Five Reasons to Eat at Contempo Cafe
Not all counter services at Walt Disney World are created equal. Some of the best Quick Service restaurants are ones that are off the beaten path. For example, two of my favorites are at monorail resort hotels. There’s Captain Cook’s at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and then there’s the one I’ll talk about now. Here are five reasons why you should eat at the Contempo Cafe.
The Location
When you’re looking for a place to eat at Magic Kingdom, you’ll have plenty of counter service options. Sometimes, you want to exit the madness of the park, though. Sure, it’s the Most Magical Place on Earth, but park planners understand that a place averaging 56,000 daily guests can get a bit insane. They’ve sprinkled plenty of great eateries in close to the proximity to Magic Kingdom but conveniently outside its gates. When you grab a bite at one of these places, you won’t fight the crowds as much.
The easiest one of these Quick Service restaurants to find is Contempo Cafe. All you have to do is take the monorail to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. You’ll exit on the fourth floor of the resort, right next to the restaurant. You won’t quite see it due to some elevators blocking the line of sight, but you’re less than 50 feet away from your destination.
Alternately, you can take a bus to the hotel lobby at the Contemporary. Then, ride one of these elevators up to the fourth floor. Obviously, you’re close to the Contempo Cafe when you exit on that floor. You’ll take a right turn and walk a few steps to reach the ordering station. Most Disney restaurants are simple enough to locate, but the only one on the entire campus that I think is easier to find is The Wave, which is located beside the hotel lobby.
The Ambience
Several counter service establishments have lovely ambiences. I’m especially fond of Pinocchio Village Haus and Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café at Magic Kingdom. For me, however, nothing matches Contempo Cafe in this category. It has the most enjoyable atmosphere of any Quick Service establishment near Magic Kingdom.
What’s so great about it? You know that monorail I just mentioned? It famously cuts through the heart of the Contemporary. Imagineers cleverly constructed the A-Frame in a way that left space for a full monorail track to go directly through the resort. It’s been an attention-grabbing feature since Walt Disney World opened in 1971.
At Contempo Cafe, the monorail track is literally 10 feet above the restaurant’s drink station. During a 30-minute meal, you’ll watch the entire monorail resort fleet travel right above you. For this reason, I’d suggest that you sit on the opposite side of the restaurant away from the monorail tracks. You’ll get to watch the trains go by without having to strain your neck.
Even if you’re not a fan of the monorail – which would make me sad – you’ll still love the ambience at Contempo Cafe. It’s situated beside Chef Mickey’s, the most joyous restaurant experience at Disney and maybe the entire planet. While you eat at Contempo Cafe, you’ll be treated to the raucous laughter of children having the time of their lives. What’s better than that?
The Breakfast
Most Disney resorts feature a counter service breakfast option. Contempo Cafe is one of the best ones due to its location and selection. Since it’s never more than an elevator or monorail ride away, you can quickly access it from anywhere on the monorail. You can even grab a bus to Magic Kingdom and then walk a few hundred steps straight to the resort. In other words, this particular resort is easily accessible for everyone.
The food options here are terrific. Contempo Cafe has some novel menu selections such as a Grilled Breakfast Sandwich that has egg, ham, and cheese. There’s also a Scrambled Hash Bowl with bacon, sausage, potatoes, and eggs as components. These aren’t your normal breakfast offerings, although the restaurant has some of those, too. You’ll find Mickey Waffles, Steel-cut Oatmeal, and Pancakes on the menu.
I’ve previously mentioned that Contempo Cafe has my favorite shared breakfast. The Bounty Platter is an ideal selection for couples spending the day at a Disney theme park. It contains a hearty mix of bacon, breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, pork sausage, seasonal fruit and a mini-Mickey Waffle. You can order this meal to split, guaranteeing that neither one of you fills up too much before an active morning. Plus, it works well if one of you eats healthier than the other. It’s a nice mix in this regard. My family generally gets a Bounty Platter at least every other day we’re at Disney.
The Sandwiches and Flatbreads
During lunch and dinner, the menu emphasizes lighter fare. You’ll find wide array of sandwiches on display. The best of them is the Concourse Cuban, a delectable pork and ham offering that does the Cuban sandwich concept proud. The “Chicago-style” Italian Beef Sub is fantastic, too, primarily because of its Crusty Baguette with Seasoned Jus. You will want to dip it a lot.
The other popular menu items here are the flatbreads. Sure, you’ll find a lot of these at Disney’s counter service restaurants. Contempo Cafe is in demand for its diametrically opposed offerings. You can buy a Vegetarian Flatbread highlighted by hummus and arugula, or you can defy healthy eaters by ordering the Meat Lovers’ Flatbread instead. That one has Italian sausage, pepperoni, and smoked bacon and is a satisfying concoction for those of us who can’t live off of arugula.
PhotoCredit: DisDining.com
The Grab ’n’ Go Options
Counter service restaurants have a reputation as grab-and-go meals. Sometimes, however, guests prefer a more literal iteration of the concept. They want something they can grab out of a refrigerator and take with them as they head to the park.
Contempo Cafe is a functional grocery store for this stuff. You can look at the official site to see what I mean. They have a wide assortment of wraps, and it’s this place rather than the nearby Fantasia Market that will keep you fed during a stay at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. As far as Quick Service restaurants go, Contempo Cafe is tough to beat. It’s reason enough to tilt the scale toward a stay at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
