Disney’s Contemporary Restaurants List (A Resorts Gal Guide)
Most guests know that Disney’s Contemporary is the A-frame resort near Magic Kingdom. But they often don’t know that the resort has fantastic dining options, ranging from a fun poolside bar to the resort’s upscale rooftop restaurant.
For this article, we’ve provided a list of restaurants at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We’ll discuss an overview of each location, our experiences, menus, and photos of the items we’ve tried. By the time we’re finished, you’ll have an idea of where you want to eat during your visit and everything else you need to know about dining at this modern resort.
Disney’s Contemporary Restaurant List
Below is a list of the restaurants at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Counter Service Restaurants (Quick Service)
- Contempo Cafe
Lounges and Bars
- Outer Rim
- Steakhouse 71 Lounge
- California Grill Lounge
Table Service Restaurants
- Steakhouse 71
- Chef Mickey’s
- California Grill
Pool Bars with Counter Service
- The Sand Bar
- Cove Bar
Coffee Quick Service
- Contemporary Grounds
Each restaurant listed above is within Disney’s Contemporary Resort, except for the Cove Bar, which is at the Bay Lake Tower pool area and exclusive to Bay Lake Tower guests. For reference, Bay Lake Tower is a Disney Vacation Club Resort connected to the Contemporary via a bridge. Guests of the DVC Resort have access to Disney’s Contemporary Resort’s amenities.
Related: Bay Lake Tower Review
Several dining options at Disney’s Contemporary are located on the resort’s fourth floor, commonly called the Grand Canyon Concourse. Guests can access the fourth floor by taking the escalators or elevator from the first-floor lobby. Those visiting via the resort monorail service will exit the monorail and take the escalator or elevator down one floor.
Contempo Cafe
Contempo Cafe is one of the most underrated quick-service restaurants at Walt Disney World. It is located in the middle of the Grand Canyon Concourse and serves as the resort’s primary quick-service dining location.
Guests can order their food at Contempo Cafe or use Disney’s mobile order service via the My Disney Experience app. Resort refillable mugs are available at this location.
Related: Refillable Mugs at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
A bakery case inside the restaurant offers pastries, bagels, muffins, cookies, and similar items.
Contempo Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Hours of operation are between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. Here are a few things we’ve tried. For breakfast, I ordered a grilled breakfast sandwich. This option featured ham, cheese, and eggs on brioche.
Other breakfast items include a bounty platter, Mickey waffles, a tofu breakfast bowl, and oatmeal. For lunch and dinner, you can expect flatbread pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets, and plant-based options. Contempo Cafe’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus are available on Disney.com.
Here is the Kale Power Greens salad with Farro, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, pickled onions, garbanzos, and a lime vinaigrette. Normally, everything comes mixed together, but they weren’t sure about the way I ordered it and prepared the toppings separately.
I’ve also had the hot turkey sandwich with a side of Disney’s homemade potato chips. It was a delicious meal.
Then, on a recent visit, I enjoyed the ‘Chicago-style’ Italian Beef Sub, which was a guilty pleasure.
A good deal of planning advice suggests that guests visit Chef Mickey’s to see the monorail pass through while dining. But I have found that you can get a similar experience at Contempo Cafe for a much lower price, minus the characters. We often take the monorail or walk to the Contemporary from Magic Kingdom and enjoy a meal at Contempo Cafe.
Related: Contempo Cafe Review
Outer Rim
Disney’s Contemporary Resort has three formal lounges. Outer Rim is the most casual lounge, located on the far side of the Grand Canyon Concourse.
Guests can order various snacks (bar food), beer, wine, and cocktails from Outer Rim. They also offer Disney’s standard cocktail menu.
Steakhouse 71 Lounge
While Outer Rim isn’t the worst place to order a drink, we prefer the Steakhouse 71 Lounge, formerly The Wave. Guests dining at Steakhouse 71 will need a reservation. However, the lounge and bar are designated for walk-up guests. The restaurant has a tremendous bar area with plenty of room to enjoy a meal. You can order anything from the restaurant’s regular menu.
The lounge has two alcove seating areas, each with small tables and plush seating. It’s a fun place to enjoy a meal or meet friends and family for a cocktail. Both the lounge and restaurant are casual and family-friendly. I’ve often seen families enjoying a meal in the lounge area when seating was unavailable at the restaurant.
California Grill Lounge
Lastly, the California Grill Lounge is another option. You will need to visit the hostess stand on the resort’s second floor and ask if they have any bar or lounge availability. Unfortunately, most of the lounge seating has been converted to tables, so it is pretty limited to the bar. We were lucky to grab a few seats there a while back. Since the restaurant offers a prix fixe menu, the bar’s menu is minimal. I ordered sushi from the bar’s menu.
Chef Mickey’s
Chef Mickey’s is a character dining restaurant at Disney’s Contemporary. It is located on the Grand Canyon Concourse adjacent to Contempo Cafe. Chef Mickey’s serves breakfast and dinner daily, and the meals are buffet-style.
Classic characters like Mickey Mouse as Chef Mickey, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto greet guests at the table. The restaurant is popular because of the monorail and classic characters.
Related: Disney Character Dining Guide
Steakhouse 71
Steakhouse 71 is a traditional table service restaurant at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. It’s on the lobby level and open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Formerly, The Wave, we considered it a bit of a hidden gem. However, given the popularity of Steakhouse 71, it’s unfair to call it a secret location because everyone seems to know about it.
Since the restaurant was rebranded, we’ve enjoyed multiple meals there. On my first visit, I had an incredibly delicious breakfast consisting of pancakes, sausages, and grits.
My only complaint is that the breakfast menu’s a little egg-heavy. Of course, it’s hard to go wrong with items like Eggs Benedict, Steak and Eggs, and Walt’s Prime Rib Hash.
Related: Steakhouse 71 Breakfast Review
You might enjoy one of the sandwiches on the lunch menu. At dinner, guests rave over the French Onion Soup, the Roasted Prime Rib, and the loaded macaroni and cheese.
Related: Steakhouse 71 Lunch Review
Steakhouse 71 also accepts mobile orders. So you might prefer to order something and enjoy it elsewhere in the resort. Below is the 4-ounce beef kids’ meal with mashed potatoes and broccoli. I ordered the Steakhouse 71 Chopped Salad on the side.
Related: Ordering To-Go From Steakhouse 71
California Grill
California Grill is the signature dining restaurant at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Anyone looking to enjoy a culinary adventure will want to secure a reservation. This high-end restaurant is located on the 15th floor of Disney’s Contemporary. At night, guests can enjoy a special viewing of Magic Kingdom’s fireworks from inside the restaurant or its observation deck.
The California Grill offers a prix fixe menu that we feel is fairly limited. Guests must order an appetizer, entree, and dessert, which are all included in one price. The restaurant once offered an a la carte menu, allowing guests to choose their favorite items. We often ordered multiple appetizers, sides, entrees, and desserts. However, those options are no longer available due to current menu restrictions.
California Grill is known for several of its signature menu items, including this Sonoma goat cheese ravioli (an appetizer). While indulging in this delicious ravioli adorned with crispy mushrooms, goat cheese oozes into the tomato broth. A bread service delivered to the table as a side will help ensure no yumminess is left behind.
Here is the Grand Marnier souffle, which is one of the restaurant’s signature desserts. However, it is not always on the menu.
Cove Bar
As mentioned earlier, the Cove Bar is at the Bay Lake Tower Pool. Guests of Disney’s Contemporary Resort will not have access to this pool. It’s restricted to guests of Disney’s Bay Lake Tower. If you’re staying at Bay Lake Tower, your MagicBand or Keys to the World will provide access to the pool. You can preview the Cove Bar menu with current prices on Disney’s site.
Sand Bar
The Sand Bar is the resort’s secondary quick-service restaurant that sits adjacent to the Contemporary’s Feature Pool. It’s open daily from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. This quick service is not within the pool gates, so anyone can dine here without needing to access the pool gates.
Related: The Pools at Disney’s Contemporary
The Sand Bar’s menu includes sandwiches, burgers, salads, and hot dogs. Other items include a chicken pita, BBQ pork quesadilla, and a turkey Cuban sandwich. I tried the Cuban sandwich on a recent visit, and it was delicious.
Other items at the Sand Bar typically include nachos, fruit cups, fries, kids’ meals, and Mickey pretzels. Ice cream novelties, soda, bottled water, and other items are also available. Guests can order food from a window on the side of The Sand Bar. A separate entrance to the bar area sits around the corner.
We really enjoy picking up a meal from the Sand Bar and finding a spot in the shade nearby. You can take in scenic views of the lake an the resort while you dine.
Contemporary Grounds
Contemporary Grounds is a coffee bar off the resort’s first-floor lobby. It is usually open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Grounds serves Joffrey’s brand coffee along with pastries. So, if you need a coffee fix, this is a simple stop before heading out to the parks.
Here are a few of the menu items.
In addition to coffee, Grounds has a case of pastries. Smoothies are also available.
Grounds is a fun place to enjoy a simple breakfast. They have a small seating area across from the counter area.
Related: Contemporary Grounds Coffee Shop
Lastly, I wanted to mention that you can pick up various snacks and other pantry items at Fantasia Market, Which is located on the resort’s fourth floor across from Bay View Gifts.
Here is a photo to give you an idea of what’s available.
Other Restaurants Near the Contemporary
Guests staying on the monorail are privy to many dining options only a short ride away. You can hop on the monorail and travel to a few restaurants within minutes.
Other Quick Services on the Monorail
- Captain Cook’s (Polynesian)
- Gasparilla Island Grill (Grand Floridian)
Lounges on the Monorail
- Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace (Polynesian)
- Trader Sam’s Lounge (Polynesian)
- Enchanted Rose Lounge (Grand Floridian)
Table Service Restaurants on the Monorail
- Narcoossee’s (Grand Floridian)
- Victoria & Albert’s (Grand Floridian)
- Grand Floridian Cafe (Grand Floridian)
- Kona Cafe (Polynesian)
- ‘Ohana (Polynesian)
Restaurants at the Wilderness Lodge (Boat Service from Magic Kingdom Park)
- Whispering Canyon Cafe
- Geyser Point Bar and Grill at Wilderness Lodge
- Territory Lounge at Wilderness Lodge
- Artist Point Character Dining with Snow White
- Roaring Fork
We have dining guides for the nearby resorts:
- Grand Floridian Restaurants List
- Disney’s Polynesian Restaurants
- Restaurants at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Final Thoughts
Disney’s Contemporary Resort has excellent restaurants and exudes the perfect Disney atmosphere that so many of us enjoy. It truly has something for everyone, whether you’re planning a week-long stay or only visiting as a day guest. For more details about Disney’s Contemporary Resort, you might enjoy one of the following:
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort Review
- Garden Wing Review at the Contemporary
- Transportation Options at Disney’s Contemporary
- Incredibles Room Review at the Contemporary
In the Comments
What are your thoughts on the restaurants at Disney’s Contemporary? Let us know below in the comments section.
