We’re visiting a classic Magic Kingdom restaurant to see if it still holds up!

The Crystal Palace is an established Magic Kingdom buffet that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a Victorian greenhouse setting. The restaurant offers a character dining experience featuring Winnie the Pooh and pals from the Hundred-Acre Wood and some tasty American fare. We recently visited and left with PLENTY of thoughts!

Located along Main Street, U.S.A., The Crystal Palace offers full buffets and an atmosphere truly rooted in the Hundred Acre Wood from Winnie the Pooh.

The atmosphere is really gorgeous, situated inside a classicly-styled building that allows plenty of natural light. The building itself features tons of nods to Winnie the Pooh without torpedoing the overall classy vibes. There is a beautiful glass ceiling in that center dome, and under that a gorgeous living garden that has character topiaries — just a really pleasant place to visit.

While the aesthetic is amazing, we do have to warn that it gets pretty loud. The space is echoey and there’s lots of kids because it is a character meal, so it’s definitely a louder and not super relaxing — but that’s true of most character meals.

We visited in the afternoon, and it was super busy.  Winnie the Pooh was meeting guests in the middle of the restaurant and there was a line, but he was practically there the whole time, which was awesome.  Other characters that came around to the table included Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore.

Breakfast costs $52 per adult (plus tax and gratuity) and $33 per child ages 3 to 9 (plus tax and gratuity) while lunch and dinner cost $62 per adult (plus tax and gratuity) and $42 per child ages 3 to 9 (plus tax and gratuity). The lunch buffet, which we attended, features offerings such as salads, pastas, roasted carved beef, country fried chicken, seasonal veggies, desserts, and so much more. You’ll also find an assorted selection of beer, wine, and cocktails on top of non-alcoholic beverages.

The Crystal Palace really shines when it comes to salads, and they have such a good selection with so much variety. All of ours were delicious. The regular salad had so many options, and we tossed a lot of stuff on there like cheddar, onions, and cucumber. You could top it off with dressings like ranch, Caesar, or balsamic. Everything was super fresh and delicious, and we appreciated the large selections of bread and rolls.

The pre-made salads were all really good, too. The couscous had a delightful tang to it, and had tons of options with other veggies. The 3-bean salad was so fresh, and the beans had the perfect amount of pop to them when you bit into them.

This part of the bar also offers peel-and-eat shrimp. A word of warning, if you’re not willing to peel them, avoid this item as they do still have poop sacs. Still, they were really big pieces of shrimp, really high quality, and they were kept on ice, so they were super cold.

Next, we tried the entrees, and they have a lot of different hot classic and crowd-pleasing entrees. We were big fans of the country fried chicken with hot honey and a pepper gravy. They looked like chicken tenders and were super breaded, and the only real downside is that we wanted more.

The mashed potatoes and grits were both super buttery and creamy, and we found them to be really solid in flavor. The veggies were well-cooked but a little boring.

As for vegan options, you’ll be a VERY limited and we recommend dining elsewhere if you’re in search of a good vegan menu. With that said, the vegetable chana masala was very good with great flavor and a very pleasant aroma.

Other entrees that stood out to us were carved meat and gumbo, with the latter really standing out. The four cheese mac and cheese didn’t impress us, though. It came with penne and a loose sauce that wasn’t enhanced by the accompaniments. We appreciate that it’s there, but we probably would unironically opt for the kids buffet instead if we were in the mood for a good classic mac.

For desserts, we tried the honey panna cotta and the carrot cake. Our carrot cake was kind of dry and had a carrot topping which was a little offputting. Overall, it was just okay.

The honey panna cotta, on the other hand, was so good!!! It was creamy, packed with flavor, and boasted the perfect amount of sweetness. It can be tough for buffet desserts to impress us but this one was a real surprise. We can’t wait to get it again!

Overall

Overall, we think that The Crystal Palace is one of the better character meals in Disney World. It’s right in Magic Kingdom. It’s in the shadow of the castle, and we think meeting the Winnie the Pooh characters in particular is a really great intro to character experiences. They’re fuzzy. They feel like giant stuffed animals. They look like giant stuffed animals. Kids are gonna love it.

With that said, the buffet is solid…but still buffet food. You’re more so there to eat in large quantities and take in the vibes — and that’s totally okay! We’re happy to report that The Crystal Palace is still worth visiting!

Nosh or Not

Head over to The Crystal Palace if…

• You love Winnie the Pooh! You’ll be treated by Pooh Bear and all his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood in a super charming experience.
• You have a large appetite. This is a buffet, so while the prices are hefty, you can get your money’s worth and more in bulk.
• You’re looking for a good character dining experience. Character dining is very hit or miss at Disney World and finding the right blend between good food and fun characters is tough. We feel like The Crystal Palace has the right balance and will satisfy most guests.

Skip The Crystal Palace if…

• You’re on a budget. This buffet is NOT cheap, especially if your family is large. Fortunately, Magic Kingdom has plenty of quick service options available to you and you won’t have to go far to find a much cheaper meal.
• You crave flavor. The food here is solid, but the flavor is pretty average to good. If you want something more adventurous, check out Skipper Canteen, which offers Asian, African, and Latin flavors.
• You want peace and quiet. If you’re looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of theme park life, avoid character meals altogether. They are usually loud and busy, and Crystal Palace is no exception.

Thanks for coming along with us for this review! For more Disney World reviews, updates, and tips, stay tuned right here at the Disney Food Blog!

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Have you dined at The Crystal Palace? Share your review in the comments below!