Let’s head to one of my highly recommended breakfast spots — Kouzzina, at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn!

This casual, but classy restaurant is carries the name of celebrity chef Cat Cora, and features a menu with a Mediterranean influence that celebrates Cora’s Greek heritage.

Kouzzina has won critical acclaim, and has long been one of our favorite stops for breakfast in all of Walt Disney World. So on a recent trip there, we decided to drop by and see what was new…and there was one thing that I’m STILL dreaming about today! I can’t wait to tell you about it!

Read on!

Atmosphere

Entering Kouzzina from the almost carnival-like atmosphere of Disney’s BoardWalk, you immediately sense a shift in mood. Kouzzina has a decidedly refined atmosphere, but with many rustic touches. It’s almost like urban-meets-farmhouse.

In the entryway, there are shelves with mementos and cooking vessels. We spied this Hidden Mickey, which is a nice reminder that although Cat Cora is the chef, you’re still at Disney.

Since a renovation last year, you can find lots of Cora-rific goodies for sale in the lobby of the restaurant.

Once your name is called and you head into the restaurant, you’ll see another result of the recent renovation. Olive Oil — Greek Olive Oil, to be precise — is used as a hip decor element. Personally, I think this is a little too contemporary for the more “farmhouse-y” feel of the restaurant, but that’s why I’m not an interior designer I guess.

While the art wall of olive oil bottles provides the urban touch, lots of dark wood in the dining room brings the rustic feel to the party. Walls with dark wood wainscoting match booths, tables, and beamed ceilings. Lighter wood planks cover the floor. All in all, the hard surfaces and high ceilings can make for a loud space, but the overall feeling is comfortable.

Bright light is filtered at the windows through white curtains. It really is a very relaxing spot for breakfast in WDW! A good contrast to what you’re about to experience in the parks! 😉

Be sure to look up, too. The light fixtures are really beautiful, with an almost Middle Eastern look.

And the painted tin ceiling carries the feeling of antiquity through the space.

The open kitchen draws the eye, however. It’s always entertaining to watch the chefs go about their duties with such precision.

The warm color palette extends to the kitchen, where beige tiles and copper pots set the relaxed tone.

That kitchen was already producing some pretty amazing smells! And so, we turned our attention to ordering.

Eats

The menu had, once again, undergone a few changes since our last visit. But we were happy to see that many of our favorites remained.

Coffee lovers will be happy to see that you can still get a French press of Kouzzina’s signature blend coffee. But in addition, now the restaurant is also brewing Joffrey’s Coffee.

Now, we’ll get to the entrees soon enough, but I had to share a pretty amazing find FIRST. Seriously, it’s one of my new favorite pieces of awesomeness in all of Walt Disney World: the Warm Honey Pecan Cinnamon Roll.

Let’s just take a moment to stare at this photo, shall we?

Ugh. Remembering that cinnamon roll is like sweet torture! How I wish I lived in Orlando and could go back there RIGHT NOW!

The pastry featured a twist of rich dough wrapped like a ribbon around a cinnamon-laced filling. And the FROSTING!! It wasn’t even glaze…it really felt like a frosting to me! Ah-mazing.

Sigh. OK. I guess we have to go on with the review. Good-bye Warm Honey Pecan Cinnamon Roll. I love you.

So, since not too many of the entrees had changed since our last visit to Kouzzina for breakfast, I chose the Breakfast Skillet to see if anything was shockingly different about it. (It’s also a guest favorite, so it’s always fun to see if the restaurant is being consistent or not.)

It was arugula central this particular morning, but the greens were crisply done and flavorful. The accompanying bread was toasted just right.

Underneath all that green, the main dish is revealed. (Yes, you’re supposed to eat it with the arugula, but I wanted to show you what you were getting that was of a bit more substance.) This is basically a frittata-like mix of Eggs, covering Pequillo Peppers, Nueske’s Bacon (a favorite throughout Disney), Onions, Potatoes, and Greek Cheese.

Cut into it, and you realize that it’s not one cohesive mass; rather, it’s built almost like a pot pie. The egg mixture serves as a “crust” kinda-sorta, and those potatoes, basically home fries, are all underneath.

It’s savory, salty, and satisfying. It really was our favorite of the morning (after the Warm Honey Pecan Cinnamon Roll…whimper).

Even though there’s bacon in the dish, I also asked for an additional side. Because…well…it’s bacon. And interestingly, this is my second visit to Kouzzina for breakfast where they forgot my side dish. Hmm…I wonder if it’s me?

Another major change to the menu came in the French Toast department. The last time we visited, the entree filling these shoes was French Toast Baklava, with all the flavors you might expect from that sweet little dessert.

Well, THIS dish, now called Country French Toast, looks (and tastes) pretty much exactly the same. It’s still made with Grilled Fig and Anise Bread, and it’s still topped with an Apple Compote. So maybe the name has changed. But it tastes pretty similar to me. Maybe people were freaking out that it was called “baklava”? Whatevs. If you ordered it before and liked it, it’s still the same.

We ordered with the Chicken Sausage, which is a great foil to the sweetness of the dish.

We also split a traditional dish — The American with Scrambled Eggs and Chicken Sausage. It’s also served with Breakfast Potatoes that receive an additional kick of flavor from Peppers and Onions (the same ones that are under your skillet fritatta, basically). And the Croissant served with it was a whole grain version — different and really delicious!

After such a satisfying spread, we were definitely fueled up and ready for a fast-paced day in the parks.

Overall

Kouzzina has done it again. While I have enjoyed dinner here, the meal that I come back for time and again is breakfast. They do a really great job of providing comforting, delicious foods, but with just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting and exciting. It’s also great to see menu selections here, like the French toast with fig and anise bread as well as that delicious chicken sausage.

The skillet and the cinnamon roll were the true winners, though, on this visit! Such rich and wonderful flavors! The perfect way to start the day!

Sadly, I can’t say the same for the service here. On each breakfast visit it has been spotty at best, and this continues to be the case. So, plan for a leisurely visit if you’re headed to Kouzzina, and remember to ask for EVERYTHING you might need when you order.

What’s your favorite Kouzzina breakfast item? Tell us about your experiences here in comments below!