Join us in welcoming Emma S. with a review of the Grand Floridian Cafe’s elegant breakfast.
Visitors to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort are certainly not lacking in restaurant options: from character buffets and tea parties to gourmet, multi-course dinners, the Grand has it all when it comes to dining!
With so many eye-catching choices, there’s one little restaurant that can get overlooked. The Grand Floridian Café occupies a charming corner on the ground floor, offers meals all day long, and usually has availability for walk-ups. One morning my brother and I decided to give the breakfast here a try.
An elegant menu board!
Grand Floridian Cafe Tablescape
Atmosphere
As soon as you enter the Grand Floridian Café, you feel any vacation vexations melt away. Lots of spaces around Disney can have that magical effect, but this one seems to be especially calming. The colors are all quiet creams and pastels.
Victorian-Style Dining Room
Another Charming View!
Giant, lace-draped windows line one wall of the restaurant, and the other is filled with quirky rooster sconces and pretty paintings.
Fresh Flowers and Frilly Chairs
With huge displays of fresh flowers and a red rose on each table, this dining room feels like it might be the country cottage of one of your favorite Disney princesses. (The fact that I saw Cinderella’s coach pass by outside not once but twice while we were dining may have reinforced that impression!)
Pumpkin Coach Passing
Eats
On perusing the menu, you find that the Grand Floridian Café had most of the breakfast standards – omelets, fruit plates, Mickey waffles, and more. I wasn’t quite brave enough to try to the Lobster Eggs Benedict, although it seemed an extremely appropriate breakfast item for a menu at the Grand to have!
Grand Floridian Cafe Menu - click on image for larger version
Eventually I decided on the Citrus Pancakes ($11.99). They sounded rather unique: “Roasted Pecan and Sun-dried Cranberry Pancakes served with House-made Orange Butter with choice of Bacon or Sausage.”
I was a little nervous about all those flavors and fillings – my usual pancake-of-choice is just good ol’ chocolate chip.
Citrus Pancakes
As it turned out there was nothing to worry about; the pecans and cranberries were sprinkled on top rather than mixed in the batter. I really enjoyed the citrus butter and the oranges on top as well – a little bit sweet, a little bit tart, definitely yum.
The pancakes themselves were very nice, light and fluffy, but I thought it was the toppings that made this dish stand out as uniquely delicious.
These Pancakes are Ready for their Close-Up!
With the pretty oranges and a dust of powdered sugar, the citrus pancakes get high presentation points too! There was a good amount of food as well – I was just barely able to finish the pancakes without feeling stuffed. 😉
My brother thought about getting the Maple Vanilla French Toast, which he had tried on a previous visit and absolutely loved. It also sounded pretty snazzy: “Challah Bread dipped in Maple and Vanilla-flavored Batter.”
I was hoping he would get it again so I could sneak a bite (what, just a small one! lol.), but alas, he decided to try the buttermilk pancakes ($10.99).
Buttermilk Pancakes with Bacon
He thought the pancakes were tasty, and we both agreed we really liked the bacon – just the right balance between chewy and crispy.
Care for a Spot of Tea?
For a beverage I ordered tea and was brought out a sweet little white tea pot. I love tea in whatever cup it comes in, but somehow pouring it out of a darling tea pot gives it an extra nice flavor!
Overall
We really did have a grand breakfast experience at the Grand Floridian Café. Our server was quick and pleasant, the food was delicious, and the surroundings were delightful.
I would love to come back again sometime to try that French toast! It was also nice to have a fancy table service meal at the Grand Floridian for a relatively reasonable cost.
Have you ever started your Disney day at the Grand Floridian Café? Would you go for the Citrus Pancakes or the French Toast? Let us know in the comments!
Emma S. is a writer, photographer, Disney cupcake aficionado, and former Disney cast member. She blogs over at A Pinch of Pixie Dust.
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I enjoyed the lobster eggs benedict a few months ago. While really good, it was a bit heavy for breakfast; I think I would try something different next time. The service was good and the atmosphere was simply beautiful!
I’ve eaten at the Grand Floridian Cafe for both breakfast and dinner and consider it a bit of a hidden gem. The food is good but to me, it’s the chance to feel like a Grand Floridian guest with a very reasonable price tag! The real floral on the table in the morning is a real “fancy hotel” touch. And I can personally say those citrus pancakes are still delicious when made gluten free. Great for a quiet meal.
I had an ADR for breakfast there back in July, but as we were leaving the hotel, someone backed into the car I was driving. It took forever to get the accident report written up, and we missed breakfast, and it was a horrible way to end our Disney trip. Their French toast sounds great though, that was one of the reasons I wanted to go there. Maybe I’ll try it in December.
I would love to try to make these pancakes at home, they looked so yummy.
🙂
Yeah Emma! My favorite Snobbish writer 🙂 Those pancakes look delicious. This will definitely go on my to-do list.
Oh, AJ.
At first, I told myself “How come she didn’t tried the fantastic breakfast dish I recommended her wholeheartedly? Silly AJ, tsk tsl tsk? You’re supposed to have the Twin Filets, Breakfast Potatoes, Sausage Egg Frittata, and Herb Cream Sauce. Because it’s steak AND sausage and herb cream sauce and DO I REALLY NEED TO EXPLAIN ANY FURTHER HERE?”
And then, a terrible thought came upon me. What if That Fantastic Breakfast has been relegated to the catacombs of Disney cuisine, along the 50’s Prime Time Café fried Boursin?
I checked. And wept. And made lewd gestures towards the screen. And the citrus salad appetizer is also gone.
They still have a steak dish, thought. Meh. Don’t mind me, I’ll be over Twitter, pouting the pain away.
We ate there last fall the staff was great. It was so peaceful for lunch time and only 15minutes from from the bustle of MK.
Had a dinner there in September and will not be returning any time soon (at least for dinner.) The best thing that this restaurant has to offer is the quiet atmosphere, and its location in the Grand Floridian.
My wife & I have breakfast @ Grand Floridian Cafe at least once every trip we take to WDW. It is, as you stated, simple yet elegant and reasonably priced.
Ask for Lori — she is the best!!!
Brular — You crack me up!! I’m sorry to hear the wonderful dish is gone…hopefully it will come back and we can share it!
One of my favorite trip reporters now on one of my favorite Disney sites!
Yeah, welcome Emma!
I have been to the Grand Floridian Cafe many years ago and it looks like i need to return soon for breakfast.
I love the GF Cafe! We’ll be going there for our second time during our trip this year (in exactly 2 weeks..AHHH!). I just wanted to say…don’t be afraid of the Lobster Eggs Benedict! It was truly amazing and I may even order it again. My Mom had the citrus pancakes which are also to die for. Here’s a photo of the eggies from our 2010 trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eeophoto/5143757875/in/photostream
PS. In tradition of ordering a cocktail with every meal, the mimosa here was large and delicious too! It came with a strawberry on the side of the glass, which was a cute touch. http://www.flickr.com/photos/eeophoto/5144379294/in/photostream