Knowing that Carnation Cafe was going to be closing for renovation starting January 5th, I wanted to squeeze in one more meal to hold me over for the next 6 months or so.

My family and I decided to brave the park (with a dining reservation of course) on New Year’s Eve day for Carnation Cafe breakfast, which surprisingly we had never experienced there before. It’s hard for me to believe that we’d never had breakfast at one of our favorite table service restaurants, but then again, we are rarely at the park in the morning.

Right after checking in, I noticed that Chef Oscar was working, which made my morning. His 55 Years of Service Party was just the day before, so I wasn’t sure if he’d be in or not. I couldn’t wait to talk to him about his big day, but first, time to be seated and order!

Eats

I’d heard for a long time that the Cafe Cinnamon Roll French Toast is a must have.  The description alone had me sold on it. Cream Cheese Icing? Yes please.

However, knowing that this was probably way too rich for me to finish alone along with the fact that three out of the four of us wanted to try it, my family decided to order it as a “fifth” meal to share. A perfect way to try something!

When the Cinnamon Roll French Toast came out, it looked just as good as it sounded: Lightly Grilled Cinnamon Roll Coated in Egg Batter Topped with Cream Cheese Icing and Powdered Sugar served with Maple Syrup & Smoked Bacon or Sausage Links.  We ordered ours with bacon.  And as an added bonus, a bit of fresh fruit is included too!

My family decided to opt out on the butter and went straight for the cream cheese frosting and syrup.  Let me tell you, if you like cinnamon rolls at all, in the least bit, you would LOVE this dessert…I mean breakfast dish.  As soon as we added the frosting and syrup, we dug in to a soft sweet ooey gooey heaven. Just look at this photo, yum, right?

For my “main” breakfast entree, I went with the Croissant Benedict: Poached Eggs with Honey Ham on an Open Faced Croissant with Hollandaise served with Cafe Breakfast Potatoes.

I am a huge Eggs Benedict Fan, so I am always open to try a new “version,” and I’ve never had them on a croissant. The potatoes were also really tasty; cooked and seasoned just right.

Everything about the Benedict was perfect. The croissant was soft and fresh, the ham was sweet and the egg was cooked just right.  The sauce was also done well, not too runny, and really flavorful.

My husband ordered the Croissantwich, a Flaky Croissant filled with Scrambled Eggs, Cheddar, Honey Ham served with fresh fruit.  He enjoyed it, but said it was nothing spectacular.  I think he secretly wished he had ordered the Apple Pancakes or Oscar’s Choice: The Cafe Scramble!

Next up, a Disneyland breakfast isn’t complete without the uber famous Mickey Waffle.  My 10 year old ordered the large Mickey Shaped Waffle, which came with the choice of Smoked Bacon or Sausage Links.  He went for the bacon, extra crispy. It also came with a cup of grapes and a strawberry.

My 7 year old ordered the Mickey’s Junior Waffles off of the kids menu.  It came with two mini Mickey waffles and some fruit. We were nice and shared our bacon!

Chatting with Chef Oscar

During our meal, Chef Oscar came over for a visit. I was able to chat with him about his 55 Years of Service Party that was the day before. He had a smile from ear to ear while telling me about his special pin and the trophy that was made “just for him” (party coverage can be found here).

He told me that he’d soon be working over at the new Jolly Holiday Bakery, and when the construction was finished at Carnation Cafe, he’d be back on the job there!

On our way out I asked if I could keep a menu and have Oscar sign it for me. I was told yes, yay!

Carnation Cafe Refurbishment Details

I also chatted with our server about the remodel of Carnation Cafe. She told us that the restaurant would be taking over all of the indoor area of Blue Ribbon Bakery for indoor restaurant seating.

All current Cafe employees will be temporarily transferred to other restaurants including Ariel’s Grotto and the new restaurant opening in The Carthay Circle Theatre.

She also told us that Carnation employees don’t know all of the details about the new menu, but she was very excited to share the news that the new menu will have french fries! A long time complaint at the Carnation Cafe has been “What? No fries here?”

There will also be restaurant style hamburgers and milk shakes added to the menu.  Another tip? A few menu staples will remain (please keep the Loaded Baked Potato Soup!), but it’s a possibility that soups and sandwiches will be moved to the new Jolly Holiday Bakery.  I guess we’ll find out in June or July!

Overall, I am really mad at myself that after all these years, this was our first breakfast at Carnation Cafe. We’ve totally been missing out. You can bet that we’ll be back for the grand re-opening this Summer.  See you soon Carnation Cafe!

Did you get a chance for one last meal at Carnation Cafe? What’s your favorite breakfast item? Let us know in the comments section below!

Heather Sievers is the Disney Food Blog’s Dining in Disneyland columnist. See more of her columns here!