Enzo’s Hideaway: The Speakeasy Under Disney Springs
Down a tunnel beneath Maria & Enzo's sits a rum-runner speakeasy pouring barrel-aged cocktails and Roman pasta — our No. 5 cocktail bar in Orlando, hiding in plain sight.
3 minute read
The best room in Disney Springs is the one most people walk straight past. Enzo’s Hideaway Tunnel Bar, at 1560 E Buena Vista Dr in The Landing, hides beneath its sister restaurant Maria & Enzo’s, down a tunnel entrance that rewards anyone curious enough to follow it. Inside: a speakeasy built on Florida’s rum-running history, all aged walls, low light, swinging music and graffiti with a sense of humor — and a kitchen serving Roman-style Italian food that would justify the trip even without the theater. It ranks No. 5 in our Best Cocktail Bars in Orlando ranking with a Net Score of 89.8, in a category whose overall winner, Trader Sam’s, is profiled in our winner feature. Enzo’s is the one we send people to when they think Disney Springs cannot do atmosphere.
The story the room tells
The fiction is unusually well built. In the restaurant’s telling, restaurateurs Maria and Enzo discovered a cavern beneath their restaurant that Florida bootleggers had used to store their haul during Prohibition; Enzo restored it as his personal speakeasy for entertaining friends. The design commits to the bit — this is a tunnel, with a tunnel’s proportions and a tunnel’s mood, softened by warm service and the aperitivo spirit of an Italian family dinner. It uses, in reality, the tunnel spaces that once connected the nightclubs of the old Pleasure Island, which makes Enzo’s the rare themed room built inside genuine nightlife archaeology.
What to drink, what to eat
The Tunnel Bar built its name on Prohibition-era and barrel-aged cocktails, backed by what the venue has long billed as a deep bench of vintage rums and scotches — the drinks list leans into the smuggling story without turning into a lecture, and the bartenders are the room’s acknowledged stars. The food is Roman at heart: imported Italian meats and cheeses to start, rustic pastas — the linguine alla burrata and pasta della nonna are the names regulars trade — and heartier Italian entrees for anyone making it dinner rather than a drink with snacks. The honest summary: this is a full restaurant wearing a speakeasy’s clothes, which means it works for a date, a pre-dinner drink, or the whole evening, and reservations are accepted and recommended for the dinner hours.
How locals use it
Orlando regulars treat Enzo’s as the district’s pressure valve. When The Landing’s waterfront rooms are on a long wait — and on a Saturday they will be — the tunnel downstairs often moves faster, and the bar’s high-tops have saved more than one evening. It is also the natural first act of a Landing night: a cocktail in the tunnel, dinner at one of the tables in our best restaurants roundup, or simply stay — plenty of evenings that were supposed to start here end here, happily. It features in our date night playbook as the district’s best first drink, a title it has held against considerable competition.
The practicalities
Find it by aiming for Maria & Enzo’s in The Landing and looking for the tunnel entrance — asking a cast member is a time-honored shortcut, and the small hunt is part of the pleasure. Enzo’s serves lunch and dinner daily by Disney Springs standards; confirm the day’s hours and book through Disney’s dining system or OpenTable, where the restaurant also lists. It sits in our Disney Springs hub and on the Top Spots Map alongside its sister spots. Every district needs one room that feels like a secret. This is Disney Springs’ — except the secret has a Net Score, a reservation page, and a pasta worth planning around.
Orlando Citizen by email
The weekly edition, in your inbox
One email, every Saturday: the week’s edition of Orlando Citizen — the week’s stories, rankings and winners, gathered in one place. Free, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Related Stories
Editor’s Picks
Spotted an error? Tell us — corrections · How we rank