There’s one Disney World hotel restaurant that has become near and dear to our hearts in the past few years.

Steakhouse 71 opened at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary on October 1st, 2021. It replaced The Wave on the first floor of the resort, but it brought a new charm that we really enjoyed! (And we reviewed the food pretty positively, as well!) We first tried breakfast at the restaurant on its opening day, but now we’re back in 2024 to see if it still holds up!

Atmosphere

As we mentioned above, Steakhouse 71 is located on the ground floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, right in the lobby. The entrance is marked by its own dedicated hallway and sign.

In the entrance hallway, you’ll find a Disney history buff’s dream — several pictures from the early days of the resort and the construction of Magic Kingdom. We could stand here for ages and just soak in all the details.

While you’re waiting for your table to be called, there’s a small waiting area off to the side with couches and chairs.

In the dining room, the seating definitely follows that mid-century modern feel. There are geometric patterns on the walls and carpets, and the tables and chairs are sleek and understated.

The restaurant is essentially one big dining room with a mix of table and booth seating. It’s fairly bright and not too loud, despite all the tables in the same space.

Our table came pre-set with silverware, napkins, salt, pepper, sugar, straws, and menus. The smaller tables here are fairly tiny, so keep that in mind if you have a party of two and you’re planning on ordering multiple items.

Now that we’ve explored the restaurant, let’s dive into the menu.

Menu

The breakfast menu comes with a selection of appetizers, entrees, and sides, as well as some options for kids. To start your meal, you can order fruit, pastries, or oatmeal.

Entrees include everything from a basic American breakfast to Walt’s Prime Rib Hash to seasonal pancakes. They also have eggs benedict, multiple omelet options, and avocado toast.

For sides, you can get bacon and cheddar grits, bacon, sausage, chicken sausage, or breakfast potatoes. And of course, don’t forget to check out Steakhouse 71’s signature beverages, including the breakfast cocktails.

Eats

We grabbed a variety of items from the menu so we could get the full taste of the restaurant’s offerings. Let’s dive in!

The 1971 Sunset is made with Herradura Reposado Tequila, tropical juices, rosemary, and house-made grenadine for $15. It’s a great option for those who want something tropical and fruity to kick off the meal.

We also ordered the Curious Cold Brew, which is Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Joffrey’s Coffee Cold Brew, maple, and vanilla bean cream. It’s $15 as well, and our reporter who tried this drink said it was really strong on the alcohol flavor, which wasn’t exactly ideal for breakfast time. We wish it tasted more like coffee.

After that, we kicked off the eating with the Fresh-baked Breakfast Pastries for $10. Our tray came with some muffins, strudels, and a large croissant. They were fairly good, but also pretty simple. We don’t know that we’d go out of our way to recommend these, unless you’re just a massive pastries fanatic.

For our entrees, we tried two of the classics. First up was Walt’s Prime Rib Hash, which is seared prime rib, fried potatoes, carmelized onions and peppers, and topped with a fried egg. You can order this entree for $18.

This is mostly meat and potatoes, but there’s a lot of flavor from the onions and peppers that comes through. This is an incredibly hearty meal, so if you want something heavy and decently portioned to start off your day, we’d recommend it!

Our other choice was the Seasonal Pancakes for $15. These change flavors with the season and come with your choice of bacon, pork sausage, or chicken sausage.

During this visit, we were given buttermilk pancakes topped with strawberries and whipped cream. The whip on top was incredibly thick, almost cream cheese-like in texture. It didn’t even melt when we smothered it in syrup!

The flavors were great here, but we were really hoping for more strawberries to top it off. We got bacon on the side, which was very crispy and delicious (as Disney bacon usually is!).

So how did Steakhouse 71 breakfast fare overall?

Overall

In the end, we really enjoyed our meal here, but it’s not exactly the most standout breakfast in all of Walt Disney World. The options on the menu are fairly basic and the prices aren’t bad, but nothing is incredibly original or unique. However, that might be exactly what you’re searching for!

The food is all delicious and this would be a great spot to stop for a meal before a trip to Magic Kingdom or on your off day from the parks. We think picky eaters would be big fans!

Nosh or Not?

Enjoy an early morning meal at Steakhouse 71 if…

• You have a party of picky eaters. The menu options are pretty basic, so we think this would please those who aren’t as adventurous.
• You want a sit-down breakfast on a slightly tighter budget. Many of the sit-down breakfast options in Disney World are character meals or buffets, and this is significantly cheaper than what you’d find at those spots.

Skip the Steakhouse breakfast and dine elsewhere if…

• You’re in a rush in the morning. Since this is a sit-down meal, it’s definitely going to take some time out of your morning. We wouldn’t recommend cramming it in if you’re in a hurry to make rope drop.
• You want adventurous and unique eats. As we mentioned above, the menu here is delicious, but it’s pretty basic.
• You just want to eat at Steakhouse 71. In general, we prefer lunch and dinner at Steakhouse 71 to breakfast. If you only want to eat one meal at the restaurant, go later in the day!

That’s a wrap on our visit to Steakhouse 71! Thanks for hanging out with us, and stay tuned to DFB for more dining reviews from around Disney World.

Click Here to Check Out Our Dinner Review!

Have you ever been to Steakhouse 71? Tell us in the comments!