The story behind Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar is that Indy's pilot, Jock Lindsey, decided to hang up the plane engine and open a bar. The bar is decorated with things from all of his adventures, including paraphernalia from adventures involving Indy.
The Hangar Bar was hopping on a Friday night. There was not an empty table to be found. Jock Lindsey's does not take advanced dining reservations. There is no host/hostess to jot your name down and call you when a table is free. It is every man for himself.
Since the inside felt more crowded, and the night air was perfection, we decided to try scoring a table outside.
First we walked from one end of the outdoor deck to the other.
"Look," I whispered, "it looks like those guys are almost finished their meal." We took up our post against the wall next to the communication desk. Every so often the radio turns on and it sounds as though someone is relaying a message.
We tried to look as inconspicuous as possible which was not easy. La, la, la, we are just hanging out here, we aren't creepily stalking you for your table. Please take your time, don't rush on our account. The deck isn't huge, so it was obvious we were looming for that table. When the gentlemen's bill arrived, we got very excited. We did our best not to stare too hard. Whenever anyone came through the door, we readied ourselves for a full on gladiator battle. That table was ours. We staked our claim and woe to anyone who tried to claim it for themselves.
When the guys got up it took everything in our power not to rush past them, probably knocking them down in the process, to get to the table. Before they departed they looked our way and gave us a here- you- can- have- the- table-now nod.
Success! It was a feeling kind of like finishing a test you knew you just aced. We sat our butts triumphantly in the chairs. We actually ended up snagging one of the best seats. In the corner, at the railing, with a great view of the water, the boats, and Disney Springs at night.
We casually swiped the coasters that I was surprised the prior occupants had left behind. The coasters have become popular souvenirs/collectibles, so not only did we take the prior occupants coasters, we didn't use our own in order to keep at least one in pristine condition.
The menu at Jock Lindsey's is called The Pilot's Log Book. It's probably one of the most fun menus I've seen.
We started out with drinks. There is an extensive menu of libations.
I got the Cool Headed Monkey because who wouldn't want to drink out of a monkey head?
Since Shannon likes gin, he ordered Shorty's Singapore Sling.
The drinks were delicious. We usually stick to one drink per meal, but since the first round was so good, and it was the first night of our trip, we got a second round. I chose the Anything Goes.
Shannon got the Wrong Island. The second round of drink was as tasty as the first.
Jock Lindsey's only serves appetizers. Don't expect to sit down and order a three course meal. Since we enjoy tapas, the menu worked for us.
We ordered Brody's Brats, which consisted of bratwurst and pickled cabbage. We ordered the Air Pirate's Pretzel's, which contained everything pretzels accompanied by a mustard and a cheese sauce. Finally, because you pretty much have to, we ordered the Rolling Boulders Sliders. Three spicy meatball sliders with a yogurt sauce. We did not get the Good Dates because it would have been too much food, but everyone says the dates are amazing.
When you order the pretzels, they come stacked on a metal airplane. Your server moves your pretzels through the air while making airplane noises, then lands the pretzels on your table. It's fun, though I wanted to ask our very friendly and efficient server Laura if it gets old after a while. I don't know, I'd probably have fun if making airplane noises was part of my job.
Pretzels really aren't my favorite thing, but the pretzels ended up being my favorite out of the three dishes. The "everything" part of the pretzels gave them a lot of flavor, and the mustard and cheese sauce were really good. The brats were fine, but they were a little bland. I liked the little pickles, especially dipped in the mustard.
The sliders were also just okay. They were supposed to be spicy, but they were conservatively spicy, and the yogurt sauce tasted like mild taco seasoning mixed with yogurt.
Our final opinion was that the drinks were great, the atmosphere was wonderful, the food was good, but average. I'd recommend coming here for drinks and maybe just one appetizer, and then have dinner at one of the other restaurants at Disney Springs. It would also be a great place to grab some after dinner drinks with friends, and bonus, you learn all the ins and outs of how to be a creepy stalker.
