Disney World’s Best Breakfast Is In Least Likely Location

If you gave me 100 guesses, I would not have correctly chosen the home to Walt Disney World’s new best breakfast prior to eating there. I probably would’ve picked Ale & Compass, Topolino’s Terrace, Trattoria al Forno, Grand Floridian Cafe, Boma, and a few other fan favorites multiple times before the correct answer even one.

In my defense, 100 guesses is a lot, I have a bad memory, and the correct answer is incredibly obscure. It’s a newer location we actually love. Or rather, loved when it first opened thanks to a sneakily impressive menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Unfortunately, it has been rather pedestrian in the post-reopening era.

At least, until recently, when it started serving up the top breakfast in all of Walt Disney World. Speaking of which, this isn’t one of those situations where I’m going to equivocate and say #1 actually depends on a variety of variables, even if that is technically true. It’s obviously apples to oranges when comparing pricey character meals at fancy table service restaurants to quick-service cuisine from a pool bar, but I’m still going to argue that this is #1 overall.

Speaking of which, that’s precisely where the best breakfast at Walt Disney World is located. Spyglass Grill, which is a counter service restaurant at one of the pools at Caribbean Beach Resort. It’s located by the Trinidad quiet pool in a nondescript pink building, and could just as easily be confused for a simple picnic area.

It’s rare for us to review a restaurant at a quiet pool. It’s even more rare for us to enthusiastically recommend one. And yet, that’s exactly what we’re doing here. One of the big reasons for that is the location isn’t quite as ‘tucked away’ as it might seem.

Spyglass Grill is directly across the water from Walt Disney World’s main Skyliner gondola hub, which is the station where you transfer from the Pop Century/Art of Animation, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT lines.

This is the ‘critical’ piece of the puzzle, as otherwise it might seem a bit nonsensical to recommend breakfast at a quick service restaurant tucked away by the quiet pool at a Moderate Resort.

We’re cognizant of the practical reality that most guests simply do not have the time, patience, or inclination to seek out such locations. There’s a lot to see, do, and eat at Walt Disney World, and a poolside kiosk might seem like a waste of resources.

It’s not! Breakfast at Spyglass Grill is viable for most guests during the course of their Walt Disney World vacation! For one thing, the Skyliner hub makes Spyglass Grill an easy breakfast option for thousands of guests staying at Caribbean Beach, Pop and AoA, and Riviera Resort. Any of the Crescent Lake properties are also doable, but more of a stretch unless taking the Skyliner over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and wanting a pit stop along the way.

If you’re staying at Caribbean Beach, it’s possible to do Spyglass Grill before Early Entry. I tested this recently, and it worked flawlessly. You just need to be up early and snag that first Mobile Order time slot of the morning.

Another great option, which is “Tom Tested & Approved,” is doing Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and then leaving on the Skyliner for a late breakfast after completing your rope drop run and hitting a wall with wait times starting to peak.

Breakfast is served until 11 am at Spyglass Grill, so you have plenty of time for this. Leaving Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a late breakfast “unlocks” Spyglass Grill for a ton more people, and is not an inefficient use of time. (On the other hand, I would not recommend doing this from EPCOT.)

Cutting to the chase, the breakfast to order is the Mickey-shaped Churro Waffles.

These Churro Mickey Waffles tend to get a lot of attention, so you’ve probably heard of them. In case not, they debuted on Disney Cruise Line, taking the ocean by storm, before landing on the mainland at Crystal Palace. They’ve since been added to the menus at Spyglass Grill (you are here) and Rix Bar & Grill, another unlikely option that also would not have been among my 100 guesses.

I’m generally skeptical of any food trends that go viral and gain cult followings. On top of that, regular readers might know that I’m not the biggest Walt Disney World churro fan, often comparing them (unfavorably) to Costco, but at an exponentially higher cost. On top of that, I’m not the biggest Mickey Waffle fan. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re fine. But there’s a lot of nostalgia baked into that Mickey-shaped batter.

Got all of that? Okay, well here it is: Churro Mickey Waffles are life-changing.

The Churro Mickey Waffles deserve every bit of the hype, and then some. The internet was right on this one. If anything everyone undersold it. Saying these are like combining churros and regular Mickey Waffles doesn’t do them justice for me because, as noted, those are two things I find unimpressive.

By contrast, the Churro Mickey Waffles are the most addictively delicious breakfast food in all of Walt Disney World. One of the few viral foods I that lives up to the hype, and that I find myself craving. My mouth is watering while I write this, and I’m not even kidding.

“Bottomless” Churro Mickey are the reason to drop $200+ for your family to do Crystal Palace. If Rix Bar & Grill were the only place at Walt Disney World that served them, I would eat there. (Thankfully, I’m not forced into that position.)

Churro Mickey Waffles are far better than the sum of their parts, with a freshness and flavor that packs a powerful, sugary and buttery punch. What does it for me is that the delicious exterior gives way to a fluffy and hot interior.

There is something special about this alchemy of ingredients, and it is far superior to even the best churro I’ve ever had (at Disneyland, where they’re actually good) combined with the freshest Mickey Waffle.

Believe the hype. The Churro Mickey Waffles are something special, and Disney truly captured lightning in a bottle with this breakfast/dessert.

Churro Mickey Waffles earn our highest endorsement possible for decadent dishes: Sarah ate more than one of them! Less of an endorsement is that I’ve eaten no fewer than two-dozen Churro Mickey Waffles in the last year. (I am also not kidding about this.)

However, that does provide me with the expertise to make this declaration: Spyglass Grill serves up the best Churro Mickey Waffles anywhere. That’s right. The quick-service at a quiet pool is beating Disney Cruise Line and Crystal Palace. (In fairness, I haven’t had them at Rix, but there’s no way that place is beating anywhere at anything.)

As for why Spyglass Grill serves up the definitive version of the Churro Mickey Waffles, it comes down to demand and freshness. During a recent stay in Trinidad, my room “overlooked” Spyglass Grill (talk about the perfect location). The restaurant was perpetually slammed at breakfast.

In talking to the Cast Members who work there, they said that this is the norm. They even shared that before the Churro Mickey Waffles first debuted, there was a strictly-enforced blockout and embargo from the company, which they had never seen working at Spyglass Grill. They quickly understood once the Churro Mickey Waffles debuted, and there was immediately a lengthy line that wrapped around Trinidad.

These Cast Members shared that almost everyone doing breakfast at Spyglass Grill is ordering Churro Mickey Waffles, and the kitchen is constantly preparing fresh batches to keep up with demand. None of this is a huge surprise, but the ‘freshness factor’ definitely explains why they’re better here than at a buffet.

Spyglass Grill is a small spot where guests are going just to seek out Churro Mickey Waffles, whereas they’re not the selling point for booking a cruise or Crystal Palace (even if they should be).

On a tangentially related note, the Cast Members at Spyglass Grill are awesome. I was often here right at the crack of dawn and when they were closing to either get food or drink refills, so I had several chances to chat with them before the chaos commenced.

Even though it’s a small, nondescript spot, there’s a lot to love about Spyglass Grill. The Cast Members are a big part of that, helping bring the location to life and giving it warmth.

Additional advice for ordering the Churro Mickey Waffles is do not, under any circumstances, share.

These little puppies come 3 to an order, and it might seem like that’s enough where you could split them among 2-3 people and each have one. We’re a bit averse to Disney’s excessive use of sugar and recommend this as a result.

Not here. Sharing the Churro Mickey Waffles is the biggest mistake you can make, aside from not ordering them in the first place. As mentioned above, they are addictively delicious. I personally find 3 to be the perfect amount, but if forced to choose having 1 or a half-dozen, I’m going for the latter.

They are that good, and despite being very sugary and buttery, they’re not something that’ll give you an upset stomach from overeating. Just an intense sugar rush. (If you do need something to offset the sugar, plain steel cut oatmeal is always a good option.)

Now that Spyglass Grill is enjoying newfound popularity thanks to the Churro Mickey Waffles, I’d love to see its original opening menus restored. Or completely new menus added to make this all-day destination dining.

Back when it first debuted, highlights included the Breakfast Yuca Hash, Cream Cheese Guava-stuffed French Toast, and Pineapple-Banana Pancakes. While I wouldn’t mind a return of all three, a savory item to pair with the sweet waffles would be ideal.

Then there’s lunch. It used to be home to the Chorizo Burger, Caribbean Taco Trio, Chopped Jerk Chicken Salad, and variety of Crispy Yuca Bowls. There were also five different vegetarian options! Personally, all I need back is that glorious Chorizo Burger. I was eating this 1-2 times per month during the heyday of Skyliner and Riviera Resort construction reporting. It was my favorite burger in all of Walt Disney World for a brief bit. It reminds me of a simpler time; I’d love to go back and have it again.

Even today, Spyglass Grill is a great asset for this area of CBR.

Caribbean Beach is a huge, sprawling resort, and having a second option for breakfasts that doesn’t require a long hike to Centertown is appealing. As it’s clear the intent is to elevate the slate of amenities at Caribbean Beach Resort, perhaps more quality dining options is one such way to make that happen.

When it debuted, Spyglass Grill was near the infamous Pirate Rooms. Thankfully, those are now as dead as the crew of the Black Pearl. In their place are the ‘Under the Sea’ 5th Sleeper Rooms Inspired by The Little Mermaid. These rooms are great for families who want more space while they’re not sleeping, as the pull-down beds make the main living area far less cramped during the day. These are fantastic, and can only be found in the Trinidad area of the hotel.

Spyglass Grill is actually one of four excellent dining options at Caribbean Beach Resort, a true ‘secret spot’ and under the radar gem.

The highlight of these, as regular readers undoubtedly know since we won’t shut up about it, is Sebastian’s Bistro, which serves a glorious family style meal that is the best value dinner in all of Walt Disney World! For the sake of Very Important Research, we recently dined there again just to confirm it holds up. At the risk of spoiling another forthcoming review, it does.

In addition to Spyglass Grill and Sebastian’s Bistro, we’re big fans of Banana Cabana, which is the feature pool bar. Everyone loves Banana Cabana; it even has its own merchandise. Less beloved, especially since its reimagining, is Centertown Market.

My unpopular opinion here is that Centertown Market is fantastic. Once you get past the basic menu items, there are some gems, and the location has a surprising deep menu. It’s certainly not destination dining, but it gets an unfair amount of criticism despite being a better counter service restaurant than what’s found at the majority of Deluxe Resorts.

Ultimately, Spyglass Grill is once again back on the (treasure) map as a hidden gem. With the best counter service breakfast at Walt Disney World and easy access from the Skyliner hub, it earns an enthusiastic endorsement even for guests who aren’t staying at Caribbean Beach. Spyglass Grill isn’t just the cheapest way to eat Churro Mickey Waffles, it serves up the best version of them.

Beyond that, Spyglass Grill is yet another selling point for staying in the Trinidad section of Caribbean Beach Resort. We’ve made the case for these ‘Under the Sea’ rooms in the past, but it somehow keeps getting even stronger. To the point that they’re quietly becoming my #1 resort room in all of Walt Disney World on balance. But perhaps that’s another topic for another post!

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Your Thoughts

Have had the Churro Mickey Waffles at Spyglass Grill? If you’ve had them anywhere else, do you think the breakfast/dessert lives up to the hype? Where do you think serves the best version of these little puppies? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!