Disney’s Grand Floridian Cafe Review (with Menu)
This Grand Floridian Cafe review shares multiple dining experiences at the resort’s table-service restaurant.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Cafe has been a family favorite for more years than I can count. It’s one of our go-to places for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when visiting Walt Disney World.
There are numerous perks to visiting this little cafe nestled in the back corner of the Grand Floridian’s main building. For some, having a reason to visit the resort is enough to secure a reservation at the restaurant.
Below, we’ll look at several lunches and dinners at the resort. We’ll also preview the menu, entrees, a few appetizers, and the overall atmosphere you can expect when visiting.
Grand Floridian Cafe is located toward the back of the Grand Floridian’s main building next to 1900 Park Fare. Both restaurants are in a hallway just off the lobby.
The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast and lunch are usually from 7:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Then the restaurant closes and reopens for dinner between 5:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Grand Floridian Cafe is a table-service restaurant that requires reservations in most cases. However, they take walk-ups based on availability.
You can join the walk-up list at the podium or via the My Disney Experience app if you are within the vicinity of the restaurant. Additionally, you can use the My Disney Experience app to check in for your reservation near the restaurant.
*If you have food allergies, the app will prompt you to select them when checking in for the reservation.
Grand Floridian Cafe Menu
Disney’s Grand Floridian Cafe has two menus. One menu is a combined breakfast and lunch menu.
One of our favorite things about dining at Grand Floridian Cafe is that they offer a lunch menu with breakfast items. Therefore, you have plenty of options if you feel in the mood for breakfast items at lunch. This setup also works well for children. They might prefer to have Mickey waffles for lunch over chicken nuggets. The other is a separate dinner menu.
If you want to preview the menu with prices, you can do so here on Disney’s site. You’ll want to adjust the meal period at the top of the page to the desired time you plan to dine.
If you require an allergy-friendly menu, a cast member will bring one. Additionally, if you prefer, you can request to speak with a chef familiar with handling food allergies.
Grand Floridian Cafe Review
Disney’s Grand Floridian Cafe is a long, narrow restaurant that kind of fans out into an octagonal shape toward the back. From the outside, this portion of the hotel resembles a gazebo.
Most of the restaurant faces a wall of windows with light shades and sheer curtains. The restaurant, like the resort, is very Victorian. However, I think you’ll find that the cafe’s name is true to its casual vibe.
During our lunch visit, my son ordered the allergy-friendly Mickey waffles. These waffles came with a choice of bacon or sausage. This was more of a late breakfast and early lunch for us, so he ordered a side of bacon.
He enjoys the Mickey waffles. That’s a soy butter spread in the background that is used as a butter replacement.
On this visit, I started with an item from the “salads and such” section. If you want to try multiple things, I suggest going with one or two appetizers over an entree. Or you can combine an appetizer with a soup and salad instead of ordering a traditional entree.
First, we have a look at the Avocado Toast, which is also a plant-based menu item.
This toast is described as avocados, fire-roasted tomatoes, and microgreens on multi-grain toast. Mine was delicious, and you might notice it has a spread underneath the fresh avocados that was quite tasty. It was adorned with a few micro greens.
Instead of the tomatoes, I requested a side of fruit salad. This dish was filling and the perfect accompaniment to the shrimp cocktail that I also ordered on this same visit.
Of course, the shrimp cocktail was the superstar of the meal. Having eaten at the Grand Floridian Cafe many times prior, I knew the shrimp cocktail was a popular item.
However, this version is different from what I’ve seen other guests receive on prior visits. Hopefully, it’s here to stay. I’d have a tough time not ordering it on a return visit.
Underneath the shrimp sat a salad layered with pickled onion, grapefruit, orange slices, and arugula. Cocktail sauce and a few slices of fresh avocado sat in the middle of the plate.
I didn’t anticipate receiving so many shrimp (six total), and I was impressed with the dish’s presentation. Unfortunately, my one complaint was that it had a bit of cilantro sprinkled over the top. However, it was by no means a deal-breaker.
They say that cilantro is an herb that either you love or hate. For me, I’ve just never been crazy about it. But I wouldn’t let that stop you from ordering this dish.
On another visit, I had Miso-glazed salmon. This meal was enjoyed outside on the Grand Floridian Cafe’s patio.
As for the salmon, it was one of the best meals I had at Disney World. The green beans were fresh, and the rice had a lemon-y ginger twang that was quite refreshing.
What I enjoyed most was that this dish was healthy and of good quality. If only more options like this were spread out amongst the resorts.
One evening during our last resort stay, we had dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe. On that visit, I started with the Heirloom Apple Salad.
This is an excellent option for anyone looking for a lighter-fare menu item. The salad comes with organic baby lettuce, crispy prosciutto, sharp cheddar, and a honey-apple vinaigrette.
Next, we have the Impossible Burger plant-based meal. Unfortunately, the photos I took of this burger do no justice.
So, while not perfect in appearance, this is another delicious option. The French fries here were similar to steak fries. I hadn’t had this kind of fries in so long and found myself devouring them.
The Impossible Burger at Grand Floridian Cafe comes on a Kaiser roll with plant-based smoked gouda and caramelized onions. Like the other plant-based options I’ve had from Impossible, I would never know the difference between this and a regular burger.
Since I initially enjoyed this meal, I’ve had several variations of Impossible Burgers at Walt Disney World, and so far, this has still been my favorite. Coming in second place is the one next door at Polynesian Resort’s quick-service, Captain Cook’s. They have a roasted red pepper and arugula burger.
Related: Captain Cook’s Review
This evening, when we spoke with the chef, she asked my son what he would like to eat, and he mentioned a burger. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an option on the menu with any bun my son could eat.
However, the chef said she had allergy-friendly rolls and could make sliders. So, while these aren’t actual menu items, they represent how Disney chefs typically handle food allergies.
This was an excellent option for him, and I was glad it was anything other than allergy-free chicken nuggets. A good chef at Disney will go above and beyond to ensure anyone dealing with food allergies has a wonderful meal.
Over the years, we’ve had many good experiences with the chefs and the cast members attending us in the restaurants. I can never express how thankful I am for these dining opportunities. If you have food allergies, you probably understand the sentiment.
To date, we’ve had several other breakfasts at the restaurant. There are so many that I’ve put them all together and listed them in a separate review.
Related: Disney’s Grand Floridian Cafe Breakfast Review
It includes popular items like the Lobster Benedict, Chicken and Mickey-shaped Waffles, and the restaurant’s yummy cheese-y hashbrown casserole.
Final Thoughts on this Grand Floridian Cafe Review
Whether you stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian or are just visiting as a day guest, you can’t go wrong with a trip to this hidden gem. The prices are reasonable, and we’ve always received excellent service.
Overall, Grand Floridian Cafe is one of our few go-to dining places. For more information on the resort, all of our articles are listed in a guide:
Or you might enjoy the following:
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Restaurants List
- Gasparilla Island Grill Review
- Grand Floridian Transportation Options
- The Pools at Disney’s Grand Floridian
For more information on dining at Walt Disney World. You might enjoy our guides to signature dining locations at Disney World, character dining options at Disney, and the best restaurants at Disney Springs.
Or you might enjoy a few of these other favorite resort restaurants at Disney.
- Sanaa Review with Bread Service
- Kona Cafe Review at the Polynesian
- Disney’s Geyser Point Bar and Grill Review
- Breakfast Review of Whispering Canyon Cafe
In the Comments
Enjoy your meal, and leave me a comment below, letting me know what you love about Grand Floridian Cafe! I’m always excited to visit and try new things to improve this review!
