During my trip planning I was frequently checking for an opening to dine in the castle, as it has been more than 7 years since I’ve been to Cinderella’s Royal Table. Unfortunately I never did find an opening that fit into my schedule, however I did spot a pre-park opening breakfast reservation at another Magic Kingdom character dining location, Crystal Palace. Since it had been a couple of years since my last Crystal Palace breakfast I decided to go for it.
As you might know, Crystal Palace is a buffet-style restaurant. The buffet offers many options, so let’s get started with some of the breakfast pastries…
Carrot Raisin Muffins (left) and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (right, below)
These were called Cinnamon Pull-A-Parts…
Another look…
Chocolate Croissants…
Plain Croissants…
And Multi-Grain Croissants…
Cheese Danish…
And Plain Bagels…
Then some cold options, starting with fruit…
Strawberries
Pineapple
Cantaloupe, Honey Dew Melon & Grapes
This was a Fruit Salad (Fruit Ambrosia?) that included melon, grapes, blueberries, bananas, pineapple and marshmallows…
Next some Hard Boiled Eggs…
Salmon…
Tomato slices and chunks of Cheddar Cheese…
Next some hot breakfast options like Scrambled Eggs…
Potato Casserole…
This was called a Steak Omelet casserole…
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy…
Western Breakfast Pizza…
Breakfast Potatoes…
Smoked Sausage…
Bacon and Sausage Links…
Pancakes, fresh off the grill…
And one of my favorite things offered at Crystal Palace, their Made-to-Order Omelets…
The above photo shows my omelet being made with ham, bacon, green pepper, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese.
Then some of the Crystal Palace specialties, starting with this…
Breakfast Lasagna – Layers of Waffles, Pancakes, and Pound Cake topped with Pastry Cream, Caramelized Sugar and slices of Strawberries and Bananas
And from the Kids’ section…
Pooh’s Puffed French Toast
Another look…
And another Disney favorite that you will find in the Kids’ section here is…
Mickey Waffles
Now for my choices starting with my Plate #1…
Clockwise from the top: Potato Casserole, Made-to-Order Omelet, Bacon, Smoked Sausage, Sausage Link and a Pull-Apart Cinnamon Roll
Everything on this plate was good but my favorite was the omelet, which they fold into what looks like a burrito at Crystal Palace…
Also of note on this first plate was that the bacon was nice and crispy, not over or undercooked.
On my second plate I had some fruit, a cheese danish, and the star of the plate…
Pooh’s French Toast…
Pooh’s French Toast is similar to Tonga Toast except there is no (banana) filling. Plus Pooh’s toast isn’t as thick and dry as Tonga’s. So while I’m not really a fan of Tonga Toast, I am a fan of this French Toast.
Therefore, I had to go back for a second piece and also a couple of pancakes…
One more look, just because…
Also when I returned to the buffet line I decided to give this another try…
Breakfast Lasagna – Layers of Waffles, Pancakes, and Pound Cake topped with Pastry Cream, Caramelized Sugar and slices of Strawberries and Bananas
On my two previous visits to Crystal Palace in 2013 and 2014 I tried their popular breakfast lasagna. Though I didn’t care for it either time, I thought perhaps the third time might be the charm. It wasn’t. Though this is similar to a bread pudding (which I normally like), I just don’t like the wet, undercooked consistency of this.
So that’s all for the food. But Crystal Palace isn’t just about the good food. It’s also about the Winnie the Pooh characters…
And my favorite Pooh character, Tigger…
As far as character breakfasts go, I think this is a good one. The only one I like better is Garden Grill.
That just leaves the ratings and rankings. While Yelp reviewers have rated Crystal Palace only 3 1/2 stars, those on Trip Advisor gave it a 4. I too would give Crystal Palace a 4 based solely on its breakfast, which is the only meal I’ve had there. I actually would say it’s a 4+ (about 4 1/4) but not quite a 4 1/2. As for its Trip Advisor ranking, it comes in at #312 of the nearly 3,000 Orlando area restaurants reviewed there. Narrowing it down to just the Disney World area restaurants, Crystal Palace ranks #95.
Taste of Disney 