Wine To-Go / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
You can even get bottles of rose to go too! We didn’t on this visit, but I could totally see us doing that on a future visit to Summer House on the Lake.
Summer House on the Lake - Endless Summer Old Fashioned / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Brandon got the Endless Summer Old Fashioned with Brother's Bond Whiskey, lemon demerara, and orange bitters. If you drink whiskey, this could be a good option for you. Brandon liked it but didn’t love it and said it was very citrusy. Summer House on the Lake definitely had a summer feel to all of their drinks and the menu.
Summer House on the Lake - Cheesy Dream Puffs / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We started our meal with two starters. The first were the Cheesy Dream Puffs. We had heard rave reviews about these from fellow gluten free friends Alexis’s Gluten Free Adventures, Gluten Free Disney World, and Pack Your Pixie Dust. These rolls are naturally gluten free. They do contain dairy and egg and cannot be modified.
Wow! These dream puffs were truly the stuff dreams were made of. They didn’t disappoint at all and well exceeded all our expectations. We all thought the flavors were great. We especially enjoyed the sea salt, black pepper & rosemary on top of the rolls. The texture was also fantastic, and the cheese flavor was perfectly balanced. I think we all agreed that these are a must-order again.
Summer House on the Lake - Truffle Fries / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We also got the truffle fries which were gluten free and safe for fish/shellfish, peanut/tree nut, chicken/turkey, and cabbage allergies. They do contain dairy but might be able to be modified to be dairy free by omitting the cheese.
As Brandon says with any food he loves at Disney, these were a #thereitis moment. Even Brandon’s mom said these were outrageously good. All three of us agreed that these are a must-get appetizer, and I have a feeling we’ll be getting these every time we go to Summer House on the Lake. If you’re gluten free, these are a fantastic treat.
We did confirm with the manager that the fries are made in a dedicated French fry only fryer. If you are dairy free or vegan, this is great to know, because it means you can have plain fries without worry of cross-contamination with any of the other fried items at the restaurant.
Summer House on the Lake - Gluten Free Pizza / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
With so many choices at the restaurant, it was hard to decide what to get. But, we were super curious about the GF pizza. We did learn that the pizza crust is a combination of gluten free flours and cauliflower. If you are on a low FODMAP diet or can’t have cauliflower like Brandon (it’s in the cabbage family of vegetables), then this would not be a safe option for you. The manager also told us that they don’t currently have a dairy free/vegan cheese option.
I decided to try the GF Margherita Pizza. Priced at nearly $19.95, this was a pretty pricey pizza, so I probably wouldn’t get it again unless I was really craving pizza, but I was glad that I tried it. The pizza itself was surprisingly good. Brandon’s mom tried it and called it a "pleasant surprise.” The sauce was very flavorful, and I loved the addition of coarse sea salt on top of the pizza.
Side note, if you get this and take it home, it does not reheat very well, even with an air fryer. So, I would say eat this all at the restaurant instead of taking any leftovers with you.
Summer House on the Lake - Grouper Fish ‘n’ Chips / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
For my main entree, I ordered the Grouper Fish ‘n’ Chips. The manager told me that these were both gluten free and dairy free, though I realized after we got home that I had forgotten to ask about a shared fryer. The fryer itself is a dedicated GF fryer, but the manager told us that the GF chicken strips did contain dairy (buttermilk). I assume that the chicken and fish may be fried in the same fryer. We will double-check this on a future visit and would encourage you to double-check/confirm especially if you have a dairy allergy or do not want to consume anything with cross-contamination.
The manager also told us that the fish and chips here are naturally gluten free and dairy free for everyone who dines at the restaurant. How cool is that? So, the recipe is the same across the board — which makes it great for everyone.
The menu does indicate that this dish comes with malt vinegar fries. I asked for plain French fries, assuming that the malt fries were not safe, because malt contains gluten. When I got my entree, I did take a bite of the fries first and noticed a decidedly malt vinegar flavor to them. I asked our server who removed them from the table and double-checked with the manager.
The manager did come back to the table and discussed it with me, while they were remaking my meal so that I could have plain GF fries. He confirmed that the malt flavor is a powder that does not contain gluten. We encountered this at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival the past few years at the Fry Basket booth, so I knew that this was a thing, but it was good to get more info from the manager. It’s definitely something to know about, and of course, everyone should use their own comfort and judgement when consuming items. Thankfully, I didn’t get sick from our meal, and we learned important information to share with all of you.
In terms of flavor, ya’ll. Can I just say how good these fish & chips were?! They were super crispy and not overly greasy (which can sometimes be hard with some of the fish & chips that I’ve had). The flavor was incredible, and the fish was perfectly seasoned. You definitely get more than enough fries with the meal — and my only complaint was that I would have liked maybe a bit more fish and less fries. The tartar sauce was excellent too. The coleslaw was fine. Nothing to write home about but fresh and crisp, like a coleslaw should be.
In terms of ordering this again, it’s a hands down yes. I would say that price point wise, this is on the high end compared to the fish & chips from Raglan Road and Cookes of Dublin.
Summer House on the Lake - Center-Cut Filet Mignon / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
For Brandon’s entree, he got the Center-Cut Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes and crispy onions. This can be made gluten free and was safe for fish/shellfish, peanut/tree nut, chicken/turkey & cabbage allergies. Brandon did like this entree, but he said price point wise, it was not worth the $52 cost. The portion was on the smaller side, especially the potatoes. He said he was glad that he tried it, but he wouldn’t order it again.
Summer House on the Lake - Gluten Free Cookie and Brownie / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We did also get both of the gluten free desserts to-go, because we were too full. Both the chocolate chip cookie and brownie were gluten free but contain dairy. Unfortunately, the restaurant does not currently have a GFDF dessert. The vegan cookies are not gluten free either. We both agreed that this is one big let down at this restaurant. The options were definitely limited. Thankfully, there is Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC right there in Disney Springs, if you’re looking for a 100% gluten free, dairy free & vegan bakery.
We did talk to the team at Summer House on the Lake, and like the regular menu, they do take great care at minimizing cross-contamination. The cookies and brownies were in a separate area and require glove changes, etc.
In terms of flavor, the chocolate chip cookie was a big miss for me. It was extremely dry and had an unpleasant texture and taste. It seemed like they were using the Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour that contains chickpea flour. The cookie had a strong chickpea taste to it, and overall was just not good. I would not recommend this and would skip it. The cookies from Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC or even the GF Chocolate Chip Cookie from Sprinkles Cupcakes are far better.
I did really enjoy the GF brownie though. It was super rich, fudgy, and decadent. If you like a good brownie, you’ll enjoy this one.
If you want to hear more about our experiences at Summer House on the Lake, check out the vlog we did for our YouTube channel for more information.
Overall
We were absolutely blown away by the amount of gluten free options available at Summer House on the Lake. There were so many items to choose from that it was hard to decide. We also really enjoyed everything that we got and found the quality to be excellent. The team at Summer House on the Lake were friendly and super helpful at navigating the special diets options too. Probably the only downside was that the menu is a bit on the pricey side, so that’s something to know and consider when dining here. That being said, we did find several more affordable options that we would get on our next visit or more frequently. We are definitely planning to go back again soon to try more menu items and brunch. We’re glad to see this restaurant as another excellent option for table service dining in Disney Springs.
Have you been to Summer House on the Lake? What was your experience dining there?