3/16/21 3/16/21

Grand Floridian Cafe Brunch Review

Grand Floridian Cafe, located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is a table service restaurant that offers, breakfast, lunch, and dinner options to guests. It's been several years since Brandon and I ate at Grand Floridian Cafe. We recently decided to make a last minute late lunch because the restaurant offers breakfast food (aka brunch) until nearly 2 p.m. daily. I had a total breakfast food craving and the brunch offerings gave us a chance to get breakfast or lunch depending on what we were interested in.

*This gluten free dining experience took place in March 2021. It includes information about dairy free options, as well as fish/shellfish, peanut, hazelnut, cabbage, and chicken & turkey allergies.

Brunch at Grand Floridian Cafe

COVID-19 & Reopening Notes

On this particular visit, we made reservations for the restaurant a few days before we dined there. I used the My Disney Experience app and found that there was a late afternoon seating, which we decided to book (the restaurant closed for lunch at 2 p.m.). The app worked as it normally does, and we were able to add in our special dietary needs in the app and alert cast members of our needs when we arrived at the restaurant. We were able to use online check-in during our visit, which worked great.

The restaurant itself featured many mechanisms to provide sanitization, social distancing, and safety for both guests and cast members. We were actually asked to wait outside versus inside before our table was ready to ensure social distancing. All cast members wore facial masks and some cast members also wore protective shields, as well. All servers in the restaurant wore both facial masks and protective shields. The restaurant also currently offers some temporary outdoor dining, if you prefer to eat only outdoors at this time. We actually had a choice of seat location when we did online check-in that included no preference, booth, window, or outdoors. This may change overtime, so be sure to speak with a cast member directly if you have specific preferences.

As a note, at the time of writing this review, we have been to several of the Disney Resorts, including the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Boardwalk Resort, Contemporary Resort, Coronado Springs Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Old Key West Resort, Polynesian, Riviera Resort, and Wilderness Lodge Resort along with all of the theme parks. All locations have the same protocols, as far as we have observed. Be sure to check with restaurants and the official Disney World website for additional information about current guidelines and recommendations.

Atmosphere

The Grand Floridian Cafe offers a bit of Victorian charm in a more relaxed and casual setting. It is located on the main floor of the resort and has beautiful views of the resort's lawn area.

Grand Floridian Cafe - Entrance / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

As you can see, the restaurant has lots of windows which offer pleasant views.

Grand Floridian Cafe - Seating / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

The restaurant's interior itself is surprisingly bigger than one would expect. I always forget that it's fairly long and sprawling. We were seated at a table near one of the windows in a dining room area that is fairly quiet. There are a lot of different seating styles too from booths, to large tables for big parties, to smaller tables near the windows. And, of course, the Victorian decor is ever present on the wallpaper, in the carpet, and curtains. You almost expect the turn-of-the-century John from the Carousel of Progress to be dining in the restaurant too!

The Food

Like most Disney owned restaurants, the Grand Floridian Cafe does have an allergy-friendly menu. On this visit, we were not given a paper menu but were directed to the mobile app where the allergy-friendly menu was listed.

In addition to the allergy-friendly menu, you can always speak to a chef directly for additional questions you might have about options or special diets safety. On this visit, we chose to order directly from the allergy-friendly menu as we were ordering pretty standard breakfast fare.

Grand Floridian Cafe / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

For my breakfast entree, I chose the Eggs Benedict which was marked safe for Gluten/Wheat, Fish/Shellfish, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergies on the allergy-friendly menu. This dish does contain dairy and cannot be modified, so if you're dairy free, you'll want to consider other breakfast dishes.

Overall, I liked the Eggs Benedict but didn't love it. The dish had indicated that it came with a gluten free English muffin. But, the restaurant seemed to have some supply issues, so mine came served on gluten free bread. While the flavors were all just OK, I was glad that this is an option for gluten free guests. Of course, I may just be spoiled by the excellent GF Eggs Benedict served on the Disney Cruise Line ships which I get every cruise.

The side dish of a tomato salad was quite nice and refreshing. The red onion was a bit sharp and spicy and mixed well with the sweet tomatoes and peppery arugula. I believe they also use this mix on the Avocado Toast which would be pretty amazing in my opinion. Generally, I would order this entree again, but I would probably order something different on our next visit.

Brandon ordered the classic Steak & Eggs. This dish was marked safe for Gluten/Wheat, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergies on the allergy-friendly menu. They were also made safe for chicken & turkey and cabbage allergies too. But, it's important to note that the dairy free options on the allergy-friendly menu are regular breakfast potatoes, not the cheesy potatoes shown in this photo. Brandon was able to get those potatoes instead since they were safe for his special dietary needs.

Like me, Brandon liked his entree but didn't love it. He said the steak was cooked well and that the eggs were tasty. His favorite part of the entree by far were the cheesy potatoes. If you can have these, they are highly recommended by Brandon!

Because I hadn't had pancakes in a while, Brandon and I decided to split the allergy-friendly pancakes. These were marked safe for Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, and Peanut/Tree Nut Allergies. They can also be made vegan by omitting the bacon or sausage side dish.

Both Brandon and I really loved the pancakes. And, it was the favorite part of our meal (besides the cheesy potatoes, which Brandon also raved about). The restaurant is currently using Bloomfield Farms gluten free & allergy-friendly pancakes and waffle mix. I've had this at Topolino's Terrace, and I really like the mix a lot. This is a definite must-order again dish! I am hoping that next time we go that they'll have more of their standard pancake & waffle toppings that they usually have but were not available on this visit due to supply issues.

If you want to get more information about our visit to Tiffins, we did film our visit for our YouTube channel.

Overall

We both enjoyed our meal at the Grand Floridian Cafe. Our only negative from the visit is that the service was incredibly slow despite having very few guests dining at the time that we visited. However, we both generally enjoyed our meal and had a few food highlights that we loved -- the allergy-friendly pancakes for both of us and the cheesy potatoes for Brandon. While we probably won't be back for a while, we both like that this restaurant serves breakfast food until 2 p.m. everyday which is great if you're craving breakfast but don't want to visit during the earlier parts of the day.

Have you been to the Grand Floridian Cafe for brunch? What did you think of the special diets offerings?

1/26/21 1/26/21

Narcoossee's Dinner Review

Narcoossee's, located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is a signature dining location that I hadn't been to since 2011 after a lackluster meal experience with my mom. Brandon had never been to Narcoossee's, so when the restaurant re-opened in 2020 after the Parks & Resorts had closed due to COVID-19, we decided to make a reservation for dinner to try it out.

*This gluten free dining experience took place in October 2020. It includes information about dairy free options, as well as fish/shellfish, peanut, hazelnut, cabbage, and chicken & turkey allergies.

Dinner at Narcoossee's

COVID-19 & Reopening Notes

On this particular visit, we made reservations for the restaurant a few days before we dined there. I used the My Disney Experience app and found that there was an early evening seating. We have found that eating around restaurant opening tends to be fairly quiet, which is great if you prefer to dine with less people right now. The app worked as it normally does, and we were able to add in our special dietary needs in the app and alert cast members of our needs when we arrived at the restaurant. In this instance, we did not use the online restaurant check-in (which has become hit or miss for actually working) and opted to check-in with a cast member instead.

The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa itself featured many mechanisms to provide sanitization, social distancing, and safety for both guests and cast members. All cast members wore facial masks and some cast members also wore protective shields, as well. All servers in the restaurant wore both facial masks and protective shields. In addition, there were many portable hand sanitizer stations for guests to use. We also saw cast members regularly cleaning surfaces and restrooms throughout our visit.

As a note, at the time of writing this review, we have been to several of the Disney Resorts, including the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Boardwalk Resort, Contemporary Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Old Key West Resort, Polynesian, and Riviera Resort. All locations have the same protocols, as far as we have observed. Be sure to check with restaurants and the official Disney World website for additional information about current guidelines and recommendations.

Atmosphere

Narcoossee's is located in a separate building from the Grand Floridian Resort, near the boat docks and set on the Seven Seas Lagoon. It offers great views of the Magic Kingdom and the resort area. The restaurant decor and food is inspired by coastal areas around the globe. So, you'll see these touches throughout the restaurant.

Narcoossee's - Open Kitchen / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

When you enter the restaurant, you'll see a brightly colored open kitchen (on this visit, the kitchen area was surrounded by protective shields).

Narcoossee's - Seating Area / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Since it has been a decade since I'd dined at Narcoossee's, I was curious to see how the decor had changed over the years. To my surprise, the restaurant's decor hadn't changed one bit. They were even using the same blue tablecloths and blue & white seat cushions.

Narcoossee's - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Although the restaurant is supposed to have a bright, airy, coastal feel to it, both Brandon and I remarked at how dated it felt. Everything just seemed a bit old, faded, and generally not very contemporary. Of course, there's always a certain charm to restaurant that stays the same over the years, and some restaurants really hold up well over time. But, Narcoossee's feels like it could really use a good makeover compared to other signature restaurant's like California Grill or Topolino's Terrace.

Narcoossee's / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Our favorite part of Narcoossee's theme had to be the beautiful views. If you like waterfront dining, Narcooossee's offers terrific scenery. Although they are not really doing fireworks displays right now, during normal times, Narcoossee's would be a great spot to watch the fireworks in the evening.

The Food

Like most restaurants at Disney World, Narcoossee's does offer an allergy-friendly menu. You can always speak directly to a chef about options, modifications, and customizations too, especially if you have questions or multiple special dietary needs.

Because the restaurant is a lot of simple steak and seafood, we both felt comfortable ordering directly from the allergy-friendly menu. But we always encourage guests to speak to a chef if there are any questions or clarifications needed and we do this often ourselves.

Narcooseee's / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Prior to our meal we did order drinks. Brandon had a classic gin & tonic. And, I ordered the Skywalker Vineyards Rose. If you're not familiar with Skywalker Vineyards, it's the winery owned by George Lucas. I had tried several of the Skywalker Vineyards wines on previous visits occasions, but this was my first time trying the Rose. I would definitely recommend it as the flavors were great, and it wasn't super sweet or dry. A perfect wine for a hot Florida day.

Narcoosee's - GF Bread Service — Narcoosee's / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

I was surprised when I was brought gluten free and allergy-friendly rolls, as I expected to be served the Bloomfield Farms brand, which most locations are using now. But, I was served the GNI / Deanna's Gluten Free brand rolls that Disney used to use more regularly. Both roll brands are gluten free, dairy free and allergy-friendly.

The first roll I had was moderately well heated and quite tasty. It gave me a lot of nostalgia for when Disney was using this brand more regularly. But, the second roll I had was literally as hard as a rock and inedible. Comparing them to the Bloomfield Farms rolls, I have to say I think I now prefer Bloomfield Farms due to the size, texture, and taste. They also seem a lot less likely to be improperly heated, which is important for gluten free bread!

Narcoosee's Bread in Photo is NOT Gluten Free / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Brandon was served the regular bread service -- a sourdough style bread. Brandon said it was just OK and not anything special. One of his biggest complaints with most bread services do not heat the bread making the bread not as tasty in his opinion. He tried both the gluten free and regular bread on this visit and said he actually preferred the gluten free bread overall.

As an aside, do note that while the regular bread is nut free, they do note that it's made in a facility with nuts. So, you'll need to use your judgement and comfort level when choosing to consume this bread or not. Thankfully, if you are not comfortable with this, you can enjoy the allergy-friendly bread which is nut free.

Brandon can't resist a cheese plate. So, we decided to split the Artisanal Cheese Plate, which was marked safe for Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergies. It was also made safe for Brandon's other allergies: Chicken & Turkey and Cabbage. This dish, of course, does contain dairy. If you're lactose intolerant and can tolerate goat or sheep milk cheeses, the restaurant did include some of these cheeses on the plate, so those could be an option for you.

Overall, Brandon and I liked the cheese plate but didn't love it. We both said it was fairly small for the price and the smallest cheese plate we've had in a long time. All of the cheeses were tasty, but I think we both agreed that we'd love to see more interesting and unique cheeses featured on such a pricey cheese plate rather than cheeses we can easily get at our local grocery store. Still if you're into cheese plates, you could do far worse in terms of quality, so I'd still recommend it.

Narcooseee's Bread in Photo is NOT Gluten Free / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Brandon was served some regular bread on the side to go with the cheese plate, as well. He liked these a bit better than the sourdough but wasn't wowed by either.

Narcoosee's / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

For my entree, I decided to order the classic Surf & Turf which included Filet Mignon with Butter-Poached Cold Water Lobster Tail, Yukon Gold Mash, Roasted Carrots, and Cippolini Onions. This dish was marked safe for For Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergies. It can be made dairy free with some adjustments and accompaniment swaps, so it's always worth exploring if you're interested.

When ordering Surf & Turf, it seems like this would be a slam dunk for an excellent meal. However, it was a bit inconsistent to me. The first few bites of steak were good, but I actually found fat on my filet (which you shouldn't have). That made it a bit less pleasant to eat. The mashed potatoes were good and the carrots were also pretty tasty. The lobster was probably the best part of the dish and was super buttery, sweet, and not overcooked.

When comparing this dish to the filet at Topolino's Terrace, it's a pretty stark difference between quality, flavors, and overall presentation. Topolino's Terrace's quality is so much higher that this meal felt like a pretty big let-down in comparison.

Brandon ordered a very similar dish, minus the seafood since he is allergic. He got the Grass Fed Filet Mignon with Yukon Gold Mash, Roasted Carrots, Cippolini Onions, and Red Wine-Oxtail Reduction. This was marked safe for Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergies. It was also made safe for chicken & turkey and cabbage allergies.

Brandon's filet had no issues of fat like mine did. He agreed that the dish was good but couldn't compare to the filet at Topolino's Terrace or even some other locations at Disney World. Both of us felt like the food, plating, actually matched the decor of the restaurant and overall just felt a bit dated.

If you want to get more information about our visit to Narcoossee's, we did film our visit and shared it on our YouTube channel.

Overall

We're both glad that we visited Narcoossee's to give it a try. Having not dined there in a decade, I was surprised to see how little the food and decor had changed. While our meal was not bad by any means, we both thought the food was just OK and pretty overpriced for the quality when comparing it to other signature restaurants. We'd both love to see a refurbishment of this restaurant -- both for the decor and the food. There's so many possibilities for Narcoossee's, especially with such a great location, that it's a shame to see it rest a bit on its laurels and not compete with some of the other outstanding signature restaurants on property. For now, it's not a location we'd visit again anytime soon.

Have you been to Narcoossee's? What was your experience dining there?

3/9/15 3/9/15

Grand Floridian Cafe -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

*This dining experience took place in February 2015.The Grand Floridian Cafe located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has become one of my regular breakfast rotation options when dining at Disney World. It isn't my favorite table service location on Disney property by any means (that honor is reserved for exceptional places like Boma and the newly re-imagined Kouzzina now open as Trattoria al Forno), but it provides a really solid breakfast in a quiet atmosphere that's very conveniently located to the Magic Kingdom. Good breakfast + near Magic Kingdom is a win win in my Disney touring book.On this particular occasion, I was dining at the Grand Floridian Cafe right after running the Enchanted 10K during the Princess Half Marathon race weekend. It was a super chilly morning in the low 40s, and between the race and the cold I was ready for a hot meal (and hot beverage).I almost always order the exact same thing when I dine for breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe -- the American with eggs of some type (this time scrambled), breakfast potatoes, and bacon. Sometimes I order allergy Mickey waffles in place of toast and other times I get toast with non-dairy butter. Today, it was all about the carb loading Mickey waffles!I asked the chef if they could make the seasonal waffle offering which was served with a cranberry pecan citrus maple syrup. I'd heard rave reviews about it and wanted to check it out. The chef said she'd check as the syrup might contain dairy. She followed back up at our table and said that I was safe to consume the syrup. *Note: I was told by other guests that they were told that the syrup was not safe to consume at the time they visited. Because of the seasonal nature this may or may not be true depending on when you visit Grand Floridian Cafe. Always double-check with a chef to confirm the status of sauces and/or syrups.My entree was delicious as usual. I asked for only bacon but received a mix of sausage and bacon. I'm not a big sausage person so I only took a few bites. The bacon, on the other hand, was thick-cut and delicious. If you want to avoid the standard Disney bacon, this is another location to add to your list to visit. One nice addition to the entree was a side of arugula salad tossed in a light vinaigrette. This was a great touch to the breakfast with it's mild but peppery taste.It's a good thing I had just run a 10K and was both hungry and had expended some calories. This was a huge meal. I anticipated getting 2 allergy Mickey waffles but I was presented with 4. (I ended up sharing with my family). The cranberry pecan citrus maple syrup was delicious but very sweet. I ended up mixing a combination of the specialty syrup and plain maple syrup. I don't think I could have eaten the whole thing if I'd ordered it solely because of the sweetness. Still, it was a delicious option that I'm glad I tried.Overall, I enjoyed my breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe. They consistently provide a solid breakfast entree in a fairly quiet setting (it's definitely not the bustling chaos that is 1900 Park Fare!). It made for a nice option post-race.Have you been to the Grand Floridian Cafe? What was your favorite dish?