There are all kinds of dining options at Disney World, from fancy table service restaurants to quick snacks. But there’s one specific experience that you CAN’T have right now!

Tea time at the Grand Flo!

Afternoon Tea used to be a staple at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, where guests would visit the Garden View Tea Room to indulge in different flavors of tea, savory snacks, and miniature desserts. But the tea room has been closed for a couple of YEARS now, so where can you go for an Afternoon Tea experience in Disney World? Never fear — another spot is opening soon that will host a very similar event.

We visited the Garden Tea Room before it closed and tried out the different drinks and snacks there. It was a great experience, and we thought it’d be especially fun for brunch, celebrations, or a kids’ party (if any of your little ones want a fancy princess-type event!). But the tea room closed when the parks shut down due to COVID-19, and it still hasn’t reopened.

Garden View Tea Room

But don’t panic! There’s a NEW restaurant coming to Disney World, and it’ll have an Afternoon Tea service for all your fancy events needs. The Cake Bake Shop is opening at Disney’s Boardwalk sometime in 2023 (it’ll be located where the ESPN Club used to be).

This restaurant will have both a table service restaurant and a counter service bakery. Part of the table service restaurant will be an Afternoon Tea.

Cake Bake Shop in Progress

In an exclusive interview with The Cake Bake Shop’s founder and owner, Gwendolyn Rogers, we learned that Afternoon Tea is an important part of the Cake Bake Shop restaurant in Carmel, Indiana. She said that one of the most important parts of the experience is the environment: “You feel like you’re in a magical environment, and I think that feeling is a huge part of that.”

More views of the seating at the Cake Bake Shop in Indianapolis

Of course, the food and drinks matter too! Rogers said, “The food we serve in the Afternoon Tea is great. Anything we make for any restaurant is made from scratch, by hand, with the best ingredients that I can find anywhere. That’s another thing that separates us from some other Afternoon Tea services — we’re really good at pastry, there are beautiful little desserts on the trays, and it’s just a beautiful experience.”

Marie Antoinette Macaron at The Cake Bake Shop

At the Carmel, Indiana, location, Afternoon Tea is about a 2-hour experience, so we may be able to expect something similar at the Disney World location when it opens sometime this year. Rogers noted that the experience is super popular and warned that you’ll want to get reservations in advance in order to ensure that you can participate when you visit in Disney World.

Dining room at the Indiana location

The menu for The Cake Bake Shop location at Disney’s Boardwalk hasn’t been released yet, but we can scope out the Afternoon Tea menu at the Carmel, Indiana, location to see what might come to Disney.

Bakery display case

The Cake Bake Shop’s website states that the restaurant offers a “one-of-a-kind experience” that honors the tradition of Afternoon Tea from 19th century England. There are options for Afternoon Tea with or without champagne, and you can also choose a version of the Tea for kids. The prices at the Indiana location are $80 for Afternoon Tea with Champagne, $65 for Afternoon Tea without Champagne, and $45 for Afternoon Tea for Children.

©The Cake Bake Shop

The adult version of Afternoon Tea includes freshly baked scones with clotted cream, butter, and jam as well as finger sandwiches (herbed goat cheese with cucumber, egg salad, and chicken salad) and a variety of “mini decadent desserts.” The tea here is Dammann Frères tea. The kids’ menu includes the scones, finger sandwiches (peanut butter & jelly, ham & brie, and turkey & gruyére cheese), and mini desserts. Kids can choose between tea or hot chocolate.

©The Cake Bake Shop

Again, note that these are the menus and prices for the Carmel, Indiana, location, so things may be different at the Disney World location.

©The Cake Bake Shop

If you can’t get a reservation for The Cake Bake Shop in Disney World, never fear — this spot will also have a walk-up counter with bakery items, so you can still enjoy the incredible desserts.

Cakes at the Cake Bake Shop in Indianapolis

Want to learn more about The Cake Bake Shop? Check out these posts:

• Why The New Cake Bake Shop Could Be the IT Place to Host Private Events
• Exclusive Interview with Gwendolyn Rogers, Owner of The Cake Bake Shop
• MAJOR UPDATE on The Cake Bake Shop, Coming to Disney World

We’ll be watching for more news about the opening of The Cake Bake Shop in Disney World, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest updates!

Check out our FULL REVIEW of one of the current Cake Bake Shops in Indianapolis here!

Are you planning to visit The Cake Bake Shop when it opens this year in Disney World? Let us know in the comments.