7 Great Disney Resort Breakfasts You Should Try
People say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I’m not one of these people. I’m not a morning person. Honestly, if you say a word to me before 10 a.m., I might bite your face off…figuratively bordering on literally.
When I’m at Walt Disney World, however, I behave differently. I want to spend as much of my vacation as possible savoring the glory of Disney. I get up early, and I have to eat a lot to stay up. Otherwise, I’ll fall asleep on the bus. So, for a night owl, I know a lot about early morning dining options at Walt Disney World. Here are my suggestions for seven great Disney resort breakfasts.
Cape May Café
I’ve developed two very different strategies for eating breakfast at Walt Disney World. One is to pick a restaurant inside of a theme park, booking the reservation an hour before opening. If everything goes well, I can exit the meal and beat the Rope Drop crowd to the front of the line at popular attractions.
The other is to dine somewhere at the resort where I’m staying. This strategy requires a lot less effort. Also, I get to sleep in a bit more. Every five extra minutes of sleep that I get reduces the odds that I growl at strangers who dare to say hello. It’s important math.
This Disney resort breakfasts list includes a combination of Quick Service and Table Service offerings, and it does so for a reason. The Table Service meals listed here are mostly character meals. At these breakfasts, you get to experience many of the joys of Disney without entering the parks.
At Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Cape May Café is easy to find, just past the hotel lobby. At this restaurant, you’re the guest of Minnie Mouse, who is throwing a party. Her friends Goofy, Donald, and Daisy all attend, and they’re dressed in their beachy best outfits. It’s the perfect setting for a meal at a resort with “Beach” in the name. And the All-You-Care-to-Enjoy buffet has most major breakfast foods. You can check off two boxes with one meal here: food and fun.
Contempo Café
I could write a love letter to Contempo Café that’s ten thousand words long. I’ll save you the overblown prose except to say that it’s basically the perfect place to eat based on my statement above. This eatery is right by the monorail at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Seriously, it’s less than 100 steps away. You can eat a great meal and then go through hotel security for park admission. It’s the next best thing to eating breakfast in the park and is one of the best Disney resort breakfasts available.
Plus, Contempo Café serves my favorite shared breakfast at Disney: the Bounty Platter. It’s got bacon, sausage, a Mickey Waffle, fruit, and breakfast potatoes. For a couple that isn’t looking to eat a heavy meal first thing in the morning, it’s the perfect combo for noshing. You’ll have plenty of energy to start the day, but you’ll also have room for an early lunch or a hearty mid-morning snack.
Kona Café/Captain Cook’s
First of all, let me save my marriage by saying that the best breakfast at Walt Disney World is Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch at ‘Ohana. The problem is that everyone knows this. Without a lot of planning, you won’t get to eat breakfast here. Plus, you’ll miss out on THE finest breakfast food at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
Whether you choose Kona Café or Captain Cook’s, you’ll want to order the same thing. It’s Tonga Toast, the legendary breakfast that’s like Texas Toast taken to the logical extreme. It’s like a quarter-loaf of bread, deep-fried and topped with cinnamon sugar. Also, it’s stuffed with bananas. Yeah, it’s pretty decadent, but it has bananas. Eating fruit for breakfast is healthy, right?!
Seriously, starting your day with some Tonga Toast is magical. You will have a smile on your face during your entire monorail ride over to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. The one pro tip I will offer is that while the seating at Kona Café is paradise on earth, Tonga Toast costs almost exactly twice as much there. It’s $16 at the time of publication as opposed to $8.49 at Captain Cook’s.
Landscape of Flavors
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort features one of the most underrated counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World. Landscape of Flavors has an unusual setup, even at breakfast. It has sections, each of which has a specialized focus. You can order from the French Toast, Omelet, Pancake, and Waffle Shops.
There are – no joke – 20 different entrees from the menu. The Bounty Platter is also available here, although this version has scrambled eggs instead of fruit. I also love the Character-Shaped Waffles and ANY meal that includes Naan Bread.
The Mara
Anyone who has stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has walked by this restaurant at some point. It’s right by Uzima Springs Pool, one of the best swimming areas at Walt Disney World. The Mara sometimes gets overlooked for this reason, but its highlight is one of the best ways to start your Disney day! The Jungle Juice here is orange juice blended with guava and passion fruit then frozen. It is spectacular! Technically called Lilikoi Juice, it’s available at Kona Café and ‘Ohana, too. You should make it a part of your breakfast every time you can.
The Mara menu includes a Bounty Platter, too. This one has Pap and Chakalaka, two beloved menu items from Boma. For the more daring eaters, one with sophisticated palates, The Mara sells the Bobotie Platter for breakfast. Again, you know this flavor from Boma. To me, it’s kind of intense for breakfast, but I have friends who swear by it. When you order the Bobotie Platter, you’ll definitely feel awake and ready to go after breakfast!
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter is my favorite Moderate Resort. It has the perfect combination of a small resort feel and optimal location. Plus, my family loves New Orleans culture, which means that a themed hotel in that vein is ideal for us. Oh, and did we mention the food? Here, I’ll let Homer Simpson explain the majesty of New Orleans cuisine.
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory is the breakfast version of that food. And I will skip to the end here to say what matters. Yes, they have beignets! You can watch this video to see a person discover the joy of the beignet. The 7:20 mark of the clip is when he finds meaning in life. Suffice to say that breakfast beignets will put you in an excellent mood for the entire morning!
Trattoria al Forno
Here’s the other character breakfast I would suggest and, yes, I’m cheating a bit to include it. Trattoria al Forno is technically at Disney’s BoardWalk, not Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, but we’re only talking about a few extra steps to exit the hotel lobby to enter the restaurant. Once inside, you’ll become a part of the Bon Voyage Breakfast.
During your meal, you’ll interact with characters from The Little Mermaid and Tangled, the latter of which are hysterical. Flynn Rider will ask to see your Smolder, the one he displays in the movie. It’s an adorable character encounter, and the food is phenomenal, too.
You’ll get your thematic choice of an entrée such as the Tower of Pancakes or Tangled Eggs. The crowd’s favorite is King Triton’s Shipwreck al Forno, a calzone along with various breakfast meats and cheeses. Personally, I’m all about the Royale Breakfast, a steak with breakfast potatoes and some other stuff. Give me ten minutes with a plate of this, and I will RUN through the International Gateway and into Epcot’s World Showcase. The protein rush is fantastic.
Any of these seven Disney resort breakfasts will be sure to please. When you’re planning your next vacation, you may want to factor in these restaurants as hidden benefits of staying at their accompanying resorts. You’ll get to start your Disney day on your terms and in the best possible way. You’ll have a full belly and a smile on your face as you embark on your theme park adventure!
