Although you can find some really good food in Disney World’s theme parks, some of the BEST food at the resort is hiding at the hotels, and that’s where you’ll find many of our faves. Now, one restaurant we often return to is Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, but it’s been closed since July.

Well, we’ve got some good news. The Grand Floridian Cafe has finally reopened, and we’re checking it out, including new food and beverages! So let’s start by taking a peek inside to see what’s changed.

The restaurant has been refreshed with a fresh coat of paint here and there and some new details, and it’s starting to reflect part of that new look we recently saw when the hotel’s lobby was refurbished.

When we walked up, we saw the menu posted outside the restaurant, but you can also find it on the My Disney Experience app.

Everything is looking bright, shiny, and almost like new inside. The dining room features some new green accents, updated carpet, new booth colors, and updated lighting sconces.

You’ll also see fresh flowers.

The tables and chairs have also been refreshed.

We went for lunch, but we want to note that the restaurant used to have a daily brunch, but now the menu is split between breakfast and lunch. The lunch menu has also changed and features returning items, but also some new items. For example, you can still get the Caramelized Onion Soup Gratin for an appetizer. The entrees part of the menu has been pared down a bit, but the good news is the Buttermilk-fried Chicken and Waffle, a previous brunch item, is available for lunch.

Disney also announced a new Apple Butter Cinnamon Roll, but that menu item is ONLY available at breakfast. But that sounds DELICIOUS, and we may have to come back for breakfast for it (and we’ll let you know how it is).

which is why we had to order some things to try them out. We started with the Loaded Steak Fries with sour cream, bacon jam, and chives for $12. As far as steak fries go, these are PERFECT: crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and well-seasoned. The bacon jam is sweet, salty, and smoky for a great flavor, while the sour cream with the chives adds a nice balance.b

We also loved the size of this appetizer. It’s perfect for one person to make a meal out of it, but also shareable if you’re just having it as an appetizer. Yeah, we’re already wanting to eat more of these, y’all.

The Buttermilk-Fried Chicken & Waffle for $27 has a hand-breaded chicken breast on a waffle with hot honey. This dish is ICONIC and we’re so happy it’s still available although the restaurant no longer has a brunch. It’s chicken and waffles, and when done right…well, this right here is chicken and waffle DONE RIGHT. What makes it even better, though, is that it’s a Mickey waffle! We love all those little nooks and crannies in a Mickey waffle that just soak up that sweet syrup, and then we can dip it in the hot honey. It’s a wonderful bite, sweet and hot and beautiful.

The chicken is some of the best we’ve had on property. It’s crispy on the outside from the corn flakes that were used as its breading, but it’s also juicy on the inside. The flavors of the chicken, the waffle, and the hot honey come through with every bite. This is one waffle that doesn’t even need butter because it’s already got all the flavor it needs.

Then we ordered the Applewood Bacon Burger with hand-cut maple-glazed bacon, pimento cheese, and house-seasoned steak fries for $25. So, we’re not the kind of people to just eat burgers in Disney World, but this one? Well, we’ll make an exception. First, the bun is buttery, and you get lots of pimento cheese (and you know how we feel about cheese).

The hamburger patty and bacon are also perfectly cooked, while the lettuce and tomato balance it all out. You also get those steak fries with it, and yep, we’re still crazy about them.

We ended our meal with a sweet treat, the Cookies & Cream Chocolate Layer Cake for $10. It has layers of chocolate cake, cookies and cream cheesecake (oh, yeah!), and chocolate ganache. You can get it à la mode for an extra $2. This feels like an adult take on a kids’ cookies and cream cake. The elements all come together, including the filling with the Oreos, the tart cream cheese, and the chocolatey devil’s food-style cake. And…that filling. Well, the inner child in us was happy, but the adult appreciated the chocolate ganache.

This might look small, but this is a VERY rich dessert, and we know chocolate lovers are going to practically inhale it when they order it, but please try to take time to savor it, if you can. We also loved the hidden Mickey done on the plate with the filling. AND it gave us more of that delicious filling to eat.

We’ll be back with even more Disney food and restaurant reviews, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

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Have you ever been to Grand Floridian Cafe? Let us know what you ordered there in the comments!