Trail’s End Restaurant at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground has officially reopened!

And we’re so happy because we’re starting to see many of our favorite restaurants at Disney World reopen, including ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Citricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, and Tusker House Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

We were at Trail’s End Restaurant on opening day for both breakfast (and dinner)! But how does it compare now that breakfast has been switched from a buffet to family-style all-you-care-to-eat meal? Well, let’s dive into our review and see!

Atmosphere

When we arrived, we checked in at the check-in desk.

The atmosphere of Trail’s End is similar to what you see throughout Fort Wilderness — it’s rustic and meant to make you feel like a real pioneer on the mighty frontier! Yee-haw!

The theming here is ON POINT — and don’t be surprised if you see an animal head on the wall staring at you during your meal. Other memorabilia also help set the mood — wagon wheels, old American flags, cauldrons hanging from the ceilings, and more. The exposed beams on the ceiling are also a nice touch.

When we sat down, our table was already set with plates, a cup for coffee, napkins, and silverware. There was also a card with a QR code to scan for the breakfast menu.

Paper menus are also available upon request.

An Allergy-Friendly Menu is also available.

If you do plan on dining at Trail’s End, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get here. If you’re driving to Fort Wilderness, you’ll still have to park and then take a bus to get to the Settlement section of the resort, where you will walk to Pioneer Hall. It is a bit of a trek.

Eats

So let’s look at the food! As previously mentioned the new menu here is now family-style. (Sound familiar? Pretty much all buffets that have reopened have shifted to this model of dining.) Breakfast is $19.99 per adult and $11.99 per child. Note that if you’ve dined here before, this new menu has far fewer options than the previous buffet offerings — and that could factor into your decision if you’re planning on eating here. It IS still all-you-care-to-eat, but you’ll need to let your server know if you want seconds, thirds, fourteenths of anything.

There are several cocktail options available for breakfast: a Pioneer Mimosa, a regular Mimosa, and a Bloody Mary. 

We chose to go with the Pioneer Mimosa for $13, which is made with Orange Juice, Passion Fruit, Guava Juice, and Paul Cheneau Lady of Spain Cuvée. Recognize those first three ingredients — it’s POG juice! We love this fruity breakfast combo in all of its forms and names around Disney World. And how can you go wrong with a bubbly version of POG juice? Worth 13 bucks? Prob not, but it was a nice way to start our day and, when in Disney World, expect to shell out the dough even for juice and bubbles.

For starters, you get a Pastry Basket with a Croissant, a Whole-Grain Croissant, a Sticky Bun, a Blueberry Muffin, and Homemade Strawberry Honey Butter. Now let us repeat that last part — STRAWBERRY HONEY BUTTER. Let’s just say we dipped into this butter a LOT during our meal. Keep in mind, we were breakfasting for one but if you have more guests in your group, your portions will scale accordingly (so no fighting for the lone sticky bun!).

We thought the pastry basket was not only perfectly sized but also offered a good variety of breads. We only took a few bites of the Blueberry Muffin and Sticky Bun, but they were both fine — we think those would be real kid-pleasers. Note that the Sticky bun has pecans, though!

We especially liked the croissant. But the croissant PLUS the strawberry honey butter? Well, that was just Disney magic. There’s an awesome sweet-salty combo going on here we were really into.

Next up was the Berry-Granola-Yogurt Parfait, which was quite enjoyable and had a variety of fruits, including Strawberries, Blueberries, Grapes, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, and Watermelon over Vanilla Yogurt. We loved the bites with watermelon.

Everything tasted super fresh and the fruit was delicious. The granola was on the sparse side, but also added a nice crunch. 

Finally, it was time for a proper Disney breakfast — and you know what that means! MICKEY WAFFLES! The Breakfast Skillet includes Eggs, Mickey Waffles, Bacon, Sausage, and Cheesy Potato Casserole served with Table Syrup. It’s all served in what is essentially a small metal pot.

The Mickey waffles were PERFECT and tasted great with the syrup. BUT…and we know you saw this coming – we used some of that Strawberry Honey Butter on them, and THEY WERE EVEN BETTER.

The Eggs were nothing special — they were seasoned, but we added a little extra salt and pepper to them from the shakers on the table. But the Cheesy Potato Casserole. Oh the Cheesy Potato Casserole was EXCELLENT. It was mostly shredded potatoes, but there were some larger potato chunks mixed in, too. It was VERY cheesy and you know that makes it a win for us! A couple spots like Chef Mickey’s and Olivia’s Cafe serve up cheesy potatoes similar to this and, honestly, we’re usually a BIG fan!

The Bacon and Sausage were also really good, especially since some of the syrup made its way onto both and so we had that whole savory and sweet thing going on, which we LOVE. Thank goodness for a mason jar full of sweet syrup for the table.

Nosh or Not

Make your way over to Trail’s End if…

• You’re staying at Fort Wilderness and looking for a sit-down breakfast nearby. Your options are limited here.
• You don’t care for character breakfasts but still want the boatload of food that typically comes with them.
• You’re looking for a reason to finally check out Fort Wilderness (if you’ve never been!).

Skip Trail’s End if…

• You don’t want to travel too far for breakfast. Unless you’re already at Fort Wilderness, it’s an EVENT to get out here at times.
• You prefer character breakfasts. We’d recommend Chef Mickey’s over at the Contemporary instead.
• You want a quick breakfast to go. This isn’t the place to “pop-in” for a quick bite.

Overall

Here’s the thing — we think Trail’s End is one of Disney World’s hidden gems. The food here is consistently good, and although the menu has been pared back a bit from the previous buffet offerings, it’s still solid breakfast fare that is sure to please just about everyone in the family. Is it the fanciest breakfast you’ll have? No way. It’s very basic breakfast staples, but that’s OK at times. If you want a reliable sit-down breakfast in Disney World, this will fit the bill. There’s no flash or characters like other spots, but the rustic charm of the location stands on its own.

But we have to say this — it is a bit of a journey to get here, so it’s not exactly convenient for guests not staying in the area. Even for guests AT Fort Wilderness, navigating the internal buses to get from A to B at the resort can be tough. But for those who are, this is a good amount of quality food at a great value. Seriously — the adult price is dangerously close to how much we paid for a POG juice mimosa! This breakfast is incredibly affordable for an all-you-care-to-eat meal, especially considering the closest comparable breakfasts are hovering closer to 23-25 bucks per person. 

Trail’s End continues to be one of those sit-down dining spots that is very “if you know, you know” type thing. It has diehard fans just as much as it probably has guests who have NEVER heard of it! If you don’t frequent the more rustic side of Disney World accommodations (AKA sleeping in a cabin, RV, or tent!) this might be YOUR first exposure to the world of Trail’s End! Still, it stands that if you’re more into solid food than characters for breakfast and you’re looking for a great value at a sit down meal, Trail’s End is a solid bet (if you can find it!).

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What do you think? Have you had a chance to try out Trail’s End’s new breakfast yet? Let us know in the comments!

The post Review: Should You Venture Into the Woods For All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast in Disney World? first appeared on the disney food blog.