Beaches & Cream Review
Beaches & Cream is a budget table service restaurant and ice cream dining spot themed as an old-fashioned soda shop at Walt Disney World’s Beach Club Resort. This review features some food & sundae photos, thoughts on the ambiance, and our take on whether it’s worth a stop here. (Updated October 3, 2019.)
We’ve long proclaimed the virtues of Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, and have visited countless times enjoying a range of menu options–both food and ice cream. Before we delve into that, it’s worth noting that Beaches & Cream Soda Shop is now closed until (at least) December 2019 for expansion.
We cover the details in our Beaches & Cream Refurbishment: Temporary Location & Ice Cream Alternatives. In that, we suggest three ice cream options within a 10 minute walk of Yacht & Beach Club that are worth your time over the temporary Beaches & Cream shop. You should stop reading this review and instead check that out if you’re visiting Walt Disney World before early 2020…
Although Beaches & Cream is technically a table service restaurant in that it has a menu with a number of basic entrees, most of which are solid, the real star of the show is the ice cream. This is why the full name is Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. Much like a classic soda shop, it’s the bubbly charm, jukebox, and dessert menu that puts Beaches & Cream on the map.
The dessert menu here is second to none at Walt Disney World, and the restaurant is famous for its behemoth Kitchen Sink dessert, which has garnered mainstream buzz and attention with features on the Travel Channel, among other pop culture sites.
This review could be pretty short and sweet: go to Beaches & Cream. It’s an excellent restaurant with a fun theme and the reasonably prices by Walt Disney World standards.
There should really be no question as to whether you should eat here, especially if you are not on the Disney Dining Plan (it’s a poor use of credits on the Dining Plan). Note that Beaches & Cream now accepts Advance Dining Reservations and as a result, it can be difficult to eat here now without an ADR.
In terms of ambiance, Beaches & Cream is a deceptively simple soda shop, styled with pastel tiles, and a vintage look that gives it an old-fashioned charm.
Like all good soda shops, there’s a jukebox with classic tunes that guests can play. The restaurant feels like an old-timey soda shop meets a small beach town meets an ice cream motif. If you could pull a Back to the Future style move and revisit your parents’ (or grandparents, depending upon your age) first date, this is like the place it might’ve been.
It’s the kind of place where the Father in Carousel of Progress would “meet the boys for a cold sarsaparilla.”
Very Americana. Much ice cream.
Now let’s turn to the food options…
I recently deviated from my go-to Beaches & Cream entree and ordered the Beaches Seafood Salad Sandwich.
The croissant was fresh and buttery, and the avocado vinaigrette gave the seafood salad a nice flavor, but the seafood was not plentiful. It was fine, but far from memorable, and not something I’d order again.
For a while, every visit to Beaches & Cream Soda Shop meant ordering their Angus Beef Burger. The nice toasted and buttery bun, fresh-grilled meat was fantastic.
That has changed as of late for 2 reasons. First, the price of the burger has increased steadily, going from about the price of a counter service meal to a few dollars more. Second, we discovered the nearby Crew’s Cup Lounge, which has the best burger at Walt Disney World. A burger that actually costs less than Beaches & Cream’s burger. Now, we do a progressive meal, visiting Crew’s Cup Lounge for food and Beaches & Cream Soda Shop for desserts.
The Beaches Patty Melt is a different twist on the burger, and definitely a worthwhile option if you want something different.
Still, I think the best choice is just going to Crew’s Cup Lounge. It’s a 5-minute walk from Beaches & Cream.
As we turn to the stars of the menu–the desserts–we’ll start with our story of ordering the Kitchen Sink back when we were young and reckless. This was during the “Weekend of Deliciousness” on our Walt Disney World honeymoon which also included stops at Victoria & Albert’s and California Grill, among other restaurants. (What a time to be alive!)
While planning, I had mentioned the Kitchen Sink to Sarah on several occasions, but I think she thought I was joking, or maybe she hoped I’d forget. Quite the contrary: I deeply ingrained it in my brain and fixated on it to the point that there was no way around getting the Kitchen Sink. Even if I had to eat it alone. I actually planned on only getting that and nothing else. When we ordered it, our very courteous server seemed as if she was trying to dissuade us from the gargantuan dessert, which is not meant for only 2 people.
When the sirens went off, I knew our time had come to consume one of the greatest desserts known to man.
Ladle of Chocolate Fudge, Ladle of Butterscotch, Ladle of Peanut butter, 2 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream, 2 Scoops Chocolate Ice Cream, 2 Scoops Strawberry Ice Cream, 1 Scoop Coffee Ice Cream, 1 Scoop Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Pineapple Topping, Strawberry Topping, Entire Banana, Muffin, Entire Can of Whipped Cream, Large Brownie, Angel Food Cake, Entire Milky Way Bar, 4 Oreos, Every single type of sprinkle in the house, Chocolate Syrup, Marshmallow Topping, and topped with a handful of Maraschino Cherries.
Oh yeah baby, we were going home full!
As the evidence in the above video should clearly indicate, I contributed a lot more to our Kitchen Sink consumption effort than did Sarah. Not to diminish what she did, as we both ate a lot–way too much, actually. Although we weren’t given any sort of medallions for conquering the epic dessert, we were champions in our own minds. The crowd (in our heads) cheered as we left the restaurant.
For us, with its odd assortment and hodgepodge nature, the Kitchen Sink is a ‘one and done’ dessert. Well…that was true for us until we learned about the Chocolate Lover’s Kitchen Sink, which we also just had to try to conquer. But now that we’ve done that Kitchen Sink, we swear we’re done. (Probably. Until Disney comes up with another.)
The Kitchen Sink is cooler in principle than it is in practice; eating it was a really cool experience, but I’ve had better desserts at Beaches & Cream. Nevertheless, it made our list of the Top 101 Tips for Walt Disney World simply for the novelty of the experience.
If you’re a family of 4 or so with small kids, the experience of getting the Kitchen Sink is something you cannot pass up. Your kids will remember the spectacle for years, and even if you don’t eat it all, it will be a great memory that is well worth the price.
We’ve been several times since, and although we (wisely) haven’t done the Kitchen Sink again, we have tried numerous other desserts on the menu, a few of which rate as my favorite desserts at Walt Disney World.
Options like the floats, cones, and cups are good, but we highly recommend getting one of the larger sundaes instead. (Pro tip: don’t share–even if you think you aren’t hungry enough for a sundae.)
Pretty much all of the sundaes–the Milky Way, Fudge Mud Slide, and No Way Jose are incredible.
I think the best of the sundaes is the No Way Jose, which is a giant sundae with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge and peanut butter sauces, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, whipped cream, and a cherry. Unlike the Kitchen Sink, this is in no way a hodgepodge, as all of these flavors work together tremendously well.
Continuing on the peanut butter hype train, my new go-to dessert at Beaches & Cream is the Grilled Banana Bread with Peanut Butter. This is basically the peanut butter sandwich of the gods, adding caramelized bananas, whipped cream, and ice cream to the mix. While it’s tough to beat the No Way Jose, I’d say this is the more unique dessert, which gives it the slight edge in my book. Plus, it’s super-healthy given the bananas, peanut butter, and whatnot. Bonus!
This currently ranks as my favorite dessert at Walt Disney World. Please excuse any typos in this post…I’m busy daydreaming about eating the Crew’s Cup Lounge burger and truffle fries, this dessert, and then beaching myself on an inner tube in Stormalong Bay. Best day ever.
Overall, Beaches and Cream is a quaint (as far as Disney goes) little restaurant located in the Beach Club Resort with fine food, and beyond exceptional desserts. Seriously, this is the best ice cream at Walt Disney World, so even if you don’t go for the food, go for the ice cream. Even if you hate ice cream for some reason (do you also hate freedom and bald eagles?), we are certain this ice cream will make a convert out of you. Beyond that, Beaches & Cream Soda Shop’s charming and laid back atmosphere make it a great spot to go after a tough morning of lounging around Stormalong Bay. You cannot go wrong with Beaches & Cream. Pencil it into your plans now.
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Your Thoughts…
Do you think Beaches & Cream lives up to the hype? Is it a “Must Do” for you, and if so, which dessert is your favorite? Planning on going? Any questions about Beaches & Cream? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments!
This is definitely on my “Must-Do” list for the next trip. While I appreciate the reviews of entrees, I am still only going for a giant sundae! 😉
Tom, I beg to differ with your comment that Crews Cup Lounge has the best burger in WDW. While it is very good the best burger can be found at Yak and Yeti. Nowhere else is even close.
The video was the cherry on top of this review. Well Done to both of you. How long did it take for your stomaches to recover?
I had the unspeakably fantastic experience of having lunch here on my birthday last month. It was triple awesome-fantastical waking up in Disney on my birthday, having breakfast at Chef Mickey’s and lunch at Beaches n Cream, in theory at least. In reality, making lunch reservations only a few hours after a buffet breakfast is a bad idea. I was wearing my Celebrate button announcing my birthday and the cast members were really awesome. At Chef Mickey’s they gave me a cupcake with breakfast and one for the road. How long can any red-blooded American male be in the presence of a cup cake without devouring it!? Not that long really. I also must admit to overindulging in the buffet. After breakfast, family and I spent a few hours in the Magic Kingdom and then headed over to the Beach Club for lunch. I will freely admit that having the Frozen Sunshine with my lunch was a mistake but, c’mon, it’s was my birthday! I did not feel all that well about half way through lunch and definitely felt quite ill by the time desert came but that did not diminish at all the happiness I felt when the cast member slipped the balloon string around my wrist as everyone sang! After lunch, I had to lie down on a chaise lounge by Storm Along Bay for about an hour until my stomach stopped doing back flips. After I recovered it was off to EPCOT for more fun! I skipped dinner that night though.
Best Birthday of my life!
And I’m only 52!
We tried this based on the site’s recommendation back in February (my husband felt too weird about the crew’s cup lounge–too fancy and he felt out of place, because he’s an odd one) and it was fantastic. But very busy. Wednesday night, 10 p.m., and we grabbed the last two seats at the counter.
The strawberry shortcake by the way is amazing. Would eat it again.
We ate at B&C on our last trip to WDW, and it was my kids’ second favorite place to eat (the Cape May breakfast buffet was first). I can’t believe you even attempted a Kitchen Sink with only 2 people! My family of FIVE shared a No Way Jose and we felt like we all ate enough! LOL!
I’ve been preaching this for a while, but have you tried the Chocolate Lovers Kitchen Sink? It’s the Kitchen Sink without the gross toppings. Awesome! (My wife and daughter also didn’t pull their own weight, so I had to do like than my fair share. The sacrifices we must make…)
I didn’t know they had a specific chocolate lovers version but a while back we were able to customize ours.
Kevin has mentioned this a few times, and I keep forgetting about it when we visit. That might be for the best–not sure we need that much ice cream between the 2 of us again. I don’t have the metabolism of a twentysomething anymore.
When we go to Beaches and Cream, we split 2 entrees between the 4 of us. If you tell them this, they will bring them out already split on your plates. A fave is the patty melt. Then, we have more room for ice cream! We’ve tried the Kitchen Sink but like the No Way Jose much better!!
Hi
I am hoping you can help me.
we are planning on visiting Beaches and cream next Easter on my birthday, we will be staying at a Villa, at the time so traveling in, is there somewhere to park ? is it open to non residents and is there anything else in the area we can do ? sorry for the Questions.
Anyone may eat at any WDW resort restaurant, Beaches & Cream at Beach Club Resort included. No need to pay parking either, the gate will allow you 3 hours parking to dine and even explore the resort if desired. You can visit the beach area, shops, & tour the grounds after you eat. Disney allows non-guests 3 hours, in return gets restaurant patronage & possible future resort reservations. Win/win 😀 Have a fantastic Birthday!
Great tip and exactly what I wanted to know, since we are staying outside the resort. Thanks! Can’t wait to visit this place!!
We have an ADR for B&C in Sept. I know we’re getting ice cream, but I hope the entrée quality is as you remember in ’12. How & when was your last experience there?
We ate at Beaches and Cream last summer and have ADR’s for our trip this September as well. Never would have tried it except for the gorgeous photos in this post!
It’s not a bad walk at all from the International Gate at Epcot (or you can hop the boat), but we did wander around Beach Club for awhile trying to find it (it’s next to the arcade, just wander around the exterior behind the pool).
Food was solidly good; not out of this world fantastic other than the ice cream and drinks which were spectacular. Definitely treat yourself to a Vanilla Coke!
Hi Tom! We have always been HUGE fans of Beaches and Cream and would eat there on every trip. We always stay in the Beach Club when we stay at Disney every year so it was always convenient for us to go. Even on our short weekend trips to my aunt’s house in Orlando, we would still make it a point to go there. We were just there a few weeks ago and it was our first time with the ADR system. I did have an ADR since this is a must do for us! All of us were disappointed for the first time ever! The place was pretty empty since it was just opening for the day and we had just checked into the Beach Club. Their prices had gone up since our last visit in the spring but we were on the dining plan so that didn’t phase up much. All 4 of us had the burger. 2 of us had the Angus Beef Burger ($14.99 now and if I’m not mistaken it used to have bacon on it but now does not) and 2 of us had the Beaches Angus Beef Burger ($15.49 and I believe this is a new offering). Well none of us liked our burgers. They were not the burgers that we have known and loved for over 6 years! They honestly reminded all of us of the cheap frozen patties that are served in the counter service restaurants inside the parks! I don’t know if it is the new type of burger that they are serving there from now on but we did ask the waitress and she confirmed that it is a different burger now and not the same as is used to be! We were all pretty upset with the change. I hope they end up changing it back! One positive thing we did notice was that the No Way Jose (our favorite dessert) is now on the to go menu!
I went to B&C pretty much based on how you raved about it. It’s been since 2011 but I am going to get back in there at some point this trip, somehow. The burger was the best and most fresh tasting I have ever had in Disney. The “No Way Jose” was just stupid. Don’t even make sense how good that thing was.
They have so many awesome ice cream options. The No Way Jose is great, but you might look at some of the other choices, too!
This time I will not get chocolate fudge but more peanut butter. The peanut butter texture with the ice cream was so awesome.
Colleen got some Milky Way thing that was decent.
I’d try the Strawberry Shortcake if not the No Way Jose again…
I think I read somewhere that you could get the kitchen sink “deconstructed”. Which sounded like a cool and less messy idea. So you know if they still do that?
I’ve heard that you can request this, but we’ve neither done it or seen it done. I don’t think it’s on the menu, so ask your server!
I ate here for the first time ever this week. I was looking forward to what every one calls the best burger on property. Sadly my $14.50 burger looked and tasted like it had been shipped over from Cosmic Ray’s. Quite a disappointment. My wife had the salmon sandwhiches, which was better., and the ice cream was good. But it wasn’t really worth the walk out of Epcot.
That’s really unfortunate. I’ve never had an experience with anything less than an excellent burger there, and we eat there a fair amount. Hopefully nothing changed with their meat quality/preparation, and you just had an unlucky experience…
Didn’t realize we needed ADR and we were told very curtly that we couldn’t come in because their priority was to cater to the folks with reservations. The manager just stared at us like we were too unimportant to spend her time on. We’ve always loved going there for the kitchen sink, but we probably won’t ever go back. Sad.
Sorry to hear that. We’re a bit disappointed that this is now an ADR restaurant, but given the long waits we’ve encountered there before it went to accepting ADRs, maybe it’s a good thing.
Beaches & Cream now does require reservations. One can do a walk up but will be seated at the mercy of the people with reservations.
“A whole can”?! I’ve never tried the Kitchen Sink because of the ice cream soup thing that happens halfway through but I love this place and have never had a bad meal. Unfortunately, they are an ADR restaurant now, I’m sure due to the high demand. I have a feeling that someday soon Beach Club will close their arcade next door to make way for an expansion of this great little cafe.
I wouldn’t be surprised by that, either. (Do people still go to arcades these days?)
On the one hand, it could use more capacity. On the other hand, part of the charm is that it’s an intimate little soda shop.
We actually TRIED to go eat there on our last trip, but we were told we did need reservations. Don’t know if that’s a new thing, or if it’s just because it was a holiday weekend (MLK day) but we were very disappointed. 🙁 Next time, I suppose!
My son and I ate there at least 3 times on our last trip to Disney. He loved the burger and fries and I loved the vegetarian Falafel. I don’t even remember getting ice cream. We saw many families get the Kitchen Sink sundae and it was an amazing sight. We sat at the bar once and I took pictures of it as they added various things to it.
I didn’t even realize they served falafel. That’s pretty cool (not that it’s anything I’d ever order–but it’s nice that they have variety).
Falafel is one of those things most people think they won’t like, and end up loving. Have you ever tried?
…great little restaurant .
…great ice cream…great sundaes ..great burgers
….they even know…most times…how to make chocolate egg creams!
They use to have great huge breakfast selections with the entire counter filled with breakfast items…..these days are long gone..as Disney continues to cut costs.
….but it still remains a great place to eat…..still one of our favorites .