Disney's Grand Floridian Cafe Breakfast Review

This article provides a review of breakfast at Disney’s Grand Floridian Cafe. We’ll preview several menu items and discuss our overall dining experience.

When having breakfast during a Walt Disney World vacation, most people grab a quick bite at their resort’s counter service before heading out to the parks. But that’s no fun!

Since it’s your vacation (translate: a time to relax), we think you should plan a full resort day or at least one day where you sleep in and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Disney’s Grand Floridian Cafe is the perfect place to do the latter.

Whether you want an order of Mickey waffles or something more elaborate, the Grand Floridian Cafe delivers. Plus, it’s always fun to visit the iconic Victorian-style hotel.

Over the years, we’ve enjoyed many breakfasts at Grand Floridian Cafe. Below, we’ll preview a few breakfast items from our most recent meal and things we’ve had in the past.

You’ll want to secure a reservation when planning a breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe. However, the restaurant takes walk-ups based on availability.

You can check the walk-up list in the My Disney Experience app if you’re in the area. If seats are available, you can usually join the wait list from the app. Of course, you can also always check with a cast member at the restaurant’s entrance.

A menu is posted outside the restaurant. One of the things we enjoy most about dining at Grand Floridian Cafe is that their breakfast menu extends through lunch, which is served until 2:00 p.m.

Yes, you can have Mickey waffles for lunch if you like!

Grand Floridian Cafe is a casual restaurant with soft tones, wallpaper, and patterned carpet. Overall, the restaurant has a pleasant Victorian ambiance. Seats near the window look out to the resort’s bright green lawn and flowerbeds.

On our most recent visit, we tried the Smoked Salmon Florentine Benedict. This item is described as Spinach Florentine, Roasted Tomato, and Hollandaise on a Toasted English Muffin served with Marinated Tomato Salad.

Unfortunately, my smoked salmon tasted fishy, which is common with smoked salmon. I knew going into it that chances were 50/50 on whether I’d like it. But I wanted something different since I’ve tried nearly everything on the menu.

On another recent visit, I ordered the Steak and Eggs. This menu item is Sirloin Steak, Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole, Two Eggs, and House-made Steak Sauce.

As you can see in the photo below, I substituted the two eggs for a cup of fruit. This was an excellent dish. I had forgotten how much I loved a sirloin cut of steak, and you can never go wrong with the cheesy hash brown casserole. I will gladly reorder this dish in the future.

When you have breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe, the server usually brings a platter of biscuits with orange butter while you’re waiting. They are often served hot and fresh from the oven.

Don’t skimp on the butter, either! The orange zest addition is one of those things you didn’t know you wanted or needed in your life.

On a previous visit, Jessica ordered a hot chocolate. When the waitress dropped off this indulgence, she exclaimed, “Alright, no one’s jealous!”

Needless to say, we all envied the drink. And with this presentation, who wouldn’t?

Jess also ordered the Brioche French Toast. The menu describes this item as Madagascar vanilla bean-scented Brioche French toast served with bacon or sausage.

While the French Toast wasn’t the most appealing plate to photograph, it was delicious. The vanilla sauce won everyone over. It came with a side of sausage.

I went with the old-fashioned pancakes, which come with a choice of bacon or sausage.

These were traditional pancakes. While they were good, they weren’t anything to brag about. They were nothing like the scrumptious thin and crispy pancakes we had for breakfast at Steakhouse 71.

However, the pancakes are a fine choice if you want something standard or have a picky eater. Unfortunately, I probably wouldn’t order them on a return visit because of their simplicity.

Stacey ordered the traditional Eggs Benedict. Per the menu, these are described as two-poached eggs, toasted English muffins, Canadian bacon, and hollandaise served with marinated tomato salad.

She substituted the marinated tomato salad for the Grand Floridian Cafe’s famous cheesy hash brown casserole. If there is ever a component of a dish you don’t like, the restaurant is good about making a substitution.

*Grand Floridian Cafe used to have a Lobster Benedict on the menu. It’s described as two-poached eggs, lobster, asparagus, and hollandaise on a toasted English muffin. And at one time, they had a Benedict flight. That dish combined three types of eggs Benedict, including one with chorizo. As of our last visit, these two options are no longer available.

Several in our group ordered the buttermilk-fried chicken and waffle. This menu item is described as hand-breaded chicken breast and malted waffle with sriracha-honey drizzle.

Yes, it even comes on a huge Mickey waffle! The breading on the chicken was perfection. It was similar to a cornflake cereal coating. The sriracha-honey drizzle provided just the right amount of heat while balancing the sweet flavor.

On another visit, I ordered avocado toast, which is one of my favorite things. The menu describes this as avocado, fire-roasted tomatoes, and micro greens on multigrain toast. This is a plant-based dish.

For this order, I substituted the tomato salad with a side of fruit. The toast was filling and had an almost buttery-like sauce underneath the avocado slices. I would not hesitate to order this again in the future.

Another popular item you might enjoy is the chilled jumbo shrimp cocktail, described as citrus-avocado salad and red rooster cocktail sauce.

I have to restrain myself from not ordering this every time we visit. But constantly ordering the same thing would not help you decide what to order. So, I don’t.

Regardless, if you like shrimp, this is the way to go. The citrus and pickled onions provide a nice balance to the high-quality pink Florida shrimp. Top that off with the zesty cocktail sauce, and you’ve got a real winning flavor combination.

(Unfortunately, on our last visit, this item had been replaced by a shrimp ceviche. However, from time to time, I’ve noticed menu items returning. So we’ll include it in our review for the meantime.)

Lastly, when my son visits, he usually orders the Grand Floridian Cafe breakfast. However, they prepare an allergy-friendly version for him.

This menu item comes with two eggs served with bacon, sausage, and cheesy hash brown casserole. He changes things up a bit to make it work for him. His dish comes with lots of waffles, sausage, and bacon.

As mentioned, Grand Floridian Cafe has a combined breakfast and lunch or brunch menu. Some of their other popular items include:

Lobster Thermidor Burger (Artisanal 7-oz Burger Patty and Lobster-Parmesan Thermidor Sauce on a Seared Brioche Bun served with Cafe Signature Seasoned French Fries)
Miso-Glazed Salmon (Lemon-scented Sticky Rice, French Beans, and Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette)
Heirloom Apple Salad (Organic Baby Lettuce, Heirloom Apples, Sharp Cheddar, Pecan Brittle, and Crispy Prosciutto with a Honey-Apple Vinaigrette)

We try the salmon, salad, and other items in our regular Grand Floridian Cafe Review.

We recommend taking the monorail if you’re visiting the Grand Floridian Cafe from another resort. From most resorts, you can take transportation to Magic Kingdom. Then you can take the monorail or resort boat to the Grand Floridian.

Overall, the Grand Floridian Cafe is an excellent place to enjoy breakfast. It’s one of our favorite dining spots among the Magic Kingdom Resorts.

For more information about the resort, we have a guide that lists all of our articles:

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Or you might like the following:

For other dining at Disney World, you might enjoy these:

In the Comments

What are your thoughts about having breakfast at Disney’s Grand Floridian Cafe? Have you dined here before? Do you prefer eating breakfast early before hitting the parks or enjoying a leisurely morning with a great meal? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.