Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Restaurant at Disney Springs – Review From December 2017

Hi everyone!

Art Smith’s Homecomin’ restaurant opened in 2016 (originally called Art Smith’s Homecoming, the name changed early in 2017 to Homecomin’). I have ordered the chicken sandwich here before but not much else – this time we worked with the restaurant for a review. I was really surprised at some of the items on the menu, everything was good but a number of items were real standouts. The hardest thing when going to Art Smith’s Homecomin’ is trying to create a balance with appetizer, entrees and dessert. For example, Addie Mae’s Chicken & Dumpling Soup is creamy, thick and almost enough for me as a meal. So to add on an entree and dessert with that is a lot. While we live here and can take home leftovers, that isn’t going to be the case for many guests. Visting with a family or group allows for more sharing. Here is our review, and we will be talking about the restaurant on our next Mousesteps Weekly YouTube Show (I will add that to this article after it posts).

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ is in the Town Center area of Disney Springs. Chef Art Smith was Oprah’s personal chef for 10 years, is a two-time James Beard Foundation award winner, and the Homecomin’ part of the restaurant name refers to him coming back to Walt Disney World after once being in the Magic Kingdom College Program (now Walt Disney World College Program).

Theming starts before entering the restaurant.

The restaurant has a rustic, down home feel to it.

There is a nice looking bar, I have not had anything to drink here but Art Smith’s Homecomin’ is known especially for its moonshine.

Art Smith’s Homecomin’ serves southern comfort style food. It is a menu with some items that I am not overall familar with, for example dumplings, kale and succotash weren’t food items I grew up with nor are particularly served at restaurants I’ve frequented. Art Smith’s Homecomin’ brings something unique to Disney Springs.

First up is the appetizer Church Lady Deviled Eggs. This has to be the most photographed menu item here, beautifully presented in what looks like an egg carton and delicious.

Here is a closer look.

Addie Mae’s Chicken & Dumpling Soup is next. I would come back to Art Smith’s Homecomin’ just for this soup, there are large chunks of chicken and dumplings and it is a fantastic option – especially when it is cooler out. The soup is a thick one, and that is my personal preference.

Here is a closer look on the chicken and dumplings.

Our next appetizer is Bunch of Puppies, house-made hushpuppies served with pimento cheese and red jalapeño jelly. These are addictive. I am not sure they are a lot different than other hushpuppies I have had elsewhere, but good.

The Braised Short Ribs is one of the better short rib dishes I have had – ever. This is not a dish I would have ever expected to order here but it will now be on my list to come back for. The meat is very tender, and I love a corn and mashed potato mix-in with meat. It comes with a Grilled Corn Succotash. This is my single most favorite item that we ordered, but everything was excellent.

Art’s Famous Fried Chicken is one of the most popular items here. Personally I prefer the Fried Chicken Sandwich, which is boneless and a less expensive alternative for chicken – but this is very good.

Here is one more look at the dish.

Dessert here is going to be difficult if you have a large entree like the short ribs. But it is worth getting at least one to split. Auntie’s Chocolate Cake With Chocolate-Pecan Frosting is excellent, a really solid choice for chocolate cake. The other dessert here is currently seasonal, the Pumpkin Bread Pudding. We were told it would be here until the end of the year, the restaurant wasn’t sure if it would be longer. The Pumpkin Bread Pudding is amazing, really just a wonderful dessert but not something that can be taken home if not finished. It includes Texas toast, eggs, pumpkin spice, heavy cream, brown sugar, cane syrup and pumpkin.

This is a closer look at the chocolate cake. The ice cream we were told comes from a local creamery.

Here are a few photos from inside the restaurant.

There is a porch for dining or inside.

Photos on the wall include Chef Art Smith.

Here is Chef Art in the Magic Kingdom College Program.

Merchandise including cookbooks can also be purchased here.

Thank you to Art Smith’s Homecomin’ for having us out (we paid the gratuity, the restaurant covered the food). I now have a few new favorite items as go-to items at Disney Springs when dining, which is something we do pretty often.

I do recommend making reservations.