One of my new favorite spots for breakfast, Grand Floridian Cafe serves distinctive choices that make for a wonderful gluten-free meal. It’s a delightful hidden gem that we were all thrilled to discover.
How sweet are these two brothers holding hands? I didn’t get a picture of the restaurant itself, but this shot of my nephews walking past it will do—it’s as good as it gets!
A few of us had visited the Grand Floridian Cafe before for dinner and weren’t overly impressed that time, but I don’t judge a restaurant on one visit. Maybe it was just an off night.
When we planned this Disney trip over a year in advance, we decided to keep breakfasts close to our hotels. With 12 of us spread across five rooms, coordinating rides farther away was impractical. Staying along the monorail loop, including Magic Kingdom, made logistics easy—and it worked perfectly.
We gave the Grand Floridian Cafe a try for breakfast, and we were so glad we did. The meal impressed every one of us, and we even rearranged plans to return before our trip ended.
Grand Floridian Cafe Allergy Menu
The cafe offers brunch in addition to traditional breakfast items, so if you prefer salads or sandwiches, those are available too. Breakfast is my favorite meal, though, so I’m all about eggs, bacon, waffles—the classics.
Our First Visit
The moment I saw eggs Benedict on the menu, I knew what I’d order. I also added a side of Mickey waffles because I can’t resist them—especially at Disney.
I love hollandaise, and the lemony sauce on their eggs Benedict was excellent. The eggs were perfectly poached and came with a marinated tomato salad, which I didn’t try because I was already full from the Benedict and the waffles.
I make my own gluten-free English muffins at home and they set a high bar, so I can usually tell when a restaurant uses packaged muffins. That said, the muffins at the cafe were perfectly acceptable and many gluten-free diners would enjoy them. The dish as a whole was delicious.
The Mickey waffles were, as always, delightful—crispy outside, soft and fluffy inside. I’ll never tire of them.
My daughter and I were served new allergy-friendly rolls. They looked more like traditional rolls, which made me hopeful.
We found the new rolls a bit cakey and lacking the chew of a traditional roll. Personally, I preferred the previous pre-packaged options I’ve tried in the past. When you bake your own gluten-free breads that closely resemble real bread, it’s hard for packaged versions to match. Still, if the cafe made their own gluten-free breads, I suspect they’d be even better.
Our Second Visit
On our return visit, I debated trying something new, but the hollandaise called me back. I ordered the eggs Benedict again.
This time the English muffins arrived slightly over-toasted and were tough to cut through, so I removed the toppings and enjoyed the Canadian bacon, poached egg, and rich hollandaise on their own. That combination remained excellent.
I skipped waffles on the second visit, and they brought another one of the new rolls, which I didn’t try.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the Grand Floridian Cafe and I’d love to return for lunch or dinner. I’ve heard they offer impressive entrees that can be made gluten-free—options worth exploring on a future visit. All in all, the cafe is a reliable choice for gluten-free breakfast on the monorail loop.