Contempo Cafe Review
Contempo Cafe in Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World is a quick service restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu items. This review covers all three. Contempo Cafe participates in the Disney Dining Plan as a counter service credit. It does not accept the Tables in Wonderland card for a 20% discount. Contempo Cafe is a good value when paying out of pocket; it also can be one of the best value quick service restaurants for value on the Disney Dining Plan if you order a one of the more expensive entrees (there are only a couple).
I wouldn’t necessarily describe Contempo Cafe as unassuming, but I guess it sort of is. Besides the monorail overhead and the Mary Blair mural nearby (neither of which are actual characteristics of the restaurant), it just looks like a plain food court. In hotels that have nice table service dining, these “plain food courts” are sometimes afterthoughts that really don’t add much to the dining experience. That is not the case at all with Contempo Cafe.
To the contrary, Contempo Cafe is the best counter service restaurant at Walt Disney World. It may seem like this statement is intended for shock value because you literally never hear it called that, or even ranked alongside fan favorites like Sunshine Seasons, Flame Tree BBQ, Columbia Harbour House, or Tangierine Cafe. It’s better than each of those restaurants…it’s just often overlooked. In our 2017 update to our Top 10 Counter Service Restaurants at Walt Disney World article, Contempo Cafe once again claims the top spot, although the newly-refurbished (as of Spring 2017) Gasparilla Island Grill at the Grand Floridian is a formidable challenger at #2…
Since you probably won’t read any other site proclaiming Contempo Cafe is the best counter service restaurant at Walt Disney World, this is part review, part “advocacy piece,” I suppose. Let’s take a look at everything Contempo Cafe has going for it, as well as its weaknesses.
Contempo Cafe replaced the Concourse Steakhouse a few years ago, right at the start of Disney’s push for more diverse food offerings, and it probably benefited a lot from being developed at that time. This diversity is a big part of the appeal of Contempo Cafe. Of the counter service “heavy hitters” at Walt Disney World, only Sunshine Seasons can boast this type of diversity. Flame Tree BBQ, Columbia Harbour House, and Tangierine Cafe all have their specialties.
While they do offer things that deviate from these specialties, if you don’t like the specialties, there’s no draw to those restaurants. Contempo Cafe has a menu that includes several flatbreads, salads, hot sandwiches, and cold sandwiches. While there are “basics” in these categories like the Angus 1/3lb Cheeseburger, there are also more ambitious options. Some items are things you’d never expect from counter service, like pot roast. It’s a surprisingly deep and diverse menu.
Theming is the biggest weakness of Contempo Cafe–there really isn’t any theming to Contempo Cafe itself. However, this didn’t hold Sunshine Seasons back from being our #1 restaurant previously, and at least Contempo Cafe has the monorail overhead and the Mary Blair mural. Sunshine Seasons just has people racing to get Soarin’ FastPasses.
Much like Sunshine Seasons, Contempo Cafe is fairly loud during peak meal times at Chef Mickey’s. In Contempo Cafe’s defense, while it doesn’t have any real theming, we like the self-service ordering system, and we’ve never encountered crazy crowds here (perhaps it’s worse during conventions?).
Now, let’s take a look at some of the food…
Like many other Walt Disney World counter service restaurants, Contempo Cafe uses a tracker system for ordering. After you order and pay, you receive this tracker, which is placed on your table.
This is not a pager. When your food is ready, it’s brought to your table, which the Cast Member locates through the tech-wizardry of this little device (assuming it’s working).
We’ve only done breakfast at Contempo Cafe once, when arriving at Bay Lake Tower on a redeye, and not wanting to do anything else. I had the Grilled Breakfast Sandwich, which was surprisingly good.
It was large and the eggs were real, which itself is a small miracle from counter service breakfast at Walt Disney World. It was a bit greasy, but I’d recommend it.
Sarah opted for an oversized Mickey waffles, which was overpriced and tasted exactly how you’d expect. They’re a fun novelty if you’re eating from a buffet and “need” a cute Instagram photo, but then will actually eat something else. I cannot fathom ordering Mickey waffles by themselves (after this experience, Sarah agrees).
Now let’s take a look at lunch and dinner at Contempo Cafe…
We’ve had several of the flatbreads at Contempo Cafe, and each has been impressive. These get swapped out fairly regularly, so there’s no telling if what’s mentioned here will be available on your visit.
We highly recommend the Chicken Artichoke Flatbread, which has with creamy spinach-artichoke spread, tomatoes, and basil. It has a good amount of chicken, and the spinach-artichoke spread is really good.
The Marinated Beef Flatbread with oven-roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, goat cheese, and arugula is out of this world. This is among the best flatbreads at Walt Disney World, and that includes those at Jiko and California Grill.
We expected the beef to be tough, as is often the case with chunks or strips of beef used served as parts of other dishes, but that wasn’t the case. It was tender and perfectly cooked, and it worked very well with the goat cheese, arugula, and other ingredients. These ingredients complimented one another very well, and formed a complex flavor.
The Caprese Flatbread is also good, but it just doesn’t seem as substantive. Probably better as a snack to split rather than an actual meal.
Another great menu item is the Grilled Chicken Sandwich Herb Marinated Chicken with pepper jack cheese and salsa-ranch dressing on a multi-grain bun. I’m not often a fan of grilled chicken sandwiches at Walt Disney World, since they normally lack flavor, but this one is great.
The real strength of this sandwich is that salsa-ranch dressing, which gives it great flavor and works well with the pepper jack cheese. The multi-grain bun is also a noteworthy improvement over the normal generic Disney buns.
Another great option is the Spice Crusted Mahi Sandwich. The Mahi Mahi was larger than the focaccia roll on which it was served; Sarah grabbed a piece of it with her fork before I started eating (thief) and was audibly impressed. The fish itself was fresh-tasting, flavorful, and perfectly cooked (I was expecting rubby/microwaved). Photos don’t do it justice.
The crusting added nice flavor, too, and wasn’t overpowering. I had gotten a small plate of toppings from the toppings bar that I figured I’d have to add to the sandwich to make it taste decent, but I didn’t end up using them. Not only was the fish excellent, but the focaccia roll was much better than a normal Disney bun and the slaw/mayonnaise dressing added the perfect flavor. The sandwich turned out to be better than some dedicated fish entrees I’ve had in restaurants.
If you’re looking for a guilty-pleasure option, give the Hot Italian Sandwich a try. It’s bursting with flavor and despite being a bit greasy, is fabulous.
One of the better sandwiches at Walt Disney World.
Contempo Cafe is also a Walt Disney World ‘cupcake mecca.’ They don’t have the largest selection of cupcakes, but it does seem to be a testing ground for cupcakes that are later (if well received) rolled out to other locations on property. In fact, Contempo Cafe actually has a cupcake calendar for what will be featured at various times!
Here are a few cupcakes we’ve tried at Contempo Cafe. Given the rotating nature of the cupcakes, don’t expect to find any of these on your visit…
The Root Beer Float Cupcake seemed bizarre in concept but potentially delicious in taste…sorta like a bacon ice cream sundae. It was nothing like that (not just because it lacked bacon).
It turns out root beer flavor and cupcake are not two seemingly contrasting items that actually go together well. It wasn’t awful, but we wouldn’t recommend this cupcake. Kudos for Disney being ambitious and trying something new…I guess?
The Birthday Cake Cupcake was significantly better. This one was definitely less ambitious, as it’s essentially just a piece of quintessential birthday cake put into cupcake form and with a lot of icing. Still, we thought it was really good.
As long as you don’t mind a few cavities after eating it, we highly recommend this cupcake.
In addition to several other cupcakes we’ve tried here, Contempo Cafe is home to our all-time favorite cupcake: the Chocolate Peppermint Cupcake with Candy Cane Sprinkles. I’ve gone on and on about this cupcake in other posts, so I’ll spare you that in this review. Just make sure you order it if available. There’s a good chance you’ll see a new cupcake on your visit to Contempo Cafe, so if you like trying new and often “different” desserts, give whatever they have when you visit a try.
We’ve written this review in a manner that it doesn’t focus just on one visit and that’s so we can come back to it and easily add paragraphs concerning other items as we continue to visit Contempo Cafe. And continue to visit, we will! Contempo Cafe is our new go-to “the Magic Kingdom is way too busy right now, let’s get out of here for a bit” place to eat, and we fully intend to try everything on the menu. It will be tough for me to order anything besides the Mahi Sandwich (I’ll have to order it at least one more time just to see if I got lucky the first time), but I am eager to taste some of the other items, like the Italian Stacked Sandwich and the Hot Smoked Turkey Sandwich.
Overall, there’s not much to say beyond what has already been said. We both now think Contempo Cafe is the best counter service restaurant at Walt Disney World, and it’s only weaknesses to us is that it doesn’t do anything in the way of theme besides “basic food court with awesome stuff overhead” and that it’s a loud place to eat with Chef Mickey’s next door. In terms of food, we’ve been impressed with Contempo Cafe for the last few years, and we’re convinced that it’s the real deal. Thanks to its menu diversity and consistently high quality, it’s our #1 pick (bonus points for it always having cool cupcakes) for counter service at Walt Disney World. In fact, we’d sooner eat at Contempo Cafe than Chef Mickey’s…and we’re betting we won’t have to call 180 days in advance to get Contempo Cafe reservations!
Want more dining tips? Check out our 101 Delicious Walt Disney World Dining Tips. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts…
If you’ve dined at Contempo Cafe in the last few years, do you agree with us that it’s one of the elite counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World? What menu items here do you like? What do you plan on trying? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your thoughts in the comments!
Out of curiosity, about how much time does it eat up to take the monorail from and back to MK if one wants to try out Contempo Cafe? I’m returning to WDW after a 20+ year hiatus and find myself ooking for a reason to take the monorail to The Contemporary (always fascinated by it as a kid) but feel like my time at MK is so precious that I’m not sure if I want to “waste ” the travel time. I’ll be visiting December 17th if that were to make any difference. Thanks!
We’ve always passed this by in over 30 visits through the years. We will definitely now make a stop in September with our granddaughter. Sounds Delish!
Our family LOVES this counter service, and we feel like we get chef mickey ambiance for 1/4 the cost. Having a less crowded spot to eat dinner before fireworks is great. I tend to feel rejuvenated after letting the kids watch monorails and eat their dinners. I also love that they have the cupcake containers! We’ve had great service. Spot on review- beef flatbread is our favorite too.
Contempo is simply a great, easy, enjoyable counter service restaurant…..it is what it is….and it does it very well.
Great food….great desserts…..more than adequate selection…..you go….you eat great food….it’s simple…..what more can you ask for?
And as far as the less than special ambience comments posted here…I’m lost.
You’re sitting in the middle of the grand concourse of the Contemporary Hotel.!
…..with monorails overhead ..and ceilings arched literally stories over your head….
It is a great experience……and highly recommended.
Great review of the Contempo Cafe, and spot on. We stayed at BLT in early September and were hoping to dine at California Grill but found it closed for renovations. We initially tried the Contempo only because we were starving and didn’t want to start trekking over to one of our other favorites. Ultimately, we returned several times to this unheralded gem.
We eat here at least once each trip when we are staying at BLT, and have always had a good experience. We’ve also gotten “take out” to eat back in our room while our granddaughter naps, and they packaged everything beautifully. I asked for a small container to get some things from the toppings bar since our entrees were already packed up, and they offered a wide variety of interesting boxes. Couldn’t have been more helpful or friendly about it, and I could easily have made an entire salad out of that bar if I were that type of guest.
Have not tried breakfast, but the dinner options are great. The honey lime chicken is fantastic, as are the flat breads. The kids’ turkey sandwich had enough turkey on it for two more meals for our little one.
I especially like the self-ordering kiosks, because it gives you a little more time to browse options you may not have thought available. Just seems so much more relaxing than having to blurt out your whole order while someone impatient stands behind you.
Love your blog, thanks!
We also prefer the self service ordering kiosks…if you read Yelp reviews, it sounds like most others do not like the kiosks (those reviews make me lose a little faith in humanity…).
I stayed at the Contemporary Resort in September 2012. It was absolutely fantastic. One of my favorite parts of the visit was the Contempo — eating great food while watching the monorail overhead. It was the best way to start each day! I will stay there again, mainly due to this great atmosphere. Thank you for your great reviews! I’m a faithful fan and I read all if them!
Well, I guess we have to try this spot now!
Tom, I have had the Mahi sandwich at least 10 times over the past several years (it’s a must have for me) and ever time it has been excellent. I always have the green beans with it, which are chilled green beans with a light vinaigrette dressing. Truly one of my favorite meals at a counter service!!
Last November while staying at BLT, I went here for lunch. Horrible service and the food was so bad I got a refund. Maybe they’ve improved since but with so many other places I’ve had positive experiences, I won’t be rushing back here anytime soon.
Our review is based upon experiences at Contempo Cafe in 2011, 2012, and 2013, and I wouldn’t say it has improved or gotten worse since then.
Out of curiosity, what did you have there? Care to go into any more detail? I always appreciate different perspectives (as do other readers, I’m sure). Thanks!
I ordered the chicken chop salad. It had no flavor at all, it tasted like nothing. I got it to go and was eating in my room and it was so bad that I walked back down to get a refund.
It took at least 15 minutes for it to be made. I was waiting and watching and the guy making salads wasn’t busy, he just apparently didnt’ feel like making anything. I was told the bad service was becasue it was during lunch time.
Will definitely have to give this one a shot in October. Any place that’s near a Mary Blair mural is good enough for me.
That whole Concourse Steakhouse thing got me thinking – there was a table service restaurant I ate at with my family in ’89 at the Contemporary and for the life of me, I have wracked my brain for years trying to remember its name. It may have been the steakhouse.
And you’re right, that Fantasia gift shop smack in the middle of everything is fairly obnoxious.
I have been pumping the Contempo Cafe on other travel sites for a couple years now and I love to read it is your number one. I also love that you praised the steak flatbread as it is my number one go to every time we eat here. I seldom stray from it. Surprisingly, I have never tried a cupcake although my children can’t get enough of them.
We will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge in December (for our Honeymoon!!!) and I was just researching good QS restaurants, this one will be a boat ride away. That Mahi sandwich has my name written all over it!!! (And double thanks for the link to your top cupcakes post!!!) LOVE your blog & your amazing pictures.
I’m really glad you gave the Contempo Cafe such a great review. We’ve always liked the variety and quality of choices there, as well. Our only issue is the layout and organization of that whole level of the Contemporary. Two (technically three) gift shops, an arcade, a counter service, a table service, a lounge…it’s too much and all thrown together. But when we go to Contempo Cafe, we just want to eat a good meal, and on that, it fully delivers.
This level of the Contemporary is absolutely a mess, and it’s really sad when compared to how it used to be. If you look at photos from back in the day, it used to be so much more wide open and a nice place to just be. Now it’s chaotic, with seemingly every square foot being viewed as needing to generate revenue. To me, the biggest offender is that gift shop.
As a local I agree the place is a hidden gem but lately it seems your Disney reviews are more about getting a free room at BLT, or elsewhere, than good disseminating useful into to potential visitors. Anyone who frequents ANY Disney quick service restaurant knows that service and quality can differ from day to day, even shift to shift.
Seriously?
The last review on this website was of Bengal BBQ, a popular restaurant at Disneyland that we called over-hyped: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/bengal-barbecue-review/ Before that, we recommended a non-Disney hotel in Tokyo over the pricier Disney-owned ones. Before that, we gave a lukewarm review to the Grand Floridian Cafe.
In this review, we said we’d rather eat here than Chef Mickey’s, one of Disney’s most popular (and probably profitable) table service restaurants. I’d like to know where these reviews of ours are that are about getting free rooms and not disseminating good information.
For what it’s worth, every restaurant and hotel review on this site without an FTC-mandated disclosure (https://www.disneytouristblog.com/marketing-disclosure/) was paid for by us. In case you’re keeping score, that’s at least 95% of the reviews on this site.
Don’t feed the trolls Tom.
There’s always one that trys to spoil it for the others. Keep up the good work Tom and Sarah.28 days and counting and enjoying E V E R Y post. Thank you both.
You caught him. That must’ve been why his Restaurantosaurus and Taste Pilots Grill scores were so high….wait…
Also, looking forward to trying this out based on your guys recommendation.
Hopefully clowns like this guy don’t get to you. Keep up the good work.
We ate here last February for a early light dinner and as we approached the self-serve ordering a very friendly CM approached myself, my wife, and our two daughters and asked if we’d like to be their family of the day.
What it meant was after we ordered, we were led to a table which had been set with a tablecloth, candles and real cutlery. We then were served (brought) our food when it was ready, and checked on by both the CM and the manager to see if we needed anything else. While it felt a little weird sitting in the middle of people with their paper plates and plastic forks (which admittedly was only about 10 people because this place never seems crowded) eating the same food off china, my kids got a real kick out of it. Another example of those little Disney touches that cost nothing, make memories, and unfortunately seem to happen a little less often these days.
Just to add to Tom’s review, the food was very good, and the cupcakes were awesome. And you never know, you might just be the Contempo Cafe family of the day too…
That’s pretty awesome. I’ve heard of that happening once before to a family at a different CS restaurant, but I’ve never seen it. That really would make it like a value TS meal!
I can just imagine how awesome this was. My boys would have been talking about this for years
Thanks as always, Tom and Sarah! Staying at Bay Lake Tower in November and can’t wait to try out Contempo Cafe!
Greetings from Australia!
Thank you for your blog, I’ve found it very interesting reading. We are heading to WDW in April 2014, with Allstars Performing Arts Dance Team. My last visit to WDW was in 2000 and I imagine its changed a lot. Can’t wait to try the cupcakes! And maybe the fish sandwich?
Thanks again for your fantastic blog and the incredible photos!
Cherylyn 😃
We love the Contempo Cafe, it may not be amazingly themed, but as you said it has the monorail and the mural, plus (if you are there during breakfast or dinner time, the feeling of relief that nobody is going to expect you to start waving a napkin over your head like in Chef Mickey’s next door.) The acoustics are a bit overwhelming with Chef Mickey’s racket and a big ol’ building, so it may not be the easiest place for a *quiet* meal but we’ve found that the quality of the food and the surprising choices on the menu, more than compensate.
After our recent trip it’s become one of our fave counter service options, with everything fresh and tasty. The birthday cake cupcake was yummy too (although way too sweet to finish)I think their previous birthday cake cupcake had a Minnie Mouse decoration, so since it’s Monsters Uni now, I’m guessing they swap those seasonally too. The current one gives you a lovely blue / green tongue doesn’t it?
I’m surprised they’ve had the birthday cake cupcake that long, actually.
I forgot one element of “theming”…the birds that often fly through the Grand Canyon Concourse. Nothing like one of those at your feet! 😉
Just discovered this place when we were there a couple weeks ago and LOVED it. Surprisingly, it was the recommendation given to us by a cast member on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. I think I’ll be soliciting cast member advice more often- as she also pointed us to the steak flatbreads. .
Haha, I’m not so sure that would be consistently successful–but good to hear that they recommended this!