Le Petit Cafe Review (Coffee, Cocktails, & Sweets at Disney’s Riviera Resort)

Le Petit Café is a popular dining spot at Disney’s Riviera Resort. The coffee and pastry shop offers a variety of items throughout the day. After breakfast, it seamlessly transitions to serving cocktails and decadent desserts until later in the evening.

This review of Le Petit Cafe shares our experiences and offers a few tips for using the cafe during your stay. I’ll warn you now: It can be challenging to walk by the entrance without stopping to glance over the delectables. Everything always looks and, even better, tastes so good!

Le Petit Cafe is located in the lobby of Disney’s Riviera near the main entrance. If you are coming from the Skyliner, you’ll need to take the stairs or elevator to the second floor to access the cafe.

This establishment is open most days between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. You can expect a rotating selection of house-made pastries for breakfast, including blueberry muffins, banana bread, sticky buns, croissants, and cinnamon rolls. Banana bread is one of the most popular items. If the cafe runs out, you can sometimes find it downstairs at Primo Piatto.

You will likely find a line at Le Petit early in the morning. This is where almost everyone staying at the resort picks up their specialty coffee. They have everything from regular to cold brews, and hot tea is also available.

Here are a few of the specialty coffees on the menu: Double Espresso, Macchiato, Espresso Viennese, caffe latte, Cappuccino, Cafe Mocha, Cafe White Mocha, Caramel Macchiato, and amore latte. Iced coffees include Almond Cold Brew, Shakerato, Lavender Iced Tea Lemonade, Cold Brew, Cinnamon Cold Brew, and Café Glacé. (Twinings hot tea and Chai Tea Latte are also available.)

Le Petit Cafe’s evening offerings include a few hors d’oeuvres like olives, an artisanal cheese plate, a charcuterie board, and Trois Macarons (a trio of macarons).

Specialty cocktails include the Aperol Spritz, Riviera Negroni, and the Sunset Margarita. A selection of beer, hard cider, and hard seltzer are available. They also have a unique wine list that includes Bodvár N˚ 7 Rosé, Côtes de Provence, and Jean-Luc Colombo Les Abeilles Côtes du Rhône, Rhône. Both wines are from France. A few Italian and American wines are also available.

One evening, I ordered the Aperol Spritz, described as Aperol, Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco Superiore, and Soda Water. I found this a refreshing choice with a hint of bitterness.

You’ll find a handful of places to sit inside Le Petit Cafe. However, plenty of room is available next door at Voyageur’s Lounge.

While the decor is minimal, I noticed a collection of tiny plates featuring Mickey Mouse on the wall. One of the best aspects of the Riviera is the artwork throughout the resort. If you have time, you might take a self-guided art tour during your stay.

Here is the part you’ve probably been waiting to see. Le Desserts. Only say it in French.

I rarely find a counter of desserts where everything looks appealing.

Whenever I visit the cafe, I ask the cast members which items are their favorite. Their response is always the same. Everything is good. So far, they are right, and we’ve tried a few things. For a long time, I wanted to try the Bouchon brownies.

So, I finally broke down and purchased them. They are wonderful—not overly sweet but deliciously decadent. When I bought them, I said I would spread them out, but I don’t know why I bothered. They disappeared within an hour.

At some point, I want to try the lemon madeleines.

The first item I ever tried was the Hazelnut Profiteroles. This is a tremendous dessert that you’ll want to share with someone. Think chocolate icing, puffy profiteroles, and hazelnut cream combined to make this scrumptious miniature croquembouche. This tiny tower of sweets is immensely rich and flavorful.

We also have tried the fruit tart, which I think is a great choice that’s not overly sweet.

The tart comprises a simple shortbread crust, traditional pastry cream, and fresh fruits. That red circle in the middle is a raspberry mousse with a candy coating. The mousse provides the actual rich part of the dessert, adding a surprise flavor and texture. It even had touches of edible gold foil sprinkled on top. It’s all very French.

During the holidays, you might also find a few inspired treats. A while back, I picked up a package of Mickey-shaped gingerbread cookies. These were another delicious treat. They were sprinkled with gold dust and bore the Riviera’s logo.

Overall, we love Le Petit Cafe. Our only issue is that it often has long waits. However, many of the items we’ve tried are worth the wait. A few times, we’ve been able to grab something quickly, but it’s almost always packed in the early morning and late evening. For more information about Disney’s Riviera Resort, you might enjoy the following:

• Disney’s Riviera Resort Review
• Restaurants at Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Bar Riva Review at the Riviera
• Primo Piatto Review
• Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Review

You might also enjoy these other popular Disney Restaurant Reviews:

• Best Disney Springs Restaurants
• Disney World Character Dining Guide
• Best Quick Service Restaurant at Disney’s Resorts
• Disney World Refillable Mug Guide

Or try our List of Every Quick Service Restaurant at Disney World.

In the Comments

Did you see anything at Le Petit Cafe that you want to try? Would you wait in a long line for coffee first thing in the morning? Or do you think specialty coffee is overrated? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.