Should Breakfast at Garden Grill be the Start of your EPCOT Day?
I recently had a chance to check off a Disney dining experience that I’ve had on my list for quite some time. It’s moments like these that constantly refuel my pixie dust meter. Walking into a Disney restaurant or dining experience that you’ve always had your eye on is the literal best. Ready to join me for breakfast at EPCOT’s Garden Grilly Restaurant ? Let’s go!
First things first, let’s address the elephant in the room: breakfast in EPCOT can be tricky. There are only two dining locations that serve breakfast in the park: Garden Grill, located in The Land pavilion, and La Crêperie de Paris, located in the France pavilion. To get to begin your EPCOT day in a classic restaurant like Garden Grill seemed like a fabulous thing to do. Spoiler alert: it was.
As you enter The Land pavilion, you’ll see Garden Grill Restaurant directly across the expanse in front of you. It’s a revolving restaurant, which, since childhood, is always tops in my book. Part of the rotation of the restaurant will have you overlooking two of the scenes from the Living with the Land attraction, which is one of the coolest things ever for an old-school EPCOT fan like me.
Both breakfast and lunch/dinner at Garden Grill are served family style. I know not everyone is down with sharing and passing plates and skillets and such, so it’s good to know this before you get into the situation. The meal is also all-you-care-to-enjoy; you may request more of any of the items throughout your meal. Come hungry to get your money’s worth, friends.
The meals here in Garden Grill are also character dining experiences. You’ll have the chance to meet and greet with Farmer Mickey, Pluto, and Chip and Dale. Mickey’s overalls and brown shoes are the cutest. The character interactions were so much fun, and each moment with a character felt relaxed and enjoyable.
The meal begins with your beverage choices. Milk (plain and chocolate), juices, coffee, tea and soda are all included in your menu. Adult beverages are available at an additional charge.
Sliced watermelon (which was delicious) and the new rendition of what used to be Chip and Dale’s Sticky Bun Bake will land on your table next. The Sticky Bun Bake was a thing of Disney dining legend. Since returning post-pandemic, the sugary treat has changed to be more of a caramel cinnamon loaf-type pastry. I found it to be quite dry, unfortunately.
My biggest suggestion for this new rendition is that they serve it with a glaze on the side that can be poured on top by guests at the table. It’ll help with the lack of moisture, and it might just delight guests so much that they overlook the fact that it’s a pretty dry dish.
Your skillet will be the next thing to land on your table, and it features breakfast staples that you already love and some that you might not realize you need to love. Each “frying pan” includes scrambled free-range eggs, smoked bacon, skillet potatoes, Mickey waffles, and Backyard Grilled Steak with Farmer’s Ranchero sauce.
I enjoyed everything in the skillet, but the stand out was the cheesy shredded potato casserole-like Skillet Potatoes. Creamy for days and incredibly cheesy; these things were perfect. The Backyard Grilled Steak was delicious, and I enjoyed the Farmer’s Ranchero Sauce much more than I do the Chimichurri sauce that adorns the steak during lunch and dinner.
Each guest is presented with an autograph card upon paying their final check at the restaurant, and all in all, I must say that breakfast at Garden Grill is an incredible way to begin your EPCOT park day. I’m delighted to have had the chance to try it!
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