On my recent family trip to Walt Disney World, we decided that a visit to the Contempo Cafe was in order.

Because guess what?

When it comes to visiting Walt Disney World for vacation, we’re like any other family: we like to mix it up with a combo of table service and counter service restaurants. It keeps things interesting, but it saves us a little money, too. And of course, it’s all for the sake of research! 😀

Besides, some of my favorite foods at Disney World can be found at counter service spots. It’s not a trip to Disney World without visits to favorites like Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian, Restaurantosaurus at Animal Kingdom, Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in Epcot’s France, and many others.

It may not be super-themed, but in my opinion, Contempo Cafe in Disney’s Contemporary Resort holds its own against any of these. Let’s check it out.

Atmosphere

You may have passed Contempo Cafe dozens of times without even knowing it — especially if you’re fond of riding the monorail to Magic Kingdom (and really, who isn’t).

It’s located right next to the wildly popular Chef Mickey’s on the Grand Canyon Concourse in Disney’s Contemporary Resort Hotel.

This is a seriously open floor plan. The Concourse really is kind of a boundary-free zone.

You’ll find Chef Mickey’s to one end, the Outer Rim Lounge to the left, and shops behind you. Low walls divide the Contempo’s seating area from the walkway to Chef Mickey’s.

It’s an area of extremes. During the middle of the day and late in the evening when Chef Mickey’s isn’t jumpin’ and the Parks are, it can be pretty quiet. Early in the morning and at dinner time, you’ll see crowds spike, and it can get pretty loud. Seating is basic and fairly comfortable. You probably won’t linger here. But you can if you’d like.

But it’s the food, and not the surroundings, that’s the draw here. Let’s check out the eats for this go ’round.

Eats

Gone are the kiosks that you used at the Contempo Cafe in recent years to order. They’re back to the old fashioned way of doing things these days — with menus. And people. We didn’t really notice much difference between the menu this time and the one in place during our last review, save a little bump in a few prices. And yep, you can still get the fan favorite Lobster Roll.

Although I <3 the pot roast here, I opted for the Bacon Angus Cheeseburger. It comes with your choice of Cheddar, American, or Pepper Jack on a Multigrain Bun and a generous side of Fries.

And did we mention All. That. Bacon?

This was a very standard Disney burger — well-done, but still flavorful. I usually can’t get past the dryness, though. The fries, as always, were great.

But my husband grabbed the Beef Pot Roast! (Of which I may have snagged a few bites.) The tender braised meat is served with Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, and lots and lots of Gravy.

This is one of my all-time favorite counter service meals in Disney World. It’s like, Sunday Dinner Good. Super tender, super flavorful. And the sides are no slouches — the beans were fresh, and the potatoes taste home-made versus “out of a box.”

We also decided to give a new dish a try, so we opted for the Chicken Alfredo Pasta. Choose from Penne Pasta or Whole Grain Wheat Pasta; we went with the former. It’s garnished with Parmesan Cheese, and comes with a Parmesan-Crusted Breadstick.

The pasta, as you can see, was well done; not al dente. The chicken was seasoned well, but was generally just standard grilled chicken. The alfredo could have had more flavor. I’m a salt lover, so this would definitely need a douse of salt for my palate.

We had a kiddo along for the ride, and he was all about the Chicken Nuggets, which come with a choice of two side items. Our little dude went for double fruit — Apple Slices and Grapes. These are Disney’s standard chicken nuggets, which, if you’ve read DFB at all, you know that I love and consider to be the best chicken nuggets anywhere. The breading is thick and has great flavor.

This was lunch, and there was plenty more snacking left to do in our day! So we saved dessert for another time. But if you have room and love sweets, DO NOT LEAVE without trying the cupcake special of the month. We shared our thoughts on the current option, the Turtle Cupcake, recently. But they’re always changing things up here! Better yet, opt for the Peanut Butter Pie.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be dreaming about this one long after you return home.

Overall

Contempo Cafe. What can you say? I say that I’ve gotta love it. I know, it’s not crazy themed with some backstory that only Imagineers could dream up and execute. But hey, it’s got a MONORAIL zipping over your head. And speaking of the Highway in the Sky, it can get you to the Contempo! That’s one of my favorite things about the spot — it’s the perfect park getaway when you’d like to escape the Park crazy for just a little.

So yep — Contempo Cafe is still a DFB favorite. And you can bet that you’ll find me here trip after trip.

But now I really want to hear from you guys! Do you love Contempo Cafe as much as we do? Leave a comment and tell us what your favorites here are!