Foodie Friday: Grand Floridian Cafe Lunch Review

The Grand Floridian Cafe is located (as the name suggests) in the Grand Floridian Hotel. It is in the main building near the rear of the first floor. It's listed as a casual dining spot and it serves breakfast lunch and dinner. While it's listed as a casual dining spot, because it is located in the Grand Floridian Hotel, you will usually find people dressed a little nicer than you might in some of the other casual restaurants on property. Having said that, because it's in a "Monorail Resort", it is a good place to come and take a break from the parks for a bit and have a nice meal. On my last visit I was there for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the service for just a bit more (depending of course on your choices) than a quick serve meal in the parks!

Well enough about that, let's get to the important thing, the FOOD! I was there for lunch on this trip. While everything was tempting I finally settled on the Orecchiettie Pasta with shrimp. This can also be ordered with chicken or as a vegetarian dish (17.99 and 15.99 respectively). The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce with both creamy and "cheese-y". The fresh peas were a wonderfully sweet addition both in taste and texture and the bacon sent it "over the top" for me. At 19.99 it's one of the pricier options available for lunch, but it's quite filling for one and I believe that it could easily be split for two lighter eaters, or with the addition of a shared appetizer it could serve two hungrier guests.

Orecchiettie Pasta with Shrimp

My dining companion chose the Reuben sandwich. Again a great choice. The filling was more than generous, and the flavors were wonderful. The cheese was perfectly melted and the fries were hot and crispy, the two requirements for me when it comes to fries! The bread even managed to stay fairly crispy which is usually the downfall for me of most reubens. At 10.99 it's priced about the same as most quick serve meals in the park, and for me both the quality and quantity were superior to most quick service meals I've had at MK. 

Reuben Sandwich

Now dessert was another story! They have a wonderful Dessert Sampler which includes a Fresh berry tart, a Boston Cream pie, key lime tart and lemon cheesecake. It serves 2 for 10.99 and comes complete with a molded chocolate Mickey! We resisted the temptation of this and split a Boston Cream Pie! At 3.49 it was a great value and easily shared by two, especially after the filling meal we had had! (Ok, except for the chocolate Mickey topper, but that was more because I was greedy  :)  )

Dessert Sampler

Boston Cream pie

Close up interior view!

This was a perfect rendition of this fabulous chocolate, cake and custard treat complete with a chocolate and nut Mickey shaped topper! It had great balance of flavors and textures. 

Most of the time, for me at least, it would be worth making the quick side trip outside of the Magic Kingdom to partake in the atmosphere, service and food from the Grand Floridian Cafe.

Disney Dining Plan: Yes 1 Table Service credit (I would suggest using this at dinner at this location vs. lunch to maximize value.)

Tables in Wonderland: Yes

* As a side note the menu here has been redesigned in the last 2 months. The prices reflected are current as of 4/2013 and the items reviewed are still available at this time.