Shhh.   Lean in close. We have an epic Disney restaurant secret to share with you.

If you’ve ever been to Disney World, you may have eaten at one of its buffet restaurants for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (where lunch and dinner usually serve up the same eats). You very well may have made a reservation for one meal or the other but wished you could try BOTH meals at once. Well, you might just be able to do it…if you know this special HACK.

The ULTIMATE Buffet Hack

Our trip takes us to The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom. After serving a family-style meal for a bit, buffets returned to this spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the characters from the Hundred Acre Wood are back too!

But the real key to going to The Crystal Palace (and other Disney buffets where this hack can be pulled off) is knowing WHEN to go. In late 2022, we stopped by this spot, and our reservation was for 10:25AM. Breakfast was available until 10:45AM. You might be wondering, what happens when breakfast service ends if you’re still sitting in The Crystal Palace munching away at your meal? Well, that’s when you really get the best of BOTH worlds.

Lunch service begins at 11AM in Crystal Palace, which means that if you time your reservation right, you (like us) can grab food from the breakfast buffet AND the lunch buffet all for ONE price. EPIC WIN.

And even better? During our trip, because our reservation was technically for breakfast, we were only charged the $45 adult breakfast charge (plus the cost of our drinks). Lunch and dinner are more expensive at $59 per adult. So not only does the right timing get you more food, but it also gets you a cheaper price! Seriously, does it get any better than this?!

So this is our pro buffet tip — time your reservation (when possible) to give you just enough time to grab all the goodies you’d want from the breakfast buffet, while also giving you time to explore the lunch offerings as well. Just watch the hours carefully so you can make sure (1) your reservation technically falls during breakfast time, (2) your reservation will overlap with the start of lunch, and (3) your reservation does actually give you enough time to hit the breakfast options — a.k.a. not 5 minutes before breakfast service stops.

Now, enough with the talking — let’s get to the food and more details about this place!

Atmosphere

After a disappearance due to COVID-19, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and more of the friends from the Hundred Acre Wood have returned to Crystal Palace! The characters can vary but typically you should expect to find Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore here.

Every day is a “Friendship Day Celebrashun” here, so there are festivities whenever you visit.

And of course, our Hundred Acre Wood friends are back! pic.twitter.com/K541CL4iD9

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 6, 2022

On top of the characters, Crystal Palace is just a beautiful setting for a meal. It’s right at the heart of Magic Kingdom, bordering Main Street, U.S.A. and Adventureland. It resembles England’s Crystal Palace, which was erected in Hyde Park to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. (That English connection is why Pooh and friends appear here!)

The inside is open and airy, with lots of natural light coming in from the many windows. There are two different rooms that are linked together, but the experience is similar no matter where you go. Windows overlooking Main Street, U.S.A. do have the advantage of being a little more interesting for those who love to people-watch.

Once you’re seated, you’ll receive your signature card — a staple of Disney character meals nowadays.

It’s pre-signed by your favorite characters, so you don’t have to “stress” about that during your character meal if you’d rather just snap photos and chow down on lots of food.

When it comes to seating, there are standard tables and chairs here, as well as some booths. You’ll receive a cloth napkin with your utensils, and then it’s time to eat!

Menu

There is a QR code menu offered as well as paper menus for some drink options. You can see many of the buffet offerings online.

Breakfast

Breakfast is priced at $45 per adult ($29 per child). During breakfast, you’ll find fresh fruit, bacon, pancakes and waffles, biscuits & gravy, yogurt, eggs, cereal, assorted pastries, and more.

In terms of drinks, certain things are included, like standard Joffrey’s Coffee, milk, fountain beverages, and tea. But you can also pay for additional drinks like the 50th Anniversary sip-a-bration, beer and cider…

…wine, and specialty cocktails.

Lunch/Dinner

In terms of lunch and dinner, that is priced at $59 per adult and $38 per child (reminder that a child is those ages 3-9). The buffet at lunch and dinner has seasonal salads, country-fried chicken, seasonal vegetables, desserts, carved prime rib, and more.

There are also included beverages, and beverages you can pay to add to your meal including beer & hard cider…

…wine, and specialty cocktails.

Here’s a look at the drink menu we were provided during our meal (a reminder that we arrived technically during breakfast time).

Now that we’ve taken a look at the menu in its written form, let’s get a peek at the buffet.

Eats

Breakfast

On the breakfast buffet, you’ll find…well, a LOT. For those seeking some sweets, there is a Blackberry-Streusel Coffee Cake and Churro Waffles. There’s also a more savory Signature Breakfast Lasagna.

Y’all. These Mickey churro waffles are something else!

Just gonna give you a closer look at these because…DELICIOUS. pic.twitter.com/npU4edRNZr

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 6, 2022

Get ready to say “sayonara” to your love of ordinary Mickey waffles, because these are ready to take the #1 spot in your heart. Our reporter who tried them said that they were DELICIOUS.

The cinnamon sugar crust gave the waffles an excellent crunch. Pair that with the soft goodness inside and that lovely Mickey waffle flavor, and you’ve got some real magic. Our reporter’s ultimate opinion? These are BETTER than regular Mickey waffles.   You’ve got to taste it for yourself to see if you too can be converted to the #ChurroWaffles team.

In terms of other eats, we grabbed a fruit-topped pastry, some yogurt and granola, and a bit of fresh fruit (along with coffee and orange juice). The pastry was good but didn’t wow us.

This doesn’t represent the entire breakfast buffet by any means, it’s just a sampling of what was available and what we grabbed.

Remember, if you time it later into breakfast service, you’ll need to move FAST to get those breakfast goodies before they disappear!

Lunch

For lunch, there were quite a few things available. If you love bread, you’ll be thrilled to know that there are a few different options here including Parker House rolls (designated as one of Walt’s favorites), pretzel rolls, black pepper and parmesan lavash, and dinner rolls.

In the past, we’ve found the bread options to be fairly standard, though the pretzel roll is more exciting. Be on the lookout for some honey butter or other toppings that can “save” some of the otherwise dry rolls. And ask to see if vegan butter is available, in case you need that.

Near the bread, you’ll also find some sauces to add to your meal, like ketchup, barbecue sauce, and honey mustard.

For the salad options, there was a create-your-own salad station with a variety of different toppings to pick from. Overall, it’s pretty good but fairly basic. In the past, we’ve found the ingredients to be fresh and crisp. Be on the lookout for the balsamic vinaigrette — it’s got a good tang to it!

And don’t forget to grab those croutons (and bacon if you’re so inclined).

If you’re more of a cold salad person, you can grab some of the Waldorf Salad (typically featuring celery, grapes, walnuts, and mayo). In the past, we’ve fond the Waldorf Salad to be pretty basic.

There was also fresh fruit. These are usually crisp and fresh — a nice way to balance some otherwise heavy eats from the buffet.

You could also load up your plate with some “artisanal” meats and cheeses, as well as peel-and-eat shrimp.

Now, keep in mind that these “artisanal” meats and cheeses aren’t quite as fancy as their name might suggest. Generally, there are about 2 meat options and 2 cheese options. In the past, we’ve found the blue cheese to be VERY (and we mean VERY) strong. The cheddar has been smokey and pretty good. The salami has been greasy though, and the other meat option (a bologna-looking meat with nuts in it) is maybe not what you’d consider “artisanal.”

But what about the HOT food? There’s plenty of that too! Along the buffet line, you’ll find Country Fried Chicken (with black pepper gravy and honey-Tobasco sauce — a Walt’s favorite), Walt’s Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans with Bacon and Onions (another Walt’s favorite).

We actually grabbed all three of these items to give them a try. If they’re some of Walt’s favorites, they could be our favorites too, right?!

Starting with the Country Fried Chicken, the chicken we got was a bit on the drier side and, unfortunately, hard to chew. But we grabbed a piece that was within the last batch so that could be why. The crust had a great flavor though!

Walt’s mashed potatoes were a HIT for us. These were creamy and flavorful. Plus, they’re such a great “safe” option to have on the buffet for picky eaters. Love these.

Finally, the green beans with bacon and onions had a great bacon and onion flavor (as the name suggests), which we really loved. At the end of the day, they are just buffet-style green beans, but we thought these were particularly good for what they are!

Also on the buffet line, you’ll find rice, smoked grits and shrimp creole, glazed rainbow carrots…

…cheesy broccoli, roasted marble potatoes, carved prime rib, and other savory options.

In the past, we’ve found the cheesy broccoli to be disappointing as it hasn’t really delivered a strong cheesy flavor and the broccoli has been a bit undercooked.

We grabbed the smoked grits and shrimp creole (these are best mixed together!) to give that a try and found it was delicious and creamy! The flavor was really great, but there wasn’t too much spice to it, so don’t let a fear of spice scare you away from this one.

In terms of the glazed rainbow carrots, we felt these could use a little more of that glaze, but (as is the nature of buffets) we got the last of the batch at the time, so that could have impacted things. In the past, we’ve found these to be AMAZING so try and grab a fresh batch for your best chance at getting a good one!

If you’re looking to really “connect” with Rabbit and his love of carrots, this is the dish to get.

For the kiddos (or kids at heart), the buffet has a few more options, including crispy chicken breast tenders, creamy macaroni and cheese (Walt’s favorite), miniature beef quesadillas, and cheesy pizza bread. It may say this is the “kids’ buffet” but remember grown ups can enjoy all these goodies too!

Our favorite here is usually that cheeeeeesy pizza bread — it’s a fun and more unique option at this spot. The bread is usually very buttery (like a garlic toast) and covered in cheese and pepperoni — YUM!

And finally, we get to dessert! There are a variety of sweet treats offered here including soft-serve ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, or chocolate-vanilla swirl), apple cobbler (Walt’s favorite), and fresh-baked cookies.

In the past, we’ve had an apple crumble here that has been delicious! Top it with some soft-serve vanilla ice cream and you’ve got a real winner on your hands.

The cookies are fairly basic, though one does have the 50th Anniversary sprinkles on top (so that’s fun).

You’ll also find a bunch of smaller bite-size desserts, including the Frenh silk cupcake, butterscotch pudding, s’mores tart, strawberry shortcode, and blueberry domes (some of these appear on the Magic Kingdom fireworks dessert party menus as well).

In the past, we’ve found the French Silk Cupcake to be very good (heavy on the chocolate — though it didn’t really taste like a French Silk Pie if that’s what they were going for). The blueberry mousse dome has been pretty good and just a little bit tart (with a great texture from the crunchy pearls on top). The pudding has been one of our favorites with its rich and sweet taste.

The strawberry shortcake, on the other hand, has NOT impressed us, as it has been very dense and lacking in the strawberry flavor. And the s’mores tart has been good, with a great crunch from the graham cracker tart shell.

To see more of our thoughts about some of the dishes we’ve eaten at the buffet in the past, like the Mahi-Mahi, carved meat, basmati rice, and vegetable chana masala, click here.

That’s a look at the buffet eats, now let’s hop to the drinks.

Drinks

For this trip, we started things off with a Mimosa, priced at $14. That is pretty pricey for a single mimosa, so is it worth it?

Mimosas at The Crystal Palace are on the menu for $14! pic.twitter.com/k2yEf0vZqj

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 6, 2022

Well, it depends. In terms of good news — it was a solid mimosa. There wasn’t too much of the orange juice flavor, which we appreciated. And overall, we felt like this was really good.

Is it $14 good though? Maybe not. Our reporter didn’t exactly say that this was the BEST mimosa on property or anything like that, so it’ll be up to you to decide whether you’re willing to spend the cash to grab this drink for your meal.

Last, we got the Jack Rose Specialty Cocktail, which was listed on the paper drink menu we received. It’s priced at $13.50 and is made with Laird’s Applejack Brandy, Hibiscus Grenadine, Lemon and Lime Juices, and Blackberries.

We also tried the Jack Rose! It’s got Laird’s Applejack Brandy, hibiscus grenadine, lemon and lime juices, and is topped with blackberries for $13.50! pic.twitter.com/XPTTBrYIHa

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 6, 2022

We love the blackberries on top of this one and the color of the drink. In terms of taste, we were surprised that it wasn’t SUPER tart given its ingredients. Instead, it had a nice mixture of sweet and tart flavors, which made for a great combination.

For both drinks, we’d say be cautious with the price. These aren’t exactly cheap cocktails. And considering the fact that you’re already paying a fairly hefty cost for the buffet, you’ll have to determine whether adding on the cost of these drinks is worth it.

Also, if you don’t like sweet drinks or tart flavors, you’ll want to steer clear of the 2 drinks we grabbed.

Nosh or Not

Visit Crystal Palace if:

• You want to conquer 2 meals at 1 time (and with a cheaper price) — This can potentially be accomplished at other buffets too, but it’s a particularly great thing we wanted to point out at Crystal Palace. Just make sure you time your visit carefully!
• You’re looking to fill up ahead of your big day in the parks — Filling up on breakfast and lunch food like this can help you save a bit of cash by rolling 2 meals into one. Plus, the meal is likely to fill you up all the way to dinner.
• You want a character buffet with some good eats (and some more “safe” options) — For those with picky palettes, the chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, and kids’ buffet options are good choices. Add on the churro waffles and some tasty green beans, and you can really get your fill here. Just keep in mind that it is a buffet so some things can be a bit hit-or-miss. Try to get food as it is freshly replaced whenever possible (rather than getting the last bit of the pile).

Skip Crytal Palace if:

• You aren’t a big eater — If you’d rather split an entree, grab a snack, and have a light dinner, eating at this buffet and particularly trying to conquer 2 meal services at once, won’t be for you.
• You want more unique eats — The Mickey churro waffles are unique (and amazing) and there are a few fun options on the buffet, but overall the food here is fairly standard fare. For more unique buffet eats, you’ll be better off heading to something like Boma in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
• You’re on a tight budget — By scheduling your meal during breakfast, you should be able to get breakfast pricing. But still, $45 per adult isn’t exactly cheap. You can certainly eat at other places throughout Magic Kingdom for much less, particularly if you’re willing to split food. So consider that cost carefully and whether the eaters in your group will really eat enough to justify the cost.

Overall

Overall, a meal at Crystal Palace is full of good eats (some being better than others), and some fantastic character interactions with Pooh and the gang. Again, the real key here is timing your meal to take advantage of both the breakfast and lunch buffet.

Is it the best food you’ll ever eat in Disney World? Probably not (though those Mickey churro waffles were FANTASTIC). But some options are solid and the dual buffet meals will really fill you up!

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips.

We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!

What do you think about Crystal Palace? Tell us in the comments!

The post The ULTIMATE Buffet Hack You Must Try in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.