Best Thing About Disney World’s Controversial New Cake Bake Restaurant Is Not Cakes.
The Cake Bake Shop Restaurant is a new table service dining experience and bakery at Walt Disney World, within walking distance of EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. This review covers our meal at this costly and controversial new eatery, whether it’s worth your time and money, guest types to whom it’ll appeal, and how to make the most of a meal at Cake Bake.
In terms of basics, the Cake Bake Shop Restaurant by Gwendolyn Rogers is located at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, replacing the space previously occupied by ESPN Club. As noted above, this resort slash ‘WDW district’ is located between EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Directly across Crescent Lake from Cake Bake Shop is Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts; the Swan & Dolphin Resorts are also adjacent to it.
All of these hotels form the Crescent Lake Resort Area or EPCOT Resort Area. Perhaps more importantly, Cake Bake Shop is a short walk from EPCOT’s International Gateway entrance/exit in World Showcase between the United Kingdom and France. There’s also a Skyliner gondola station over there, making Cake Bake easily accessible from Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Riviera Resorts. All of these locations are mentioned both for the sake of access, and because the Cake Bake Shop Restaurant is wholly unique and unlike anything at any of the aforementioned parks or resorts.
Also notable is that the addition of the Cake Bake Shop Restaurant by Gwendolyn Rogers is the final phase of a multi-year reimagining of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. This also added BoardWalk Deli, Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs, and a few other minor changes. Most notable up until Cake Bake was the reimagined rooms at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, which are a bit of a mixed bag.
It’s possible there’s more to come of this resort reimagining. Walt Disney World still hasn’t announced the plan for the former Big River Grille and both Jelly Rolls and Atlantic Dance Hall have been on life support for years, so there could be a phase two on that side of the promenade in the coming years. But as far as what’s been announced, this is the end of the resort refresh and enhancements.
For our first meal at Cake Bake Shop Restaurant, we opted to make a late lunch Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) for 4:15 pm. Upon arrival at the appointed time, we were seated at approximately 4:25 pm and our server proceeded to take our order at 4:35 pm.
I note these times because Cake Bake has two slightly menus for lunch and dinner. The former is offered until 4:30 pm per the restaurant, and the latter begins at 5 pm. We were ordering during a lost 30 minutes, apparently.
Our server advised us that the lunch menu was no longer available, as the system had already switched over. This was mildly annoying given our ADR and arrival time, as I had wanted to order from the ‘choose two’ menu that’s only offered at lunch.
It wasn’t a huge issue–it was simply for the sake of review diversity, not like there was some must-have only on that menu. We had plans to return to the restaurant with more family members later in the week, so I figured I’d just try it then.
Otherwise, service was satisfactory. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu, sufficiently friendly and attentive. It was more or less what you might experience at the adjacent Trattoria al Forno or another regular table service restaurant at Walt Disney World.
The biggest strength to the service was that, unlike some other Walt Disney World restaurants, the servers at Cake Bake Shop Restaurant were not stretched too thin. The ratio of guests per server was fairly low, roughly on par with a Signature Restaurant. This didn’t seem to be for lack of demand–we actually had a degree of difficulty making our ADRs.
With the table set, let’s dig into the cuisine at Cake Bake Shop Restaurant…
I ordered the Classic Burger with Pommes Frites: Ground beef chuck served on a toasted brioche buttered bun. Topped with shredded lettuce, pickles, beefsteak tomato, chopped white onion, mayonnaise, and melted Tillamook cheddar cheese.
This is a substantial, high quality burger. The brioche bun is soft and buttery, the vegetable toppings tasted fresh, and the meat was juicy and delicious.
I have zero complaints about this cheeseburger or the pomme frites (french fries). This dish is as advertised–a classic cheeseburger with fries executed at a high level.
Cake Bake’s burger is also nothing memorable or to write home about. Which is fine! Not every burger needs to be craveworthy or unique, and this doesn’t bill itself as that. As far as burgers go, it’s top 2 in the Crescent Lake Resort Area. But there isn’t exactly a lot of competition. Unless there’s a secret menu I don’t know about, this is the only burger anywhere at BoardWalk.
As with pretty much everything at Cake Bake, there is the issue of pricing. The Classic Burger and Pomme Frites costs $27. As someone who orders a lot of burgers at Walt Disney World, I long ago became numb to their pricing, so this didn’t give me sticker shock. Disney broke the $20 burger barrier back in 2012, and it was truly shocking back then. Burgers in the mid-$20s are now the norm, not the exception.
With all of that said, this is not the #1 burger in the Crescent Lake Resort Area. That crown goes to the Cheddar Burger over at Ale & Compass, which (for reference) is topped with Applewood-smoked Bacon, Tomato, Avocado, Pickles, Sunny Side Up Egg, on a Herbed Mayonnaise on a House-made Bun, and costs $25. For Cake Bake’s price, I would like to see something slightly more interesting–like that burger. Despite being quite good, the Cake Bake Burger is a one and done for me–and is difficult to recommend without that “something more.”
For her entree, Sarah ordered the Roasted Salmon Filet: Fresh wild salmon filet finished with a lemon dill crème fraîche served with smashed fingerling potatoes and roasted asparagus.
Salmon is one of those entrees that Walt Disney World does well (even at EPCOT festivals), so we were a little apprehensive about ordering the Roasted Salmon at Cake Bake given that it’s a third party. Thankfully, the Roasted Salmon Filet at Cake Bake Shop Restaurant is exquisite.
The fish is a sizable cut, and perfectly prepared–a crisp exterior that gives way to flaky pieces that are moist, juicy, and offer a wonderful flavor. The filet had the perfect amount of fattiness for flavor, especially for wild salmon. This fish would’ve been fantastic on its own, but the lemon dill crème fraîche put it over the top. It took the already rich and buttery flavor of the salmon and deepened it, offering an umami quality. I would order this again and again, and we highly recommend it.
The smashed fingerling potatoes are likewise excellent–crisp skins that are well-seasoned, with soft interiors. These are filling and satisfying, and this plus sizable salmon made for a surprisingly large meal. (As might be apparent, I ate a lot of this.) As for the roasted asparagus, it tastes like…roasted asparagus.
Of course, the issue of cost once again comes up. The Roasted Salmon Filet is $40 at Cake Bake Shop Restaurant. This is about middle of the pack for salmon at Walt Disney World. Again, it did not strike us as surprising or egregious.
The closest comparison to this dish is actually the Roasted Salmon served with Roasted Celery Root, Arugula, and Meyer Lemon Crème over at Flying Fish. That dish costs $49 and is very similar to this. It’s been a while since I’ve had that, so it might be a slightly larger or higher-quality filet, but I was very satisfied with Cake Bake’s. This is a near-Signature caliber dish, at minimum.
Now come the cakes. This is supposedly the main event, as you might expect for a restaurant named Cake Bake Shop.
My original intention was to publish this prior to Christmas and also return for another meal during which we’d order regular cakes, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. For this meal, we opted for two seasonal selections: Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Cake and Gingerbread Man Cake.
Each of these cakes cost $23. That’s by the slice.
Much has been made of the cake slice pricing at Cake Bake Shop. Some defend these prices by claiming that each slice of cake serves 2 to 3 people.
I don’t know who those people are, but they must not like cake. I could easily polish off a slice of this by myself. If you’re claiming this serves three, then the average Walt Disney World table service restaurant that costs $10 serves two.
To be sure, these are larger than normal, but I’d say they’re 1.5x size, rather than 2-3x. We did end up taking a lot of these cakes home, but only because the entrees were so filling (and we’d been grazing around the world at EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays prior to our meal).
If it were actually the case that everyone were sharing slices, Cake Bake could simply sell smaller portions at lower prices and make it up in volume. That would eliminate a lot of the biggest complaints, so win-win, right? They obviously don’t do that because it wouldn’t pencil out.
The bigger issue for us, though, is that these cakes are nothing special.
They’re not bad or mediocre, they’re just not $20+ slices of cake. On both, the buttercream and ganache is high-quality, and tastes great. The cake itself, though, is a bit on the dry side and not all that memorable.
Our go-to cakes are from the bakery at Whole Foods. (Sarah is a big fan because they use “clean” ingredients, and the Berry Chantilly Cake is fantastic.) For an entire cake, those cost about the same price as a single slice at Cake Bake Shop. Obviously, grocery store to table service restaurant (at Walt Disney World, of all places) is pretty far from an apples to apples comparison.
However, it’s not as if Whole Foods is known for its affordability. More to the point, a table service restaurant at Walt Disney World with “cake” in the name should probably serve cake superior to a grocery store if it wants to charge significantly higher prices. It does not, so this comparison is fair game. The cakes we just bought for Christmas and New Year’s at Whole Foods were both better than Cake Bake Shop.
So if it’s clearly not cake, then what, exactly, is the highlight of Cake Bake Shop Restaurant at Walt Disney World? Take a look at how it gets decked out for the holidays…
Photos don’t even begin to do justice to the Christmas decorations at Cake Bake Shop Restaurant. It truly is a glistening winter wonderland.
The central booth topped by a gorgeous snow-tipped Christmas tree actually rotates, revealing Santa Claus pulled by reindeer as it turns. These figures are all animated, with a limited range of motion, plus lavish costumes and coats of fur. It’s nothing short of resplendent.
Cake Bake Shop’s Christmas decorations reminds me of the displays you’d see at high end malls. This is absolutely not a backhanded compliment, as I’m not talking about the dying malls dotting the country. I mean those in parts of New York and California–or better yet, Paris and Tokyo. It’s all so sumptuous and stunning.
Cake Bake Shop is not a Signature Restaurant at Walt Disney World in the normal sense of the term.
For the most part, the menu is much more approachable and ordinary, even if it is expensive. Most of the dishes are American comfort food, with a clear New Orleans-inspiration. There are a couple of higher end options, such as Crab Cakes, New York Strip Steak, or the Salmon. That’s really about it, though. Otherwise, it’s a lot of sandwiches and soups.
Honestly, the menu feels a bit at odds with the atmosphere. I wouldn’t call Cake Bake sophisticated, but it is elegant.
To that point, we felt a bit out of place at Cake Bake Shop with a toddler.
It’s not that the servers made us uncomfortable or tried to move our meal along–they were perfectly pleasant. In part, it was the atmosphere. Cake Bake Shop Restaurant felt more on par with a Signature Restaurant than its menu suggested. Even though animated polar bears, reindeer, and Santa Claus figures scream “kid-friendly,” it was all imbued with such an opulence and elegance that we felt like we shouldn’t have been there. Just like we wouldn’t take a toddler to nearby Flying Fish or Yachtsman Steakhouse or Citricos.
This was further reinforced, at least in our minds, by patrons at all other nearby tables. There were older couples in our vicinity who were dressed up for date nights, ordered ‘fancy’ sparkling water, and appeared (at least to my side-eyeing) to be having lovely and romantic meals. I later saw one of them at Candlelight Processional and couldn’t help but think: now that is the perfect way to do Cake Bake Shop Restaurant!
Suffice to say, Cake Bake Shop Restaurant would be perfect for a date night.
It’s going to top our list of the best restaurants for Valentine’s Day at Walt Disney World. Our server was raving about the plans they have for decorations once Christmas wraps up, and it sounds fantastic. It’s refreshing to see a restaurant care so much about seasonal decorations, especially as Walt Disney World goes in the exact opposite direction with its own restaurants.
If you’re planning further in advance, Cake Bake Shop Restaurant would also be perfect for a pre-Candlelight Processional meal. (Fingers crossed they’re included in future dining packages, but I doubt it.) I can’t think of many better pairings for a memorable meal and show, even among the EPCOT World Showcase restaurants.
It’s not just that Cake Bake Shop Restaurant is a good option for couples.
I’d imagine that if our daughter were a few years older, Cake Bake would be perfect. But as it stands, she’s still a toddler who is just finding her feet, and isn’t ready for a longer and more elegant dining experience. (Hence this review not featuring that second meal–we cancelled and instead opted for a more toddler-friendly alternative.)
We have friends back in Indianapolis with daughters who are 5 to 15 years old. They absolutely adore Cake Bake Shop. Despite having one now, I don’t purport to be the authority on this sort of thing, but I’d hazard a guess that’s about the sweet spot: girls of that age who are well-mannered and want to experience the ‘finer things’ but aren’t quite ready for adult Signature Dining.
Among Sarah’s adult friends, it also seems like Cake Bake is popular for ladies nights out. Again, I’m not an expert on this, but it checks out. I don’t know what the exact opposite of ESPN Club is, but this has gotta be pretty close to it! Cake Bake is basically Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique: The Restaurant. All around, attention to detail is off the charts at Cake Bake Shop. It does the little things really well, more so than can by conveyed by photos or a review. As a guest, you feel like you’re part of something special.
Ultimately, we liked certain aspects of Cake Bake Shop Restaurant much more than expected, and other components much less than anticipated. Despite big plans to try every cake on the menu, I probably wouldn’t order another cake–or we’d split a cake, just for the sake of trying something new, seeing if it’s any better, and saying we had what the restaurant is known for.
Rather than focusing on dessert, we’d reallocate that portion of the budget to entrees, ordering the ‘fanciest’ ones that best approximate a Signature Restaurant. We’d both absolutely get that Roasted Salmon Filet again. I’d be inclined to try the Crab Cakes and New York Strip Steak, but I’m not sure what else. The gumbo and shrimp po’ boy sound good…but not really fitting the vibe of the place. Point being, we’d actually rather spend more money on entrees as opposed to the cake to have a full package experience that felt worth it.
Cake Bake Shop is undeniably expensive. Our out-the-door bill was $140 for the above, which is in the neighborhood of what we would’ve spent a few doors down at Flying Fish. It was a very different experience, of course, but our only real issue was the cost the cakes contributed to that total. I don’t care how you slice it: these cakes are wildly overpriced. Tweaking our order a bit to deemphasize desserts and go bigger on entrees would’ve improved our meal immensely and made it more reasonably priced.
The bottom line is that we will absolutely return to Cake Bake Shop Restaurant in a few years–probably again at Christmas–when our daughter is the right age to appreciate its atmosphere. To its credit, Cake Bake offers something you won’t find anywhere else at Walt Disney World in terms of the overarching experience, and the incredible attention to detail here is Distinctly Disney.
The restaurant really nails the subtle small things and adds nice little touches (right down to custom to-go boxes and bags) in a way that exceeds even what Walt Disney World is doing. It’s really in a category of its own–not quite a Signature Restaurant for cuisine-caliber, but much more than one in other ways.
It’s definitely not going to be for everyone, or even most people, but Cake Bake Shop is going to have tremendous appeal for its target demographics. Once the dust has settled on its pre-opening cost and construction controversies, it’s likely that Cake Bake Shop Restaurant will be a huge hit and fan-favorite at Walt Disney World with some guests.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts about the Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers? If you’ve already dined here, what was your experience with the cuisine, cakes, and atmosphere? Will you be making ADRs here or skipping Cake Bake? Surprised by just how expensive this is? Think the prices are worth it, even if they do require a second mortgage? Agree or disagree with our restaurant review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Food quality and menu options don’t live up the beautiful setting and flowery language of the menu. My princess daughter and I loved the atmosphere but felt as if the lunch menu was borderline bar food – heavy, clunky sandwhiches that better suited the ESPN sports bar it replaced. Most of the lunch and dinner menu do not fit the delicate, pretty setting. The fries would have been so much better if they were matchsticks or at least thinner and better. The sandwhiches could be mini or otherwise more elevated and sophisticated. The whipped cream on the hot chocolate was pretty – but odd, heavy and clunky – not light and fluffy.
It was overall very disappointing and NOT princess-y feeling because there is such a huge disconnect between the setting and the menu items – even before you consider that it is overpriced. We accepted that it would be overpriced – but compare it to tea at the nearby Four Seasons, both price wise and delicate, sophisticated wise. The Cake Bake Shop is a total disappointment.
The cakes were fine – I agree with Tom. High quality and good, but I can get similar at Whole Foods. The gingerbread cookie tasted stale and raw. The baguette appears to be the one you can get through Cisco – available at many restaurants.
Everything is done with such a heavy, clunky chef hand. They should hire a real chef for their menu instead of repeating what they serve in Indiana. Disney is a different food scene. I don’t actually think it will be around long enough for Baby Bricker to enjoy when she’s five or six unless it vastly improves. A better chef would produce delicate, fun food to match the amazing setting.
I agree. Admittedly, I haven’t been there yet ( although I have been to both Indiana locations), but there’s no way that a poboy or gumbo belong on that menu – and I’m from New Orleans!
Wanted to state before I give my $.02 that I believe I read that the decorations are always Christmas-eque but do change as the seasons change.
We went Thanksgiving week for breakfast and we also felt that it is (obviously) not cheap but not leaps and bounds more expensive than other table service establishments at Disney.
For instance, we had a breakfast with really bad service at Kona Cafe a little over a year ago. Tonga Toast, albeit with choice of meat, costs $17.50 there. But Orange Challah French Toast (a la carte) at Cake Bake is $18.99. The atmosphere Cake Bake and the service we received there were leaps and bounds better at Cake Bake. We were also seated way closer to the time of our reservation at Cake Bake than at Kona.
Cake Bake is not going to be an every trip to Disney splurge for us, we go about 4x per year. But we will definitely return.
Tom, we tried the gingerbread cake and it was so bad that we returned it, which we almost never do at any eatery (we just don’t come back). But it was just SO dry and offensive for a $23 piece of cake. But I will say that the Buche de Noel cake was exceptional, as was the Gwendolyn’s Famous Earl Court Cake. Possibly the best cakes I’ve ever had and I love cake. For the record, I like Gideon’s cake slices very much, but those two from Cake Bake are definitely in a league above. The Millionaire Cake is pretty good, but everything else we’ve tried is bad. Raspberry champagne bad, pixie fetti birthday cake bad. We had a large group so we tried many. You’re spot on about the restaurant. It is gorgeous, and you should’ve seen the complimentary colored pencils and coloring sheet they give to the kids. Everything is on point. We enjoyed the Steak Au Poivre for dinner but a lot of the sandwiches to me don’t appeal. Overall I’m so glad it’s open and here.
I’m guessing you meant macarons? Macaroons are shredded coconut cookies which doesn’t sound like the vibe of this place.
Sorry that was supposed to be a reply to another comment!
I think the people that say the cake slices could feed 2-3 people subscribe to the dearly departed Disney CFO Christine “we can cut portion size, which is probably good for some people’s waistlines” McCarthy outlook.
I was so excited to try this restaurant, but admittedly the one-two punch of a crazy delayed buildout/opening and then the menu prices, specifically the shell game of charging a crapload, then reducing a bit of the cost and moving the increases to other items….just left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended). The menu does look good and the aesthetic is super cute, but I am just not excited to go there anymore.
Hi. I’ve eaten at the Cake Bake now several times. Everything I have had has been absolutely delicious the fresh baguette with the homemade butter, the velvet chicken soup, the sandwiches, the salmon have you even tried the wonderful shrimp po boy I don’t think it’s expensive for what you get at such high-quality. It’s a true bakery. Their brownies are out of this world their truffles their macaroons. I have not had one bad thing and if I’m going to have that kind of food I’ll pay for it even their own champagne is delicious. Good luck to them.
From living in Boston, a tourist town with many renowned bakeries, the prices for cake are obscene (no matter how good the cake may be).
I’m so glad to see this review. This is high on my list to try when we stay at BWV this summer. I have to agree with your assessment of the Ale and Compass burgers, they are great. I also think they have great Fish and Chips there too. In any case, I’m very happy it’s open and it looks stunning inside.
We ate there the first weekend in January. We opted for breakfast and we all got sweet instead of savory options. The stand out were the Cinnamon Toast Brioche Bites which were delicious, although we thought they may have been a little overdone. We had no interest in the $23 cake slices. They do however have what they call breakfast cakes on the menu at a much more reasonable $9 per slice. We didn’t see the more expensive cake slices for size comparison, but would guess it would be comparable in size to the $9 slices sold at Gideon’s bakery, if you can stomach the hassle of getting into that place. We’ve found that we like the cookies at Summer House on the Lake better and much easier to obtain.
We really liked everything about The Cake Bake Shop and already have reservations for lunch when we return to WDW at the end of the month. This may be common knowledge here, but Open Table is the best way to snag a table for these third party restaurants. We were a little disappointed they did not honor the Annual Passholder discount.
I know this is probably not the forum for this comment, but we also tried STK for the first time on this trip and the prices there were much more shocking. I mean they have a $103 16 oz ribeye. While we enjoyed our food, we won’t be back at those prices.
We were very happy with our experience at The Cake Bake Shop and are hoping lunch will also be a success. Tom, we’re giving Sebastian’s Bistro a try on our next trip as well.
I really appreciate when you tell us if some food is “clean”. It’s hard to find at Disney. If you find out that some restaurants serve clean food/dishes, maybe in your future reviews you could mention it. I don’t really worry about it when at the parks but if it’s an option, it’s good to know. I so enjoy reading your food reviews. We make a list, based on your recommendations, when we visit the parks. Every place so far has been a winner for us. Thank you
Best macaroons on Disney property according to my 12 yr old who considers himself a connoisseur. We did a dessert stop to admire the decorations, and pick up some fancy bags for friends. Got a 4 pack of macaroons and a slice of pound cake. Both of these items were reasonably priced and delicious. Promised my older son we would wait til he joins us to make the investment in a slice of layer cake.
Yes, I agree with most of your review. It is a beautiful restaurant – the Christmas decorations (Dec.5) were amazing! Lets talk about the good and the bad. The bad – I had read that the service was impeccable. This wasn’t the case for us. We sat at a table next to the bar – you have a picture of the room. Our server was also a bartender and I believe fairly new. He took his time in greeting us and serving us. That surprised us as the room and the restaurant weren’t crowded at all. We had ordered an appetizer – he forgot it. Our lunch was good but not super. I agree with your response about it being ordinary food. I wish I had tried the salmon. I did the 2 – for lunch. My sandwich was “OK” but the soup is to die for – chicken velvet. Yummmm! I will definitely order it again. My grandson, Aiden, didn’t find much on the menu that he liked so he ordered the pasta dish – just OK. Dessert – I had her signature cake, really disappointed. I thought it was very dry – definitely not worth the $26 for a slice. I brought home half of it and yes, their boxes and bags are beautiful. Aiden had the Key Lime pie – that is to die for! We each had a cocktail – nothing special. My bill was $200. Would we go back – yes, we would only order the chicken velvet soup and the key lime pie (those 2 items were absolutely delicious!) and probably leave the Cake box restaurant with a $100 bill. The 20% tip was already added onto our bill – I would have given him 10% as he was slow and forgot the appetizer but you aren’t allowed to do that. I’m planning on taking one of my good friends there for her 86th birthday – it is elegant in everyway imaginable. She will love it. You don’t see that kind of elegant restaurant much anymore. I just don’t see people dressed to go to Epcot wanting to go in their casual clothes to the Cake Box, and the prices – yikes! Take Megatron and her girlfriends there for her Sweet 16 birthday – they would be in heaven!
If the atmosphere is the big draw, for those on a budget I’m wondering what the “minimum comfortable order” would feel like, or which options give the most bang for the buck. I might personally feel awkward bringing a companion, drinking tap water, and sharing a soup and a croissant while soaking in the ambience, although I’m sure there are people doing the same every day (no judgement here).
Some other blogger is probably on top of this, but I’d be curious about the best strategy to experience the charm but still get out of there with a reasonable check and not feel too hungry or guilty at the end!
I considered trying it when we were staying in the Crescent Lake area last month, but decided against it – the menu seemed pretty slim pickings for the vegetarian in our party. I’m not surprised in that New Orleans also wasn’t easy on that score and some of the menu shows that inspiration. I’d be fine trying it with others, but unless the menu gets more inclusive in terms of any vegetarian options, it’s not a good choice for my core party. And the weak cake is kind of a nail in the coffin. I remember going to boardwalk’s Italian restaurant in 2019 – it was great that they offered to create a vegetarian dish for my partner! I’m sure the cake bake shop will be a hit, in any event!
We stayed at Dolphin over the holidays and did Cake Bake Shop for NYE brunch. I did a full cycle on this from being over the moon excited when I first heard about it to filing it as a “never do” when the menus and pricing came out to circling back after I heard they had dropped the prices, at least a little bit, after the backlash and saw that the brunch entrée prices were comparable to other Disney table service restaurants. Because of this, we were late to book. But I heard that they are only putting limited spots on MDE, and when I went to Open Table, there was tons of availability throughout our whole trip.
I had the ham, rosemary, and goat cheese quiche, which was great! I would definitely order it again. Great and non-standard flavor combo, excellent flaky crust, what I felt was a reasonable price for the quality. But what was absolutely DIVINE was the holiday spice latte. Omg it was AMAZING!! We went to their walkup bakery at other points in the trip, and their other drinks, hot and cold, were also great. That’s where they win for me, even at the exorbitant prices. I’m very sad that latte is seasonal and eagerly await next Christmas already so I can be reunited with it.
As for the cake, I am a HUGE cake fan. Despite the price, I was SO excited to try these out. We got a slice of the gingerbread and a slice of the raspberry champagne. For full disclosure, we got them to go and ended up not getting to them that day, so they weren’t fresh when we finally tried them the next day. At that point, the frosting had the consistency of butter, which yuck. I really didn’t like the raspberry one at all, so much so that my cake-loving self barely touched it after the first bite. The gingerbread was much better but just standard to me. I might give them another chance when I can eat the cake right away, but for that price I expect any leftovers to still deliver. It was tragically underwhelming.
Back to the positives, I agree with everything you said about the décor. It was absolutely gorgeous in there. So much so that I’m already excited to go back and pay those prices seasonally, at least unless they start recycling them and I’ve had a chance to experience all the looks. Also, for anyone who doesn’t want to pay the full price, the walk-up bakery still had really detailed décor, with some overlap of the main restaurant!
When we left, I described it to my husband this way: there are some signature restaurants that you know will cost a lot, and the food is absolutely worth it. Jiko, Tiffin’s, etc. Others, you know you’re paying for the atmosphere and justify it that way. To me, that’s Be Our Guest (I’ve had inconsistent food experiences there) and CRT (I’ve only had underwhelming meals there). For me, CBS falls into that category. You’re paying for the décor, high end furnishings, menus on fancy stock that they reprint daily, beautiful reusable to-go bags, the glitter covering absolutely everything lol. It may not be signature dining, but it is a signature atmosphere. And I personally (couple with no kids, traveling only with adults) would prefer to pay the atmosphere tax at CBS than CRT! Overall, it won us both over!
We were there the first week in December. We shared the ham and Brie sandwich with arugula salad on the side. It was wonderful. We also shared the Millionaire chocolate cake slice, and took half of it back to our room to be finished off at day’s end.
We didn’t think our meal was overpriced and loved everything about the restaurant, especially the Christmas decor.
Tom, thanks for the nuanced review. As soon as I read the price on cake slices when this menu opened, I mentally filed it under “not for us” and didn’t give it more thought. But I really appreciate how you compare it to other Disney and real-world options and emphasize some things that are less tangible than the pricing. While I don’t think it will be a priority for us to try I’m happy that it will work for a lot of people, and glad to see something new and different on property. All the best to you, Sarah, and Megatron in 2025!
“I’m happy that it will work for a lot of people, and glad to see something new and different on property.”
Even though it probably will be “for us” in a few years, this is how I feel about it, generally.
I also think it would’ve been much more well-received if it opened up shop at the Grand Floridian, or even replaced Big River instead of ESPN Club.
You missed the best menu items. The Shrimp Po Boy is huge and delicious. But based on the size, it really isn’t incredibly overpriced.
More critically — our whole party of 4 lived the gumbo and ordered additional cups of it.
I actually found the cake quality to be well above-average. The pricing though is indeed crazy. Would much rather see them serve a smaller slice of cake for $15 or less.
We were there in its first couple of weeks. The service was still working out kinks (no spoons initially for our gumbo), but we had an excellent server. The restaurant itself is gorgeous.
To me, it’s a step above the conventional “1 credit TS” while a step below the traditional “signature.” I can’t think of a single WDW 1-credit restaurant that matches the quality and atmosphere.
Given the location, it’s also a really easy stop for Epcot visitors. I commented in your top 25 restaurant post, that when visiting Epcot, I’d stop at the Cake Bake Shop for lunch over Via Napoli.
Those things were both high on my list of dishes to order, with the assumption that we had a second meal with more people. (I wouldn’t have prioritized a burger if this were a one and done.) Maybe I can make time for it on an upcoming research trip to circle back and update this review with those dishes–thanks for your recommendations.
I’d also say the cake quality is well above-average. But so too is the quality of cake at Whole Foods. It still needs to be way higher than it is to justify those prices, though.
I absolutely hate when restaurants offer huge servings so it’s shareable. I travel solo. I don’t want to pay $23 for a slice of cake so I can share it. I just want a normal piece of cake for one person! At a reasonable price. Don’t try and rip me off so I have leftovers. I don’t want leftovers. I want enough food for one person at a decent price. I don’t care how good the cake is. Your price gauging.
Agree. It’s usually my husband and me – and we rarely agree on entrees or desserts to share. I would much rather have a smaller portion of anything with a reasonable price. (And I really hate steak restaurants that only do “shareable sides.”)
Thank you for the review.
I always marvel at the cultural differences between the US and continental Europe regarding wherever kids should or shouldn’t be/eat at certain places.
In Europe it is commonplace to bring your kid – whatever the age to a cafe, restaurants and even bars !
That’s certainly true as well with fine dining, where we do expect as well children to behave accordingly. We took our son to fine dining restaurants since he was 2 – and he definitely know how to handle it. He does enjoy the experience and behave in a different way in these exceptional places as he does in a regular “crêperie” for instance.
It is very encouraging as well that restaurants in Michelin star restaurants, when we do visit only with my husband actually encourage us to come with the little one!
I do not say it is the right way to do it of course and all kids are different ; I just feel it is so much more commonplace here.
A better burger comparison might be Beaches and Cream – their similar cheeseburger is $23. (We were hungry late one evening and thought about stopping in, but even that price scared me away.) BTW, I realize you don’t control the ads, but the AI must have a sense of humor. Right under the picture of the large slice was cake was an ad titled “Why you’re not losing weight” Lol.