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What’s New Around Walt Disney World: May 20th, 2015

Sure, we may have said “So long” to the Flower and Garden Festival for this year, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to look forward to at Walt Disney World! Springs moves to summer as Disney World gears up for the busy vacation season, otherwise known as the “Coolest Summer Ever”!

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And since it’s a very special time of year for Star Wars fans in particular, why don’t we start our ‘round the World tour at Hollywood Studios to see What’s New!

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Star Wars Weekends

kicked off on May 15th!

Star Wars Weekends 2015

The excitement! The pageantry! The CUPCAKES! The Jabba the Hutt Cupcake has joined the Darth Vader and Yoda Cupcakes this year.

Jabba the Hutt Cupcake

It can be found at counter service locations such as Starring Rolls, Backlot Express, The Trolley Car Cafe, and Tusken Fridge Raiders — the premiere Star Wars snack stop, located inside Darth’s Mall.

Tusken Fridge Raiders

But cupcakes aren’t all that’s in store…

Star Wars snacks for Star Wars Weekends

Like last year, several temporary pop-up bars can be found all over the park for the weekend events.

Star Wars Weekends Pop-up Bar

However, they feature all-new drinks this year. Each bar serves two out of of four drinks: The Mustafar and The Tatooine, or The Endor and The Alderaan.

Star Wars Weekends Specialty Drinks

We’ll be taking a closer look at those beverages soon, but once again this year, it’s ALL about the souvenir glow cubes: drinks come with either a Millennium Falcon glow cube or your very own mini Death Star.

Millennium Falcon Glow Cube

The Jedi Mickey Character Dinner at Hollywood and Vine and Star Wars Galactic Dine-In Breakfast returned to Hollywood Studios earlier this month (on May the Fourth Be With You, naturally). But brand new to Star Wars Weekends this year is the Rebel Hangar — A Star Wars Lounge Experience, which has effectively converted half of Backlot Express into an abandoned spaceport in the Sullest system.

Entrance to Rebel Hangar

Chips and Sith at Rebel Hangar

Blue Milk!

You can read all about this special month-long dining event featuring small plates and specialty cocktails in our full review of the Rebel Hangar!

Believe it or not, though, it’s not all Star Wars at Hollywood Studios… we’ve got some regular ol’ menu changes at some favorite Table Service restaurants to report as well. Sci-Fi Dine-In has added the Sci-Fi Popcorn Treat to the appetizer selection. It’s popcorn soup (for watching those old movies, of course!) with buffalo popcorn chicken and celery sticks, drizzled with blue cheese dressing.

Sci-Fi Dine-In

New entrees include Grilled Marinated Salmon, while the Veggie Burger got a [Read more…]

Three Ideas For an Unconventional Disney World Date Night

By Brooke 4 Comments

Call us romantics, but we think that Walt Disney World is a GREAT place for a date night!

Watch the Fireworks from the Polynesian Resort Beach!

Do You Love to Watch Magic Kingdom Fireworks From the Polynesian’s Beach During Your Disney Date Night? We Do!

But we like to take a very broad approach to date night here at Disney Food Blog. So we decided that it would be all kinds of funnnz to come up with some radical departures for how to spend your Day o’ Love. I mean sure, chocolate-dipped strawberries and Champagne are awesome, and a fancy meal is sure to impress. But more than anything, we just wanna have fun!

If you’re with us, check out our Top 3 Ideas for Your Unconventional Date Night, Disney World Style!

Swap a Fancy Meal for FastPasses

Fancy meal? Whatevs. Who wants to get dressed up and sit around for hours?? You’re at Disney — get out there and enjoy it!

Snuggle Up for a Ride on Disney’s Newest Attraction, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!

Instead of dinner at a signature restaurant, skip straight to the fun, and schedule FastPasses for three of your favorite rides together (and make sure at least one of them is a dark ride. 😉 )

Spaceship Earth, How We Lurve You

Getting hungry after all those adventures? Share your favorite savory snacks. The Lucky Combo from Joy of Tea in Epcot’s China Pavilion would be perfect!

Lucky Combo from Joy of Tea in Epcot’s China Pavilion

Or split a Waffle Sandwich from Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in Magic Kingdom.

Chicken Waffle Sandwich from Magic Kingdom’s Sleepy Hollow Refreshments

They’re definitely big enough to share!

Get the Kids Involved!

Spending more time together as a family always figures high on our list of priorities. And kiddos especially love some one on one time with Mom and Dad. So how about taking a different approach to your next evening out. Make a “date” with your littles!

One fun idea would be to split up for fun Mom/Son, Dad/Daughter “dates”. Go on separate dinner dates and let the kids choose the restaurants! ESPN Club at Disney’s BoardWalk is a great choice for your budding baseball or soccer star!

ESPN Club (with a line to get in on Game Day!)

ESPN Club is a Great Place to Take Your Favorite Sports Fan!

But save room, because you can all meet up for some ice cream later and compare notes! How about sharing a No Way Jose from Beaches and Cream four ways?? (Want more ice cream suggestions? Check our our Ice Cream Gallery!)

Split a No Way Jose from Beaches and Cream!

Top off the evening with an outdoor movie at your resort before tucking in for pleasant dreams.

Play with Your Food

Have you always wanted to [Read more…]

New! “Frozen” Food Comes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the Summer!

By AJ 7 Comments

We have more Frozen food news for you out of Disney’s Hollywood Studios! (Frozen food! Get it? Ha!) Last week, we told you about the Frozen Summer Fun Package — complete with Dessert Party!

Today, we’re back with our very first look at some of the Frozen-themed treats that you can find throughout the Park!

The Studios bunch continues to delight guests with all kinds of ways to celebrate the epic success of the Disney animated film Frozen this summer. Perfect, right? Who doesn’t love a cool breeze on a HOT Florida day?

And in addition to super cool 😉 attractions like ice skating, guests can also snack and drink their way through Arendelle!

Let’s start with a few refreshing drinks! The one that we’re most excited about is the “Let It Glow”! This non-alcoholic cocktail will be perfect for the whole family! A refreshing concoction of Pineapple Juice, Grenadine, and Ginger Ale — it comes with a fun souvenir Glow Cube. I can’t wait to try this one!

“Let It Glow” Non-Alcoholic Cocktail

For grownups, there are two fruity options that come with an extra kick — the Summer Berry Margarita and the Blue Dream. While the Margarita features the fruits of summer, the Blue Dream is a magical mix of Citrus Vodka, Blue Curacao, Peach Schnapps, Sweet-and-Sour Mix, and Pineapple Juice. And since both of the adult beverages come with a Glow Cube as well, everybody’s happy!

Summer Berry Margarita and Blue Dream at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

You’ll find all three daily from 4-10 p.m. at Animation Bar and Idol Bar.

But WAIT until you see the snacks!!! They clearly have my number with this one. Over at

[Read more…]

Review: White Chocolate Raspberry Easter Cupcake at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

By Wendy 3 Comments

Guess who made it back to Hollywood Studios this year?

The Easter Bunny … though, not in the way that you may think! Check out the ears on the White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake

Of course, as Disney food fans, I suppose we’ve all grown rather accustomed to the fact that many of our favorite foods come with EARS.

A classic Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar!

Mickey Pretzel with Plastic Cheese

Mickey Waffles

So, while it was not altogether surprising, it was still fun to spot THESE ears popping up once again in the current specialty cupcake!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes in Starring Rolls Bakery Case

The White Chocolate Raspberry cupcake – a return from previous years – can be found at several Hollywood Studios Quick Service locations, including Toy Story Pizza Planet, ABC Commissary, Studio Catering Co., and Starring Rolls Cafe. Just look for this sign:

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake Sign at ABC Commissary

This cupcake is [Read more…]

Our Favorite, Must-Eat Disney Cakes!

By AJ 29 Comments

Editor’s Note: The Cheshire Cake Cups have been discontinued as of late Summer 2015. We’ll update you if/when they’ll return (because there will be shouts of rejoicing.)Oooooh, we’re talkin’ CAKE TODAY!!!!!

Okay, okay — so technically, National Cake Day was yesterday, apparently. But since we had so much fun with National Pie Day last week, I thought it would be awesome to start sharing some of my favorite Disney cakes. (I’m pretty shocked I haven’t done a cake post before — so much goodness to talk about!)

So here’s the deal with cake at Disney. It can take many forms… . And we’re going to include a bunch of ’em! In honor of National Cake Day, let’s take a look at some of our favorite entries into the category of cake!

Gourmet Cake Cups at Cheshire Cafe

I recently discovered Cake Nirvana at Disney. Because, in my universe, eating cake is usually a thinly-disguised, socially acceptable way to consume as much frosting as possible.

If you’re giving me a piece of cake, I’m getting a corner piece, with as many frosting roses as possible. That’s just how I roll.

So it’s always pretty great when a bakery can get on board with the “Frosting is the Whole Point!!” perspective. And Cheshire Cafe at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has done just exactly that.

With their beautifully themed Gourmet Cake Cups, you can choose from a Vanilla Cheshire Cake Cup or a Mad Hatter Mocha Cake Cup. Characters from Alice in Wonderland are silk-screened onto a sweet round of white fondant and top each of the cake cups. (Sometimes. Sometimes you don’t get the characters. But who cares.)

Themed Cake Cups at Cheshire Cafe

THIS is what you get when you order. Confetti cake. FROSTING. Confetti cake. FROSTING. Confetti cake. F R O S T I N G!!!!!!

Cheshire Cake Cup at Cheshire Cafe

Yep. That’s all frosting on top. There’s no cake there my friends. And it’s glorious. Thick, bakery buttercream that’s so sugary it’ll make you sick. LOVE!

Frosting!!

I know a lot of you don’t have the love affair with frosting that I do, but for those who feel the same — you’re welcome! 😀

Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls

And how could we pay homage to cake without mentioning the original single serving cake? We are talking Disney Cupcakes, of course!

One of my favorites from way back at the beginning of the Cupcake Renaissance is still around and garnering rave reviews — the Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls Cafe!

Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

This is one monster chocolate cupcake that you must experience to believe. Well, the cake is chocolate. And so is that incredible fudgy middle. But the pile of frosting on top is pure heavenly vanilla, topped with a crown of [Read more…]

What’s The Best Walt Disney World Park for Dining?

By AJ 37 Comments

There is so much to love about the parks of Walt Disney World.

What’s the Best Disney World Park for Dining?

The rides and attractions. The sense of history — both in the parks and in the memories that we’ve all made in them. The incredible themeing that greets you at every turn.

But of course, what do we love the most? The FOOD!

I’m serious about eating when I’m in Disney parks. And I know you are, too! But which Disney World park is the best when it comes time for eating?

This is a question I get asked a LOT; and it’s always tough to make a choice. Sure — Epcot has the largest number of fantastic restaurants, but there are some snacks that can’t be beat in Magic Kingdom; and the other parks offer some not-to-be-missed items, too.

There are some seriously awesome, edible reasons to visit each park — and I’m going to share some of my favorites with you today!

Get ready, because I want to hear your point of view, too! What’s your favorite Walt Disney World Park for Dining… and why?

Magic Kingdom

Eating your way through Magic Kingdom seems to me to be one part fantasy food, and one part pure nostalgia. It would be hard to imagine not carving out a few days on my menu for some of my favorite stops here!

Nutella and Fruit Waffle Sandwich at Sleep Hollow

For brunch or lunch, I can never pass up the chance to have a Waffle Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments. Choose from Nutella (!!!) and Fruit or Spicy Chicken.

Seriously delicious — and enormous. I like to get two and split them among friends for a little variety.

Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich

We can’t go very far in this conversation though without discussing [Read more…]

New! Strawberry and Cream Cupcake Debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

By AJ 15 Comments

While hanging out in Disney’s Hollywood Studios last week, we were super psyched to see a brand new Disney cupcake that has debuted for the Summer in the park — the Strawberry and Cream Cupcake!

We first stumbled upon it while in line for lunch at Rosie’s All-American Cafe and there’s no way we could pass it up.

Just in Time for Summer -- Strawberry and Cream Cupcake

The CM taking my order let us know that the brand new cupcake had made its appearance only the day before, and that it was delish. As usual at the Studios, the seasonal offering is available in other spots as well.

I spied it at Backlot Express, and it was also available alongside other famous Hollywood Studios cupcakes like the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake and the Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls.

Strawberry and Cream Cupcake at Starring Rolls

Of course, it was a [Read more…]

Best Disney Peanut Butter Treats

By AJ 37 Comments

Um…is it seriously possible that I haven’t already written this post?!?

You guys know how much I lurve peanut butter and anything peanut buttery, so I’m pretty surprised I haven’t done this article yet for you. BUT, it’s time to correct that error!!

As you can imagine, this is such an epic post that it will encompass my favorite peanut butter treats in both Disney World and Disneyland. If you’ve ever needed a reason to visit one or the other of the coasts, but haven’t been able to come up with one…well, you’re welcome.

Get ready to crave!

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Candied Bacon Pie at BoardWalk Bakery

One of the newer PB treats that I’ve run across is the fantastic Peanut Butter, Banana, and Candied Bacon Pie. Find this incredible square-shaped tart at the newly renovated BoardWalk Bakery (read our complete review of the brand new space here.)

The pie has everything. Check out the combo of sweet-salty all smooshed together into a soft and crunchy texture.

Even though it’s brand new, it’s already a classic in my book.

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Candied Bacon Pie at BoardWalk Bakery

If you haven’t made a visit to the new BoardWalk Bakery, drop what you’re doing and go. Now. (And bring me one of these.)

Oh, and I have to show you the inside…

peanut butter, banana, and candied bacon pie cross section

That filling is like nothing you’ve ever had before… . Sigh.

Peanut Butter Brownie Creme Sandwich at Earl of Sandwich

I’ve gotta admit…this is one of my favorite sandwiches at the Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney.

While the regular sammys are great here (my favorite is the Italian Sandwich), their Brownie Frosting Sandwiches (or brownie creme sandwiches as they call them) are totally where it’s at. These come in vanilla and chocolate as well as the decadent Peanut Butter Brownie Sandwich.

PB Brownie Sandwich at Earl of Sandwich

Two super-moist, super-fudgy brownies (with chocolate chunks in ’em, too!) envelop a thick serving of peanut butter filling. And the peanut butter here isn’t whipped or light — it’s full-on peanut-butter-cup-filling.

Nice and dense, it’s the perfect consistency to stand up to the brownie. This one is a must-try.

Peanut Butter Sandwich

Ah, such an unassuming name for such a knock-em-dead treat. The Disneyland Peanut Butter Sandwich may be the perfect peanut butter and chocolate snack.

Made with just three ingredients — peanut butter filling, a graham cracker, and milk chocolate — it sounds so crazy simple. And yet, I cannot resist [Read more…]

Snack Series Throw Down: Two NEW Carrot Cake Cupcakes

By AJ 10 Comments

Welp, you know I love cupcakes, and carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts of all time. So when Disney smooshes them together, I’m a happy camper!

So on a recent trip to Disney World I was excited to see some additional Carrot Cake Cupcakes in the mix!

Starring Rolls Cafe Carrot Cake Cupcake

First up, let’s check out Cupcake Central — Starring Rolls Cafe — where all great Disney World Cupcakes get their start (or so it seems).

This was a new cupcake in the case on my last trip, and I Could. Not. Wait. to try it out.

Carrot Cake Cupcake Orange side

I will admit I was a little skeptical when I saw the double-colored frosting and Mickey sprinkles on top. That didn’t seem all that “Starring Rollsian” to me…

With all of that color and fanfare, I started to worry that this might be a bit like the Pink, White, and Blue cupcakes — a lot of [Read more…]

Snack Series: Napoleon at Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

By AJ 24 Comments

Learn About:Starring Rolls Cafe

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney World Restaurants

As you know, one of my favorite places to go for extreme Disney cupcakes is Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and my recent visit was not at all disappointing!

While I did try one new cupcake (stay tuned for a review!), I also snagged two new-to-me items that I’d never tried before.

I’d heard for months about the Napoleon at the cafe, and I couldn’t wait to finally see what all the fuss was about.

Turns out, the fuss is well-deserved…

Napoleon at Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney's Hollywood Studios

In the case, the Napoleons don’t look all that special next to the over-the-top cupcakes and fancy schmancy desserts. But ya gotta push past the first impression here, folks — it’s well worth it.

When I got my new little treasure out to an umbrella table in the Starring Rolls courtyard, it was definitely starting to show off its sugary appeal. Though I’ve never figured out how to eat things like this without making a complete mess! 😉

Side View of Napoleon

This next shot shows some serious decadence. The glaze on top seems to be a thick confectioner’s sugar glaze — kind of what you get when you order [Read more…]

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What’s New Around Walt Disney World: May 20th, 2015

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS