disney breakfast | the disney food blog

Disney Recipe from the Vault: Cinnamon Rolls from Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom

Alright guys, today we’re taking it back. Like, waaaay back! Who remembers Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom BEFORE it was a Starbucks location? Well, we do, and we think about it more than we’d like to admit.

And you know what one of the best things was about the old Main Street Bakery? The cinnamon rolls, otherwise known as the undisputed breakfast of champions! Seriously, just look at this.

Main Street Bakery Cinnamon Roll with Extra Icing!

And I know that the cinnamon rolls at Gaston’s Tavern in New Fantasyland are supposed to be the same. Well. Okay. Whatever you say, Disney.

But whatever the reason, those old Main Street Bakery ones are still my favorite. And I do wish you could still get them — and all those scoops of extra icing! Yum! Well, no matter. Because we have the recipe! And knowledge is power.

Main Street Bakery cinnamon roll cross-section!

So I can make them anytime I’d like. And now, so can you. 🙂

SEE ALL OF OUR DISNEY RECIPES ON OUR DISNEY RECIPES PAGE HERE!

Cinnamon Rolls Recipe:

Walt Disney World’s Main Street Bakery

Yield: 16-18 Rolls

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
2 packages yeast
2 tablespoons sugar [Read more…]

Review: Disney’s Aulani Loco Mocos

By Erin 4 Comments

I’m back from my first visit to Hawaii with, of course, a visit to Aulani, Disney’s outpost in the Aloha state. Since it was my first visit, I was particularly excited to explore Hawaii’s unique culture.

Aulani View

During our initial morning on site, we chose to have breakfast at Ama Ama, the more upscale of the resort’s table service restaurants.

Ama Ama breakfast menu.

The rest of the family chose to eat traditional American style food: pancakes, scrambled eggs, and French toast (can I call French toast American? :-)). But I chatted with the server, a native Hawaiian, and asked what the most traditional local dish was. She responded, “Loco Moco,” and told me that the Ama Ama version was excellent. So Loco Moco it was!

For those of you not in the know, a Loco Moco consists of rice, topped by a hamburger patty, topped by a fried egg, topped by a brown, usually onion or mushroom based, gravy.

Here’s the Ama Ama Loco Moco. (Try saying that five times fast.)

I loved the way the semi-cooked yolk and gravy oozed into [Read more…]

“The Best Thing I Ever Ate in Disney!” Breakfast!

By AJ 166 Comments

We’re back for more fun with a brand new version of our hit series, “The Best Thing I Ever Ate in Disney”!

With your awesome input, we had tons of fun exploring our favorite Disney food categories a looong time ago. But Disney keeps adding amazing new dishes, treats, and foods! And so, it’s time to revisit these questions and add some of our new, and enduring, favorites to the mix!

Today, we’ll get the day started off right just like we should — with some delicious Breakfast! I’ll let you know a few of my favorites…and then it’s your turn to chime with in YOUR votes for “The Best Thing I Ever Ate in Disney — Breakfast”!

Let’s get to crackin’! (Like…eggs. Crackin’ eggs. Get it? 🙂 )

Waffle with Whipped Mascarpone at Trattoria al Forno

It’s a breakfast classic coupled with a dessert indulgence… the Waffle with Whipped Mascarpone at Trattoria al Forno on Disney World’s BoardWalk!

Trattoria al Forno Waffles

The generous dollop of smooth, rich, whipped mascarpone topping the crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside waffles provides a truly decadent way to start the day. With espresso flavoring the cream and a light dusting of cocoa powder on top, it’s much like eating a tiramisu-topped waffle.

Waffle Topping — Up Close

And look… you can see the vanilla bean specks dotted throughout the cream!

Waffle Topping — Inside

Upon first glance, you may — like I did — think something’s missing, and you may be tempted to request some syrup on the side. Don’t.

Waffle — Cross Section

This one’s terrific just as it is.

Tonga Toast at Kona Cafe

Classics become so for a reason. In Disney food circles, classics = awesomeness (and often over-the-topness) that just about everyone loves.

Case in point: Tonga Toast at Kona Cafe.

Tonga Toast with Bacon

Thick, fluffy bread is stuffed with banana yum, before it’s battered and deep-fried. After a roll in a ton of [Read more…]

Review: Breakfast at Kouzzina in Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

By AJ 15 Comments

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

Learn About:Kouzzina

Boardwalk Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

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.

Menu Cover

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.

Entryway Decor Featuring a Hidden Mickey

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

A List of Available Merchandise

Some of the Cat Cora Merchandise for Sale

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.

Olive Oil Bottles

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.

Seating

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! 😉

Windows

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

Beautiful Light Fixture

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

Light Fixture From Another Angle

The open kitchen draws the eye, however. It’s always entertaining to watch [Read more…]

Review: Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort

By AJ 17 Comments

We are heading to the quaint New England shore today for a breakfast buffet at Cape May Cafe!

Learn About:Cape May Cafe

Disney World Restaurants

The expansive restaurant, located at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, is a favorite among guests for a couple of reasons: 1.) You get to see Minnie, Donald, and Goofy in their BATHING SUITS! SO FUN! (OK, that sounds weird as I read it over, but you know what I mean, right?), 2.) It’s slightly easier to get an advance dining reservation here than at one of the other, more well-known character breakfasts, like Chef Mickey’s or Crystal Palace.

We hadn’t been back to Cape May for breakfast in quite a while, so on a recent trip, we headed over one morning pre-park with AJ’s Mom and AJ’s Dad to see what was new.

Atmosphere

You enjoy the same open, airy feeling at Cape May that you sense throughout the rest of the Beach Club Resort. The stick-style architecture (I totally learned that from Samantha Brown back when she was doing “Great Hotels” on the Travel Channel…remember?) brings to mind Victorian beach house themes.

Entrance

Check in at the podium, and soon you’ll be making your way to one of two dining rooms — a large main room, or a smaller one adjacent to the restaurant’s entrance. I much prefer the large main dining room since it has a lot more to look at and has slightly easier access to the buffet. 😉

Check In Area

The palette is pastel, and vintage-style beach umbrellas and chairs adorn the space to drive home the seaside feeling. The colorful carpet depicts beach umbrellas, too.

Seating

Seating is comfortable, with a mixture of [Read more…]

Snack Series: Cinnamon Sticky Bun at BoardWalk Bakery

By AJ 17 Comments

Well, my friends…it’s time to tempt your taste buds yet again! You’ll remember when I visited the newly refurbished Boardwalk Bakery and ate my weight in pastry a few weeks ago… .

The NEW Boardwalk Bakery -- three times the size of the old one!

Well, here’s another gorgeous treat from the updated bakery that I’m sure you’re going to love — the ooey-gooey Cinnamon Sticky Bun!!

Cinnamon Sticky Bun

It’s OK if you’d like to take a moment to sit quietly with that picture. We’ll wait.

They had these piled high on a plate in the display case of the bakery, and they totally just CALL to you!! (What’s that one in the pic above saying to you now???) And I couldn’t help myself… . I ordered one and [Read more…]

Food Challenge: The Disney Food Blog Waffle Crawl

By AJ 17 Comments

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good Disney Food Crawl around here, don’t cha think? Let’s take care of that right now!

My friends, gather ’round — for we are about to carb load like never before!

Introducing…

The Disney Food Blog Waffle Crawl!

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Waffles are just for breakfast. But you’d be only half right! There’s plenty of waffle-ness to be had at all hours of the day throughout Walt Disney World, believe it or not.

But since this one is definitely going to challenge your stamina, I heartily recommend you plan to cover two days with this one, and enlist the help of some able-bodied and empty-stomached friends. Sharing will be beneficial! 😉

So what are you waiting for? Grab your butter and syrup and let’s go!

Sleepy Hollow Waffle Sandwiches

We’re starting at the Magic Kingdom first, since some of our favorite waffles can be found here!

When I’m looking for a treat at Disney World’s very first park, it’s pretty hard to imagine finding anything as rockin’ as a waffle from Sleepy Hollow Refreshments. And of all the amazing choices available, the Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle usually wins out with me!

Nutella Waffle Sandwich With Fruit

A fresh-from-the-iron waffle, malty and thick and still warm, is slathered with Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread. Then it’s heaped high with a mix of fresh bananas and berries. It’s big enough to share — if you want to! 😉

Looking for a more savory waffle experience? My second favorite is the Spicy Chicken Waffle, an sweet-and-spicy Asian riff on fried chicken and waffles that is nothing short of incredible. (We’ll have a full review of this one coming up soon on DFB!)

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow

You may think you don’t want [Read more…]

Best Disney World Restaurants for Brunch

By AJ 24 Comments

One of my favorite Disney Dining tips for saving money in Disney World is to exchange two meals for one — especially when you’re trading breakfast and lunch for an awesome brunch!

In the past, a main planning focus for many guests has been getting to the parks early so that they can grab fastpasses for favorite rides — or ride things before the crowds arrive.

But now that MyMagic+ is going to make reserving later-in-the-day ride times that much easier, you might be able to take a few days to sleep in — and save some dough at the same time!

So I’m adding to our Best Disney Restaurants Series and outlining a few of my personal favorite places to start the day off slow at Walt Disney World. I can’t wait to hear your suggestions, too!

Trattoria al Forno at the Boardwalk Resort

In spring of 2017, Trattoria al Forno introduced a brand new character brunch experience called the Bon Voyage Character Breakfast. And this character breakfast isn’t just about the princesses. In addition to character meet and greets with Rapunzel and Ariel, diners also get to meet Flynn Ryder and Prince Eric, making this one of the only character meals with princes!

Prince Eric

And the food is pretty exciting, too! Pastries and entrees are designed to reflect themes and icons from Tangled and The Little Mermaid, making this meal as fun to look at as it is to eat! We particularly enjoyed the Tower of Pancakes meant to represent Rapunzel’s tower!

Pastry assortment

Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge

Your African adventure begins the moment you arrive at this exotic resort and take in the splendor of the lobby. As you make your way to Boma, dark woods and thatched roofs mingle with the delicious smells to make you feel like you’ve entered an African marketplace for breakfast.

Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge

The buffet here is stocked with popular brunch options like omelets, pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, carved ham, breakfast potatoes, cereal, oatmeal, and scrambled eggs; but they also serve up more multi-cultural dishes, including African pastries, quinoa porridge, and bobotie — a type of quiche.

Seriously, you could totally go for that cinnamon roll right now, couldn’t you??

Boma Breakfast Pastries

Be sure to try some of the specialty [Read more…]

Review: Tomorrowland Terrace Breakfast

By AJ 16 Comments

Those headed into Main Street USA for the next few months will be greeted with the shuttered and shut down Main Street Bakery…

Shuttered Main Street Bakery

But never fear if breakfast is what’s on your mind.

As we reported a few days ago, Tomorrowland Terrace will be serving breakfast eats while Main Street Bakery is undergoing refurbishment and Starbucks-ifying over the next few months!

Entrance

And the fearless Erin Foster, our Disney Food for Families Columnist and Disney Dining guru here at DFB, took some time after running the half-marathon last weekend (GO ERIN!!) to check out the goods!

You can see the full Tomorrowland Terrace Breakfast Menu here!

Beignets

We were excited to see one of Disney’s guest favorite snacks pop up at this temporary breakfast spot.

You can see that these beignets are fashioned after those made at Port Orleans French Quarter resort. They’re made fresh, so you may need to wait a few minutes for them after you order.

These aren’t quite as light and fluffy as the POFQ version, but they’re a good effort. The serving came with five pieces — two more than you get at POFQ — so they’re easy to share. Also, they’re messy, so be aware — but the powdered sugar is great.

Tomorrowland Terrace Beignets

Mini Waffles with Fruit Topping

We were wondering if these would be Mickey waffles, but they’re more similar to the Belgium Booth waffles from the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

These were good, and are a very reasonable portion size for a normal human being. Syrup is available, but you have to ask at the counter — it’s not at the condiment station. I can see that being a drag if lines were long.

As for the topping, the blueberries are fresh; but the strawberries seem slightly “compotey.”

Mini Waffles with Fruit Topping

Oatmeal

This is a decent-sized portion of oatmeal, and comes with [Read more…]

DFB Podcast Episodes 8 and 9 Now Available!

By AJ 5 Comments

It’s a two-fer!

Yep — you lucky commuters, treadmillers, and general podcast listeners have over an hour’s worth of DFB Podcast to download right now! (What a great way to head back to work after the Labor Day weekend, eh?)

The eighth and ninth episodes of our DFB Podcast are now posted and ready for downloading! AND — the ninth episode has a special discount code for for our Food and Wine Festival e-Book, so listen quick! 🙂

Episode 8 — Best Breakfasts

In Episode 8, we run through our very favorite table-service breakfast options in Disney World and Disneyland (yep — there are plenty!). I can’t wait to hear what some of yours are!

Episode 9 — Epcot Food and Wine Festival Tips

In Episode 9 we’ve compiled some of our top tips for the 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival! If you’re headed to Epcot this Fall, take a listen and start planning away!

Click here for Episode 8, and click here for Episode 9. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS or on iTunes!

Take a listen and let us know what you think!

Your feedback is important to us — [Read more…]

Looking for something?

STAY CONNECTED

Disney Recipe from the Vault: Cinnamon Rolls from Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom

SEE ALL OF OUR DISNEY RECIPES ON OUR DISNEY RECIPES PAGE HERE!